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I own and carry this small Beretta. I am having trouble finding .25 ACP hollowpoint ammunition for it. I also am considering getting a new pistol to carry and would appreciate any feedback. I really like my little Beretta but aside from not being able to find the small caliber ammo it has also gotten really hard for me to manipulate the slide mechinism. Because I carry in my purse weight is an important consideration. Any recommendations??
Thanks..

How much do you want to spend? Do you prefer single or double action?

Any 9-mm alloy pistol or .38-Special revolver would be better than a .25. I'm not one to go on about mouse guns, but that is a very marginal caliber.

- Jim

Depending on how hard it is for you actually to work the slide, a small frame 38 special revolver might be a good choice (look to smith & wesson, ruger, or taurus). If you still want to stick with semi-autos, I would suggest not going below a .380 in size, if possible. Ruger has the new LCP model which is very small, and Kel-Tec has a bunch of fans on this board. If you're interested in having a physical safety, the new Beretta PX4 subcompacts are starting to show up, and they offer much better calibers.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/LCP/
http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/p3at.htm
http://www.berettausa.com/product/spotl ... ompact.cfm

It is marginal Jim but the small size is appealing to me. I want something that is small, safe, reliable, and easy to use. My experience with the 25 cal was that it was enough to cause damage if the ammo was hollowpoint. The problem as I stated in my first post was that I couldn't find the 25 cal hollowpoint. I think my first choice in a new pistol would be double action.
The ones you mentioned, are they lightweight?
Thanks,
Marilyn

Keltecs and the LCP are both very lightweight and small. The PX4 is going to be a little heavier and bigger. The revolvers are also probably heavier than the keltec or LCP. All of these can be fired DA.

During my Utah CFP class, Linda showed a video that discussed awareness. In particular, this video focused on a woman and it brought up a very important point that I had not considered. This woman chose to carry a revolver instead of a semi-auto. The reason being, is that the weapon was carried in her purse, and if she needed to fire the weapon still in her purse, she didn't want the slide malfunctioning because it hit something, caught on something etc. That made perfect sense, because a semi auto weapon, needs free, clear, unobstructed space for the slide to function. Anything that gets in the way would most likely cause a malfunction.

So, what I would suggest to you is to look at a small frame revolver, if you intend on carrying in our purse and feel that you may/may not have to fire the weapon from inside the purse. S&W makes some fantastic, and extremely light, revolvers in .38 that I think would be perfect for you. If you intend on carrying on your body, then any of the small light, polymer pistols in .380 or 9mm would be fine.

bullet77 wrote:I own and carry this small Beretta. I am having trouble finding .25 ACP hollowpoint ammunition for it.

Try http://www.Sportsmansguide.com

bullet77 wrote:. . . it has also gotten really hard for me to manipulate the slide mechinism.

Isn't this a SA only with a tip up barrel and no safety? If so, this gun is not safe to carry with a round in the chamber and it is sure not safe to carry for self-defense without a round in the chamber. So you do need a new gun. Have you had instruction on using both hands actively to rack the slide? Unless you have a physical disability you should be able to rack any slide if you push away with the hand on grip while pulling back slide with off-hand.

bullet77 wrote:
I also am considering getting a new pistol to carry and would appreciate any feedback. . . Because I carry in my purse weight is an important consideration. Any recommendations??
Thanks..

Aside from the fact that purse carry is not ideal, It is always better than being unarmed. Your purse should have a dedicated compartment with holster and preferably a side entry. If it is a quality holster purse it will have this and should have a wider strap for comfort. You should never carry any handgun in a purse unless it is in a dedicated compartment with nothing else in there with it and in a holster that completely covers the trigger guard. If the purse with gun is too heavy, leave other stuff out to lighten it. You would be better armed with a larger gun, but any gun that you are able to place well-aimed shots with (and can be safely carried with a round in the chamber) will deter any attacker and stop most.

Have you been to this site? http://www.corneredcat.com If not you should--especially for women by a woman. There is a dedicated women's forum on this site and also you may want to visit http://womenandguns.servertalk.in/women ... rum-1.html

Edited to separate 2nd quote from my response, 8-3-08, 2222 Z

You don't want hollowpoints in that small of a caliber. Penetration is the goal so FMJs are the best. Why are you having a problem with the slide when it has a tip-up barrel? At any rate it sounds like you need a better option. I would suggest you get a S&W 642 because they are airweights and weight 15oz. If you are in the golden triangle area I have a 642 you can try out if you would like.

Thanks to everyone that has provided comments and suggestions... To shed a bit of clarity on my particular situation: The Beretta does have the tip-up barrel and no safety so I leave a loose bullet in my case so that I can get to it quickly, albeit not as quickly as a gun that is ready to fire, if needed to slide into the barrel and shoot, thereby foregoing the need to slide the mechinism, and the gun is in a dedicated compartment of my purse. But with that said, and after reading the comments I do think I need to get a new gun. I will check out the different sites that were mentioned by Texian. And, I was under the impression that the hollowpoint did more damage than the FMJ and are more accurate??
Thanks again to everyone for some neeeded advice...
Marilyn
Galveston County

bullet77 wrote:And, I was under the impression that the hollowpoint did more damage than the FMJ and are more accurate??

In general, hollowpoints are just as accurate as FMJ. Are you coming to the TexasCHLForum Day at PSC in Friendswood? There should be a multitude of handguns for you to try out at the "Find The Gun For You" event.

Marilyn, since you are in Galveston County, I recommend that you go to the women's program at PSC range in Friendswood: http://www.psc-range.com/PSC%20Flyer-1-8-08%20(2).htm

You can get tips on a modern firearm what will go bang when you pull the trigger and won't turn you into a hunchback.

- Jim

When is the TexasCHLForum Day at PSC in Friendswood? And what is the PSC? It sounds like it would be beneficial for me to attend and check out the different gun options. When I clicked the link: http://www.psc-range.com/PSC%20Flyer-1-8-08%20(2 it tells me its not found..

Sorry. The parentheses in the URL seem to cause trouble. You can go to http://www.psc-range.com/ and look for "Women's program" in the list on the left.

- Jim

There are many myths that circulate around these forums some are true and some are just peoples opinions that have no basis,everything I have read here is right on the money and if you can show up at the event they are talking about you can actually handle and shoot different guns before deciding on which one you like best,I would like to add that carrying a gun without a round in the chamber is like carrying a brick,you will probably not have the time or ability to find the bullet and chamber it before the incident occurrs that may put you in harms way.

Yes, dukalmighty I agree, after giving more thought to carrying my pistol without the bullet in the chamber, that in probably most situations if I had to use it there would not be enough time to load and shoot. My reason for not having the bullet in the chamber was a safety issue of not having a safety on the gun. And I liked the comment that BigBlueDodge made about shooting through my purse, it was one that caused me to ponder that particular scenario. I do plan on attending the TexasCHL Forum in Friendswood to check out some of the gun options that were mentioned.
Thanks,
Marilyn