Hard on the heels ofthe GCA '68 whichrestricted importation of numerous.25 auto pistols from Europe, new manufacturersof .25 autos sprang up in thiscountry to fill the steady demand for thediminutive automatics. But one of theoldest manufacturers of firearms in theworld, Beretta of Italy, beat the devilaround the bush by instigating the manufactureof their fine .25 Jetfire and .22Short Minx in this country. The Jetfire,also known as the 950 BS, is a provendesign of long standing, being a singleaction blowback operated autoloadingpistol. With an aluminum alloy frame, theJetfire weighs but eight ounces empty. Itholds nine shots with one in the chamber.We have been testing the new <strong>American</strong>-madeBeretta Jetfire and can give it aclean bill of health. Fit, finish, and functionare all flawless. The little pistolBy Ray Ordoricais .61 inches. The case headspaces on themouth, just like the .45 ACP. Publishedballistics give a 50-grain bullet a nominalvelocity of some 810 fps.There is no question that with similarbarrel lengths, the .25 ACP is much morepowerful .than even the .22L.R., a statementmany will dispute. However, I makeit based on actual tests this past winter onsmall game, testing my Beretta against asix-inch barreled S&W K-22. The .25 hits aharder blow than the .22L.R., even hollowpointsout of the K22, for head shots onsmall game. Many ofour experts have saidotherwise, but I wonder if they have reallytested the .25.misfire, you have to pop up the barrel andclear the chamber manually. You can'tjustwhip back the slide and eject the badround and jack in a new one. In fact ifyoutry this you will have a heluva mess onyour hands to clear. I can't help feel thisfine little gun would be improved with theaddition of a good extractor.The grips are checkered plastic. Nearthe bottom ofthe left grip panel is a buttonrelease for the magazine. This is not themost convenient position for a fast reload,but I doubt if many will want to use thisgun in combat matches.The trigger guard is actually a leafspring that bears against the underside ofthe barrel. There is a lever on the left sideof the receiver which, when pressed forward,releases the breech end of the barrelfrom a recess in the frame. The barrel,which is pinned to the frame by a trans-Foreign-born but <strong>American</strong> made, theBeretta pop-barrel.25 auto is fast becomingone of our most popular pocket pistols.It takes a lot of ammo to fill the magazine.Eight in the clip and one in thechamber is a handful of shells.punches them out reliably as fast as youcan work the trigger, and the gun shootsexactly where it looks. It puts them into thex-ring of a standard NRA B-7 target whenfired with center hold at seven yards, whenI do my part. That's less than a two-inchdiameter circle.Whatever the reason, the .25 ACP is oneof our most popular calibers. Historically,the '.25 ACP came into being in 1908 whenJohn Browning designed the Colt VestPocket pistol and the cartridge for it. Thecartridge is a rimless configuration whichgives ultimate feeding reliability frommagazine to chamber. Bullet diameter isabout .251 inches, and over all case lengthSince beginning assembly in the States,Beretta has added a nice-but little-safetythat operates similar to that on the .45 ColtGovernment Model. This permits carryingthe gun in a cocked and locked configuration.I for one prefer to pack the little rodaround with one in the chamber and thehammer fully down. Itis a very easy gun tothumb-cock.Fired cases have lots of room to escapethe gun, as there is no ejection portper se,the slide being completely open on topfrom halfway up the side of the barrel infront of the breech, a typical Beretta design.The gun has no extractor, whichmeans if you have a faulty round and averse axle-pin underneath the muzzle, isthen popped up by the action of the trigger-guard/spring,leaving the breech openand accessible for cleaning, loading, orinspection.Opening the barrel is also the first step infield stripping. After ensuring the gun isunloaded and the magazine is removed,pop up the barrel and push it forward"over center" out of the way. Cock thehammer, then move the slide very slightlyrearward and lift up on it. It will come upand off the receiver, exposing the innardsfor cleaning. This is all that's necessary orrecommended in home care of the Jetfire.To reinstall the slide, match the ends of32 AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . NOVEMBER/DECEMBER <strong>1981</strong>
Next to a .44 Magnum, the .25 looks like a pipsqueak, butthere's a lot of reliable firepower in the Jet fire.the recoil spring to the slots in the undersideof the slide and press the slide downand back until it snaps into place. Closethe barrel and you're all set to load andshoot. Very simple, very clever, and verywell done.The sights are a fixed tapered frontblade and a small rear notch cut in aprotruding lump at the rear of the slide.While they are rather dismal by targetshootingstandards, they look where theyshoot and are adequate for an arm's lengthweapon. It would be nice to have a widerflat-topped front blade and a correspondingwider rear notch. Neither would detractfrom the Be~etta's pocketability, andAMERICAN HANDGUNNER . NOVEMBER/DECEMBER <strong>1981</strong>both appear easy to achieve.The first impression one gets shootingthe Jetfire is that it takes a lot of ammo tofill the magazine. With eight in the magazineand one in the chamber, one has a realhandful of shots available. It is no big jobto haul back the slide to chamber a round,but there is no need to do so. It is easil
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