Federal Punch Self-Defense Ammo Has New .25 ACP Option

Got a pocket pistol that needs feeding, and you want the most hitting power you can get? While it is unrealistic to ever expect a quarter-bore to turn into a hand cannon, you might be able to improve your pistol's performance with Federal's new .25 ACP load in its Punch lineup.

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The Punch series of cartridges are intended to offer superior performance in self-defense situations, debuting in 2020 with your choice of .380 ACP, .38 Special, 9x19mm, 40 S&W or .45 ACP loads. Nothing surprising there; those are all common and often recommended cartridges for self-defense.

But in the years since, the Punch series has expanded to include other rounds, even offering a .22 LR load—something we've covered here at TFB in the past, examining the round's real-world performance.

Now, we have a new option in .25 ACP (or 25 Auto, as it's called on Federal's website).

When the Punch line was introduced, Federal's handgun ammunition product manager Chris Laack said, “We know more about making duty and defensive bullets than anyone. We used that knowledge and experience to create a product to specifically meet the needs of self-defense with a handgun.”

That appears to be what they've done here—updating the .25 ACP formula with a new 45-grain solid-bullet load. While some shooters might want an expanding bullet, Laack says Federal's experience with other Punch loads left them deciding a solid .25-caliber bullet was best in this case, offering the most penetration.

The primary purpose of our Punch product line is to provide an easy answer to the question of ‘What ammo should I use for defense?’ for each cartridge. As such, the product line can feature any bullet design from expanding hollow points to deeper penetrating solids. Much like we discovered while developing the 22 LR Punch, the tiny 25 Auto cartridge provides limited potential to work with. Even the best 25-caliber hollow point bullet may not reliably expand; if it does, the penetration depth is minimal. We found this round's most effective defense bullet to be a non-expanding solid. The results outperform competitors' rounds in this cartridge.

Again, keep your expectations realistic; this is a 45-grain bullet moving at 825 fps, according to Federal. But if it really does penetrate deeper than other .25 ACP rounds, there will certainly be demand, as this is a long-overlooked market.

MSRP for a box of 20 rounds of .25 ACP Punch ammo is $23.99. For more details, check out Federal's website.