Carrying a .32??

[KYMiniFan]

I've always leaned toward .380 as a minimum caliber to carry.  However, my foray into the world of minis has me wondering about downsizing my larger carry gun to a .32 for easy pocket carry when I want something bigger than the .22mag.

I'd love to hear from folks who carry a .32 about your experience- which model gun you chose, .32 acp or .32 naa, learnings along the way, etc.

Thanks for your input.

[Uncle Fatso]

My Kel Tec P32 is about the same size as my Ruger LCP.  I carry both loaded w FMJ ammo, and figure they are both similarly effective, with a slight possible advantage to the LCP because of more bullet weight. If you want hollow point bullets, they're a lot more available for the .380, though.

[PaducahMichael]

I use a Beretta Tomcat. I really like the tip-up barrel feature. It's DA/SA so you never have to rack the slide.

[franco22]

I have both the Keltec P32 and the Beretta Tomcat. I carry the Keltec often. The Beretta is a nice piece but it's a little wide and a little heavy compared to the P32. It's actually wider and heavier than most pocket 380s.

[Gog]

I have a LWS 32. Very picky on ammo but works great. It sure is a lot harder to find ammo in .32 than .380, that's for sure.

[PaducahMichael]

I had a seecamp .32 but it really hurt my hand to fire it. That's when I went to the Tomcat.

Franco is right - it is a little bigger, but that makes the recoil much less noticeable - and again - that tip up barrel is a big deal to me - sometimes hard to rack a slide, but you never have to do that with the Beretta. I guess that's why I favor it.

[MR_22]

I used to carry a Kel-Tec P32 until the Guardian .380 came out, and then I carried that. That was over 15 years ago and .32ACP rounds have greatly improved since then. I've been considering going back down to .32 on some occasions, or as a backup. Time to get out the old ivory P32.

[autofull]

yeah, i must admit that my kel-tec p32 is what i carry way more than the guardian 32. it is the weight factor for me.  kevin.

[Paneraiguy]

I carry my 32 acp guardian often and have fired a couple hundred rounds through it already and it functions flawlessly.

[grayelky]

Do some research into actual LEO investigated shootings, and you will find the .32 and .380 MUCH closer in effectiveness than most realize. As Mr_22 noted, with the improvement in ammo over the last handful of years, the .32 has gotten a lot better. Couple that with the fact it is easier to shoot and has less recoil than the .380, which helps to get hits on target and you began to understand whey the .32 maintains its popularity. That and the .32 guns are usually smaller and lighter. If the Seecamp had a polymer frame, it could very well be the perfect pocket gun. Its weight is what keeps it in my safe.

[KYMiniFan]

Do some research into actual LEO investigated shootings, and you will find the .32 and .380 MUCH closer in effectiveness than most realize. As Mr_22 noted, with the improvement in ammo over the last handful of years, the .32 has gotten a lot better. Couple that with the fact it is easier to shoot and has less recoil than the .380, which helps to get hits on target and you began to understand whey the .32 maintains its popularity. That and the .32 guns are usually smaller and lighter. If the Seecamp had a polymer frame, it could very well be the perfect pocket gun. Its weight is what keeps it in my safe.

Thanks everyone.  Very much appreciate your input.

I think I was leaning towards a metal gun (guardian, seecamp, tomcat)- but a couple mentions of the weight have me thinking the kel-tec might be the first gun to consider.

[seaotter]

https://youtu.be/Aw0BPSnrENA

The whole .32 acp issue is explored at length by Paul Harrell, one of the better firearms youtuber.

[KYMiniFan]

https://youtu.be/Aw0BPSnrENA

The whole .32 acp issue is explored at length by Paul Harrell, one of the better firearms youtuber.

Thanks for the info Seaotter.

I'll definitely take a look!

[bill_deshivs]

He might be one of the better Youtubers, but he doesn't know much about pocket pistols.

[ikoiko]

Bill, what do you feel was missing/wrong regarding the video presentation?

[bill_deshivs]

For one thing, he bases most of his information on the Beretta 3032-which is a BIG .32.
He never mentions weight, which is a big factor in a carry gun. The Keltec P32 is small, and it's the thinnest .32 ever made and the lightest.
The Ruger LCP is a copy of the Keltec P3AT. Ruger made the gun heavier and bigger, for no particular purpose, except people equate heavy with quality.
The Keltec P32 is smaller (and lighter) than the P3AT-which is smaller and lighter than the LCP.

The .380 in a lightweight pocket pistol can be very unpleasant to shoot. The .32 in a locked breech P32 is simply a pussycat.

I could go on for hours picking this video apart. Yes, .380 is slightly more powerful than .32, which is more powerful than .25. NONE of the above can be relied on for immediate physiological incapacitation without a central nervous system shot. WITH a CNS- the .25 will do just about as well as the .380-or a .44 magnum.

[ikoiko]

The p32 is definitely tiny and would have been a nice piece to have included for size comparison.

[Oddball]

I'm a fan of the 32 Tomcat. Its a good size for a pocket pistol but some may consider its thickness a downside but I like it. It just feels good in the hand.
One shot with a 32 may not be that effective unless you get a CNS shot but I can unload a magazine into the head of a 1/3 silhouette at 10 yds very quickly, every time, without fail.
Just like the arguments against 22 mags as capable of self defense the arguments against 32s are mostly unfounded in real life.

[LHB]

My P32 is very un-reliable, jams, and I wouldn't carry it.  Some one said it needs to be fluffed and buffed, but we have been condemning Rangers for not being perfect out of the box, so why is a Kel-Tec any different, shouldn't it be perfect also.

[WECSOG]

I have an NEF (H&R) R73 5-shot .32 Mag double action revolver. Does that count? 

[adp3]

One caveat for any new .32ACP shooter is to watch how you load your magazine.  The .32ACP is a semi-rimmed cartridge case.  As each round is loaded into the magazine the rim of the top round MUST be forward of the rim of the round below it.  This applies to every cartridge that you load into the magazine.  If you fail to do this you end up with "rim lock" where the top round can't be stripped out of the magazine because its rim is behind the round below its rim.  If this happens to you just remove the magazine base plate and the mag guts and rounds will all spill out.  Then just reassemble the mag and pay more attention as you load.  Properly loaded I've found .32ACP's more reliable than .380ACP's.  The profile of the .32 is usually more tapered and feeds better.

Best Regards,
ADP3

[ikoiko]

I did a fluff and buff on my p32 before I ever shot it. I knew before buying it that it was likely needed, so I did it. I've had no problems with it since running it wet, 100 rounds or so. Have only used round nose bullets in it. My understanding is that rim lock occurs more with hollow points, and use of a spacer solves that.

[Uncle_Lee]

Help Me !!
One is never too old to learn (I hope).

How could rim lock only occur with hollow points?
What is a "spacer" and where do you put it.

I am serious.    I don't know.

[ikoiko]

I didn't use any hollow point. Was reading on KTOG (KelTec Owners Group) forum. Seems that the overall length of hollow points is shorter than round nose cartridges and this allows them to shift in the magazine and cause rim lock.

Spacer goes to the rear of the magazine. Piece of wire.

Rim lock topic pops up periodically on the forum. Here's a thread from last year.

https://www.thektog.org/threads/rim-lock-with-lehigh.268145/

And here's the homemade spacer info (flyer wire).

http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/flyerwire.htm

[linux_author]

I think I was leaning towards a metal gun (guardian, seecamp, tomcat)- but a couple mentions of the weight have me thinking the kel-tec might be the first gun to consider.

when i acquired my Kel-Tec P-32 yesterday, the LGS owner picked up its case off the shelf, held it up, looked at it, shook it, and said, "Is there anything in here?"



willie
on the flip-flops, shorts, and t-shirt Gulf of Mexico

[PaducahMichael]

I don't think there is any doubt that the Kel Tec p32 is the lightest, smallest CC semi-auto. I have held them and checked them for pocket fit, etc, but just never bought one. Don't know why. Maybe because it has no "charm".

[Wansfell]

I got my CCW in Kentucky in 1996, and for 20 years after that, my carry gun was a pre-war Walther PPK in .32acp.  I heard tell of "rim lock" early on, but the Walther never did that to me, even with magazines full of Silver Tips.  But, to be on the safe side, I'd have a ST in the chamber, and also the next one up in the mag, and the rest would be FMJ.  I stayed away from the caliber wars because there appeared to be way too much "cherry picking" data there for me.  I stayed with the PPK even when all the new micro polymer guns started coming out, because I didn't care for striker fired guns, or semi-cocked hammer fired guns, or anything that required wanking around with the slide to "reset" it.  Recently I discovered the SIG P290RS, a true DAO sub-compact poly frame 9mm, so the PPK isn't getting the flight time that it used to.

Just a couple days ago, I obtained an NAA Guardian .32acp that's already well on the way of proving itself reliable and reasonably accurate, and I plan to use the very same loading arrangement for it, with an exception.  Silver Tips are getting a bit hard to find, and command a mint price when you do find them.  So, now the top 2 are Hornady's 60 grn XTP's.  Cabela's has them on sale, bought 4 boxes.  And I will carry my .32's and go forth unafraid.   

[bill_deshivs]

My P32 is very un-reliable, jams, and I wouldn't carry it.  Some one said it needs to be fluffed and buffed, but we have been condemning Rangers for not being perfect out of the box, so why is a Kel-Tec any different, shouldn't it be perfect also.

Why wouldn't you just send it to Keltec, and let them repair it? They do a very good job.
Then, you couldn't gripe about how unreliable it is.
Many people just can't shoot the Keltecs, because they can't figure out how to hold them. They should be held very firmly to prevent malfunctions from "limp wristing."

[ikoiko]

I found my p32 to be a mild little shooter dispite it's tiny size/weight. For me, that's it's charm, it's so tiny.

Would like to see some comparison pictures with the baby browning .25.

[MR_22]

Well, this will probably be my next .32-caliber gun that I carry--my Taurus.327-Magnum revolver.

[PaducahMichael]

I found my p32 to be a mild little shooter dispite it's tiny size/weight. For me, that's it's charm, it's so tiny.

Would like to see some comparison pictures with the baby browning .25.

I don't have a Kel-Tec -32 but I found the dimensions to compare:

Height (BB, KT)  2.8", 3.5"
Length               4.1", 5.1"
Width                 .75", .75"
weight                6.6 oz, 9.7 oz

[ikoiko]

Thanks Michael,
The baby browning must be really, really tiny.

A picture montage with the B.B., various minis, p32, and guardian .32 acp would be interesting to see.

And of course, it is a picture. Who would complain?

[KYMiniFan]

Thanks Michael,
The baby browning must be really, really tiny.

A picture montage with the B.B., various minis, p32, and guardian .32 acp would be interesting to see.

And of course, it is a picture. Who would complain?

Not me!

Who is lucky enough to have all these fine guns and willing to share pics with us?

[PaducahMichael]

Here is a Short, Long Rifle and Baby Browning

[ikoiko]

Thanks, that is tiny.