You don’t see many people carry .32 ACP pistols any more. But KelTec still offers their ultra-easy carry little P32 mouse gun. While John packs his in a comfortable DeSantis Sof-Tuck, that’s a gun that’s just as much at home riding in a front pocket (in a pocket holster, of course).
Plus, the little gun leaves sheepdog John plenty of room to tote an extra mag, a light and a good blade.
As for caliber, plenty of people deride the .32 as too small with too little stopping power. But if the choice is carrying a .32 or not carrying at all, the .32 ACP will certainly make an impression on any would-be attacker.
Looks good to me.
A 32 meets the criteria “have a gun”.
The P32 is a little hard for me to hold onto so I still prefer the LCP.
But the P32 is tiny and easy to tote.
I’ve never really gotten the whole caliber warz thing.
If you find that your first .32 didn’t get the job done, well, that’s why it’s not a single shot affair.
I’m with you on caliber. Have a gun and the will to use it. All the rest is bullshit.
Please explain; “didn’t get the job done.”
Thanks
He said: “If you find that your first .32 didn’t get the job done, well, that’s why it’s not a single shot affair.” Meaning that it’s an automatic pistol with multiple rounds. So, if the first shot into the bad guy didn’t stop the threat, you have more rounds to shoot with.
^ This.
If the first shot doesn’t have the desired effect then repeat as necessary.
Well, if it’s all you got, it’s all you got. Better than nothing at all.
I like my Kel-Tec P3AT, but at .380ACP that’s the smallest I am comfortable using.
I like the P3AT and the LCP, but I bet my wife would prefer to shoot the P32 over the .380s. Unfortunately, I don’t have the .32. Still, for recoil shy folks wanting a pocket gun, it’s a good way to go.
I carried a Seecamp.32 for a few years. Reliable and sized even for a small pocket. Nice Fischer space pen, too.
NAA, the .22 mini-revolver folks, have a Seecamp clone of their own :
“North American Arms .32 NAA Guardian Pistol: Micro Powerhouse”
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/north-american-arms-32-naa-guardian-pistol-micro-powerhouse/
I often carry a p32. I use a sticky holster for mine.
My first carry gun was my grandfather’s Colt 1903 pocket auto in .32 ACP. That was years ago. However, I still bring it out a couple of times a year to shoot it. It’s a beautiful little pistol.
… and .32 was a petty standard cal. back around the early 1900’s (Luger/Mauser/Savage/etc.), up through the 1960’s where the German police were issued Walther 7.65 PP’s (I have one of their surplus guns). They did the job for many years, and can still do the job today for an accurate shooter.
I carry a Kel-Tec P32 when I wear light clothing but still need something very easy to conceal. I have tested many different brands and types of ammo and settled on the Hornady XTP in .32 ACP. For me, I found it to have the best penetration with the best expansion. If you need to defend yourself, try to get in close, go for a ‘headshot’ if possible, and try for a soft point such as under the chin, through an eye, or in the temple. You do what you have to do with what you have!
Everyone can make their own decisions on calibers. Me, I wouldn’t go below .380 for carry purposes. Anything smaller than pocket .380s would be hard to shoot because I wouldn’t be able to get enough fingers on it. .32 doesn’t seem to add much in capacity for the same size, though. And the recoil from .380 is pretty tame.
Some differences between calibers don’t matter but at some point they do. So if I were going to look at a caliber with even less energy and expanded diameter I’d want to get something in exchange. I’ll carry a .380 over a .45 because it’s lighter and smaller while remaining easy to shoot. I guess if I had problems with .380 maybe…
.32 ACP has far less felt recoil than a .380 ACP in pistols of the same size and weight. Also, a pocket .32 ACP can be made approximately the same size as a very small .22lr or .25 ACP. They do not have to be the same size as a .380 ACP unless the manufacturer chooses to use the same frame for both calibers! My P-32 is just as small as some of the tiny Italian .25 ACPs that I used to carry! Also, for many women and some men with smaller hands or grip size, the trigger reach of the smaller .32 ACPs makes much better sense!
Fwiw,
My first “deep cover handgun” was a .32ACP PPK & I never felt unarmed with it in my LEFT side pocket.
(I had my jeans/slacks pockets lined with leather, so that I needed no holster.)
Summer I carry Beretta Tomcat 7.65. Just purchased model 81 Cheetah Italian police turn in. Unfired condition, 12+1 capacity. Will still carry Ruger 1911 or Security six. But after I get Cheetah to range won’t feel under gunned. Don’t with Tomcat. Very accurate. Say what you want,getting shot would SUCK. No matter caliber. How many murders in Chicago last weekend were .22,.25cal?
I on occasion carry the same .32 my Grandfather captured in Normandy and carried to Berlin. M1913 Sauer Suhl &Suhn. It is accurate, concealable and light.
A .32 beats not having a gun at all, and we all know no one who says being shot by a .32 is not sufficient will not volunteer to take a round to prove it.
Correcto! Folks throw off on the smaller calibers for the larger. But I for one would not like to get shot with any of them.
I’ve got a KelTec .32 ACP that I like to slip into a pocket when attending certain events, such as concerts, with a spare mag in the other pocket. It’s very concealable and fits my hand just fine. Recoil is so light that I have a hard time not being accurate with it. I keep the mags loaded with either Corbon PowrBall or Winchester Silver Tips. This gun won’t put anybody shot with it on their ass, but it will buy time to escape since nobody likes the prospect of being shot. I look at it like a derringer.
Nice minimalist setup, lots of bases covered.
I’ve thought about a little 32 mouse gun for a ankle/boot gun as a backup.
Beretta Tomcat in an ankle rig, barely know it is there…
My P3AT is ever so slightly larger and rides well in a selection of pocket holsters I have. Very suitable for FL summer, who am I kidding, year round carry, here in N.E. FL
I carried a Beretta .32 Puma when I was in my teens. Felt safe with it, and it shot well and field stripped quickly. It was my first semi-auto. Well made.
Carried a locked and loaded Keltec .32 with extended magazine for years, until motorcycle accident, it would shoot but not reload as Slide was bent, sent it back and it was rebuilt at no charge!
I carried a .380ACP for nearly 25 years, but I don’t think I’ve ever fired a .32ACP, so I’ve no real experience with the caliber. It was the standard Police issue in Europe for a long, long time I know, but here across the pond, it just never gained a real large following. The .32NAA is an intriguing cartridge, but I believe Cor-Bon is the only Ammo Mfg. currently loading for it at this time.
I had one of the little Raven Arms .25ACP’s years ago (I picked it up at a Going Out of Business Sale for $30 or $40 if memory serves), and I wasn’t real impressed with its performance or accuracy. Loading HP’s it was a Jam-O-Matic, so it would only feed FMJ’s. So I didn’t hang on to it very long.
If he’s comfortable with it, that’s the only question that matters. As other’s stated, “Any gun is better than no gun,” and I believe that as well. Even a .22 Short is better than nothing at all. The real point is to know the limitations of what you’re carrying. As far as the sub 9 calibers being ultra concealable, that’s pretty evident with the mouse guns.
Has anyone owned/tried the .327 Magnum? I saw a Ruger revolver in that caliber, but the store wanted a little over $600.00 for it.
thanks
Bill
Bill, I’ve got .327 Federal Magnum well covered with a Taurus w/3 in ported barrel (a real tack driver), a Ruger LCR and an LCRX, an SP 101 in SS with a 3 in barrel, AND a Henry Big Boy in the caliber. .327 Fed Mag is a bad ass round and, as you might surmise, I really like it. The LCR/LCRX goes for around 5 bills around here. Additionally, if you want to lighten up on the load, you can use .32 H&R Mag, .32 long, .32 short, and in a pinch .32 ACP. What’s NOT to love?
Its a myth that the .32 is inferior to the .380. Bullet penetration and bullet placement are what kills, even a 177 cal pellet gun has been known to drop people stone dead instantly with a heart shot. The .32 will out penetrate the .380 every time. German Army tests proved it, that is why they adopted it over the .380. The .32 penetrated a helmet while the .380 did not.
It is true that the .32 can experience rim lock if the magazine is not loaded properly while the .380 that is rimless does not have this problem.
As one old man told me years ago “The only difference between a .32 and .380 is in a guys mind” (he carried a .32 Walther PP) and in my opinion he was correct.
Years ago a study was done on handgun deaths and the two calibers that killed the most people were the .25 acp and the .32 acp. Some will say that this was because there were more people carrying those calibers when the survey was done. I will agree with that but lets not forget the people who did get shot did indeed die.
Whenever I hear someone say “If you shoot someone with a .22 it will only make them mad” I like to remind people of the Reagan assassination. Three big powerful men were blown off their feet with nothing more than a .22 rim fire. The security guard shot in the shoulder spun around and hit the pavement like a ton of bricks as did Brady and also Reagan ( the bullet stopped just short of his heart, another 1/10 of an inch would have killed him). If the bullet had entered from the front of his body instead of the side it would have been curtains.
Speed on the draw, cool under fire, and accurate shot placement are what count the most, not size of caliber.
Its also interesting to note the .30 Luger was used to kill 1,200 lb steers with one shot with fmj ammo and they were not shot in the head. They did this way back in 1900.
Some years ago several gun writers discovered some long forgotten history that the U.S. Military was so impressed with the .30 Luger they placed an order for 200 Lugers in .30 caliber but the clerk lost the order (I think it was at Abercrombie and Fitch) and the Military never followed up as to why they never got their Lugers. If they had we just might have adopted the .30 Luger as this was some years before the testing of the 1911 pistol took place.
A few years ago around here a guy used a .32 ACP in a defensive shooting. The bad guy was shot in the abdomen. He didn’t die but he had a long hospital stay and it took him forever to heal as that little bullet bounced around inside him and hit all manner of important organs. I’ve got a P32 and occasionally carry it depending on seasonal attire. It’s not my preferred piece but it will do under those circumstances.
I have both a P32 and a P3AT. I don’t see much point in the former when you can get the latter. HOWEVER, before you decry the .32, load one up with Silvertips and go shoot a critter. Then decide.
If you have to blow a hole in an attacker’s head, he probably won’t much care how big it is.