Favorite .32 ACP defense round?

[Argonaut]

The Kel Tec P32 is my wife's yoga pants gun. She won't be shooting any bears with it.

That is fine off course.......but it seems that 380 will do more and fits in the same size guns. I do have a Colt 1903 that is fun to shoot but it is a family piece.....I probably would never have bought it. Even those morphed into 380 with the newer models.

 

[Captain O]

That is fine off course.......but it seems that 380 will do more and fits in the same size guns. I do have a Colt 1903 that is fun to shoot but it is a family piece.....I probably would never have bought it.

I'd rather use a .32 ACP than a 380 ACP. Same velocity, less frontal area, deeper penetration. The .380 is simply a 9mm that's been emasculated. The .32 has the attribute of greater controllability and more rounds at my disposal. With Underwood's "Lehigh" bullets performing the way they do, I like my little .32 Autos even more!

Leave it to Argonaut to take things "off course"!

 

[Captain O]

The defense... rests.

 

[Argonaut]

That is true but you don't want penatration when shooting a person. You want every bit of energy available to be transmitted to the receiver. Penatration is usually waisted flying through the subject. Velocity is good to extend effective range but in a small pistol that isn't going to be an advantage either. 32's have traditionally had around 100 ft lbs of energy, I am sure that some modern hot loads have more. If you are worried about penatration, a 22Lr has 106 ft lbs of energy with only a .22 entrance wound that will penatrate a lot further. Of course, anyone will use what they have. So these conversations are productive for people to be properly equipped when the time comes. By the way.......if we wanted penatration......no one would use hollow point or expanding bullets. They are designed for energy transmission.

 

[Captain O]

Recent pocket pistol "street tests" (where the rubber meets the road) have shown that the soft lead of the .22 lr penetrates less than even the .25 ACP. (The FMJ gives the .25 ACP an edge). There aren't any 22lr FMJ loads that I have ever seen. These tests were performed in actual shooting scenarios. (John Moses Browning must have been onto something). The technology in 1906 was limited, (crude FMJ and all) but it worked. It has also been determined that the old ".22 lr bounces around inside the body" was thoroughly debunked by the same study that showed the superiority of .25 ACP over the .22 lr tests.

Welcome to the 21st century.

 

[Argonaut]

Recent pocket pistol "street tests" (where the rubber meets the road) have shown that the soft lead of the .22 lr penetrates less than even the .25 ACP. (The FMJ gives the .25 ACP an edge). There aren't any 22lr FMJ loads that I have ever seen. These tests were performed in actual shooting scenarios. (John Moses Browning must have been onto something). The technology in 1906 was limited, (crude FMJ and all) but it worked. It has also been determined that the old ".22 lr bounces around inside the body" was thoroughly debunked by the same study that showed the superiority of .25 ACP over the .22 lr tests.

Welcome to the 21st century.

So, now you are arguing that the same energy with more frontal mass is a good thing........which is it? The Brits did extensive testing with cadavers prior to settling on the 38S&W as a service round. They found that It had the best ratio of penatration to power transmittal of anything including the 45ACP. Studies and individual examples can take you any where you want. The Marines in the Philippines learned that the officer casualty rate was very high when they were equipped with the newly adopted 38 Colt revolvers. They redirected a shipment of 1902 model Colt 45's from Alaska and the casualty rate went back down......that is imperical data that is relevant. The 36 caliber revolvers acquired such a poor reputation as a combat caliber, when they redesigned it and brought it back to the market, they had the call it a 38 just to encourage people to buy it. What would they do with a 32?

 

[dangerranger60]

I know this is a "necrothread" from 2013 but there seems to still be interest so here is My 2 cents.
The ballistics of the OP's gun are going to be nothing like those from a pocket gun. The OP's gun had nearly 4" of barrel. Lot's of people like to dismiss the .32 based on what a 1.5" barreled gun will do. But let's not forget even our own US Army was still issuing .32 auto pistols to its officers until 1975. They only stopped then because Colt stopped making them.
I have a few guns chambered in .32 that I have carried. My favorite is a Beretta 70. It has a 3.75" barrel, a decent sight, a grip I can get all three gripping fingers on, and still fit in a pocket. I also shoot a Walther PP, [PPKs bigger brother]. From either of these I would expect good penetration, and little recoil.

I mostly shoot either S&B or Fiocchi ammo because it is loaded to the higher european standard. Either of those seem to work in all of my old european guns. I wish I could say the same for US standard ammo.

When it comes to FMJ or HP, Ill take the heavier FMJ. Or a hard cast lead slug. But "If " someone offered me some HP I would not turn them down. And I wouldn't be afraid to carry them. DR

 

[Captain O]

Try again. The greater frontal area of the .380 combined with the lower velocities equals lower penetration. The .32, while a bit lighter is easier to control and the accuracy of the .32 is legendary. The .380 ACP? fair but not spectacular. If you're going for a greater frontal area, use the 9mm Parabellum with the higher velocity. The .380 is a poor compromise.

Hollowpoints in a 380? Not on your tintype! That's akin to putting speed brakes on a Piper Cub. The same goes for the .32 Both the .32 and the .380 travel at approximately the same velocity. With the pocket pistols, penetration is your friend! (I have this information straight from the Albuquerque Coroner's office).

Reality trumps speculation.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

7.65mm vs .25acp

Delivery like a brick through a plate glass window.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'd rather use a .32 ACP than a 380 ACP. Same velocity, less frontal area, deeper penetration. The .380 is simply a 9mm that's been emasculated. The .32 has the attribute of greater controllability and more rounds at my disposal. With Underwood's "Lehigh" bullets performing the way they do, I like my little .32 Autos even more!

Leave it to Argonaut to take things "off course"!

There's some "non-slouchy" .380 out there.. probably 2-3 times the power of the "best" .32?
And the 9mm is emasculated, thanks to lots of 100+ year old guns out there.. lest you choose NATO power level loadings (with a proper bullet) or better.. which is very easy to do.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Best way to go would be to load 12 or 10ga hulls with .32ACP cartridges and shoot the bad guys with those!

 

[Certaindeaf]

.Reality trumps speculation.

Indeed. Good luck with rim lock (giggity) with the .32acp.. pretty much the main fail of that cartridge being a semi-rimmed case.

 

[Kruel J]

I can't believe in 2017 that the .32 ACP is still even relevant. Same with the .25ACP.....seriously are people still really choosing these calibers for self defense?

 

[Captain O]

What I enjoy about the .32 ACP is it's "controllability". I can empty a magazine into a 4" saucer-sized area without even trying at 7 yards. At 3 yards it is a "walk in the park". I have an original Yugoslavian Police Pistol in .32 ACP that's made for the European loads. It shoots like a dream and I can rely upon it to perform as needed. "Shot placement is king, penetration is queen. Everything else is 'angels dancing on the heads of pins'."

It works for me.

P.S. I have seen published data for a 3 1/2" barreled pistol That launches a 71-grain FMJ bullet at 1001 fps yielding 158 fpe.

That ain't hay!

 

[Captain O]

I can't believe in 2017 that the .32 ACP is still even relevant. Same with the .25ACP.....seriously are people still really choosing these calibers for self defense?

I measure what a pistol does by how it performs. The accuracy of my .32 ACP is beyond reproach and with the Underwood ammunition, the pistol kills at "bad breath ranges" rather well, thank you

 

[Certaindeaf]

Try again. The greater frontal area of the .380 combined with the lower velocities equals lower penetration. The .32, while a bit lighter is easier to control and the accuracy of the .32 is legendary..

Try again indeed. I think you are confused yet again, thinking that the .32 s&w long wad-cutter cartridge/loading and the Olympic grade semi-automatic target pistols that fire it are equivalent to the .32acp cartridge.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

The P32 is the gun you carry when you can't have a larger pistol. My wife's work has a "No Gun" policy, so a larger pistol is out of the question. Never had rim lock with it.

 

[Captain O]

The P32 is the gun you carry when you can't have a larger pistol. My wife's work has a "No Gun" policy, so a larger pistol is out of the question. Never had rim lock with it.

Precisely why you invest in Underwood's Defender ammunition. When it has to work, IT HAD BEST WORK!

 

[Kruel J]

Precisely why you invest in Underwood's Defender ammunition. When it has to work, IT HAD BEST WORK!

Huh, you and @Nick Burkhardt have me thinking more about the .32 as a carry for my wife. I mean, it's better than mace and if the recoil is that controllable it might be an option. @Captain O can you compare the recoil to another pistol caliber? I'll admit I wrote those calibers off a long time ago but MAYBE there is more to discuss here.....

 

[Captain O]

The recoil of the .32 ACP effectively "splits the difference" between the .25 ACP and the .380 ACP. I like it so much that I sold my Bersa .380 because I felt that my Kel-Tec P-11 replaced it and the Yugoslavian .32, while all-steel, is so quick and accurate that my confidence with the little pistol is "through the roof". After I empty the little piece into a person's face, it tends to "take the wind out of their sails".

I've grown quite fond of it.