Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 32 ACP - best self defense ammo?

jwp, Terry... I have to agree, there are circumstances where a .32 would be the logical choice. My previous comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but only somewhat. I have a friend who lives in FL who likes to go to the beach, but hates to be unarmed. And he's not a big guy, so anything he stuffs in his swimming trunks is gonna look unnatural, if you know what I mean. He puts his Seecamp in a camera case and carries that on the beach. Makes sense to me.

Ten years ago if you wanted a tiny autopistol for CCW, your choices were a Beretta .32 or .25, or a Seecamp or equivalent from NAA and a few others. But given the availability of truly small and very reliable 9mm pistols today, there are few situations I can envision where an able-bodied person would need to resort to a .32ACP.

For the elderly and/or disabled person who can manage nothing more, the .32's are a reasonable choice. In those cases I'd stick with FMJ ammo or the tough-looking Buffalo Bore flatpoint. Terry, your choice of Silvertip ammo is a good one for feeding reliability in the .32's I've owned and/or tried out (uh-oh... busted!!! ) but it's not a deep penetrator. FMJ penetrates better, which is what you're gonna need if you've gotta shoot through bone and hope to hit the brain/brainstem.

Just my 2 cents. Nobody need to get their nose skinned over it.

Oh, sure. "Any gun is better than no gun." With the exception of those that simply cannot shoot anything bigger or more powerful, it's a matter of making yourself carry the better choice. E

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I friggin LOVE it; that was AWESOME!!

I hear ya Doc and basically agree, it is just that I have seen the ST's work here in tee shirt country. When I go up nawth just south of Chi-Town I take a 9 or .45, especially in the winter time due to the clothing they wear. My theory on the .32 and pretty much the .380 is to M-T it at their face and leave as fast as I possibly can.

Dang.

Guy gets a free gun, and a whole lot of ribbing.

Whatever bullet you get, just practice a whole lot from every possible angle and get good with it.

Frankly, I like mouse guns, and will wear them out time and ammo permitting.

Would love to add a Bobcat to my front pocket, but funds prohibit, just like for so many others these days.

As far as noise and confusion go, black powder 38's in a derringer are plenty loud, and leave a scant smokescreen to boot. Think destroyer tactics....

So here�s the gig with .32 ACP�

Since it has a small caliber, light bullet traveling at slow speeds; it kinda has everything you DON�T look for in a combat cartridge. But that doesn�t mean it�s useless. In fact, the .32 ACP has done pretty well worldwide; not that anyone will be giving up their .45�s anytime soon.

With hollow points, you need to consider that 99% of the tests or �stats� you read are out of a 4� barrel. So velocities in the itty-bitty .32�s like the Seecamp or Kel-Tec will be considerably slower, and typically hollow points WON�T expand. If you have a gun with a longer barrel like I do, then you can choose expansion, or penetration; but you don�t get both in any load I�ve ever found or even heard of. I have an Astra 3000 in .32 ACP and a Beretta Model 70 in .32 ACP; both are outstanding guns. As cool (and homely) as the Astra is, I have to say the PPK/S sized Beretta is the better gun, since it�s lighter and offers one more round in the magazine, taking it up to 8+1�with a spare magazine, that�s not too bad for a light weight hideout gun.

With a 4� barrel you can expect a Winchester Silvertip to expand to around .42-.46� rather reliably, with penetration in soft tissue typically 6-8�. For a front on shot at an aggressor inside of 25 yards, that isn�t bad at all. Again, for a frontal shot, that gives you a .45 caliber hole straight through any of the vitals; that�s downright respectable and will get the job done. Unfortunately, if you have to take a shot that isn�t a frontal shot, you run about an even chance the bullet may not reach the vitals. Here�s one gun where staggering Silvertips and Buffalo Bore hard cast round nosed flat points begins to make some sense. Kinda gives you a little of both; penetration and expansion.

In the itty-bitty guns like the Seecamp or Kel-Tec, I�ve just never found any cartridge that expanded reliably out of those 2� barrels, so I typically recommend the Buffalo Bore round nose flat point, or FMJ ammo. Try to avoid head shots, because I�ve never seen a .32ACP crack a skull (I�m sure they have, but the 3 head shots I�ve seen with .32�s didn�t), and isn�t likely to do much more than really piss an aggressor off when you provide him with a new part in his hair. If you�re at bad-breath range, the neck is THE shot for mousguns. With a neck shot, you actually have to go out of your way to not hit something vital. And if you�re shooting non-expanding bullets, you run about a 50/50 chance of hitting the cervical spine, which would bring things to a very quick halt.

At beyond contact ranges, the upper chest is probably your best bet. Multiple shot will be needed, along with a very good set of running shoes when your gun runs dry.

I carry my .32�s from time to time, and more often than my .32ACP�s I carry my .32 H&R Magnum 6 shot J frame. I have confidence in my ability with these guns, but I have even less confidence in the guns; and I have very little confidence in traditional combat cartridges like 9mm & .45 ACP. I tend to put my faith in situational awareness and having people skills and an escape plan.

The Marines have a saying. �Be kind, courteous and professional; but have a plan to kill everyone in the room just in case� If you�re carrying a .32 ACP, unless it�s a full-auto Skorpion, you won�t be making any plans other than how to get the hell out in a hurry.

Here it is: Buffalo Bore If your gun will feed them, this is without a doubt the best choice. Forget about expanding bullets in something so anemic. Go for penetration, and large meplat, which is what the Buffalo Bore loading accomplishes.

Alternatively, and less expensively, FMJ.

GMTA.

blasted gelatin tests are kinda fun to look at:



and



There is one way that I might buy a .32 ACP on purpose, and it would be to have one of these.



The .32 Cal 1903's cost much less than the .380's do.

Most of my guns, I regard more as 'prized possessions' than 'tools'.
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Sometimes I 'carry' a certain small caliber handgun just because I like it.
(When the terrorist Threat level is at LOW RISK.)

My favorite 32 ACP pistol is my Beretta Tomcat Inox.

I also have a CZ VZ61 SKORPIAN, 32 ACP (semi-auto version)
Just because I LIKE it.

I have one of the 1903 Colts. It is a heck of a fun gun to shoot. It is also easy to carry. For all the talk from people here and friends at work about them being powerless, I have yet to find someone who will let me shoot them so they can prove their point.

I really like my 1903 and it has enough barrel to get the velocity up there a bit. It is a joy to shoot and surprisingly accurate.

Found this info on the 32 ACP. I have a Beretta Tomcat. All I can say is I would not want to get shot with it.

Per the Marshall/Sanow Handgun Stopping Power study based on street results:

.32 ACP WW 60 gr. STHP: 61 shootings, 36 one-shot stops, 59%

.380 ACP WW 85 gr STHP: 59 shootings, 32 one-shot stops, 54%

.38 special, 2" bbl, WW 125 gr JHP +P: 41 shootings, 23 one-shot stops, 56%

I stoke my 1940-vintage Walther PP .32 with Silvertips, but like T Lee said, if I were to pocket it in the winter I would switch to FMJs to penetrate heavy clothing. The Silvertip factory ammo feeds dead nuts reliably and is the most accurate load in that gun to date. Still, it's not a .45 and I view it as a backup or for carry when the .45 would be too obvious.

Anecdote: This Walther came to me from the old GI who relieved its original owner of it in Normandy, 1944. I came to love the way it points, its accuracy, and the solid well machined feel of it. Too bad it has a couple rust pits caused by blood from the original owner's untimely end.

TLee,my colt isn't in as good of shape as your's but it is fun and accurate. My 6 and 8 year olds like to shoot it. Its man size {target} accurate to about 50 yards, and head size accurate to 10-15 yards. Winchester is the most accurate I have tried so far. I can only get two choices in town. This gun is'nt noticed when carried so it gets carried alot. My 357 and 9's aren't as easily carried so dont get taken as often. I dont feel undergunned, but dont put myself in known bad situations.

Mine has been parkerized, my grandfather carried it as a prohibition agent and for many years after. I continued to carry it for a long time as well. I may need to have it redone yet again as it is getting pretty thin on the slide now.

The clip was his idea back in the day and I did change the screws out a few years ago to the socket head one but the clip is his original, damn tough spring steel I will say.

I seem to have this "thing" for browning design handguns!

The only thing I don't like about it is the thumb safety. It's manipulation is not sufficiently positive, IMHO.

And if you believe that, I have some B of A stock options to sell you.

Do you volunteer to get shot then? Should bounce right off.