[ChuckB]

Hi, all. I have now given up on my Kel-Tec P32. It was back "in the shop" for 4+ weeks because it wouldn't extract/eject properly. Now, after only about 75 smooth rounds, the gun doesn't go "bang". Empty, it doesn't even go "click". I'm sending it back to Kel-Tec for repair, but I'd be darned if I'm going to possibly stake my life on something so unreliable. My question: if I decide to stay with a 32ACP, what would you folks suggest as a replacement? My only other bottom feeder now is a Beretta 92FS, which is terrific- but I kind of liked the DAO of the P32. I'm open to suggestions, if you might be so kind as to offer them. Good shootin', y'all!

Chuck

[Marko Kloos]

If you want to stick with non-KT mouse guns in .32ACP, you have a few options.

There's the Beretta Tomcat...it's bigger and heavier than the P32, but it has better sights and shoots like a bigger gun. The tip-up barrel feature is also nice. My wife uses one as a carry gun, and she loves it.

The NAA Guardian is smaller than the Tomcat, but a bit heavier than either the P32 or the Tomcat. It's all steel, DAO, and made like a little Swiss watch. Its sights are vestigial, but those little guns are for bad-breath distance anyway, and the Guardian hides well thanks to its small size.

There are quite a few bigger guns chambered in .32ACP, like the Walther PP/PPK, CZ-50/70, or SIG P232J. Those guns sacrifice some concealability over the tiny guns for a "big gun" feel and ease of use.

[coldshot03/04]

Oh Never mind.:rolleyes:

[dsk]

Don't forget the once most sought-after pocket .32, the Seecamp. I'm seeing more and more of those available for sale lately. Yes they're spendy, but you DO want something that actually works, right? Seecamps are built like a Swiss watch.

[RON in PA]

Walther PP, there have been a bunch of surplus European police pistols available for the last six months.

[Snake Eyes]

I vote for the Colt Model M--What you might refer to as the Colt 1903 Hammerless. It's a little bigger than what your used to, but they are very thin and easy to carry.

And never mind the Swiss watch--these babies run like they were designed by John Moses Browning.

Because they were.

[MikeJ]

I'm going to make the assumption that since you want to replace the P32 you want something very small that will slip into a pocket. I too owned the P32 but sold it after I got the NAA Guardian .32. I had to send my KelTec back to the factory for work and never quite felt comfortable with it but I love my Guardian. As mentioned, it is a little jewel of a gun. I personally can't see buying a bigger gun in .32, you might as well get a .380 or small 9mm.

[Chipperman]

Second the Seecamp.

Very small and well built. A lot heavier than the P32, but you're going from plastic to stainless steel.
I like mine a lot. Easily pops in my pocket when I can't carry a real gun.

[coldshot03/04]

Bersa.:rolleyes:

[TIMC]

I also would suggest the NAA .32 Guardian, I love mine. The wife and my dad both like the P-32 but I personaly don't care for it. I do like the P-11 though.

[ChuckB]

Well, I want to thank you all for your input. I haven't made a decision yet, but I'll keep your suggestions in mind.

Chuck:)

[firestar]

ChuckB,
I too gave up on my Kel-Tec P-32 after having to send it back to the factory for FTE jams and later the trigger axis broke for no reason. I lost all confidence in it at that point after tring to get it right for about 400 rounds and many months.

What I have replaced my P-32 with is a Beretta 21A in .22lr. It is not as powerful as the .32acp but it has been 100% reliable and I trust that it will at least go bang. It may not stop a BG but at least I feel confident that it will put lead down range, I can't say the same for the P-32.

I also had a Walther PP in .32acp and a CZ-70 in .32acp. IMHO they are way too big and heavy for the caliber and the Walther had a nasty recoil for the small cal.

If you want to go up in power, the Bersa .380s are reliable and accurate and in the alloy frame they are quite light. If you want a tiny gun to slip in a pocket, the Beretta 21A has been good to me, check one out.

[coldshot03/04]

Told ya!:D

[clubsoda22]

And my gun from argentina will do it without the bite, obnoxiously heavy DA trigger or extra few ounces of weight. :D

You like small, but not KT, buy seecamp or guardian (380 version makes up for the extra bulk). You like bigger, but not 9mm, buy bersa, you think it's wasteful carrying something that size in .380 (well, what do you know anyway), buy kahr, XD, glock, etc.

[HLG]

ChuckB,
Ask Flyer what you're supposed to do when your P32 trigger axis breaks when you need to use the gun to defend yourself?

[HLG]

On KTOG you say several of your P32's have had broken trigger axis. Don't you think it could happen during a gunfight?

[coldshot03/04]

HLG or Firestar?

[snubby]

Chuck,
I'd recommend buying the handgun that's never had a documented malfunction of any kind (please let me know which one it is, so I can get one, too!).

[ChuckB]

I think Ive found the perfect defense handgun. Some of us "of a certain age" (I hate that phrase!) remember the Superman TV series. Often a BG would empty his revolver at a smiling, patient Superman, while the bullets bounced off his chest. Then Mr. BG would throw the gun at Superman- who would duck! Assuming the gun wasn't made of kryptonite, I want that revolver that made Superman duck out of the way. It had great juju.

Chuck

[Kentucky Rifle]

..but I don't shoot it much. My Guardian is one of the "AB" series and had to go back to NAA because the slide would strip off a round and just jam it into the feed ramp...and stop. I called Sandy and he said he'd take it from there. He had his chief gunsmith go through it. It's completely reliable now. In fact, just perfect. But my "EDC", other than whatever is on my hip, is a Seecamp in a RJ Hedley "Front Pocket LE". It's all a VERY thin package. I don't think it's more than an inch wide, including the holster. Other people might disagree, but for .32's, the Seecamp/Hedley "LE" combination is the only way to go for me.

KR

[Watch-Six]

Nothing compares to a P32 in weight. However, I gave up on mine too. I went with a Guardian 380 and finally a Kahr PM9. Both of those guns are a lot heavier. The NAA Guardians are very well made, but weigh quite a bit. If you insist on staying with the 32acp either get a Guardian or possibly a Seecamp. The Guardian will shoot any 32ACP ammo, the Seecamp is designed for the shorter Winchester Silvertip. Watch-Six

[firestar]

I'd recommend buying the handgun that's never had a documented malfunction of any kind (please let me know which one it is, so I can get one, too!).

I want one of those also but failing that, I would suggest getting a gun that at least doesn't have a rep for breaking in your pocket like the Kel-Tec P-32.:rolleyes:

The amount of problems Kel-Tec pistols have is very troublesome to me. These guns are designed for only one purpose, to defend your life. If it isn't reliable or you don't trust anymore because of past problems, why keep it? There are plenty of guns out there to choose from, there is no reason to mess with a Kel-Tec if you don't trust it. I don't blame you one bit for not trusting in a P-32. From my experience they are not worth the risk in time, money or maybe your life if you ever really need it.

No gun is perfect but there are many that come a lot closer than a Kel-Tec does.;)

[firestar]

BTW, check out KTOG. Do a search for the P-32 and about 50% of the results will be problems that people have had.:neener: Nothing should scare you away from buying a P-32 more than reading hundreds of posts about the darn things breaking and jamming right out of the box!

Flyer is violently pro-Kel-Tec. I think he may own stock in the company or work for them because if anyone ever says a bad word about a Kel-Tec, he jumps down there neck and demands a public apology.:D

[coldshot03/04]

Troublesome guns? What about the SKS they are troublesome, but every darn body wants one.

[sgt127]

Since I own one of each...I can speak of my personal impressions.

NNA Guardian: Great quality, decent trigger, utterly reliable. Shoots ball or HP. Slightly chunky, kinda heavy, few sharp edges traditional mag release eats up a little room under the trigger guard. Needed stippling on the front strap. Don't want to carry HP in it because of Rim-lock possibility. Sights are a joke.

Seecamp: thinner and lighter than the Guardian. Better grip, the heel mag release lets your second finger go a little higher on the grip. Won't shoot ball, but, 100% reliable with Silvertips or Speer HP's. Very good workmanship. A classic. No sight to make a joke about.

Kel-Tec P32: Mine was very reliable. A few horror stories from others. Superlight wieght. Feels kinda "cheap" to me, but, the only game in town at the weight. I really can't fault mine, but, I always kind of have my doubts because of all the problems I've heard about. Sights are as good or better than the NAA.

Kel-Tec P3AT: Mine is not reliable yet. IF it can work well, it will be the ultimate super hideout gun. Mine has had feeding problems, ejection problems and some wierd thing where the trigger will not reset, but, always fixes itself before I can figure out what its doing. It will have to go at least 200 rounds without a single burp before I can trust it.

Walther PPK and PP: Outstanding quality, reliability and workmanship. Accuracy is superb. For its weight and size, I can just as easily carry a Kahr MK9 though. (I will never get rid of the Walthers though, they are too classic. My wife keeps a PP in .32 as a home defense gun. She shoots it well, why mess with success)

In my back pocket right now is the Guardian with SB ball. I know it will work. Its a good compromise. Second choice would be the Seecamp, but, its a very early version and I don't want to beat it up.

[Dain Bramage]

To each his own. My current carry gun is a FEG BR61 (PPK clone) in 9mmMak. I bought it for $200 from SSMEDWI on the web. It has been flawless in a couple of hundred rounds of 9x18 FMJ, and it has the prettiest, deepest blue I've seen on an Eastern European gun.

Sure, it takes a gorilla to pull the DA trigger, but luckily I share 98.7% DNA with my simian cousins! :D

[Sox]

S&W 332 or 331 5 shot J frame Titanium. Totally reliable, you can shoot .32 HR magnum, .32 Long, and even .32 ACP out of this little thing. Try one, the .32 HR is more potent than any .32ACP.

[hnm201]

you can shoot .32 HR and .32 ACP out of the same gun/cylinder?

[Sox]

Domzilla, yeah although the .32acp is a stretch I read on this board or the firing line one could do it. I did it for about 200 rounds or so without any trouble accuracy was fine, it is not officially recommended though. It was a bit of learning experience as you can feel how really "weak" the ACP is compared to the magnum-like one would expect.

[denfoote]

Heck, if you are going to upgrade your power level, you might as well go all the way up to 9mm!! In that light, I suggest the Kahr MK9 Elite. Yeah, it's gunna be a bit heavier, but it fits the pocket, has an awsome trigger, and you have six rounds of full power 9mm at your fingertips!! The gun was also designed for +P+ loads!!! :eek: :cool:

[Gary H]

My P-32 has been reliable and without failure, but I have about three hundred rounds through it..so we shall see. I have two Yugo SKS's, neither of which has had a failure of any kind with surplus ammo. Can reliably hit 10" plate at about 220 yards, from the shoulder and they are a joy to shoot. On the other hand, one of my H&K P7's just had the firing pin spring go bad. I use to keep the gun by my bed. A S&W Mod 19 now does reliable home duty. Had relatively few problems with my Carbon 15, a gun with horror stories, but it eventually gave up the ghost and underwent a complete make-over. Other than my revolvers, P-32 (sent it to the factory for polish when brand new), Glock 35, SKS's, P7M13 and one Bushy, most of my guns have had their less than reliable moments. I suspect that the reliable ones just need to get out more and prove themselves less reliable. Never had a revolver fail to go bang.. ahh except when shooting my own ammo. Dumped the CCI primers with light hammer springs.

[wunderkind]

Kel-Tec prides itself on customer service. If you write a polite, but firm, letter detailing your trials and tribulations with their P32, they might, just might, trade yours for a new one.

That's a remote possibility, but I've heard of it happening with guns that just don't want to work right. For a 37-cent stamp it might be worth a try.

Barring that, you might be able to trade it 'straight-up' at a gun shop for a used snub. Traded my P11 even-steven for a Rossi .38 snub and came out ahead, as far as I'm concerned. Way smoother trigger, and it is a SHOOTER!

It can't hurt to demand a replacement from Kel-Tec. Even if you weren't confident with the replacement, you'd have a NIB, unfired gun to trade.

Maybe mention the word 'lawyer' and the phrase 'did not function as described in the owners' manual..." (On second thought, the last thing we need is a lawyer being sicced on a gun maker!)

[Kentucky Rifle]

Sox is right about the 331/332 .32 H&R Magnum S&W's. I have a 331. 11.9 ounces and holds six rounds in the cylinder. Recoil is less than ANY of my .38's. I put slick walnut grips on mine. They're thinner and being so slick, they make the revolver perfect for ankle carry. It would be pretty easy to tote in your pocket too. It's the only ultra-light pistol that I can shoot a lot with no fear of pain from recoil.

KR