[WonderNine]

I bought some Winchester Silvertips for my new gun, but I know they have poor penetration. Corbon seems promising. What are some good .32 auto loads? Especially stuff I may find at the local sporting goods store.

[Blackhawk]

The 2 best .32 ACP loads are, IMO, the Dynamit/Noble Geco 73gr FMJ (if you can ever find any) followed by the Sellier & Bellot 73gr FMJ. I can usually find the latter at http://www.Natchezss.com or http://www.CheaperThanDirt.com/. I don't even bother looking for them locally.

[WonderNine]

Thanks for the reply!

I was just looking at the chrono results on GoldenLoki and aside from Corbon and the ones you suggested, Fiocchi looked good.

How about Glaser? That isn't prefragmented like Magsafe is it? Seems pretty hot, or is that just another mall ninja load like RBCD and Magsafe?

[Kentucky Rifle]

I think RBCD is quite a few cuts above Magsafe. I have it in all my carry guns except the .32 H&R Magnum revolvers. (They don't make it in that caliber.) And 9MM. (Because I just haven't ordered it yet.)
Also, you're going to have to shoot shorter hollow point cartridges than the Geco and the Fiocchi in your Autauga. I keep my Seecamp stoked with RBCD because it has the same length and profile as a Silvertip or Gold Dot. The FMJ's are going to be too long.

Will

[Blackhawk]

Never tried those others, and I'm phobic about rimlock in .32 pistols. I figure that FMJ gives the best penetration, and that's what I need with a low powered round like a .32.

Curiously enough, GoldenLoki shows the <100 FPE Winchester 71gr FMJ as having better penetration than some of the >125 FPE other FMJ's. That, I truly don't understand, especially since I've closely examined the Win and the S&B side by side without discerning any difference in the bullet shape! :confused:

[WonderNine]

Kentucky Rifle, have you ever had any function problems with the RBCD in your gun? Seems TOO hot. I don't want to blow up my gun! But thanks for the advice, I didn't realize that it needed SHORT hollowpoints only. I may have to try some RBCD. It does say in the owners manual to shoot hollowpoints only or void the (ha) warranty.

[Kentucky Rifle]

No problems at all with the RBCD's. And, they're loaded to NON +P pressure. The RBCD's aren't hollow points either. However, if you set one up beside a G-D or S-T, the profile & OAL is the same. The RBCD bullet has rounded shoulders and a slightly flat nose. The flat part of the nose is about the size of the opening in a Silvertip hollow point. It's great stuff. I've shot some corned beef briskets proving it to myself. It also chambers REALLY slickly. You're not going to blow up your new little auto!:)

Will

[mercedesrules]

I remember reading an article in a gun mag that said that, of all handgun calibers, .32 is the one in which ball ammo performs as well as more expensive ammo and should, therefore, be the logical choice. Evidently, you just can't get a .32 going fast enough to make more expensive bullets worth it. (I'm assuming that you don't have a 7" barrel) :D

MR

[C-Note]

I keep my P-32 stoked with Fiocchi 73gr FMJ. HPs don't make much sense in such a small caliber (and the Fiocchi HPs don't expand, anyway). Only ammo I've shot through the P-32 are Fiocchi FMJ and JHP. Very warm load for a .32. Accurate, also. Never had a single problem with Fiocchi after approx 750 rounds. The Kel-Tec eats them like candy.

Every time I find Fiocchi .32 at a gunshow, I clean out the dealer. I see no reason to try any other brand.

GoldenLoki (http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm) is THE site for all things .32.

[mtnbkr]

Dynamit Nobel or S&B are what I carry in my P32 (with no failures at all for nearly 500 rnds).

That said, I am going to start working up some hot hollowpoint loads and see what I can accomplish there. If I can get a 60gr hollowpoint like the Gold Dot or Hornady XTP going about 1000fps, I think it will be interesting. The Gold Dot at 790 from a P32 expands quite nicely and penetrates to about 9.7" in gelatin. At 1200fps, that same bullet fragments and only penetrated 7.1".

Chris

[WonderNine]

Thanks everyone! I had to run down to the range and test the Autauga I bought today out just to make sure it works!

I fired twelve rounds total of Winchester 60gr. Silvertips out of both of the magazines. Worked perfect and the sights are surprisingly deadon. I did have one case eject onto the top of my head and another hit me on the top of my coat. The little bugger was actually not that loud. I wasn't wearing earplugs as I raced down there after work to catch the last sunrays.

The trigger guard rapped my finger a couple of times as other people have said they tend to do, but nothing too bad. When I first saw that huge trigger guard I thought there was no way it would rap my finger, but it did. The trigger is nice and light and very smooth, better than the ones on the P32's and the one P3AT I've tried. I like it alot!!! :cool:

[WonderNine]

Here's a picture from my webcam, sorry about the poor quality.

Smaller than a P-32, 12 oz's and all steel!!!

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=681436

[tbeb]

I'd go with Corbon. Last box of .32 ACP Silvertips I fired felt a little anemic.

[Tropical Z]

I agree 100% with Blackhawk.

[greg531mi]

Does anyone have a favorite recipe for 32 acp 60 gr. handloads? I tried a Speer load for my gold dots, and at 2.9 grains, of Winchester 231, which they said not to reduce, was way too hot!!!
By the way, the Augauga has a frame cracking problem. My FFL dealer saw one from a cop, that cracked on the left side of the loading ramp. It is shaped in a "V", use some die sandpaper and make it look like a "U" I did it to mine, and I think the stress cracking should not develop..but what a great bargain, but no support for parts...Do anyone have any leads on parts?

[Murphster]

There are a few test results to be found on the web. If this copied correctly, it's a .32 acp ammo test from American Handgunner. A few years ago I read another similar test someplace that indicated a substantial number of .32 hollow points didn't expand in tests. I use the Gold Dot's in my Kel Tec.


http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0BTT/146_24/61861518/p3/article.jhtml?term=

[WonderNine]

Seems to me like the Fiocchi 60gr. should work just fine looking at the profile, and it had the best penetration of hollowpoints tested.

Now if I could find some for sale somewhere. I've looked everywhere and can't find any except for ammoman and they have a 5 box minimum and nothing else that I want to buy.

[Tropical Z]

http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm

[WonderNine]

It is shaped in a "V", use some die sandpaper and make it look like a "U" I did it to mine, and I think the stress cracking should not develop..

Hmm, I don't know if I want to do that to mine, I'm afraid it might weaken the frame.

Btw, if anybody has a box or two of Fiocchi 60gr. HP they'd like to sell me please let me know.

[greg531mi]

WonderNine, I understand about you not doing mods on a frame, but please check every time you clean your gun, for a crack in that area, it seems like a problem, a.k. S&W 41's had the same problem. If metal is too focused on a given point, stress fractures might occur there.
Did you have any feeding problems? Two of my mags didn't want to feed. I beveled my mags lips, and the problem went away.
A little tricky to take down, with putting a pin in the takedown hole, but it won't come apart accidently, like my Colt Pony does.
I bought a box of Fiocchi HP's, and they feed great in my gun, but I carry Speer Gold Dots. Don't know why, but not too many gunshops handle Fiocchi 32 or 380's..Wierd. Why don't Remington carry a HP in 32acp? mmm, maybe I will ask them. But, the gun does kick, as it is a blowback. That's why I am looking for a mild practice round.
Never had a problem with rim rock, on my Autauga, maybe it is a P32 problem.
They are great little guns, a real bargain at CDNN for $199...

[Murphster]

Tropical Z: Thanks. That's the test data I saw a few years ago. Couldn't find it last night.

[Snowdog]

After doing my own tests, I chose Corbon's 60gr JHP. I've tested just about every .32acp JHP I could find against playdough (not to emulate ballistic gelatin, but a comparative medium nonetheless). I usually keep the bullets and a log of the recorded visible level of "damage" to the playdough as well as penetration depth in half inch increments in a safe place for posterity.
I have lost/misplaced many of the "specimens" from this particular test and didn't keep a log on any comparative damage, but I have been able to locate five of the rounds I've tested and the penetration logs.

The test pistol was my Kel-tec P32 fired from 5' into three 6" cube play dough blocks covered with one layer of worn-out denim.
Also included is the recorded depth of penetration of each bullet (to compare against each other)

From left to right:

Federal 65gr Hydra-shok (8")
Magsafe 71gr JHP (11")
Winchester 60gr Silvertip (6.5")
Hornady 60gr JHP XTP (9")
Corbon 60gr JHP (9.5")

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid94/p5c29646c1529d777a8ee18a1eed4c71a/fa36265a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid94/pefbe638e2d03e40b824c9bdd6cea6106/fa3621ea.jpg


This is the test that led me to the Corbon. Despite failure to expand after clothing, the Silvertip still yielded shallow penetration, the least of all JHPs, even from those that fully expanded.

Just thought I'd cast my vote for Corbon's JHP for year-round carry. After 2 layers of denim or thick clothing material, it also fails to expand. However, the resulting performance (penetration) was quite similar to standard FMJ, though with greater visible upset to the playdough (greater meplat and velocity).

[WonderNine]

Do you remember testing any Fiocchi 60gr. HP by any chance?

I really would prefer FMJ, but this gun limits me to HP's.

[Sean Smith]

I'd go with S&B 73gr FMJ, or Geco 73gr FMJ if you can find it. .32 is too weak to play with hollowpoints IMHO. I'd try to see if those work in the gun, and if not use the recommended hollowpoints and hope for the best.

[Snowdog]

I never tested any of Fiocchi's 60gr JHPs, but I do understand they are rather hot when compared to other .32acp JHP's.

I would like to point out in all fairness that the penetration I listed for the Silvertip probably doesn't match the photographed specimen. It is likely that number coincides with an expanded Silvertip. However, I do distinctly recall being disappointed with the results of both expanded and plugged Silvertips.
Having said that, three things bow in their favor: they are accurate, consistant and have an excellent track record for promoting feed reliability in stubborn pistols.


My philosophy:
If you end up having to use a .32acp for defense, pop the assailant in the face a couple times if you can. A couple rounds of .32acp to the face in just about any flavor will stack the odds decisively in your favor.
Just be sure to practice hitting a 6" round target from a rapid presentation and it'll serve you well.

[JShirley]

I've been using flat-nose FN FMJ since I bought my first P-32. Testing in water leads me to believe it will penetrate appropriately (stopped in 3rd milk jug of water). This ammo was quite inexpensive, but the downside is the profile and OAL mean one could have a malf a little easier than some other rounds*. I'm down to about a malf every 300 rounds, usually failure to feed fully. When I shoot the last 100 rounds or so I have of the FN, I'll probably be looking for an inexpensive HP for better feeding.

John

*These rounds would not feed at all in a NAA until a thorough feed ramp polishing.

[WonderNine]

The silvertips work, but they ARE pretty anemic. Seems Fiocchi, Geco, Dynamite Nobel, and S&B are the hottest 73gr. FMJ.

[Majic]

When I had my Manurhin PP the Fiocchi always gave me good results.

[45crittergitter]

One-Shot Stops for the .32 ACP are listed below in parentheses. Loads without the % should fall in the mix approximately as listed. I would use the Silvertip or perhaps the Cor-Bon.

1. WIN 60 gr. SILVERTIP (66%)
2. FED 65 gr. HYDRASHOK (61%)
3. CCI 60 gr. GDHP (60%)
4. COR-BON 60 gr. JHP 1050fps
5. PMC 60 gr. STARFIRE
6. HORNADY 60 gr. XTP
7. All 71 gr. FMJs (49-50%)
8. MAGSAFE 50 gr. DEFENDER (57%)
9. GLASER 50 gr. BLUE (46%)

[Majic]

IMO there are too many variables to consider during a shooting to even think of giving any credit to the"one shot stop" charts. Today a person may stop to a single .22lr round, but tomorrow it will take a .44mag to stop him. Statistics can be conformed to fit any needs. Even when done with no bias it can't include all variables. The chart will be no more informative than the data injected into it. A limited number of shots, fired in a limited number of situations will give you an approximation of the outcome in the same range of the same situations.
By not knowing the total amount of shots fired, distance of shots, angle of shots, velocity of the bullet, covering of the target, and determination of the target you are just at the mercy of the author of the chart. Such is the life of analytical statistics and percentages.

[BigG]

I would say the hard nosed 71 gr metal case standard load. People used to die from them before the gun magazines called it ineffective. Ask Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand. Oh wait - he died.

[WonderNine]

Regardless of what the chart says, I'll feel alot better when I have my .32 pocket pistol stoked with 73gr. Sellior & Bellot FMJ provided it proves reliable in this gun, as opposed to the Silver Tips I'm currently using.

Honestly I have some worries about it being too weak and causing a malfunction especially if some pocket crud works its way into the rails. Most of the shells I fired basically ejected right where I was standing to as much as a foot behind.

[BigG]

I've always heard people claim Fiocchi is hot ammo although I've never tried it. Good luck, bud!

[WonderNine]

I've always heard people claim Fiocchi is hot ammo although I've never tried it. Good luck, bud!

Thanks. I was looking at the test results on Golden Loki and from the numbers S&B did seem to be the hottest one, although Fiocchi and a couple others were close behind.

[45crittergitter]

Re: One shot stop data. All those questioned variables are covered in the books, and that's why they are called statistics.

[WonderNine]

All those questioned variables are covered in the books

Weapon used, barrel length, clothing type, the weather, size of attacker, ect huh?

[WonderNine]

Anyways, a little follow up to this thread. I bought a box of Winchester 71gr. .32 auto down the the sporting goods store, the only other 71gr. they carry is American Eagle.

Anyways I tried loading some into my mags and they fit VERY tight and don't feed because they hang up. So I guess I'm limited to HP's with maybe a FMJ in the tube. Anyone know a cheap source online for .32 Corbon or Fiocchi HP's? Especially the Fiocchi's...

[M2 Carbine]

Like Snowdog I've done testing on my own and the best JHP round was Cor Bon.

I've installed the wire modification in my Kel Tec 32 mag and rim lock is no problem.


My wife and I used to carry Glasers in Colt 1903 32s. (Before concealed carry.)
One day it looked like I was going to have to shoot a guy in the head through a pickup truck back window.
I got to worrying if there was going to be enough left of the Glaser to put that guy down. I was only going to get one shot at him. There were three of them. (long story)
So after that, I replaced those Glasers with FMJ. The little Colt doesn't like JHP.

[Jaco]

I know of a few instances locally of where .32 was used for self defense, and in each case FMJ was used, as HP are difficult to get here. And in each of these cases even with headshots, the FMJ performed dismally, and lead to the death or serious injury of the .32 shooter.

I carry a PPK in .32, and due to circumstances it is impossible to get something else, so I carry Silvertips and fast 75gr FMJ alternately in my carry mag, and the same just using Gold Dots in the extra mags (because I could only get about 10 rounds of each...).

[WonderNine]

Jaco: Can't you get anything bigger than .32 auto in South Africa?

M2 Carbine: I'm kind of looking at the Fiocchi over the Corbon because the Fiocchi HP had better penetration according the golden loki tests.

Btw, the situation you described is exactly why I carry FMJ 9mm's.

[Jaco]

Wondernine,

Due to changes happening in legislation, it is almost impossible to sell your weapon, and expensive to get a new one. There isnt any caliber restrictions on handguns here that I am aware of. So I am stuck with my wee PPK so long as I may posess a firearm.

What I meant was that FMJ just doesnt work in .32, and I carry FMJ and HP in the hope that it would work when the time comes.

[WonderNine]

I'm sorry to hear that. :( Well, hopefully you won't have to use it ever. Do you plan on staying in SA?

No wonder we're seeing so many South African firearms and pre-ban magazines showing up in the states lately....

[Jaco]

With the anti-gun government and high crime it isn't suicide to stay here, it's plain stupid. In 2 years time I will try getting into the US....