What CCW Ammo for a P32

[Newton]

I picked up a P32 recently and I'm not sure what ammo choice is best for personal defence.

Looking at the numbers, the Silvertip is a good choice, but the numbers on the Corbon and it's performance in gelatin testing looks excellent. But there is the penetration issue and the use of FMJ's.

What do you guys use.

Newton

[mgjohn]

Mine is loaded with Corbons.

[DonGlock26]

Golddot JHP

[ChuckB]

I recently read that .32 loads usually don't expand in gelatin, water, or BG's, thus neutralizing the supposed advantage of a hollow point bullet. The writer preferred, therefore, Fiocchi .32's, as their non-expanding shape did mushroom a bit.

Chuck;)

[Lancel]

Not in P32 but in Tomcat, I alternate Speer Gold Dots with Fiocchi FMJ in the magazine and plan to double-tap.

Goldenloki shows some .32 ACP comparisons at his website here. (http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm)

Larry

[gbelleh]

If I were to use my P-32 for defense, I would load it with the hottest FMJ I could find. Right now I have some S&B FMJ for it, but I'd like to get ahold of some Fiocchi FMJ. Not only for the greater penetration, but also to avoid rim-lock (which I have experienced with Cor-Bons in my P-32.)

If I end up getting one of those mag spacers, I might take another look at hollow points??

[Felonious Monk]

Hi Newton!

Welcome to the Mousegun Brotherhood! :D

The GoldenLoki site mentioned above has some good ballistic performance info.

Best site I've seen is yzguy's.
GOTTA avoid rimlock. Shorter rounds cause it. See this:
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/rimlock.htm

for everything else, start here:
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/newownerinfo.htm

...and come see us at www.ktog.org too.

Regards,
FM

[Blackhawk]

FMJ

One shot stopping power from a handgun is a myth. Don't count on it.

If you have to use a CCW to stop an attacker, shoot, and repeat as necessary.

From a .32 ACP, I want penetration.

I absolutely don't want to risk rimlock.

[Lord Grey Boots]

Silvertips for me. 100% reliable. Everything I've seen reports that they will expand.

I am a fan of the Golddots as well, but not in this caliber. I am less confident they will expand, and the rimlock problem seems to be tied to them.

[Newton]

Thanks guys.

I've checked out Goldenloki's excellent website many times and his P32 info. is superb.

The only US JHP that seems to be loaded to the 32ACP's "as designed" performance level seems to be the Corbon, the Silvertip, Hydrashok, and Gold Dot seem to be loaded light, even very light.

When the Keltec spacer comes out, the Corbon is going to be a better bet, as for right now, I agree that the hot Euro FMJ's like the Fiocchi and S&B may be a better choice.

Newton

[cratz2]

I like the Gold Dots and those are my choice.

Mine is reliable with SilverTips and CorBon.

When I first got the gun, I toyed with the idea of 4 of whichever HPs and the rest FMJs. But I just stick with the Gold Dots. I think they'd hurt somebody pretty bad if shot in the neck or ocular/nasal cavity. I think at the distances I'm most likely to use teh gun at, those shots should not be too hard to do.

[yzguy]

Fiocchi FMJ in mine, S&B is good also but check them for reliablity, they seem to have hard primers and sometimes get light strikes in P-32's (but this can be fixed, look here (http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep2.htm))

Corbon's may get a sencond look if/when I get a hold of a spacer for the mags (actually there is one in the pipe in my back pocket now :) )

[No4Mk1*]

FMJ = 00 Buck fired one pellet at a time??
You have a good chance of a one magazine stop if your killer will just hold still long enough.

[Will Fennell]

My informal, possibly irrelavant, but interesting mousegun ammo test point me towards CORBON for my P32. When my dad and I both decided that P32's were must carry items, we set out to look at various loads for the mousegun. We fired various hollowpoints into freshly killed whitetail deer, right before we dressed and quartered them, in various non critical-edible areas....base of the neck, high behind the shoulder, ect. We didn't keep detailed data with pentration figures and expansion measurements- it went more like..."look Dad, this one went all the way through, and this one didn't..", etc.

Well, after many shoots and several deer, the CORBON load was the ONLY hollowpoint to ALWAYS expand. It also gave GOOD penetration...8-10" usually, depending on bones hit and the angle of the shoot, etc. CORBON hollow points gave much more damage than any of the ball, and seemed to penetrate nearly as well, for practical purposes.

We "tested" Silvertips, gold dots, and hydroshoks, and while not scientific, we both came away convinced that we like the damage/penetration exhibited by the CORBON best.

Downside, we also have experience rimlock a "few" times...enough to make both of us carry a CORBON in the chamber, and S&B or Fiocchi ball in the mag.

IF this spacer works, I'll carry the gun full of CORBON.:scrutiny:


Again, this test was done for family purposes, I don't claim it to be scientific, but it told Dad and I what we wanted to know, and that is what counts.

[Kahr carrier]

Starfire and Silvertips.:)

[denfoote]

My wife runs Silvertips in hers for no apparent reason!!!

[Michigun]

73 grain Fiocchi FMJ's in mine.

[mtnbkr]

I carry RWS (Dynamit Nobel) FMJ. It has been 100% reliable and is a bit hotter than the American FMJ rounds I've shot. Also, it's so cheap, I can practice as much as I want ($5.95 a box from AIM Surplus).

Chris

[stephen_g22]

What is a mag spacer and how would it/they work?

[yzguy]

from:
http://www.kel-tec.com/pr02.htm

A customer installed .050" magazine spacer to prevent the occurrence of rimlock in short overall length hollow point cartridges in the P-32 will soon be available.

this would be a thin shim to go in the mag (the rear of it I would assume) that will effectively shorten the space in the mag making it a HP only mag. This shorter front to back free area in the mag could/should (if done right and does not leave much free room in the mag with HP's) eliminate the possibility of rim lock. Shorter mags are the reason other .32 acp autoloaders are HP only.

more on rim lock here:
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/rimlock.htm

ANY .32 auto that can accept FMJ can rim lock with HP's. It would be cool to have a spacer that allows the customer to convert a mag to HP only and use them if they wish without having to worry about rim lock, and without having to require the gun be HP only.

note: I also hope the spacer comes with a shortened mag follower, as that is the main reason I have not made a spacer my self...

[Big Al]

another vote for Fiocchi FMJ.

[Bainx]

Silvertips in mine because nothing else works 100%.

[DeltaElite]

I use Fiocchi FMJ. I want the penetration and most tests show that HP's don't go very deep at all anyway and don't expand well at the meager velocities of the 32acp.

[mec]

the corbon load outdoes the other circa 60 gr jhps by 200 fps in Seecamps. the other loads are hovering in the 800 fps range and expansion is not as emphatic as the corbon load. Ball loads are actually somewhat more energetic than the general (CorBon excepted) run of jhps and might be the best choice.

[mainmech48]

I did some very informal and low-tech testing for expansion with all of the brands of .32 HPs that I could find when I bought my P-32.

Fired into a 10 gal. tub of water, none of them would expand much, if at all. I've seen the test pictures on Golden Loki's site, so YMMV.

Same ammo fired from an old CZ70 all expands nicely in the same medium, but if I'm gonna carry a pistol that size it'll be one that makes bigger holes to start with.

I carry mine with S&B ball. It runs 100% and shoots to POA in my pistol.

I'm waiting for the P-3AT!

[Carbon_15]

In my testing, the Cor-Bons are the only round that expands reliably from the P-32. If they feed Ok, thats what I would carry. Problem is, they like to rim-lock in most P-32's, so shoot a few boxes first. If they don't work, I would go with the highest velocity JHP you can find that feed reliably. It may not expand, but atleast the flat nosed profile will cut a caliber sized channel as oposed to simply pushing the flesh out of the way (as a FMJ round nose does). In the testing I have done with .32's, you will lose about 2 inches of penetration with a non-expanded HP (but it will still be quite adiqate IMO) but gain a much larger crush cavity. .32 ball wounds look like very long icepick stabs.

[Watch-Six]

In frustration I got rid of my P32 after three trips back to the factory. One of its problems was that it rim locked with hot hollow points. It did better with Silvertips. If yours works with Corbon, great. It might not. In that case try Silvertips. Watch-Six

[106rr]

I use ball -- either Fiocchi or RWS. I also like Fiocchi 60 gr jhp. Golden Loki tests say it doesn't expand but it is flat nosed and it goes about 1000 fps out of a short bbl. It feeds fine in my T'Cat.
The p32 usually has ball. I've never had a rimlock with anything in the p32 or T cat.

[Dr. J]

Golddots.

[HadEmAll]

To provide security for you AND your P32 I would suggest 124 grain +P Gold Dots, Remington 155 grain JHP, or 200 grain +P JHP. What, those aren't .32 rounds?:D

[Kahr carrier]

Starfires.:)