What ever happened to the .32 auto?

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Just like sm said, there's lots of people who can't shoot or won't practice with the larger caliber in the same size gun.

My wife has a Colt Officer's 1911 in .45 ACP, which when laid on top of my Glock 19, is exactly the same size (but a tad thinner). She likes it, but I can't shoot it more than a mag or two before my hand starts to hurt. But I've put over 1000 rounds through my Glock 19 in a single day, with no problems.

I can shoot a Glock 26 all day, but the 27 (same size baby Glock, but in .40) hurts my hand after 50 rounds. I wouldn't look forward to practicing with that gun. And they make the Kahr .40 even smaller than that - I wouldn't even want to fire that at all. In such a small gun, I could probably handle the 9mm, but I'm a young man and there's plenty of people out there who aren't young men, and who would definitely not be able to handle the Kahr 9mm subcompact. For them, a .380 or .32 in the same size gun would be more pleasant. If they can shoot it, and practice with it, it's better than a 9mm "almost the same size" that they won't practice with and would be afraid to fire.

I think that's what sm was saying, and I agree with him. As long as the laws of physics apply, the .32 will never go out of style. Maybe a more modern version, rimless or something, but something like it will always be around.
 
I was born in the mid 50's.

32 caliber guns were very popular for a variety of uses.

Trail or Kit guns were Advertised in Field & Stream and other Outdoor magazines. Various Gun writers wrote articles about these Revolvers made by S&W, and other Gun Mfgs.

Now at the time, the big deal was was having a Revolver and ammunition that weighed total a certain weight ( I forget this suggested weight) to have out on the "trail" or outdoors.

32 cal had more punch than a .22 rimfire, and .22 magnum. These were used for filling the game pot with Rabbits for instance. Some Swamp rabbits get pretty big. Grouse, squirrels, and other game for the pot, also any snakes could be easily handled.

This was to compliment the Long Gun. Shotgun or Rifle, while out hunting, camping, or whatever reason to be outdoors.

I forget the exact Make Names and Model numbers, still S&W, Colt, and even Iver-Johnson, H&R had these [break top] and some other folks.

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Again I forget the model number, still S&W made a J frame .32 cal revolver.
This was r-e-a-l nice!
This was the Nice gun folks that (a) could afford (b) Police used.

Around where I grew up S&W were the Police Guns. City carried Model 10s, State/Sheriffs Model 19s.

Back up guns were most often J frame .38spls -still- lots and lots of Cops had the .32 as a backup, or back-up/backup gun.
LOTs of Police Wives and Teengagers had these .22 revolvers in J frame too.

Bill Jordan was quoted a lot, and his take was a .22 magnum in a J frame was a really good choice for a back-up gun.
Well, .22 mag sorta pricy, so folks that used and knew how well the 32 revolvers worked, taking game, filling game pots, and the like preferred the centerfire ignition of a 32 for being reliable, and they reloaded these, thus less expensive affording more quality practice.

One boss as a kid, bought 5 of these J frame 32 guns for all the employees to carry.
Everybody carried when I was growing up, no "permits" just folks did.
These employees carried concealed while at work, to and from work, running to the bank and anything to do with or not with the job.

Bankers, Lawyers, Judges, Nurses, Doctors, Mom&Pop grocery, bait shop, fillin' stations....had these J frame 32s

Less monies got one a H&R, or Iver Johnson. Now saw what you will, these were nice guns!

Some actually preferred the break top of H&R/Iver Johnson over the S&W/Colt cylinder release, and the empties ejected easier and faster.

--

I grew up with Veterans , Men and Women who had been in Conflicts.
Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, SeeBees, Doctors and Nurses and other Men and Women - with legs missing, arms gone from the shoulder on down.
Blind in one eye, burns, and all sorts of things from the Hell of Conflicts.

Big stropping fellas that in Conflicts had used all sorts of Guns, from being a gunner on a Airplane, to the grunt with a rifle, to Trench Guns to 1911s, .38spl M&P ...you name it.

One hand missing on weak side, a finger and most of a thumb on strong hand and this Vet could work, and shoot his "hardware store" Iver-Johnson/ H&R 32 cal revolver. Always on his person.

Now we had BGs, and they knew when Vets got their checks.
It may be the Vet, his/her spouse walking to the bus stop, taking a bus to go to the bank, in town, then returning home with money from a cashed check.

WE kids would do this errand and others for these Vets, and other Folks. Might be the widow women, or the young wife of a Service Man, pregnant and having a hard time. Maybe this young wife had a sick kid and ...

Oh yes, I am not the only kid that dropped a .32 revolver in a pocket to run these errands.

Cops, and Judges were known to tell folks to "get a gun and carry it".
It was not uncommon for Cops, a Judge, Clergy, to take up a collection, and get a gun for someone in need. Often times a .32 revolver.

One lady was a nurse. Her house burned and her husband died, and all the guns were burned up. The one car was in a carport, and it too caught fire.

Hospital took up a collection, got her a .32 cal gun. She worked 3-11 and this meant at night, she had a long walk home. Buses did not run after a certain time. Many times a cop would run these nurses "near home", or another co-worker that had a car, or the husband would run other employees home.
One car to a household, so folks did not have the luxury of a car.

The years may have gone by, times may have changed on some things, still Evil is Evil.
Kids, teenagers, men and women , some healthy and whole, and some physically limited still exist today.

It is too easy to get caught up with the flow of what everyone says and suggests.
Then one gets down, or has someone close go through something like surgery, injury, disease or amputation.
Reality sets in, and it does not matter so much what everyone says, the gun magazines print, or Internet posts.

NAA was coming out with a 32 cal revolver. Last I heard, it was on hold.
Best I recall, it was going to be a break top design.

History is a great teacher, if one pays attention to it.
I feel NAA was listening to history on this gun design and caliber choice for Conceal Carry .
 
NAA was coming out with a 32 cal revolver. Last I heard, it was on hold.
Best I recall, it was going to be a break top design.
Click to expand...

It's DOA. It was a bizarre design that resulted from, I think, trying to put the .32 magnum in a tiny top-break design. If they had just gone with the .32acp they could have used one of the classic S&W or Iver-Johnson designs updated with modern materials. They would have sold a metric ***load of them, IMO. I personally would have bought at least three.
 
Love the 32 in all it's variations. The 32 S&W Long and the 32mag may be two of the most overlooked revolver cartridges for small game in my opinion. Reload frequently for the 32acp for use in both my Keltec and Walther PP.
 
The .32 is a good little round. General George S. Patton carried a Remington 51 in .32 ACP as his backup gun during WWII; and no one called him a wimp. And even though .380 pistols have gotten very small these days, .32s are still a bit smaller.
 
Att: sm my friend-

Those S&W model numbers were 30 and 31 respectively~! The target sighted
6" (and hard too find) S&W model 16 was also chambered in .32 S&W Long. I
have my deceased fathers 2" round butt S&W model 30-1; and still look'in for
that elusive model 16~! :uhoh:;)
 
Joe,
Sorry to hear NAA gave up.
It would have been a great seller! Phooey! That is what happens when one gets "goopy" and all.

Ala Dan,

Thank you for the Model Numbers sir.
Yes - great guns indeed.

Maybe High Standard now in Tx will consider a simple 32 revolver?
If memory serves me correctly, when they were up North, they made 32 revolver guns.
 
"What's to "explain"?

Sorry but this

"What's the point when you can have a 9x19mm almost as small?"

sure looked like a question to me? As far as "coming close a time or two" again, we know what almost counts for. As Joe states above if you have a different opinon regarding calibers that's great, more power to you but don't belittle someone else's choice. By your logic, if you can get a .44 mag, "almost as small" you should be carrying it, right? Anything else is just silly. I mean how many folks with a .44 mag ever said I wish I had 45? In the same vein do you carry two guns? I do and you know I've never said I sure wich I had just one.
 
We have an increasing percentage of Society being Older Folks.
This will continue.

So while your 70 year old mom/ grandma can shoot a big bore with no problem, someone else's is frustrated, and feeling not able to do for themselves, getting the new jar of jelly opened.
-

Folks speak "worst case scenarios" OK, I'll play, but I will cheat and use History.
What if, the gubmint said regular JQPublic could not have Guns and Calibers that the Police and Military have?

There goes MY preferences of 1911, BHP, K frames, 870, ..etc, and...hopefully NOT the .22 rim-fire such as a Ruger MKII, as the Military uses these.

Narrows down the Firearms and Ammo choices right fast does it not?

Ireland already restricts barrels to no shorter than 24"...
Be a heck of note if Gubmint said no 12 bores and no barrels shorter than 24" in the States now wouldn't it?
I mean Police and Military do use 12 bores and short barrels...where does that leave JQ Public?

See, in "worst case matters" history shares how folks needed small guns, easy to conceal, and be able to "travel" with.
Some pretty "harsh" things going on at these historical times.
Folks used what they had, learned how to use, kept mouths shut, trusted very few folks and survived.

25ACP, 32ACP well...check history.
32 calibers in revolvers too.

Times change...
When I was a kid, one just sent in the Ad from say Field & Stream and ordered a gun , and the Postman brought it to your door COD.

I also recall a time Milk was short, so babies and kids got 'real milk' and bigger kids and up drank Powdered Milk.


One would be advised to visit with Grandma and Grandpa about some "Life Stuff" - being as they have BTDT.
 
What's to "explain"?

It's a weak round used [mostly] in small pocket pistols which aren't all that much smaller than small pocket pistols chambered for 9x19mm, .40S&W and .45acp.
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Let me follow your logic here. S&W should quit making the .38 special +P rated 642 (their top selling gun by the way). Why? Because it's a weak round. You can get a 340PD which is the same size - slightly longer cylinder, but actually lighter than a 642 - chambered in .357 Magnum, which is a quantitatively more powerful round by a long shot. Ohh it only cost nearly twice as much. But what's money? It's only the smallest & lighest .357 Magnum revolver in the world.
 
S&W should quit making the .38 special +P rated 642 (their top selling gun by the way). Why? Because it's a weak round.
Click to expand...
If you think a 158gr. LSWC-HP .38 Special +P is a "weak round", well I don't know what to tell you...
 
I love .32 auto pistols.
I collect and shoot .32 auto pistols.
What happened to .32 auto pistols is they never went away as a deep cover back-up gun.

As a primary carry gun what happened to the .32 auto pistol is the Glock 26 and pistols of the like.

Armed citizens who insist on carrying a .32 auto as a primary carry gun in todays world are in the same realm of reality as law enforcement officers who insist on carrying a single action army revolver as their primary belt gun.
 
small pistols definitely have their place. I can remember when an old guy neighbor of mine moved UP to a Colt 38 revolver for a bit more power--he'd carried various 32's for years. I still have a 32 H&R mag j frame, and have owned 32 acp's before (got rid of the last one because of the gun, not the round). Something is often better than nothing, and there are times when clothing or circumstance just means to can't wear a belt holster with something bigger. I like pocket guns for their ability, well, to drop one in a pocket on the way out the door ;). That having been said, it IS also true that nowadays you can get more powerful cartridges in guns of larger caliber. A kahr PM9 is still pretty small, and not all that unpleasant to shoot. Actually, I don't know that I find it any more unpleasant to shoot than the keltec p32 I used to own--the slightly larger grip and heavier weight probably making the difference.


Each argument has it's merits. Get the one you like and shoot well.
 
They are killed off by better, lighter guns chambering a .380 or 9mm.
 
If you think a 158gr. LSWC-HP .38 Special +P is a "weak round", well I don't know what to tell you...
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It is quite weak relative to .357 magnum power levels. Again, as others have explained, some folks (for a myriad of reasons) can't handle 9x19, 9x18, or 9x17 recoil in the same guns they can handle .32 ACP recoil in. Larger/higher pressure calibers are all good and well as long as you can handle them. Writing off smaller or lower pressure calibers because something larger or higher pressure exists in the same package is what you advocate. I took your logic and applied it to J frame revolvers.

Heck, by your logic I shouldn't be using .45 ACP. How silly of me - I should be running .45 Super, .460 Rowland, 10mm Auto, .38 Casull, or 9x25 Dillon in my 1911s. The .45 ACP really is a weak round compared to those you know.
 
Medical technology has also improved. While once getting winged with a .32 might cause an infection that would kill you, nowadays you can get a dose of antibiotics and be fine. Of course, that's not to say that it's not lethal, just that it's not as lethal as it was before antibiotics were available. And since the bad guys don't have the fear of a deadly infection, they may not be stopped by a .32 since incapacitation may be primarily through psychological factors if nothing vital is hit. So we use larger calibers nowadays because we know what it takes to stop someone.
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***?! Are you telling me that a center of mass shot from a 32 won't crack through the sternum and punch the heart or collapse a lung?! You mean it won't cause death from bleeding to death through your liver?! What about getting 'winged'? The bullet won't break an arm, smash a shoulder, shatter a kneecap or break a shin-bone?!
 
Halvey said;
They are killed off by better, lighter guns chambering a .380 or 9mm.
Click to expand...

Tell that to Seecamp, NAA, Keltec, Beretta, CZ, Walther, etc. There's a waiting list for some of these you know.
 
I've carried the 3032 Tomcat for deep CCW ever since they came out (currently carrying the Inox, best of the breed IMHO). Never experienced a malfunction of any kind, it's surprisingly accurate and I prefer the SA/DA trigger & manual safety to the DAO trigger on other small pistols. As soon as someone makes something more powerful that will slip into my back pocket like the Tomcat then I'll buy it (the Tomcat is the largest small pistol I've found that will fit).
Tomac
ResizeofTomcat002.gif
 
What ever happened to the .32 auto? We read too many gun magazines telling us that we needed bigger and better. The .32 auto performs better than it should in shootings and only a little worse than the .380, I do not feel unarmed with my Kel-Tec 32. Lastly, reloading the .32 auto is a breeze and it makes a great camp/plinking pistol. Regards, Richard:D

As far as I know there 10 or less Taurus PT57 32acp pistols in the USA, this is mine:
fa742b55.jpg
 
I'm actually very fond of the older 32 caliber pocket pistols. I especially like the Mauser HSc, the FN Model 1910, CZ 27 and the Colt Models 1903 and 1908. I wish I could find a Sig 38H, but I'm not real hopeful that will happen.

On a side note I'm very impressed with the 7.63mm Mauser. The famed 30 Mauser shot by the legendary C96 Mauser Broomhandle.That is sort of a 32 caliber round, more or less.;) Now that was a real zinger of a round. An 86 grain round with a muzzle velocity in excess of 1,300 feet per second, WOW! :what:

The 32 acp is still alive and well. All the major ammo makers produce self defense rounds ( i.e. hollow points) in 32 acp.
 
OK,OK...I'll get a kel-tec 32 already.....I've seen a used one for $149 locally....I'm in..I guess it will be my "other pocket"gun......;)
 
Greetings:

New guy here. I used to do a lot of shooting back in the early/mid eighties. I got rid of everything excep a Beretta 32 auto. I can't figure out what model it is but its the one that "looks like" a PPK and not the T-cat. Does anyone know what model that is? Many thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Ricky
 
Richard:

Dug it out and looked at it because the 70 didn't look quite right. The gun has been put away for quite some years. Its a 90. Thanks for the link, though. I'll keep lurking the forum for a little bit now.

Cheers,
Ricky
 
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