Kel Tec Advice

Neither. Recoil in the Tomcat is snappy. The P32 more so. The P32 is a good gun, generally, but is not for the recoil intolerant. If you are stuck on 32acp, I would recommend the CZ83, or the equivalent Beretta. You might consider a 32 caliber revolver. In a steel gun, recoil should be low, and performance decent.

Kel tec pistols are the worst, And ive given them all a good chance... P3at recoils too hard for a lady... Ive met guys who didnt like shooting them for that reason... P11 trigger pull is too hard (as well as most other pocket guns as they have no safties.) .If I was you Id go with a SA/DA revolver for the old lady. Nothing to figure out, pretty simple... Id say get it in .22 mag, or .38 depending on what she can handle. .22 mag would be very light recoil.

xxjumbojimboxx said:

Kel tec pistols are the worst, And ive given them all a good chance... P3at recoils too hard for a lady... Ive met guys who didnt like shooting them for that reason... P11 trigger pull is too hard (as well as most other pocket guns as they have no safties.) .If I was you Id go with a SA/DA revolver for the old lady. Nothing to figure out, pretty simple... Id say get it in .22 mag, or .38 depending on what she can handle. .22 mag would be very light recoil.

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This.

The P11 trigger is literally the worst I've had the displeasure of using my booger hook on.

You might find a Taurus 32 acp in SA/DA that is decent. I have a Taurus 25 acp SA/DA it is pleasurable to shoot and it is good looking lil gun. I don't carry the 25acp or even shoot it very much but it is here if I need it. I might have 25 rounds of ammo for it but it only holds 7 rounds. I found it used for $50.

my mother (68) has a nice 380 ruger she likes it and can shoot it good, it does have some recoil but dont seem to be too bad,

For starters, read this thread:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=564531

A P32 is a tiny little holdout gun - it makes no sense as a purse or nightstand weapon, neither application requires your gun to be smaller than a wallet.
I have a p32, and as far as .32acp guns go, it is pretty mild for recoil, due to a delayed recoil design replacing a fixed barrel. But it isn't a gun for the inexperienced shooter.

Take your grandmother to a nice rental range and have her try out a wide selection of guns, avoiding tiny fixed-barrel designs or super-lightweight types. Or get a big pile of guns together from all your friends and do the same.

bigfatdave said:

For starters, read this thread:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=564531

Take your grandmother to a nice rental range and have her try out a wide selection of guns, avoiding tiny fixed-barrel designs or super-lightweight types. Or get a big pile of guns together from all your friends and do the same.

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Gotta love post #72 ... the three S's. Who says guys can't learn?

My wife (63yo) favors post #90. So much so she bought a Ruger KP90 (a twin to mine) and loves shooting it.

Like I always say, "Shoot many; buy one".

I have the P32, and it's a great little gun. Easy-to-manage recoil, reliable, and easily carried.
But, there is no reason to use such a small gun for home defense when there are better choices available. If she's recoil-shy, you certainly can stick with the .32 or .380 rounds, but they'll be easier to handle in a bigger gun that fills the hand more and weighs more. The CZ-83 and Bersa Thunder both come to mind.

Kel-Tec pistols excel in the concealed-carry niche; that's where they're best left.

Why are you not considering a revolver? If the .38 has too much bark for her, there are good choices in .327 Magnum (that can actually handle .32ACP ammo as well as .32 Long and .32 H&R Magnum) and in .22 Magnum.
What .38 revolver has she tried? There's a big difference between shooting a self-defense load from a snubnose and shooting a wadcutter load from a surplus S&W M10 or Taurus M82.

poor man said:

my mother (68) has a nice 380 ruger she likes it and can shoot it good, it does have some recoil but dont seem to be too bad,

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Your mother is awesome!

Is it an LCP?

I would suggest a larger firearm, perhaps a revolver in .38spl.

I have a KTP32 and it is a very small gun. Small guns do not translate into "easy to hold/handle", "easy to rack the slide" and definitely not "easy to sight/aim".

If your grandmother is frail, has arthritis or bad eyes, I doubt that she could easily take the gun out, hold it, work the slide or aim & shoot accurately, especially in the dark and under stress.

Loading those little bullets into the magazine and properly fitting/seating the mag into the gun can also be an issue if your hand/eye coordination is slipping.

I have a P32 that I frequently carry because it's just so ... carryable. It's not an easy pistol to shoot accurately. I wouldn't recommend it for the use you describe.

I agree with the poster who recommended a CZ-83 in .32 ACP. For starters, mag capacity is 15 rounds (unless you're in a &%*# state like my home state of NY). Second, the combination of all-steel construction, substantial grip, and light cartridge make a very easy-to-shoot handgun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU0979I4jmc

The one drawback is lack of a decocker. This could be a problem for an inexperienced shooter. It can be left cocked-and-locked, and can be made safe from that condition just by dropping the mag and racking the round out, but the person in possession should still be able to decock it if necessary.

If your grandmother has the physical strength to rack the slide and has the know-how to safely decock the pistol manually, then I'd say to go for it. Good luck finding one, though ...

My niece has a P32. The last time she was here she had a stovepiped round stuck in the slide. She didn't have the hand strength to rack the slide to remove it, and asked me if I could "fix" it for her. I got it out for her and asked her how she racked the slide to load it. She said "my Dad did it for me".

If your Grandmother has any weakness in her hands, the P32 probably isn't for her.

I've had my P3at a long time it been a great CC pistol when nothing alse will do. However your granny might have a tough time grabbing and working the slide. If it were me I'd look for a CZ83 or a Bersa thunder .380.
Many people have problems with the p3at and 32 because they limp wrist them or can't controll the recoil do to strength in there hands. Don't ever try to tell them that though.

I trust my P32 and it goes with me when nothing else can.....

A steel revolver in 32 H&R Magnum or 327 Federal Magnum would be a good choice. Reasonable recoil, good choice of self defense cartridges, simple operation, high relability.

Those .32 caliber wheelguns are spiffy - but if the ammo isn't commonly available, the user won't practice

For a recoil sensitive night stand gone, I would see if you can find a full size Taurus in .32, or even a .380. (though I think they discontinued them as they are not on their website). For a night stand gone, you don't want a p32. I love mine, but it is not for those who are recoil sensitive. Its a pocket gun.

Or take a look at a full size revolver in .327. Its surprisingly manageable, especially with a good grip. Does not need hand strength to load either.

Love my Kel-tec PF9, but for a nightsand gun, I use a .44 Magnum (Taurus Tracker) and the Wife uses a 9mm (Ruger P95).

Get your grandmother a good 22 caliber in revolver or a simple to operate semi and load her up with some CCI Stingers, they are little more pricy but they sure pack a punch. I think she will enjoy shooting that over heavy recoil light weight Keltecs. I have the PF9, P3AT and P32 and my mother was struggling. I picked her up a Berretta in 22 and she loves it.

I don't generally recommend small guns for anyone who needs a recommendation. For questionable shooters, a larger gun in a smaller caliber will probably work best. Say a K-frame .38 or a 9mm Glock 17.

I'll second what BFD says
it's a .32, it has LESS recoil than many, even the MUCH heavier blowbacks

Compare it to a similar .380 and you seen that it's a pussy cat compared to many of those guns, Compare it to a .32 CZ 83, and you have a gun that holds half again the round, weight 4 times as much and is 3 times as large....

it's NOT that hard to shoot accurately at 'social range' (and this is pretty much all it's effective for, sorry guys, no 50 yard snap shots...)

BUT, it's not a range gun, it's not alot of things, and it's not heavy, large etc...
A service size auto or revolver will of course be easier to shoot...

KelTec P-32 is a soft recoil its the 380 thats snappy. Would I trust KelTec My other 1/2 and 2 daughters all have P-32 's I carry the 380 or PF-9 Not 1 of these KelTecs has ever been a problem . I think most KT problems are owner operater related.

Recoil in the Tomcat is snappy. The P32 more so.

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Nonsense. The P-32 is the lightest weight and lightest recoiling pocket .32. This is owed to using a locked breech instead of blowback. I had a Tomcat; Nice little gun, but much larger, much heavier and much snappier than the P32 I had. I only sold the P32 because I never carried it, always took the P3AT.

Maybe a .22 pistol or revolver?