The forgotton 32 auto

I don't know! [/URL][/IMG]

I'd like to have one myself.

Also i'd like to see some ballistics tests.

I am a fan and sharps you got any more pics of that colt I'm guessing

Welcome to the age of the pocket pistol. Where it's about getting the biggest bullet into the smallest gun possbile thus the Glock 26 and 27, the XDS in 9mm and .45 and so on.

The .32 got left by the wayside it seems when the 9mm became the de facto caliber of the masses and from then on as the CCW trend picked up speed, it was bout getting that round of the masses into the smallest gun possible that the public would buy. Between the 9mm experiencing greater success and cheaper pricing than the .32 and the CCW trend. The .32 caliber was an easy one to toss aside.

If you've never held or shot a Colt 1903, it's hard to appreciate the round's simplicity and ease of shooting. It's soft and easy for followup shots like you wouldn't believe. My one day but not soon guns will be a Walther PP in .32 if I can find one for a deal (or the NRA Instructor Discount), or I start making over a 100k a year. I've shot the Walther PP and and with the .32 it is like you cant miss almost and the PP is made with modern drop safe protections. The Colt 1903 doesn't look like it will be given new life even though it is awesome and the old ones are getting harder and harder to restore. So the 1903 is a fun collector gun but it's only a workhorse for a few folks.

I would have like to have seen a CZ 82 in .32 ACP but it didn't happen. I think a good way to resurrect the .32 caliber in the modern market would be to lengthen the cartridge and up the power a bit. Not to 7.62 Tokarev levels but get a 86 grain JHP going 1100 fps and you'll start to turn some heads.

Especially if you build the gun as a concealed carry gun with a ten round capacity. You could keep it the size of a Glock 26, thinned down a little. Or better yet the size of a Glock 42.

It's never going to happen as it would require a complete reinvention of the caliber in an age where investment in new calibers doesn't achieve a lot of success unless like the .300 Whisper you can easily make it from a preexisting and largely produced cartridge and even then there is no guarantee. But ammo and guns in 9mm, there is a lot of promise for success so only a gambler of a businessman would invest in the new caliber in the hopes of it taking off when it can't really be marketed to Law Enforcement or the Military, and would only be enjoyed by a small portion of the shooting public.

More recent market studies have shown more interest in the .380 then the .32, I presume because potential buyers are repeatedly told that "bigger is better."

For some that's true, but for others it isn't. When individuals with no experience go to a retailer, gun show, etc. they seldom get a chance to try out various handguns, and tend to get whatever is recommended. If it's a very small, lightweight, straight-blowback .380 pistol they may quickly have second thoughts after actually firing what they purchased.

I personally think that a mid-sized .32 (think of the Colt model 1903) was introduced it might eventually become a good seller, but it's unlikely that any of the larger manufacturers will try it. As it is they can sell all of the .380's they can make.

I was struck with the idea of a pocket size gun, like the LCP, but in a double stack 12-shot .32 variation.

I think that would sell.

Most older .32s are as large as .380s, which are perceived to be more effective.

Many of the old .32s are single action with very primitive safety systems.

I think some of the import restrictions affected them as well, due to size.

the .32acp hasn't been forgotten, its just the latest hype is for the .380acp in the same sized guns..... in time some will revert back to the .32acp when they discover the .380acp bites a bit more on the shooter's hand....

I was struck with the idea of a pocket size gun, like the LCP, but in a double stack 12-shot .32 variation.

I think that would sell.

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I own a LCP and love it. I would buy it in .32ACP even if it was single stack but a double stack version would be great too.

Friends, just why is it that a .380 seems to be all the rage while the 32acp is about forgotten ?

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Most people who know a bit about handguns for self defence consider the .380 marginal so anything smaller is even more suspect.

There can't be much difference in power and I believe that the 32 actually penetrates a little better ?

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The problem with the .380 is that it underpenetrates with JHP and overpenetrates with FMJ. (If you follow the FBI gel test protocols). I would find it hard to believe that a .32 JHP would pentrate any better, and extra penetration with FMJ is undesirable.

With some of the new bullet designs being what they are, why not utilize that small 32 acp you have tucked away ? Just asking ?

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As I said, even with the best modern bullets the .380 is a marginal performer. Certainly the .32 would be better than nothing, but its at best a third tier choice for self defence.

Welcome to the age of the pocket pistol. Where it's about getting the biggest bullet into the smallest gun possbile thus the Glock 26 and 27...

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While it is a small 9mm, here's not many people who would consider the Glock 26 to be a pocket gun. IF you are talking pocket 9mm you should look at the Ruger LC9, the Kahr PM9/CM9, Beretta Nano, etc.

Spoken like a true member of an Internet firearms forum...

But you'll find that Mr. and Mrs. Average Inexperienced Buyer don't always think the same way. As has been pointed out in several other threads, when they get a chance to fire a Colt 1903 Pocket Model they often fall in love.

A solid hit with a .32 will beat a recoil-induced miss any day of the week.

I one time had a pair, but had a deal I couldn't refuse on another gun, and swapped the top one. It was the nicer of the two, and since I really DO carry the lower one, I didn't have a reason to keep the nice one and make it "less nice" by wearing and sweating on it. There is just something about my little .32 that makes it dear to my heart. Not a boomer, but it feeds everything, and can do some fine shooting, even at 25 yards, if I squint over the tiny sights properly. ............ [/URL][/IMG]

One big point for the novice, non-loader, or prospective gun buyer to consider is that, currently, .32ACP ammo is a bit overpriced and sometimes harder to find (excluding current shortages), as the .380 has become more common. Handloading is tougher, too, as .32 bullets are harder to find.

If you consider your remaining Pocket Model to be a shooter, you might be interested to know that the little .32/380 had the same rear dovetail and front sight slot, that was used in the Government Model .45 - At the time the Pocket Pistol was made. This opens some interesting (and inexpensive) solution to the "little sights" issues.

The 32 is not forgotten. I carry a Beretta Tomcat all the time. I own two tomcat's and a walther ppk in 32 also. I like the 32, and I much prefer the kel tec 32 over their 380. I don't believe that the 32 penetrates better than the 380 ball for ball. The 32 actually penetrated about 14 to 15 inches which really is ideal. The 380 ball will go 23 inches which is too much for my liking. The 32 has a tendency to tumble when shot into ballistic gell.

The quicker it is forgotten (and .25 with it)

the better off everyone will be. The 380 is plenty feeble enough, and is available in guns so small and lw that they can be worn like a necklace pendant, or in a wrist holster, or under long hair, at the back of the neck. Why would you want even less power than the pathetic 380, and less ability to be controlled in rapidfire?

I actually like the challenge of the little sights, but have to admit the ones that I have seen modified with REAL sights, nice, square, highly visible, are really the ticket for self defense, but change the classic look a little too much for the purist. Ever see the ones Novak's have worked on, installing their sights? ...... http://www.gunauction.com/buy/86191....32-auto.novak-custom-beautiful-work-must-see

I thought I read there is a small possability of rim-lock with the .32 acp, because it has a small bit of a rim and if you don't properly allign them in the magazine when loading it, it could cause failures to feed. LM

Right front pant pocket Seacamp 32.

Everyplace else on the body is 9x18 or larger.

I think poor magazine design and angle COULD create rimlock in some guns, but it is more myth than substance. I have never experienced it in my Colt, Walther PPK, or Beretta 70, all .32 cal.

I can assure you that rim lock is no myth. I have had rim lock twice in a kel tec with strong mag. springs. I've never tried hp in my other .32's so I can't comment, but I think it's possible with any .32 with a shorter bullet.

Perhaps the Kel-Tec has a poorly DESIGNED mag, and it will never be right. Wrong angle, and too much slop inside the mag will let the rims cross over. Not all guns are the same.

FYI Kel Tec uses Mec-Gar magazines which are some of the best made magazines there are. Better than Walther or Colt. Browning still uses them for their high power pistols. I have had rim lock happen in a spare mag. that I was carrying in my pocket.

I can assure you that all of the older guns were designed for fmj rounds before h/p were ever conceived so that puts them behind the curve already. I would not trust any pistol with short h/p in the mag.

Perhaps you will experience rim lock one day and hopefully it will happen when you don't need that second follow up shot like me.