.32 ACP notions...

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One of my favorite 'finds' as a dealer was a single batch of CZ83 imported by Century Arms and chambered in .32 ACP. I was able to buy and sell just a little over a dozen (and kept one or two for myself). Everyone who bought one was very happy with the pistol - most of the buyers, like me, had been looking for a .32ACP CZ83 for five years or longer.

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The most I had on hand at one time was six. I would sell them quickly online and turn around and buy some more. Wish I had the money at the time to get hold of more before the distributor sold out. I would take each one out and 'test fire' five or six rounds to function test it, then field strip and clean / lube for sale. I got me shooting buddy (who knew nothing about the CZ83) to help the day I had these six to check out and he was so impressed he bought one of them before I could list it online. If you ever find one at a decent price, jump on it!
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Not to worry. After the 2020 SHOT Show, the hook and bullet press is going to inform us that with the amazing, physics defying "new" bullets available, 32 acp is at least as effective as 9mm, which will then disappear overnight. Just like 40 S&W. There will be a vast array of pistols, pcc's, AR uppers, several "Scout" rifles, and at least one aluminum chassis bolt pistol (with brace) in 32 acp available by late March...
 
Another .32 ACP offering that is no longer around was the Bersa Thunder 32. It was made for a while but then discontinued. I had a customer at the range where I worked that swore by his. I don't know what year it was discontinued but it is virtually unobtanium at this point. I have looked for several years on gunbroker and never seen one listed.
I lucked out by finding one on Bud's website through random browsing. I had to join their "Club" to get it -- a "Members Only" deal.

I'm not so sure the Thunder 32 was discontinued -- I heard that they're just not being imported into the US anymore.
 
I think a Sig P238 chambered in 32 acp would be kind of a neat idea. it's a close range pocket gun, and modern monolithic bullets should ensure adequate penetration for it to be effective in that role. Plus you could cram an extra round or two in the magazine over the 380 version.
 
I really want a 5" barrel 32acp with a nice big grip. I know rimlock probably precludes a correspondingly large 22+ round magazine, but I'd be happy for it to be a single stack. I just want a big pleasant target shooter in 32acp.
 
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I am a sucker for the .32 anything. I'd even trade my Kimber Ultra Carry 2 for the right .32 revolver.
 
Sorry for the photo outburst. I am that rare creature, a 32 caliber handgun fan.

I know that the CZ82/83 was available in 32acp. They must be rare as hen's teeth. I've never seen one. That would be an excellent firearm. I might be wrong about this one, but I think I heard that a small number of Sig P230's was made in 32acp. That would be pretty nice.

The Kel-Tek P32 is a great up close and personal pocket pistol. Mine was dirt cheap used in nice condition. It's never given me problems. I wish it actually had sights, instead of just a trough.

There is a decent 32 H&R magnum sub revolver currently being manufactured and widely available, at least on Gunbroker. It's called a Charter Arms Undercoverette. Mine has the normal Charter Arms trigger, which is actually pretty good. I found this used for... IDK, $250ish? Mrs. Tallball keeps it handy if I am out of town. Most of them aren't pink, but she thought it was cute.

The old S&W i-frames in 32 S&W long were dirt cheap not long ago. IDK if that's still the case, but I would assume so. It's not a popular cartridge (though our local Academy has it sometimes). I got this one for $120-something. As you can see, the finish is a mess, but it's in good shape mechanically. The sights are tiny and the trigger is kind of stiff, but it's fun to shoot. It's from 1915-16.

Charter Arms used to make a six shot .32 years ago. had they done that with their latest .32 H&R mag I'd have bought one by now.
 
I just went a head and ordered one of the M70's from Aim surplus today.
 
I really want a 5" barrel 32acp with a nice big grip. I know rimlock probably precludes a correspondingly large 22+ round magazine, but I'd be happy for it to be a single stack. I just want a big pleasant target shooter in 32acp.
As do I and I wish Ruger would get on the ball with a .32 Mark IV. In general, few are looking at the Mark IV's as carry guns, and most are not interested in .32's for self defense, but for a competition or target pistol that has more power than .22, potentially greater accuracy at longer distances, minimal recoil, more reliable priming, and obviously reloadable... the .32 ACP would give them that.

I was thinking it may be worth getting the Beretta 81 to see if it isn't a better shooter than the Zastava M70 that I got is, but instead of chasing the golden goose, I'm going to wait for it to come to me. A .32 Mark IV is something I know would out shoot either a Beretta or a Zastava.

Plus extra mags for a .32 Ruger would be A LOT easier to get.
 
As do I and I wish Ruger would get on the ball with a .32 Mark IV. In general, few are looking at the Mark IV's as carry guns, and most are not interested in .32's for self defense, but for a competition or target pistol that has more power than .22, potentially greater accuracy at longer distances, minimal recoil, more reliable priming, and obviously reloadable... the .32 ACP would give them that.

I was thinking it may be worth getting the Beretta 81 to see if it isn't a better shooter than the Zastava M70 that I got is, but instead of chasing the golden goose, I'm going to wait for it to come to me. A .32 Mark IV is something I know would out shoot either a Beretta or a Zastava.

Plus extra mags for a .32 Ruger would be A LOT easier to get.

Wow if Ruger did that I'd buy one for sure. The mouse guns are great and I covet. Tomcat to go with my p-32, but as I stated a full size target 32 would be quite desirable. A suppressed 32 mk IV is something I didnt know I was in a hurry to buy until now, though.
 
Wow if Ruger did that I'd buy one for sure. The mouse guns are great and I covet. Tomcat to go with my p-32, but as I stated a full size target 32 would be quite desirable. A suppressed 32 mk IV is something I didnt know I was in a hurry to buy until now, though.
the Tomcat and it's frame cracking problem if you use "the wrong" ammo has steered me clear of buying it a few different times. even when they made the slide bigger than it should be to add weight and slow it down, it still battered the frame and some cracked anyway. its just a design flaw in the gun and they wont make the frame out of something more resilient than aluminum.
 
A lower-priced pistol set up like the Walther GSP .32 but with a normal grip and a 10-round magazine would be great fun with a long sight radius for the iron sights and maybe a rail for optics.

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Jar, the serial number on your Colt 1903 is only 788 ahead of mine. Ours may have been made in the same month! :) I tried to post a photo but botched it ... maybe later when I can figure out tech-NO-logy, eh? ;)

As to the notion of cool .32 guns that'll never be made ... Hmm ...
  1. I'd second the idea of a small high capacity .32 (I've been yelling for a small very high capacity .25 for ages).
  2. I'd like S&W to bring back their old safety hammerless from the late 1800s (ye olde break top), produce it with a very short barrel and chambered in .32 acp rather than .32 S&W. I have on old original model (with the old first style latch) that some 19th Century gunsmith beautifully shortened the barrel on, remounted the front sight, and even crowned the bore. Every time I hold that tiny little thing I think what a shame there's not something that tiny today in .32 ACP. With that 5-shot cylinder, even speed loaders would be easily toted in one's pocket.
  3. Something along the size of a Glock 19 or Walther P99 but holding a whole bunch of .32s -- utterly impractical for most, but with such light recoil and hand-filling grips, it'd be great for folks with bad arthritis that otherwise would be using .22s.
I'm a huge fan of the .32 acp, as well as other .32 chamberings. I have 2 Walther PPK pistols in .32 (one from the late 1960s, same year I was born, and one, with a Dural frame from 1945 ... the latter is roughly finished and was obviously slapped together but is actually the more accurate of the two, although both are far more accurate than most shooters). I have a Colt 1903, and a Savage 1907. I've carried either PPK and the Colt as OD/BUGs prior to retiring from LE and have toted them since. I also have a CZ Vz61 Skorpion (semi-auto) in .32 acp (last year's birthday present from my eldest daughter), and more revolvers in .32 S&W, .32 S&W long, and .32 Short Colt than I can remember off hand. I have a S&W 31-1 (J-frame 6-shot) in .32 S&W Long that was a BUG/OD piece I used when my arthritic hands got too sore for recoil. Great shooting piece and while not a magnum, I don't see most folks taking a cylinder full of .32s to the face and keepin' on keepin' on. ;)
 
Jar, the serial number on your Colt 1903 is only 788 ahead of mine. Ours may have been made in the same month! :) I tried to post a photo but botched it ... maybe later when I can figure out tech-NO-logy, eh? ;)

As to the notion of cool .32 guns that'll never be made ... Hmm ...
  1. I'd second the idea of a small high capacity .32 (I've been yelling for a small very high capacity .25 for ages).
  2. I'd like S&W to bring back their old safety hammerless from the late 1800s (ye olde break top), produce it with a very short barrel and chambered in .32 acp rather than .32 S&W. I have on old original model (with the old first style latch) that some 19th Century gunsmith beautifully shortened the barrel on, remounted the front sight, and even crowned the bore. Every time I hold that tiny little thing I think what a shame there's not something that tiny today in .32 ACP. With that 5-shot cylinder, even speed loaders would be easily toted in one's pocket.
  3. Something along the size of a Glock 19 or Walther P99 but holding a whole bunch of .32s -- utterly impractical for most, but with such light recoil and hand-filling grips, it'd be great for folks with bad arthritis that otherwise would be using .22s.
I'm a huge fan of the .32 acp, as well as other .32 chamberings. I have 2 Walther PPK pistols in .32 (one from the late 1960s, same year I was born, and one, with a Dural frame from 1945 ... the latter is roughly finished and was obviously slapped together but is actually the more accurate of the two, although both are far more accurate than most shooters). I have a Colt 1903, and a Savage 1907. I've carried either PPK and the Colt as OD/BUGs prior to retiring from LE and have toted them since. I also have a CZ Vz61 Skorpion (semi-auto) in .32 acp (last year's birthday present from my eldest daughter), and more revolvers in .32 S&W, .32 S&W long, and .32 Short Colt than I can remember off hand. I have a S&W 31-1 (J-frame 6-shot) in .32 S&W Long that was a BUG/OD piece I used when my arthritic hands got too sore for recoil. Great shooting piece and while not a magnum, I don't see most folks taking a cylinder full of .32s to the face and keepin' on keepin' on. ;)
I had to go back to see which 1903 was in the thread. I'd love to see your example of a Type 1. I also have a few of the Type 3 and it's amazing how just being a quarter inch shorter makes it into a really nice pocket gun. Here is a 1919 Type 3 that I keep thinking about sending to Ford's for a nice Blue.

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The WW2 German Sauer 38H is also available.

If we totally avoid any type of comparison with handguns such as the more modern Sig 9mms etc, the Sauer is my favorite handgun.
 
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