Which 32 acp?
- Thread starter WisBorn
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jar
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Was the Femaru 37M ever issued in 32acp? The ones I've handled have all been 380.I enjoy 32acp firearms as well. You have a great collection. But, you need to add a WWII Femaru 37M to your collection.
Monac
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The Hungarian Army ones were all 380. But when the Germans ordered them, they specified A) a change to 7.65mm Browning, and B) the addition of a manual safety catch. I don't know which ones are more common in the US, or which ones sell for more money.
BTW, all the countries east of German disliked manual safety catches. The Hungarians had the Frommer Stop and the Femaru 37, both of which had just a grip safety. The Poles designed the Radom VIS 35, which had a grip safety and a decocker, but no manual safety. The Czechs adopted the CZ-38, which was double action only with no safety catch. And the Russians used the Tokarev, which had no safety mechanism at all, unless you count a half-cock notch.
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Yes, in 32acp as another poster already commented. Hungary was an Axis country like Romania. The Hungarians preferred 380acp, but the Nazis like the 32acp or 7.65mm, and contracted with Femaru twice for Femaru 37Ms for use by the Luftwaffe. I have one of those and a Hungarian Femaru M37 in 9mm Kurtz (380acp). They are fun guns and well made.
JERRY
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for range play, belt carry or home defense the larger Beretta M81 .32 acp or Walther PP .32 acp are nice guns. for personal pocket carry the Seecamp .32 acp and Kel-tec P32 .32 acp. Revolvers are a whole other field.
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jar
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That makes sense. The ones I've used were all FEGs.
TTv2
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For pocket carry, Kel Tec. The Beretta 3032 has well known issues with the slides cracking and it's never been fixed from what I've been told. The Seecamp is a novelty, it does nothing better than the Kel Tec does except be a smaller, harder to shoot gun.
For a larger size I cannot recommend the Beretta 81 enough. It is a fantastic shooting pistol and you can still get them in great shape on gunbroker. The Zastava is not bad if you can get one cheap enough.
Everything else out there doesn't measure up. The Colt 1903's aren't worth the money and they have awful sights. The Savage's are cool, but magazines and spare parts are impossible to find. Walther PPK's aren't worth it.
For a larger size I cannot recommend the Beretta 81 enough. It is a fantastic shooting pistol and you can still get them in great shape on gunbroker. The Zastava is not bad if you can get one cheap enough.
Everything else out there doesn't measure up. The Colt 1903's aren't worth the money and they have awful sights. The Savage's are cool, but magazines and spare parts are impossible to find. Walther PPK's aren't worth it.
lsudave
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Beretta 81 is the top choice for me here too. I WANT a 1903, but like you said, it's too pricey.
I've not shot an actual Walther, but I've got a FEG, which appears to be a basic clone. They look nice (and James Bond-ish), they feel great if you just hold them. Something about the design layout causes it to have a pretty sharp recoil. I had one in Makarov, and downgraded to 32 thinking it would help... it didn't, not really.
The Savage might be a neat pistol to play with, but I can't shoot mine worth a flip. If I brace it, it groups tightly and is pretty much on-target. If I just stand and shoot it offhand, I'm getting "groups" measured in feet, not inches.
wiscoaster
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Manurhin-made Walthers command a steep premium on Gunbroker, all else being equal, so ... yes.
Mosin77
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If I had to choose a pistol for the range? Colt 1903. Sublime shooter for me. Mine has speckling and finish wear and aftermarket grips and cost me less than $500. One day I want to get it engraved.
For home defense or carry? You could do far worse than a CZ-83. 15+1 capacity. But they’re scarce.
Good looks, value and accessibility? Definitely go Beretta 81. They’re available, in good shape, and have decent sights and 12+1. Just not quite as nice to shoot in my own hand as some of the earlier designs but YMMV.
History and heritage? Any Euro 7.65 used in WWII. I’m partial to the Mauser 1914 myself. But these guns are a bit finicky.
For home defense or carry? You could do far worse than a CZ-83. 15+1 capacity. But they’re scarce.
Good looks, value and accessibility? Definitely go Beretta 81. They’re available, in good shape, and have decent sights and 12+1. Just not quite as nice to shoot in my own hand as some of the earlier designs but YMMV.
History and heritage? Any Euro 7.65 used in WWII. I’m partial to the Mauser 1914 myself. But these guns are a bit finicky.
JERRY
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in light of your lack of experience with some of the guns you mentioned, some rudimentary homework would have told you that the Beretta Tomcat (3032) had (still has) a frame cracking problem, not a slide cracking problem. The LWS32 is not a Bubba gun to be fluffed and buffed like some others you mentioned that need kitchen table gunsmithing. it [LWS32] is the epitome of man jewelry in the gun world. The Walther PP/PPK is a great gun in 7.65mm, history bears this out not me. I do agree completely with you that the Beretta M81 is a top shelf gun.
TTv2
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I couldn't remember if it was frame or slide, but frame would be even worse because with a slide at least you can replace that easily.
I feel bad for all those who paid $300 or $400 on one and they got something with a respected brand name and over time it turns into a Lorcin or a Davis.
Mosin77
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I loved the idea of the 3032. Beautiful, small, caliber I like, neat tip up barrel.... but the fact that Beretta acknowledged and addressed the cracking and yet apparently, anecdotally, still failed to fix the problem, is disappointing and makes the gun a non-starter for me. Plus I shot one last year and the darn thing hurts!! Don’t understand why they still make it.
tactikel
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IMHO if you chose the .32 over the .380 or even the 9mm it has to be much lighter and more concealable. The P32 is ideal, 6 oz, smaller than most cell phones, a true pocket carry weapon. I want a P32 as a backup for my Shield, or as a deep concealment option.
JERRY
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the Beretta tomcat lost a lot of potential buyers when they failed to adequately fix the frame cracking problem. the problem is that the crack occurs at a point in the frame where a bore has drilled for a pin. a polymer frame might fix this as well as a smaller bore and pin.
TTv2
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Because people still buy it, same as any other gun that still sells. I'm sure when less experienced people pick that pistol out of the case for a feel, it feels good... and it looks good... and the DA/SA trigger is nice... and that flip up barrel is so kewl!
Of course, carry the thing and it's as thick as a brick, not good for pocket carry and for an IWB or appendix carry, a .380 or 9mm would be much better. Then they actually shoot it and find out that the blowback design makes it feel like shooting a 9mm.
It's still a great idea for a pistol, but the frame needs to be made from steel, not just for strength, but for the extra weight to mitigate recoil. Of course, that would cause the price to go up to like $500 and at that point I don't see many people paying that for a fat single stack .32.
lincen
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With full knowledge of the problem, I bought a Beretta Tomcat this year. Now they have a document included with all Model 3032 Tomcat pistols that warns the owner should never use ammunition that exceeds 130 ft⋅lbf (176 J) of muzzle energy. Notably, even normal factory . I've found that Winchester, Armscore, and some PMC meet that criteria .
Honestly, I rarely shoot it but got it new at a great price and wanted it for my 32 collection. My favorites for shooting though are my Sig P230, CZ-83, Beretta 81, Bersa Thunder, and Sauer and Sohn 38H.
Honestly, I rarely shoot it but got it new at a great price and wanted it for my 32 collection. My favorites for shooting though are my Sig P230, CZ-83, Beretta 81, Bersa Thunder, and Sauer and Sohn 38H.
lsudave
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I have a pair of these, and they are interesting. One doesn't function unless I maintain pressure on the base of the magazine. Not sure how to address that.
Jack19
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Plus, they are readily available and won't break the bank.
wiscoaster
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Mosin Crate will have a bunch of CZ-70's for sale tomorrow at 10 AM EST for $299.
Jim Watson
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I kind of wish I had bought that Swedish surplus PP .32 that time.
wiscoaster
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Well, it's no Walther, but with a little elbow grease and maybe replacing a spring or two they spiff up real nice:
View media item 3298
And shoot pretty decent, too.
View media item 3298
And shoot pretty decent, too.
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