KelTec P32

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I've always wanted a P32 but every time I thought of buying one I found something else I wanted more. First was the Guardian 32, then the Beretta 81 and now waiting for Kel-Tec to make more. I won't hesitate again.

Similar to my experience. Guardian 32, Taurus 732, Beretta 81BB in my case.

I've been wanting the P32 off and on over the years, but something else always took the P32 gun money. :D
 
The p-32 is a lot like the original PPK's designed around the .32 ACP. The .380 versions are a nice try, but for some reason no where near as reliable nor comfortable to shoot. Have owned two P-32's (had to as better half appropriated the first on as hers) for over 20 years. Never had any issues with them in all those years. Also owned a boat load of the P3AT's and while it seems to be a good idea, I could never get them to run as reliably as the P-32. As or .32 Ammo, only had a rim lock once and it was an easy fix. On power yeah the FMJ is a bit lacking, but stoke it with either PowRBall or Glaser Safety Slugs and it is more on the par with the .380 FMJ.

My 380? A Colt Pony DAO the size of a mustang. Locked breach of a size in between the P3AT and the PPK it is easy in recoil even with the ammo from buffalo bore. Just wish Colt would reintroduce it.
 
Sorry to hear that you had one stolen.

With colt reintroducing a number of old favorites, we can only hope that they will bring the pony back. Kahr's patent should have expired by now
 
My P32 is the gun that I carry when I can't carry a gun.

That's what mine is as well. I also find the 10rd mag makes the gun more controllable in my extra-large hand while still (just) fitting in my trouser pocket. A good pocket holster is a must to prevent printing.
 
I’ve never seen one. I knew they existed, but never saw one in the wild. Otherwise I probably would have bought one.


Kel-Tec told me if I sent it in for repair they would not return it, it would have been replaced with a P11 instead. There was not much meat left after drilling a 10 mm hole in a 9mm barrel blank. I believe that to be the reason they are so rare now.
 
I have one (p-40). It isn’t very pleasant to shoot. I used the frame and innards to make another p-11 from parts I purchased on ebay/gunbroker.

My p-32 is my always on me piece.
 
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I got a PF9 in 2010, and the P32 the following year. I'm glad to have them both; they leave little excuse for being unarmed.

In fact, these guns are usually carried together. ;)
 
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Sold two of the P32 along with several boxes of ammo late last summer when gitting out of .32 cal. was good $. Like many I had previously reasoned it was a good light carry gun. But changed that thinking as I began to wonder about it's stopping power or ability to visually deter if need to brandish were required.
Neither .25 nor .32 can be found here anymore.
 
Looks like my P32. I have had mine 20 years. I did the hard chrome slide exchange with kel-tec in the early 2000's for $15 and did a fluff and buff treatment, and so far no ftf's. I still carry from time to time.

I like my P32, also. It's fun to shoot and very reliable. They're nice little pistols. I've read hardly any negative comments about their reliability.

I wouldn't try to put thousands of rounds through it. I have a Beretta 81 for that. But if I shoot a few boxes of ammo through it a year and put an occasional new spring in it, it will probably outlast me.

I just shoot ball ammo through mine, like the OP. In case any of you didn't know, there's also a different magazine you can get for it that adds a couple of rounds or so and gives you a little more to hang onto.

I prefer a similar 380 for carry, but wouldn't feel unarmed with my P32.

Mine was a "rescue gun". It obviously came from a home where it was not cared for properly. I gave it love, cleaning, a few drops of oil, and a new mainspring. It's been happy ever since. :)

 
though a revolver guy, my keltec p32 is a favorite ccw as it goes virtually sight unseen. i added a hogue grip for a better...grip. a ten round spare mag comes along too. odd that i’ve been able to find 32acp ammo these days at non-highway-robbery prices. the steel naa guardian 32acp would seem to be a better shooter than the plastic p32, but i prefer the latter.


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Sold two of the P32 along with several boxes of ammo late last summer when gitting out of .32 cal. was good $. Like many I had previously reasoned it was a good light carry gun. But changed that thinking as I began to wonder about it's stopping power or ability to visually deter if need to brandish were required.
Neither .25 nor .32 can be found here anymore.

Visually deter. Not that we're supposed to show a gun to "deescalate a situation", but pocket guns in general, regardless of caliber, seem to be insufficient to visually deter people that have little to lose.
 
jstert writes:

..the steel naa guardian 32acp would seem to be a better shooter than the plastic p32..

The difference in felt recoil between blowback and locked-breech pocket guns can be substantial. My P32 barely flips more than my J22. I have a .32 Seecamp I haven't tried out yet. I bet that little gem is gonna be a bit snappier.

chicharrones writes:

Not that we're supposed to show a gun to "deescalate a situation", but pocket guns in general, regardless of caliber, seem to be insufficient to visually deter people that have little to lose.

I agree on the first point, but not as firmly on the second. You'd be surprised how many miscreants have "self-extracted" when small, normally-hidden guns come out. Those that have, as you say, "little to lose", which account for an extreme fraction of evildoers in general, are frequently not deterred even by the sight of "service-sized" handguns. With likely over a million deployments of firearms in self-defense situations each year in the US that involve no shots being fired, or shots fired that did not hit the would-be assailants, my money is on a lot of small guns being involved.

Still, I trust the visual effect of the business end of the .45 over that of the 5.7mm, though I would trust the ballistic effect of either probably equally. ;)
 
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I have an LCP in 380, but still want a keltec p32 to go with it. Hard gun to find in stock. I've heard occasional reports of Rimrock but far more owners report no issue so I am still interested.

The smallest practical carry option on the market is the p32 imo.
the flat nosed Winchester white box would rim lock and badly. ive had it happen 10 or 12 years ago. stopped buying and using that ammo for it and never a problem since. the ammo may have changed spec and size since then, dont know.

normal round nosed ammo wouldn't. for hollow points use, they use to have an insert ya put in the mag to eliminate the space and to stop rim locking.

I have one thats maybe 15 years or so old. I have a newer one too.
 
I got a PF9 in 2010, and the P32 the following year. I'm glad to have them both; they leave little excuse for being unarmed.

In fact, these guns are usually carried together. ;)
In a world where the halfstack mag pistols like the 365 now rule, the PF9 is a neat, practical single stack pistol thanks to its slimness and weight. It checks all the boxes over the Ruger LC9s except one: the trigger. If Kel Tec would stop with releasing all these new pistols nobody wants like the P50 and go back and update the PF9 and the P32 with better triggers, they'd be perfect.

They updated the Sub 2000 carbine, so I don't see why they don't do more with the PF9 and P32, two of their best designs.
 
I’ve never seen one. I knew they existed, but never saw one in the wild. Otherwise I probably would have bought one.
Had one and also a conversion kit also in .40. Were quite snappy and a bit much on that light aluminium frame
 
In a world where the halfstack mag pistols like the 365 now rule, the PF9 is a neat, practical single stack pistol thanks to its slimness and weight. It checks all the boxes over the Ruger LC9s except one: the trigger. If Kel Tec would stop with releasing all these new pistols nobody wants like the P50 and go back and update the PF9 and the P32 with better triggers, they'd be perfect.

They updated the Sub 2000 carbine, so I don't see why they don't do more with the PF9 and P32, two of their best designs.

My P32 has a smooth and light double pull that would make a J frame blush. But I've read others haven't been so lucky.
 
In a world where the halfstack mag pistols like the 365 now rule, the PF9 is a neat, practical single stack pistol thanks to its slimness and weight. It checks all the boxes over the Ruger LC9s except one: the trigger. If Kel Tec would stop with releasing all these new pistols nobody wants like the P50 and go back and update the PF9 and the P32 with better triggers, they'd be perfect.

They updated the Sub 2000 carbine, so I don't see why they don't do more with the PF9 and P32, two of their best designs.
Wish they’d do a p-11 2.0 as well.
 
The frames on all kt pistols are aluminum. Not to be confused with the grip. The frame rides inside the grip and is the serialized part of the pistol.


Thanks. Mine was lost in a fire in 2011, memory playing tricks I guess.
 
In a world where the halfstack mag pistols like the 365 now rule, the PF9 is a neat, practical single stack pistol thanks to its slimness and weight. It checks all the boxes over the Ruger LC9s except one: the trigger. If Kel Tec would stop with releasing all these new pistols nobody wants like the P50 and go back and update the PF9 and the P32 with better triggers, they'd be perfect.

They updated the Sub 2000 carbine, so I don't see why they don't do more with the PF9 and P32, two of their best designs.

Out of my 6 Kel-Tecs, only one has a craptacular trigger; that is my P11.

I put a Kel-Tec trigger shoe on it and made a world of difference. It is super wide! Fortunately the trigger guard is wide, so no danger of activating the trigger while holstering it.

That wider surface area gives your finger a lot of relief and the illusion of a so-so trigger job.

To add, the set screws don’t work that well, so I glued the shoe on once I knew I liked it. It never came loose in the 11 years that I carried it.

Just a bit of perspective; the P11 is just a bit thicker and same size as the P365 which is all the rage. Kel-Tec was well ahead of times.

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Not to derail the p-32 thread, but I recently purchased the mcarbo spring upgrade for the p-11. Already switched out the plastic trigger to the rtk. Haven’t gotten around to installing it yet (spring kit) but hopefully it will turn the trigger into usable.

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