.32 ACP Cartridge -FMJ or Hollowpoint?

[Blackhawk]

FMJ

 

[Jaco]

Why not carry both HP and FMJ?

 

[yzguy]

Why not carry both HP and FMJ?

I would heavily recomend against that in any .32 acp autoloader!!!

simply because of rim lock:
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/rimlock.htm

you can kinda do that if you load all FMJ in the mag, but have a HP in the pipe and top round in the mag, you will not have a problem with rim lock.

you can also convert a mag to HP only to aviod rim lock and use HP's (I will be adding a page shortly to illustrate this mod, and will post when it is done).

 

[Felonious Monk]

Yz--

I will be adding a page shortly to illustrate this mod, and will post when it is done

And, There Was Rejoicing In The Land.

I'm really good at stuff when you color a picture for me!

 

[thisaway]

I alternate Gold Dots and S&B FMJs in my Tomcat, but after considering the information in this thread I may discontinue the practice and go back to all FMJs.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

...the most important aspect of all...SHOT PLACEMENT!!!!!! Does that still count????

Shot placement is number one, followed immediately by adequate penetration so the bullet is capable of reaching the vitals you're trying to damage.

 

[ranger7]

I carry GECO FMJs in my P-32s but might consider carrying a Corbon in the chamber.

I've experienced rim lock several times in the past w/ HPs. Wouldn't consider them for carry.

Alan

 

[Lord Grey Boots]

mmm, maybe I should switch from 125grain hollow points in my .357 magnum, to 130 grain FMJ magnum rounds.

Should penetrate better and thus give better stopping power, right?

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Should penetrate better and thus give better stopping power, right?

What you hit is more important than what you hit with.

If the bullet's path merely damages non-vital tissues, more penetration or more expansion isn't going to help.

If the bullet's path is dead on to intersect critical tissues, but it stops short, more expansion isn't going to help.

If the bullet penetrates adequately and passes through vital blood bearing organs and creates a leak, more expansion can help to increase the rate and volume of blood loss.

Small caliber bullets and bullets with an inefficient shape to crush tissues (e.g., round nose FMJ) produce little holes, and little holes don't bleed as well as big holes. But this hardly matters when the CNS is struck.

 

[XLMiguel]

I've shot most everything I can find on the market thru my Tomcat, all seemed to function OK. I've read everything I can find on .32 performance, none of it is impressive.

All in all, for a mousegun, I figure shot placement is all that really matters. One in the eye socket or behing the ear should do the job, anything else is just an annoyance or luck. The nub on the front of the barrel isn't really a sight - it's like a hook - you stick the barrel in the navel/nose/ear/other oriface, turn the gun 90 degrees, and keep shooting till they calm down. Basically, it's like tying knots - if you can't tie good knots, tie lots of knots, if ya know whut I mean, Vern. YMMV, JMNSHO.

 

[Jaco]

Have alternated HP an FMJ in the same mag, and that's the way I carry it in my PPK, and not one problem in countless mags of rimlock.

 

[Gordon]

Yes Geco is IT in .32acp. Good penetration and reliable feeding which is all we can ask of .32acp! At least .32 gets into skull which .25 and .22 are marginal in doing. I have clocked Geco at 1032 in Fn1922 and 910 in Tomcat. I have a German PPK .32 that goes about 990fps with it and is 3" at 50feet ALLWAYS. It is my wifes favorite.

 

[cool45auto]

I have 60 grain Cor Bons in my P32. I like what I've found about the expansion of these rounds.

 

[ranger7]

GECO - 910 fps & 100% reliable in my two P-32s.

Alan

 

[Newton]

60 grain Corbon in the chamber and Fiocchi or S&B FMJs in the magazine.

Although there is a lot of support for using FMJs in order to avoid rimlock, to suggest that FMJs outperform JHPs even in .32ACP is simply not supported by actual shootings.

Even relatively weak JHPs such as the Silvertip have shown superior stopping percentages than FMJ rounds, more powerful rounds such as Corbon's 60 grain offering is an even better choice and on one notable occasion was used to take a deer with a through and through expanding neck shot from the P32 according to Corbon.

I have yet to see any statistical evidence that supports the use of solids over hollowpoints in ANY caliber, if such exists, let's see it.

For now I'll use the load mentioned above, but when the magazine spacer comes out from Keltec I'll be using straight Corbons.

Newton

 

[BushyGuy]

i have a beretta tomcat .32 acp , i just got it couple days ago , i shot 65 gr hydrashoks and 60 gr silvertip - my tomcat liked the silvertips the best it was prone to jamming wiht the hydrashoks i think cuz the bullet neck on the silvertips was smoother then the ridge on the neck of hydrashoks. i was impressed by the expansion of the silvertip and penetration trhu the soda bottle and thru the 1 inch wood backing i dug up the bullets and the silvertip showed more penetration and expansion then the hydrashoks. i like the silvertips alot i will continue to use them in my BUG my main carry is Taurus PT92c 9mm sometimes i carry the tomcat when i want to go light.

 

[LightningJoe]

FMJ. At least you know what you're getting. The rest of them, who knows what they'll do? With such a marginal cartridge, the last thing you need is a magazine full of magic beans.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Normally I do not favor staggered loadings in magazines, but alternating FMJ and hollowpoints in small calibers like this makes some sense.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I find that Speer Gold Dots are more accurate than most FMJ's in my Colt .32. Those old guns (I have two) feed both reliably so far. It even spits out Blazer with no problems.

 

[Grey Morel]

I carry Fiocchi exclusively.

The 60gr JHP's dont expand, but will penetrate clean through a 16" gelatin block.

The 73Gr FMJ's penetrate about 14" and tumble slightly.

I tend to carry the 73gr FMJs

 

[whatnickname]

None of the above!

Back in the day the primary advantage of the .32 was the small size of the pistol and revolvers made to shoot the round and to some extent the lower recoil offered by the round. Ditto the .25 ACP and .380. Today we can get guns like the little Kel Tec and Kahar chambered for rounds like 9MM and .40 S&W. So much for the portability advantage offered by a good many .32 caliber handguns. I've owner one of just about every .32 and .380 ever made. The majority of the experts don't recommend much below the .380 for self defense. I got to taking inventory and realized that my Sig 239s ( a 9MM and a .40 S&W) along with any one of my five J frame Smiths (.38 & .357) as well as my American Derringer Corp derringer (.45 Colt) were every bit as small as many of my .32 and .380 handguns and packed one hell of a lot more punch! I figured if I was going to carry a handgun to defend myself I may as well carry something that packed a harder punch than the .32 and .380. If you are bent on carrying the .32 go with the FMJ. Yes Silver Tips and Hydro Shocks expand but you need a certain amount of mass and horsepower to penetrate into the vitals and get the job done. If your adversary is wearing a heavy coat when everything hits the fan the little .32 has all the more work cut out for it. Think this is so much BS? Consider the high price the FBI paid back in the 1980's with 115 grain 9MM hollow points in the Miami, Fla shootout! These guys were professionals and got shot to pieces because their 9MM rounds didn't penetrate far enough to get the job done. A 115 grain 9MM hollow point packs a lot more punch than any .32 you ever thought about.

 

[mrt949]

Winchester 71 gr.fmj In my SEECAMP 32. iT BARK'S

 

[george29]

I'm not an expert but I have done a lot of reading, my conclusion in this matter is that in most handgun rounds including the higher velocity .357 it really doesn't matter much between HP, WC, SWC & FMJ. What does matter is penetration and placement. Many HP's just get clogged up with clothing and act like FMJ. Having said that, I believe the harder and the heavier bullets do the most good.

Consider the high price the FBI paid back in the 1980's with 115 grain 9MM hollow points in the Miami, Fla shootout! These guys were professionals and got shot to pieces because their 9MM rounds didn't penetrate far enough to get the job done. A 115 grain 9MM hollow point packs a lot more punch than any .32 you ever thought about.

There were a lot of factors in what went wrong in that shoot-out, bullet type and caliber were the easiest to blame but IMHO most results or lack thereof belong to human mistakes (and I'm not judging from my armchair). Sometimes you face a foe so determined that multiple wounds just won't bring him down or even if it does, he still gets you before he dies. Ask the guys fighting terrorists who are determined and hopped up on opiate's before they go out to combat. A properly placed .32 should be enough for most situations involving urban criminals from up close. At that distance it's more a point and shoot anyway. I prefer a .32 in the pocket or hand to a heavier 9mm pulling on my belt, or worse, left in the car or at home. You know there are absolutely no excuses to not have your P32 with you all the time (a WYATT gun as I once read).

 

[christcorp]

Definitely a fan of the Fiocchi ammo. Both the FMJ and the HP. The HP goes up to around 1200 fps and 210 ft/lbs. If it opens up, it still has decent penetration. If it doesn't open up, then you've go a FMJ for all intent and purpose. Either way, it's a lot hotter and better than most any of the other ammo. Same could be said for BuffaloBore ammo.

I have/had a number of 32 autos. I have found that because of the size of the shell, if you are using a USA gun, USA ammo seems to do better. If you have a European gun, Fiocchi, S&B, etc... seems to do better. My AP-MBP FEG 32acp NEVER fails with Euro ammo. But with Magtech, Corbon, Lawman, and some others, I have had problems. So I use the USA brands for practice/plinking; and the Fiocchi for self defense.

 

[JimJD]

I feed my P-32 with FMJ's from Sellier & Bellot. To me, hollow points don't make that much of a difference if any in this caliber.
My particular pistol and the ammo I use have been excellent.