.32 ACP drifting away?

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Redlg155

Redlg155

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I remember several years back when a Seecamp was just about the only game in town for an ultra compact .32. Not beingthe able to afford one, I was happy when the Keltec .32 rage came out. Following the trend, I purchased a Keltec. 32 for a CCW.

I ended up selling it soon after they started making a .380 in the same size package. Now it seems just about every manufacturer has a mini .380 on the market.

Has the Seecamp lost its luster? Does anyone carry a .32 when. 380s are readily available in the same sized weapon? Will we see the. 32 fade away and join the ranks of the. 25 auto?
 
.32 is my daily carry. My experience has been that .32s in comparable sizes do just as well as .380s and are more controllable and have a greater capacity. This is especially true in the tiny short barrel pocket pistols. I think .380 is a bit much for what we are asking of a 2 inch barrel and an 8 or 10 oz. gun. With smaller pistols and smaller rounds, round placement is at a premium. The .32 just handles better at that size.

Make the gun a 16 oz with a 3-4 inch barrel and I'll take the .380, especially in a lock breached. But those micro .380s are really pushing the realities of newton's laws.
 
I chose the P32 over the P3-AT for three reasons:

1) lighter-shooting, for better control and faster follow-up,

2) last-shot slide-lock, and

3) an extra round in capacity.

I'm very happy with my P32. I probably would be also if I had gotten the P3-AT, but I feel I did right by myself.

I hope the .32ACP cartridge sticks around. In fact, I have faith that it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
 
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I don't think it will go away. Luckily it seems as though it is popular on the foreign market. I prefer foreign ammo in this caliber anyways.

My Kel Tec P-32 is my always gun. I always have it on my person when I'm wearing clothing.
 
I carry a Walthers 32 often. When not carrying that it's usually a bersa 380. had a PPK and didn't like the recoil and sharp edges hurting my hand plus it was prone to jamming. The 32 is accurate, reliable and mild recoil. The Bersa 380 shoots way better than the PPK for me
 
When the feet hit the deck, the robe with 2 pockets goes on...cell phone in 1, Seecamp .32 in the other...every day...no exceptions.
 
My hope is that it wont. My CC right now is a 8+1 Intratec Protec .25 ACP. I'd like to upgrade to a 32. P32 probably as that's in my fundage ballpark. But, if I had my druthers I'd take a Seecamp any day of the week. KTs are very affordable, functional CC pistols w/a great track record. My wife carries a P11. A Seecamp, though is an heirloom one passes on when...well, when one passes on. :p
 
That's a great compliment to the Seecamp company...but I think you find prices have come down a bit since the Great Financial Decline of 2009.
Check Gunbroker from time to time...
 
thats about the only factory ammo i ever see at Midway USA so im thinkin about switchin to it by golly
 
hedrok said:
That's a great compliment to the Seecamp company...but I think you find prices have come down a bit since the Great Financial Decline of 2009.
Check Gunbroker from time to time...
Click to expand...

450.00 starting bid for an old one on GB. 425.00 for a LNIB. No bids...yet. New ones are about the same price, but the wait time is over one year. They are just so classy and light, though. Even being all stainless steel it would be lighter than my IT. Nevermind, the added lethality of the bigger round. It's print is smaller, too. Excellent for bicycle CC which is my primary use. I'm a commuter/utility cyclist as opposed to a spandex warrior.

The only drawback and it isn't much of one is that I'm a firm believer in the 2-3 mag system. *I swap out my carry mags every 2 weeks so as to not weaken the springs should the need arise and they be called on to do their job.* So, right up front I'd have to order another mag from Seecamp. That plus the shipping, BGC and FFL fees would end up putting a 450.00 pistol upwards to 600.00 purchasing off of a website.

I do peruse armslist locally, but everybody's asking 550 to 6 and up. When one can find one. :scrutiny:

Meanwhile, w/a capability of 6" groupings at 30 ft I feel confident w/t much maligned .25 acp. The recoil and re-aim factor is pretty good w/these little ITs. They've had a rep as jam-o-matics, but mine's always kept clean and polished so that's not really an issue. Now if the ammo manufacturers could only do something about the .25 acp price...

** Just to clarify my carry mags are emptied and the extra one(s) filled every other week to slow the onset of possible material fatigue in any of the mag components. The springs in particular.
 
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My Walther PPK and Colt 1903 , both.32's, aren't going away soon. When I want a backup, one of the two is often on my ankle. They both will make long rang shots accurately, and both are as reliable as anything else (maybe better). I prefer FMJ ammo, but both work fine with 60 gr hollowpoints.
 
One of my favorite EDC guns is a Manurhin Walther PP in .32. I also have an Interarms Walther PPK/S in .32 and a NAA Guardian in .32.

I've owned the .380 in both the Walther PP and PPK/S platforms and like the .32 hands down. The NAA Guardian in .380 is a lot bulkier than the .32 and seems to print in the pocket more for CC.

For the difference in the two calibers, I am just as comfortable with the .32 being an adequate stopper. It definitely has a milder recoil, faster follow-up shots and is very accurate. Yea...I like the old Browning cartridge.
 
The 32 will kill you just as dead as any other bullet , I sold my 1000 dollar seacamp 3 years ago and never lost sleep over it. I just never got used to the gun, and it took too much fiddling with to make it shoot right. I don't know anyone who had one 10+ yrs ago, who still carries it, "if they still own it". These "fad" guns, happen every once in a while, maybe 1 time or 2 per decade. Especially when guns get a fan base like that one did. We were waiting a year and even 2 in order to get one. There just weren't any at one point. The 380 didn't take off like the 32, IMO there were already small 380's hitting the market before seacamp could get enough guns out to get the base that the 32 had.
People also got tired of spending that kind of cash on a small gun. The LCP put it in the background, and the kel-tec didn't hurt either.
If Larry came out with a 9mm, it would probably fly off the shelf if he could make one just a little but bigger, and sell it for 6-700.00. Folks might still pay up for such a steel gun with 5 or 6 rounds. The feel of stainless or aluminum is still distinctly better than plastic and metal mixed together IMO. I don't see a 25 useful for anything anymore, If it deserves shooting, it deserves to be shot with something that will keep it down IMO, again unless you are very lucky or just a wonderful shot, I would not carry a 25 for any reason. You may piss someone off if you shot them with it.
I would rather shoot a bad guy with a 22lr, than a 25. If that was the choice.
The little bobcat in 22lr with 8+1, could get nasty with less chance of a stovepipe than a 25 anything.
 
When it's really hot here in S. NV. I carry the Beretta Tomcat, with Fiocchi 60 grn XTPHP ammo. I know it will definitely put the stop on the most determined perpetrator.
 
gym said:
...I don't see a 25 useful for anything anymore, If it deserves shooting, it deserves to be shot with something that will keep it down IMO, again unless you are very lucky or just a wonderful shot, I would not carry a 25 for any reason. You may piss someone off if you shot them with it. (Oh, without a doubt...their surviving relatives.)
I would rather shoot a bad guy with a 22lr, than a 25. If that was the choice.
The little bobcat in 22lr with 8+1, could get nasty with less chance of a stovepipe than a 25 anything.
Click to expand...


Like I said. 6" groupings consistantly @ 30 ft w/an 8+1 capacity of 50 gr FMJ aluminum I'm confident in being able to get the job done should the need arise w/my little Intratec Protec. Over 400 rounds down range after purchase w/a few FTFeeds and trigger sticking issues, initially but once it was disassembled, soaked, cleaned and buffed there have been no problems. And that's with Blazer aluminum rounds. My carry rounds are PMC brass 50gr FMJ.

While the Beretta Bobcat(my wife wanted one...she loves her P11 now and carries 9mm C.O.P 115+ JHPs. It used to be mine :fire:) is a respectable pistol I don't know that I'd be willing to trust a 36 gr HP in 22lr. A 22 magnum Bobcat would be the stuff. It's all about shot placement, anyway. To each their own. But, there's no disrespect intended re your reasoning in your post. Sincerely, no disagreement there. Quite the opposite. It's simply all I've got and was able to afford at the time of purchase. 145.00 w/an extra mag OTD wasn't a bad deal I just didn't know any better. That's why I'm looking to upgrade to .32ACP asap. The reason for wanting a Seecamp is not only the diminutive size for cycling CC, all metal construction, but to pass it on to my son as well.

And when it comes down to it I don't know of anyone who'd volunteer to take a 6" grouping of 25 acp regardless of where it was placed. Bound to hit something vital!
 
The Beretta Pico, being released this fall, will have an option of a .32 auto barrel. That might make me purchase it. I carry a P32. I love .32 auto; potent, easy to shoot.
 
For future innovative designs for deep concealment? Probably so.

Unless there's some super exotic design yet to debut, I honestly doubt we'll see any new pistols chambered in .32acp.
Personally, I'd think a 4 or 5 shot break-open NAA micro revolver would be cool. Would it sell in a market with the P32 and such? I doubt it.

I think the .32acp has run its course. The cartridge itself is going anywhere since there are plenty of great pistols out there chambered for it. However, I just don't see any new designs using it.

Just about anything chambered in .32acp can be tweaked to accommodate the .380acp. Even though the .32acp usually affords an extra round and is typically easier to shoot, I believe the market shows stronger sales for the .380acp models.

Personally, I think the .32acp is underrated by the majority of shooters. As far as FMJ goes, the softer shooting .32acp can do just about everything the .380acp can.
I still carry my P32 during yard work, but I admit to have switched to a P238HD for daytime errands.
 
I have no doubt that any cartridge, even a .22 that hits the vitals like in a headshot, will stop the thread instantly. With a .32 the odds are even more in your favour and I myself will feel 100% confident with this cartridge if I knew I could hit what I aimed at. But unfortunately as .32's are in 95% of cases very small framed pistols, how accurate can they really be shot with? Especially in a stressfull situation? If you buy a larger frame .32 just to get more accuracy, there is no reason really to not go up in caliber as well. I ideally want a 380 LCP because I believe its is a good combination of power and concealability. But I gave up on that idea, I think, because I know I won't be accurate enough with it.
But you guys can have more than one handgun, so a small .32 in addition to something bigger is not a bad idea as sometimes you can only carry something small.
With proper shot placement, any cartridge is good enough, but I know not everyone will agree with this statement.
 
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