.32ACP vs .38 Special

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jaco

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2003
Messages
98
Location
South Africa
.32ACP vs .38 Special

A friend and me had a difference of opinion which of a Walther PPK in .32ACP (with a 7 round magazine and 1 up the spout) or a Rossi 5 shot .38 Special snubby is the best for self defense. This is for carrying and home defense, seeing as we can have only one firearm for self defense here.

What would you choose and why - keeping in mind the following:
Both arms are 100% reliable
Both weigh the same
Attacks here are mostly by more than 2 attackers.

And PLEASE dont tell me that a .45 1911 or .50 Browning machine gun is better, we know that ! ;)
 
Neither handgun is ideal for the purpose you have in mind, but in most places if a criminal encounters an armed victim all they want too do is make tracks - quick! I presume the Walther would be loaded with ball ammunition, in which case stopping an attacker would require very precise bullet placement, which brings into question you're marksmanship skills. What you are really looking at is the question; which is better, a larger cartridge but fewer of them vs. a smaller round with more.

Maybe you could also buy, in addition to the handgun, a shotgun for "hunting" rather then self-defense. It could of course double for a house gun.
 
For a while I carried a Kel-tec P32 with a silvertip in the tube and a mag full of fmj. I sure felt alot more secure when I was carrying my Rossi .38 with 5 good HP's.
 
The Silvertips are a good idea if they feed reliably, but regardless of the ammunition used the .32 is not a powerhouse by any means. A bullet of a certain size and weight can only do so much, and expansion of even the best hollow-points is not certain. I once knew a Major in the SAS who explained at some length that a smaller cartridge could be as deadly as the largest one, but only if the bullet was precisely placed in the right place. To this end he practiced endlessly. Marksmanship under pressure was the key he said, combined with the knowledge of "exactly" where to hit.
 
A 38 +P is VASTLY superior to any .32 load. I have carried both, as well as .380. Go with the revolver.
 
I would go with the 38 snub. But I would prefer J frame over taurus.

Main reasons for me.

Will reload ammo for revolvers, they don't throw brass all over. So practice more live fire with revolvers.

Dry fire with revolvers make a lot more sense to me than autos (same trigger stroke on dryfire as live fire). And I do a lot of dryfire.

With revolver you have a wide spectrum of loads that will work well. From Glasser safety slugs to hard cast 160 LBT bullets.
 
I fall into the 158 grain .38+P group.

If you have fears that the likelyhood of a home invasion by at least two people is high then save up for a nice large capacity shotgun and learn how to use it. 7 rounds to 9 rounds of 12 gauge at point blank range is devestating. Even a short carbine whether a lever action or AR would be nice too.

All that being said I frequently have a 5 shot revolver on or near me and I don't feel underarmed. 158 grain .38 has been getting the job done for a long time.

I have read way too many instances of .32/.25/.380s etc. doing things like hitting a skull and simply riding the skull and lodging just under the skin or only penetrating into the outer layer of skin or fat.

I am not saying it can't happen with a .38+P or a .45 or .44 magnum but I have talked to lots of cops and people who have BTDT and they have seen many more instances of calibers smaller than .38 simply not being effective at all. The smallest I would go would be .380 but it would be ball ammo and hot and I still wouldn't like it.

Now if you can reliably put rounds into the eyes of an approaching target under stress then have at it either way as I am pretty sure a .32 through the eye vs. a .38 through the eye is pretty much a moot point to the poor sod who gets it. :D

I do think you are on to something with that .50 caliber idea though.
 
It's not something most of us would even pause over.

The 38+P 158 lead hollowpoint pulls 820 - 850fps from a 2" tube. You've always got penetration, you've usually got expansion. You will ALWAYS penetrate skull on a frontal brain shot...98% of the time, anyhow.

What that means is: IF you keep your head, and you're very well practiced to start with, and the range isn't too crazy...five rounds CAN equal five dead goblins. Tricky, but not impossible. Against two idiots with, say, machetes, I'd take the snub with good ammo over that 32 any day of the week. Ditto three assailants, four, whatever number you want.

The other thing is, the snub "looks mean". Due to it's use in movies and such, it's "known as a killer"...and that 38 bore looks huge when it's pointed at you.

Small autos don't have that same intimidation power. With good reason - your survival rate is WAY higher.
 
The .38 is the way to go. If the Walther was in .380, I MIGHT change my mind, but as it stands, the .38 is the king in this debate. Get some hot hollow points and you should be good to go.
 
Does it HAVE to be a walther .32 ACP? Have you thought about getting a Makarov? The Mak is cheaper, the 9mm Makarov round is WAY better than .32 ACP and equal to .38 special. And you get an 8+1 capacity.
 
no contest

.38 sp

why? well, as mentioned by Mr. March...you can get a heavy, high powered, well tried and trusted round...or a little pocket BUG round. I'm not a revolver guy, but if I could carry it well, i would definitly take a .38+P HP over any .32 ACP. You can only get so much power out of a .32, and it's so much smaller than a 38...more intimidating too :). .380 vs .38 is still leaning towards .38, again, because of the +P HP power and feeding reliability (NO worries). And as someone else mentioned, it's a LOT easier to hold on to your brass so you can reload for cheap, and practice often.
 
This is one of the rare instances where I would choose power over capacity.

I have owned and carried both and the .38spl is not even in the same power class as the .32 acp. I don't care what the energy tables show, the .38 is going to do far more damage much more quickly than a .32acp.

Put the two cartridges side by side just to see what you are really comparing. I know that isn't a great test but you will be shocked at the size difference.

The .32 is no joke but it isn't really a cal most people would choose as a primary. Most people who carry .32acp, carry only FMJs do to the possibility of rimlock with JHPs. The FMJ wil give you more penetration anyway and I think you need penetration in a cal this small anyway. The .32 will penetrate quite well but I doubt it will cause much shock to the target.

I would go with the .38 everytime!
 
Not so fast... Folks, he's in Africa. Jaco, what sort of ammo can you get for the .38? If the only .38 ammo available is ball, the quick reload for the Walther may be better. If you can get a good HP, the .38 looks better.
 
South Africa? I think I know where your comming from now. Attacks by more than 2 people at a time? Sounds serious, maybe a .32 with several extra clips would be an asset in that role.
 
In South Africa, either of these should be a backup :uhoh:.

Primary should be a high-cap 40 or 10mm. And yes, Jim is hereby recommending an auto, possibly the first time on THR...for the *primary* in South Africa. Nowhere else in the world are you as likely to be attacked by a mob or gang. Or both at once :eek:. A 45 or high-cap 9mm with very good ammo will do, but probably isn't optimal. (The user's hand size will be a factor in the decision.)

The 38 should definately be kept around both as "last ditch" and "very good in a close-range mess". A strong case can be made that it should be the FIRST gun you grab for, transitioning to bigger/highercap as the need arises. The reason being, a lot of problems begin at "bad breath range" and the "lowly snubby" is unmatched for such a "ballistic knife-fight".

If proper situational awareness lets you spot serious trouble coming from a distance, then you'll have time to grab the "major fighting handgun" and start with that. If situational awareness fails, you want a fast-handling, fast-DRAW little snub. It should be in a fast-access holster (strongside hip, perhaps IWB but NOT TUCKED) and it should *always* be worn there, even if you're not "expecting trouble". The larger piece can be worn in a shoulder rig or other slightly-slower-access setup.

The 32? Sell it. :rolleyes:.
 
Jim:

I'm not sure Jaco has any of the options we do. Re-read his message. He is well aware there are better weapons then the ones he mentioned, but he specifically points out that for example - a 1911 .45 is out of the question. What he needs too know is how to "do best" with what is available. In this country we are indeed fortunate. Unfortunately Jaco isn't here.
 
And PLEASE dont tell me that a .45 1911 or .50 Browning machine gun is better, we know that !
Click to expand...

Why can't people answer the question that was asked? We do all know that a .38 or a .32 isn't the best choice but that seems to be all he has to work with for whatever reason.

Sticking strickly with the two guns and two calibers he mentioned, what would be the best choice? At first I said the .38 snubbie like most of you but then I found out he lives in S.A. where riots and racial violence are a serious theat to his life. After 5 shots of the .38, he is out of ammo and may not be able to reload in time to stop the assult from a mob. A .32 that can be reloaded in a few seconds would give him something to shoot for longer and a .32 is not a worthless caliber. A .32acp is FAR more powerful than a .22 and will kill people. Most mobs will avoid someone that has a gun and is shooting at them, they will attack an unarmed person or someone with a empty .38 quicker than someone with a re-loaded and still firing .32acp. That is why I would rather have more bullets than more power.

In America, the chances of being attacked by a mob are less so I would choose a .38 snubbie.
 
Might want to consider the repeat accuracy of either. Some people have difficulty getting off accurate (even short range) double action firing from 38 snub with full powered rounds. The Walther may also be much quicker to reload for some.
 
Playing devil's advocate for a minute, given the limitations imposed (you didn't say anything about reloads tho' didya? :D ), I'd hafta look at just
how many potential attackers I had to keep away... 2 is one thing, 3 or more, another.

8 rds. is more than 5, reloading is somewhat simplified with the semi... but its just such a small pill of lead... 2 rds. of .32/miscreant vs. 1 ea. of .38...

hmmmm 2 of 75 gr. vs. 1 of 158 gr., hmmmm...

...more than 2 attackers...

.38+p

Adios
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Best stopping power
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
azrael
A
DMK
  • Locked
32ACP vs. .38 S&W
2
Replies
34
Views
4K
DMK
DMK
T
  • Locked
.380acp vs. 38 Spec.
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
Glockman17366
G
F
  • Locked
Your minimum SD handgun - Where do you draw the line ?
2 3 4 5
Replies
124
Views
6K
crebralfix
C
D
  • Locked
9mm vs .38 Special
2 3
Replies
65
Views
6K
innerpiece
I
Back
Top