Franz Stock, and .32ACP in general.

[NoobCannon]

Here in the next few days My father is picking up our two "War Buddies", the MAS 1935S I asked about in a previous thread, and a Franz Stock in .32 Auto.

This thread, obviously, concerns the latter.

The Franz Stock is in excellent condition considering its age, with action far smoother than my almost new Taurus. The Striker-Fired system on it leaves me a bit skittish, due to the lack of safeties on this weapon whatsoever(Possible First Glock? XD). The Bluing is in excellent condition, as well as the barrel, it has the original magazine(stamped FS), and the only detracting factor is a crack on one of the grips, but I have located replacements online.

What is the value of the weapon as a Collector's piece? What about for a shooter? My father handled the weapon a few times up at the shop and fell in love with how it felt in his hand. Its design has been described to me by friends as a "Baby Luger".

I have seen a few of these for sale online, but they are fairly difficult to find. ranging from $30 for a parts pistol to over $700 for a mint-condition piece. One of these pieces for sale got my attention. For $300 or so, there was one that had a Colt .32 Auto magazine that the seller said seemed to work fine in it. Do Colt magazines work in this pistol? Because if this becomes my dad's Conceal-Carry piece(Which he keeps hinting at), Extra magazines are a must.

As for the .32 ACP round, I know that its far from the best choice, but the way I see it, I wouldn't want to get shot any way you slice it. Be it .32, .40, or .45. No matter what, pain, bloodloss, and potential death would be involved.

So, I was sitting on the couch loading up my Taurus with some Winchester PDX-1, and I got to wondering if anyone makes anything other than FMJ ammo in .32 Auto.

What would be an ideal(if you could call it that) Personal Defense round for such a small cartridge? do they make decent JHPs? If so, point me in the direction of the nearest manufacturer.

Posts pertaining to the weakness of the .32 Auto will be ignored. I already know its not the best. But, its better to be armed than helpless, especially if you're crippled like my father is.

Any and all help on the other hand, will be greatly appreciated.

 

[md2lgyk]

I know at least one company (Cor-Bon??) makes a hollow-point .32 ACP round.

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't know much about a Franz Stock pistol's value or suitability for carry.

But my position on .32 ACP is that you are about as well off with hardball and a little more penetration than a hollowpoint that might or might not expand and might or might not go deep enough for it to matter.

My Colt and Kel Tec get Fiocchi .32 FMJ because the European stuff is a little higher velocity than US.

 

[Hylobates]

My dad recently gave me his old Walther PPK that shoots .32 ACP. I recently bought some Cor-Bon. 32 ACP JHP ammo at Gander Mountain. It was the last box of any .32 ammo they had of any kind, but thereare a lot of online sites that have it, fortunately. When I got it I looked up its stats in one shot stopping power in that book that tabulated real world experience from 2001. As expected, it is significantly lower than 9mm or above. Unexpectedly, in real world shooting data, it was much higher than predicted for its velocity or kinetic energy. I think it was about 50-70% or so. The authors speculated that perhaps those shooting that caliber knew it was underpowered and took more time to aim better, but who knows? The thing is, it's a lot better than most people think and certainly better than throwing rocks, especially if you didn't have to buy the gun.

 

[Ron James]

I find nothing wrong with carrying a .32 ACP, I carry a Kel-Tec P32 myself loaded with Winchester Silvertips. However I do question carrying an 80 year old German pistol that has a odd design, no parts available to repair it if it breaks ( the only thing the Stock has in common, with the Luger is that they both shoot bullets. very different actions. ). Please, go look at the Kel-Tec's and Ruger LCP's. If you're looking for opinions, then mine is, you're making a mistake.

 

[NoobCannon]

Well, its his choice, not mine, and we're getting both pistols as a package deal at a reduced price because they haven't sold in over six months and they wanted to get rid of the things. Not much love for old hardware with you guys, is there? This Stock pistol is in the compact-size category, but all the thick-gauge steel makes it outweigh my full-sized Taurus.

The 35S that's coming home with it, however, that's the one I wouldn't carry unless I absolutely had to.

 

[Ron James]

I have nnothing against " old hardware " I own quite a few "old hardware ". I carried a 1903 Colt hammerless for quite a few years. But carrying one of the best small automatics ever made and carrying a odd design ( unsucessfull also ) are two different things. But you have your mind made up, and like you I would never tell my father what he could and couldn't do. In reference to the .32 ACP, I think it is very under rated when loaded with someting like Winchester Silvertips. Sometimes I smile when I read all the postings from some of the Pistoleros who claim that only a 44 magnum can be used for defence. But that is just MHO based on my experience in LEO work and the military Good Luck.

 

[Jeff82]

I fill my P32 with FMJ as not enough penetration is a killer (to the shooter!) Also be very careful loading the magazines so that you don't "tip" the round underneath the one you are loading so as to cause the rims to lock. If you get a rim lock then your only course of action is to switch to another magazine as you will need time and extra effort to get the cartridges loose again, not something you can do while under attack.

 

[PRM]

I have carried a Manurhin Walther PP in .32 ACP for 20+ years. It is my daily carry gun. I have larger calibers in both semi and revolvers, but the Walther carries and shoots great. Mine has functioned flawlessly with both HP and FMJ. I carried the Federal Hydra Shoks for a number of years and like the round. However, I have pretty much gone to the Fiocchi FMJ for reasons stated earlier.

1. Fiocchi is a little hotter than the American ammo. Giving better ballistics than most. The Fiocchi FMJ has a 73 Grain bullet rated at 1000 fps and delivering 160 ft lbs of muzzle energy.

2. The FMJ gives better penetration. A big consideration with a small light projectile.

Carrying a .32 you need to remember it has limitations. A person should not count on a one shot stop with any handgun round. With smaller calibers, just be prepared to engage a threat until it is no longer a threat.