Erich
Member
Hi folks,
The Kel-Tec P-32 has intrigued me since it was announced, but I've seen so many folks at TFL/wherever post about problems with them that I was afraid to buy.
I used to be the mousegun king - loved the little things and was never without one. Then I saw what a .22 or .25 could actually do (in terms of penetration) from a tiny platform, and I got rid of all of mine - I figured that I'd just force myself to carry a j-frame if I needed something. Lately, though, I've found myself not carrying when I ought to be carrying, because the "heavy"/"bulky" j-frame wasn't able to jibe with my wardrobe and my aging and determinedly portly frame. I wanted something with decent oomph and penetration for "always" carry, something that wasn't too heavy or even as bulky as the j-frame.
So, I looked at all kinds of things, and eventually started looking at the P-32s again. Friends at gun stores said they were not coming back to the stores with problems. But, man, I was skeptical - I'd heard of so many problems with the P-32s when they first came out. So, I started looking around. I wound up over at KTOG and this board, and got all kinds of great links and worry-soothing information. Sure, I've heard of problems, but apparently Kel-Tec took care of the bad ones and many problems could be addressed at the kitchen table. And the number of problems I'd seen reported here weren't representative of the average P-32, this was just where folks came to figure them out. GoldenLoki's site (bless him!) gave me confidence that a .32 was capable of the penetration needed, and showed me idiot-proof step-by-step instructions on the F&B that had worried me (I'm no gunsmith!) when I'd read about it on other sites.
So, I set out yesterday to check one out. Went to a gun show here in Albuquerque to see if I could find those terrific prices people sometimes write about here - made a morning of it with a couple of friends. Prices at the show didn't make me fall over . . . from $250 to $325 (that price range was sometimes found at tables next to one another
) for the plain jane blued ones with various color grips. (But I found a bunch of other stuff that I needed, cheap - including baby files for the F&B, so I'm glad I went.) So, after the show, I cruised by a local store and my friends there were able to set me up with a hard-chromed green grip for $260. Not great, but not bad . . . and I know the guys I bought it from (and they'll support me should I have problems), and I want them to stay in business.
After a burger lunch with the boys, I went home, set the computer up at the kitchen table, got out my gun tools (my lovely wife was not home to see this), pulled up KTOG and Golden Loki's site, took my P-32 apart, cleaned it, and went to work on an F&B. Frankly, my gun (an 86k SN) didn't really seem to need much of it, but I hit the stuff that looked rough. The various F&B instructions were great for alerting me to potential problems spots - I did find a few - and for telling me what to grease.
Funny story (reminded me of something I read here after it happened): when I initally unpacked the gun on the kitchen table, I looked it over, and then went out to the garage to get my tools. Came back in, couldn't find the gun. Looked all over where I'd been in the house - couldn't find the gun. Dammit. Went back to the garage - not there. Went back through the house - not there. Went back to the garage, dug through the toolbox ("Maybe I set it down in here") - not there. Back into the house, sat down, irritated . . . wait, what's that stiffness in my pocket? Yup, I'd slipped the P-32 into my pants pocket, and totally forgotten it was there. Just what I wanted - if it worked.
So, after the F&B, I cleaned again, reassembled, and ran to the local indoor range - ran through a box of PMC hardball and a few S&Bs (much more oomph from the S&Bs) with no problem at all. Man, this thing is clearly not a blowback - easier on the hands, but not nearly as accurate. Best full-load group I was able to manage (not particularly killing myself to group well, but trying) was 2.5" at 21 feet. All groups could be covered by a paper plate at that distance, no matter how fast I was shooting. It's the least-accurate .32 acp I've ever fired, but - hey - I didn't buy it for target shooting. I'm very happy with my purchase, and wanted to holler out a big "GRAZIE!" to all of you folks (and Volks!) who gave me such good info on the gun. Thanks! erich
The Kel-Tec P-32 has intrigued me since it was announced, but I've seen so many folks at TFL/wherever post about problems with them that I was afraid to buy.
I used to be the mousegun king - loved the little things and was never without one. Then I saw what a .22 or .25 could actually do (in terms of penetration) from a tiny platform, and I got rid of all of mine - I figured that I'd just force myself to carry a j-frame if I needed something. Lately, though, I've found myself not carrying when I ought to be carrying, because the "heavy"/"bulky" j-frame wasn't able to jibe with my wardrobe and my aging and determinedly portly frame. I wanted something with decent oomph and penetration for "always" carry, something that wasn't too heavy or even as bulky as the j-frame.
So, I looked at all kinds of things, and eventually started looking at the P-32s again. Friends at gun stores said they were not coming back to the stores with problems. But, man, I was skeptical - I'd heard of so many problems with the P-32s when they first came out. So, I started looking around. I wound up over at KTOG and this board, and got all kinds of great links and worry-soothing information. Sure, I've heard of problems, but apparently Kel-Tec took care of the bad ones and many problems could be addressed at the kitchen table. And the number of problems I'd seen reported here weren't representative of the average P-32, this was just where folks came to figure them out. GoldenLoki's site (bless him!) gave me confidence that a .32 was capable of the penetration needed, and showed me idiot-proof step-by-step instructions on the F&B that had worried me (I'm no gunsmith!) when I'd read about it on other sites.
So, I set out yesterday to check one out. Went to a gun show here in Albuquerque to see if I could find those terrific prices people sometimes write about here - made a morning of it with a couple of friends. Prices at the show didn't make me fall over . . . from $250 to $325 (that price range was sometimes found at tables next to one another
) for the plain jane blued ones with various color grips. (But I found a bunch of other stuff that I needed, cheap - including baby files for the F&B, so I'm glad I went.) So, after the show, I cruised by a local store and my friends there were able to set me up with a hard-chromed green grip for $260. Not great, but not bad . . . and I know the guys I bought it from (and they'll support me should I have problems), and I want them to stay in business.After a burger lunch with the boys, I went home, set the computer up at the kitchen table, got out my gun tools (my lovely wife was not home to see this), pulled up KTOG and Golden Loki's site, took my P-32 apart, cleaned it, and went to work on an F&B. Frankly, my gun (an 86k SN) didn't really seem to need much of it, but I hit the stuff that looked rough. The various F&B instructions were great for alerting me to potential problems spots - I did find a few - and for telling me what to grease.
Funny story (reminded me of something I read here after it happened): when I initally unpacked the gun on the kitchen table, I looked it over, and then went out to the garage to get my tools. Came back in, couldn't find the gun. Looked all over where I'd been in the house - couldn't find the gun. Dammit. Went back to the garage - not there. Went back through the house - not there. Went back to the garage, dug through the toolbox ("Maybe I set it down in here") - not there. Back into the house, sat down, irritated . . . wait, what's that stiffness in my pocket? Yup, I'd slipped the P-32 into my pants pocket, and totally forgotten it was there. Just what I wanted - if it worked.
So, after the F&B, I cleaned again, reassembled, and ran to the local indoor range - ran through a box of PMC hardball and a few S&Bs (much more oomph from the S&Bs) with no problem at all. Man, this thing is clearly not a blowback - easier on the hands, but not nearly as accurate. Best full-load group I was able to manage (not particularly killing myself to group well, but trying) was 2.5" at 21 feet. All groups could be covered by a paper plate at that distance, no matter how fast I was shooting. It's the least-accurate .32 acp I've ever fired, but - hey - I didn't buy it for target shooting. I'm very happy with my purchase, and wanted to holler out a big "GRAZIE!" to all of you folks (and Volks!) who gave me such good info on the gun. Thanks! erich
