KelTec P32 Breaking, Reliability Issues

[eric.cartman]

So I bought my wife a Keltec P32.
We shot it this weekend.
First 75 rounds or so resulted in constant FTE and FTF (return to battery).

After that, the gun seamed to function fine, except 1 FTE in another 100 shots or so.

Is that normal? Can I now expect the gun to be reliable? What can I do to make it more reliable?

 

[Mark whiz]

That's not out of the ordinary for these small caliber pieces. They tend to tend some break-in, plus they can be picky about ammo too. The Beretta Tomcat I had was real picky on ammo, it hated 71gr FMJs and lighter loads. So 60gr JHPs loaded toward the warm side was what it got fed.

You might want to try the 60JHP Gold Dots, Winchester 60gr Silvertips, or Hornady 60gr XTPs - all proved very reliable in the Tommy.

 

[JERRY]

it is rare that these guns run properly out of the box.....

most will need a few hundred rounds to "clean them up"....
or you could take it apart and do the coined "fluff-n-buff" which is deburring and polishing all the contact points that would otherwise be done in a few hundred rounds.....

the company will fix the gun free of charge if you still have problems but you must foot the bill for the shipping.....so it aint exacly free....

try it out for another 100 rounds, clean it, then try it out again.

if not running 100% send it back or sell it.....

 

[NCHornet]

I suggest going over to the Keltec forum and reading the how to on the "Fluff n Buff", reports like yours is exactly what has kept me from buying a Keltec. Most of the time it is the P3AT that is the culprit. The 32acp is known to have rim lock problems, although I have never had it in my 32acp Guardian. I thought Keltec had special mags to cure this problem, maybe you need one.

 

[FLA2760]

Re P32

Wow, my experience has been great with my KT P32. I never did the "fluf&buff" and I have about 400 rounds through it. Hope it works out for you.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I didn't have that problem with my P-32 but have heard of other having trouble during break-in. What ammo are you using? Most small semi-autos are very picky when it comes to ammo choice. I practice with 73 gr Fiocchi FMJ and carry either 60 gr Fiocchi SJHP or 60 gr Winchester Silvertip ammo. The Winchester ammo has NEVER failed and the Fiocchi has only give me 1 problem but only the first week I had the pistol. Fiocchi .32 Auto ammo is also VERY HOT ammo. It is rated 200 fps faster than any other .32 Auto ammo on the market.

Do the Fluff-n-Buff on this page http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep.htm and you will think you had a professional trigger job done on your pistol. It felt like a different gun to me after I did it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Hate it when your post doesn't go through, you post it again in a few minutes and then both show up!!! :banghead:

 

[esq_stu]

FWIW there seems to be a consensus on websites I'v read that P32 is most reliable with Silvertips. It was my experience as well. (I eventually sold my P32)

 

[rcmodel]

First, go here:
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=103

There is more P-32 info there then you need to know about, and a great bunch of guys that can help you through any problem known!

Second, if it is a 2nd. generation gun with a hex-head "Frankenbolt" holding the extractor spring, get a 2mm Allen wrench and see if it is loose.
They won't run when the bolt is loose.

Third, most KT folks agree that FMJ is probably the best choice in .32 ACP.
No possibility of rim-lock, and a lot of folks feel the .32 won't have enough penetration if a JHP opens up as hoped for.

Forth, these tiny guns are susceptible to limp-wresting, the .380 more so then the .32.
Still, it is a possibility after 100 rounds or so and you get tired.

I have a P3AT that is almost three years old, and close to 1,000 rounds later it is 100% flawless.

There was a rocky period when it was new, but after break-in, it is 4-F
(Feeds, Fires, & Functions Freely) with anything I put in it.


rcmodel

 

[camsdaddy]

I have a first generation P32 I have done nothing to it and never had a problem that was the guns fault. I bought a box of American ammo and it would not eject but think it was just a bad batch. I normally shoot WWB and have never had a prob and I am quite suprised at the accuracy and carryability of this wonderful tool.

 

[alamo]

bought a box of American ammo and it would not eject but think it was just a bad batch.

American Ammo is some of worst ammo made. I seen countless threads of folks denouncing it in the strongest possible terms. Several folks reported that it damaged their pistols. It is not to be confused with Federal's American Eagle.

 

[jonnyc]

I love my P32, about 2000 rounds through it. I would avoid most JHPs, especially those with short OA length. The only JHPs I use now are 71 grain PriviPartizan, with the same OA length as most FMJ out there. I have experienced rimlock, and it ain't a pretty thing.
Oh, make sure it is well-lubed.

 

[cuervo]

A second vote for
http://www.ktog.org/

They have all the information necessary to F&B your Kel-Tec to improve reliability.

FWIW, you might consider a P3AT to avoid any chance of rim lock like JonnyC mentioned.

 

[Onmilo]

Pre-bump twitchy finger

 

[Onmilo]

Forget the .380
If you want to avoid rimlock just be careful when you load the magazines.
Make sure the case rim of the top cartridge is in front of the cartridge rim below and you won't have rimlock.

I haven't shot thousands of rounds through my P32, maybe five hundred rounds total and I have only experienced one malfunction so far and it was a rimlock caused by me getting in a hurry while I was reloading a magazine.

+1 on sticking with FMJ ammo, I like Geco if you can still find some but Sellier and Bellot does as well.

Use grease like Tetra Gun Grease to lubricate your pistol instead of oil, seems to work better.

 

[the naked prophet]

Quote:

bought a box of American ammo and it would not eject but think it was just a bad batch.

American Ammo is some of worst ammo made. I seen countless threads of folks denouncing it in the strongest possible terms. Several folks reported that it damaged their pistols. It is not to be confused with Federal's American Eagle.

Federal American Eagle is right down there with it. I fired 50 rounds of Federal AE and it gunked up my Hi-Power so bad it stopped working. I have previously fired over 500 rounds of WWB through it with no cleaning and no jams - and then 50 rounds of Federal AE in a clean gun gunked it up that bad. And they "felt" funny when I fired them, probably underpowered.

 

[Glockafella]

I agree put a hundred good quality rds through it, clean it, and repeat if you still have problems.

 

[jonnyc]

Rimlock can be caused by improper loading of the mags, but not always. I ran tests with mine, including "brain surgery" loading of the mags, and it still happened. I am convinced it happens with shorter OA length JHP rounds. Only longer JHP and FMJ for me...no rimlock in about 1000 rounds.

 

[rcmodel]

JHP .32 ACP Rim-lock can happen at any time, due to recoil rattling the rounds around in the magazine. It makes no difference how carefully you load them, if they are shorter then normal FMJ length, they can rim-lock.

And according to Murphy's Law, sooner or later they will, when you can least afford for them too.


rcmodel

 

[Onmilo]

Hey I am not arguing this possibility with anybody when using shorter JHP rounds in a .32 acp.
I personally can see no reason for even using overpriced JHP rounds in ANY .32 acp pistol and I own a whole bunch of them of all shapes and sizes.
The cartridge just isn't big enough to reliably expand JHP bullets so why even waste the time and money using them.
Use FMJ ammo and load carefully and rimlock becomes a non-issue issue, that is all I am saying.

The .380 version recoils harder and is more of a handful to effectively control and carries one fewer round so why bother with it unless you have some bigger is better hang-up.

 

[Mark whiz]

One good reason for using JHPs is that I bought 1000 XTP bullets for reloading on closeout for about $10 a couple years ago.

 

[P. Plainsman]

Federal American Eagle is right down there with it. I fired 50 rounds of Federal AE and it gunked up my Hi-Power so bad it stopped working. I have previously fired over 500 rounds of WWB through it with no cleaning and no jams - and then 50 rounds of Federal AE in a clean gun gunked it up that bad.

Completely disagree. No comparison. I shoot caseloads of Fed AE 9mm ball (both regular and "nontoxic primer" version) through my CZ pistols. Very decent stuff. It's clean ammo -- especially the nontoxic primer version. Not gunky. Hundreds of rounds between cleanings with no problems.

Frankly, it's WWB that has always struck me as the lower quality ammo (though it's still fine). I tend to avoid buying it. Less accurate than Federal ball, in most calibers, in most of my handguns.

 

[alamo]

You can debate WWB and American Eagle but both neither is close to the poor quality of American Ammunition, not even close.

 

[P. Plainsman]

I agree with that. As I said, WWB is fine.

 

[Snubster]

I bought 5 boxes of American ammo in .44 Special before I heard of their bad reputation. I've been afraid to shoot even a single round in my S&W 696.

My P-32 wasn't reliable right out of the box. Enough so that I went the way of the J-frame revolver for a pocket gun. My Beretta Jetfire on the other hand has never failed. But I still prefer the .38.