Keltec P32 your opinions

[Double Maduro]

Hi all,

I was out with some friends today and a few of us got done eating and didn't want dessert so we wandered outside. Lo and behold, there was a gun shop across the street.

Went in and was chatting with the owner, when I heard my wife ask if she could see this gun. It was a pretty little blue Keltec P32.

All of a sudden she is talking about getting her CPL and carrying a gun. Cool.

I need your experiences with the P32 and your opinions.

Yes, I know that the .32 is woefully underpowered but it is better than nothing. I carry a Ruger P90 in .45 myself.

Yes, I will take her to a range and rent one for her to try before I let her buy one. I said that as if I believe I could prevent her from doing anything she wants to do, lol.

I need to know about reliability, company, customer service, ETC.

Also, is $277 out the door, a good price?

I have to admit that this is a cute little, I do mean little, pistol. It slid into the back pocket of my jeans with no problem at all. My hands are a little large for it but I think I could shoot it. My wifes hands are much smaller than mine. There is also no way she will carry anything much larger than this


Thanks for all the help.

DM

 

[Byron Quick]

I've owned and carried as a BUG both the P32 and now, the P3AT which will fit the same holsters. They are well designed for their function. In my experience, they are sensitive to the ammunition used for reliable function. But then so are many fine handguns.

I've one major concern as far as your wife carrying one: they are thin and they are light. This combination leads to a recoil that is sharper than would be expected from the caliber. This is more of a concern with the P3AT. Both, in my opinion, would be uncomfortable guns to fire often enough to become a good shot. They are not very suitable for plinking to me. Firing 100 rounds with the P3AT leaves me with a sore hand. Simple solution if this becomes a problem for your wife and she is not already a competent shot: have her become one with a more comfortable shooting gun and then shoot the P32 enough to familiarize herself.

I firmly agree that carrying a P32 is infinitely better than not carrying. There are times when my BUG becomes my primary due to concealment constraints.

 

[71Commander]

The P32 has feeding problems with HP ammo as well. You get rim lock and then it don't work.

The 277.00 price seems a little high, but that could be a regional thing.

 

[mtnbkr]

I've had a P32 for years. It's a good little gun and I enjoy shooting it. The other night, I was shooting groups as small as 1.5" at 5yds. Not bad for a gun that basically doesn't have sights

Chris

 

[gbelleh]

I carry a P-32 as a BUG almost every day. Mine has never had a problem in the 5 years I've had it (except rimlock one time with HP ammo). Now I usually load it with 73 gr. FMJs. I find the recoil to be very mild. Mine has been great, but not all are 100% reliable out of the box. My friend got a lemon P-32, but Kel-Tec's customer service took very good care of him and ended up replacing his pistol.

 

[smooth operator]

Last week I met up with a bunch of people at one of the local ranges. A good portion of our group consisted of City of Detroit LEO's. One of these LEO's wanted to try my p32 or little gun as he called it. He put 1 magazine thru it & he handed it back & commented that the gun was "smooth". We also had one of the office women with us & she was considering buying one after shooting mine. Even my 15 year old daughter shot it without problems & this was the first time she shot. I've had this gun for 3 or 4 years & have had minimal problems. They can be a little quirky. The gun has to be kept clean & grease used on the slide rails. Rim lock can be a problem with hollow points. I've found that when I load the magazine if I don't push the cartidges all the way to the back side of the magazine, rim lock isn't an issue & hollow points feed just fine. I've carried this little gun with me alot & sometimes I forget that I have it on me.
Jerry

 

[GlenJ]

My wife's wrists are very weak and a 38 has to much recoil for her. I got ther the P32 and she loves it. Sure it not as hard hitting as a 38 or 9mm but I would rather have her carry that than nothing.

 

[pax]

I love KelTecs.

A friend of mine has never carried a gun despite 15 years of nagging by her husband. And just this week, she got a P3AT and has decided to carry every day!

The P32 is much more comfortable to shoot than the P3AT. It also has the ability to lock the slide back, which is missing from the P3AT. Of course, .32 is even more wimpy of a round than .380, but I'm of the opinion that a gun in the hand beats two in the safe. So if she'll carry it, get it for her.

TennTucker, if your P32 isn't feeding hollowpoints, call KelTec and request a repair. These guns do function quite well when they are tuned up, but they often need to be tuned. There is no reason to keep a gun that is not fully functional, when the company is so obliging with after market service.

Double Maduro, you didn't say whether you were looking at a new or used P32. I'd recommend you go with a new P32 rather than a used one if at all possible. People tend to do odd things to the innards of these little guns, work on smoothing them out themselves, do home gun smithing, etc. Because of this, and because the company is so good about service, getting a new rather than used gun is just a better idea.

Better still, get two: one to practice with, and one to carry. Put enough rounds through the carry gun to ensure it functions well, then retire it to the holster. Then shoot the bejabbers out of the other one. These really aren't high round count guns, but because they are so small and in a marginal caliber, they do require a lot of practice.

pax

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've had the KT 32 and 380 for years. I carry them in a front pocket.

$277 is high. If you have decent gun shows in your area you should find it at least $50 cheaper.

It's great letting your wife pick her own gun but if possible let her shoot it first.
For some people the little gun is not comfortable to shoot and if it's too uncomfortable she won't practice with it.

If possible have her shoot the KT 380 also. Same exact size. Little more power.

 

[71Commander]

pax

I got rid of it and got a NAA .380 Guardian and have never looked back.

 

[kirkcdl]

First,you will need to choose between ammo,HP or FMJ.Here's why:http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/rimlock.htm Rimlock would be a bad thing in a defensive situation.

Second,that price is way too high.Depending on your local FFL fees,you might be able to save a bit,look here:http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Kel_Tec_P32__32acp_Pistol.html

Visit the Kel Tec Owners Group site: www.ktog.org to learn all you'll want to know,good luck...

 

[The_Shootist]

Another Vote for the P-32

Bought mine a year ago on impulse and have never looked back. 1300 rounds later (I'll put another 100 through it today) and it had had ZERO problems - no FTF/FTE/rimlock, anything - and that is with FMJ/JHP Corbon/Federal/Remington/WW no problems whatsover. I really enjoy plinking with this gun (I've heard the P3AT can be nasty as well as more finicky to downright unreliable).

Make no mistake about it - this is a "bad breath" range type gun for defensive encounters - the sights are crude and really meant for up close and personal encounters.

As for the .32ACO's effectiveness, well, several well placed rounds COM will likely dissuade an opponent. Cops in Europe for years carried the .32ACP as their standard sidearm. I use the Fiocchi JHP's in mine. Based on Golden-Loki's gelatin tests, you'd likley get 12 in penetration un with some flattening of the nose, giving decent penetration/wound channel.

I admit the P-32 is pretty much my "summer/deep concealment" weapon (summer down here can last 8 mos though :>) and when I can at a minimum I carry a .380/.38spl/9mm. But for convenience and the ability to have an "always" gun that will do the trick and doesn't hurt to practice with, the P-32 can't be beat!

 

[TxCajun]

I have Kel-tec pistols in all calibers ever made... 32cal, 380cal, 9mm, 40cal and 357sig. I find the P32 to be a fine little "anytime" pocket pistol. Mine is extremely reliable. There are mag spacers to alleviate the rimlock problem, but many think that in 32acp you're better off with FMJ rounds anyway. The P32 has been around for quite a few years now and all of the "bugs" have been pretty well worked out. Kel-tec service is excellent if you ever do experience a problem, and they have a lifetime warranty. Their turn-around is great, ususally under 3 weeks, and they will just send you miscellaneous parts, springs, pins, extractors, etc, for free in the mail with a phone call.

For the price, I would go with a new one. Reasonable approximate prices (Texas) are:
blued $220, parkerized $230 and hard chrome $240. I find the hard chrome most attractive, more corrosion resistant, and sometimes they seem to function better.

A wealth of Kel-tec information is available here:
www.ktog.org
www.KTrange.com
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/index.htm
http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/keltec.htm
http://www.a-human-right.com/RKBA/p32/mousegun.html
http://www.geocities.com/pocketguns/
http://www.mouseguns.com/semis.htm

TxCajun, Moderator
www.ktog.org

 

[gazpacho]

I own three. One for me, one for the wife and one for practice. I don't recommend JHPs because they don't expand very well out of the short barrel. Instead I carry Sellier & Bellot 73gr FMJ. I prefer maximum reliability and penetration, and the big FMJ gives that. Also, European .32acp tends to be hotter than American. As far as the Fluff & Buff, I am now recommending against that. Kel-tec is getting a little bit irritated at having to repair overdone F&Bs. Instead, I'd shoot the gun until it's so dirty, it begins to have serious FTFs and FTEs (about 150+ rounds), and then clean it. Repeat two more times, and the gun will be perfectly broken in and won't need a F&B.

The 10rd magazines don't work, but the +1 round extension works VERY well. If snappy recoil is a problem, cut a one inch section of bike inner tube and stretch it over the grip.

 

[akluvr]

Kel-Tec makes a fine hideout pistol. I carry a P3AT every day, it's so light I often forget that I'm carrying it. Don't worry about the .32 cartridge, anyone that lived to talk about being shot with one did not complain that it was under powered. The main concern with Kel-tec is that sometimes you get a sweetheart out of the box, sometimes you don't. If you have a Dremel tool and are a bit of a "do-it-yourselfer", you have no concerns. Mine had a minor feeding problem, two minutes with the Dremel and some jewelers rouge (AKA fluff and buff), it is a feeding machine. The price seems a bit high, but if it suits you go for it.

 

[rudolf]

Now let me understand, you will to pay $277, AND THEN, your wife will get her CPL, she will carry a gun, she will go shooting with you...
Offer this deal on the net, you will get REAL rich. Actually, what are you waiting for? You can always talk her into any other gun later.
Sorry that I'm being so un-tactical, but these are the best $277 you'll ever spend in your life.

 

[alamo]

I have 2 P-32s which wife wife carries at times. I upgraded to the P-3AT. I put the KT rimlock spacer in 2 mags for the P-32s. I have extra mags for practice with FMJ.

 

[Double Maduro]

Thanks for all the info. I knew I could count on you to give me the skinny on this little gun.

The next step is getting my wife to the range to try one out.

Thanks again.

DM

 

[Ala Dan]

Not too burst your (and everyone else's) bubble, but I recently sold the
same gentleman three of the Kel-Tec P-32's, all of which were NIB. In
each case, all the guns failed to feed the last round from the magazine.
Finally, and as a last resort I gave the fella his money back and he
applied it to the purchase of a NIB Glock 26 9m/m.

BTW, I myself carry a .32 ACP as a BUG; but its a LWS-32 from Seecamp.

 

[Bobby Lee]

I have seen many that had reliability problems. That is far too many for me to ever reccomend one to anyone.

 

[alamo]

I recently sold the the same gentleman three of the Kel-Tec P-32's, all of which were NIB. In each case, all the guns failed to feed the last round from the magazine.

Sounds a lot like limpwristing. The pistol is at its lightest on the last round. This can happen to even an experienced shooter if they are not familiar with such a small lightweight pistol. Hard to believe the same problem occured at the same point with 3 different pistols.

 

[ezypikns]

277.00 Sounds a Little High.....

I paid 219.00 for mine about a yrear and a half ago. It's the most concealable weapon I have, so it's with me always. I carry it in a DeSantis Nemesis holster, which is a little tacky on the outside. The weapon is is so light and thin (less than 3/4" wide) that you sometimes forget it's there. The weapon always comes out of my pocket without a snag. It's not very powerful or accurate, but it's always there.

 

[Hypnogator]

I carry a P-32 as my "always" gun. It's reliable, light, easily concealable, and very powerful for it's size.

If you get one, go through at least a couple of hundred rounds to make sure it's reliable. Quality control at Kel-Tec is somewhere south of spotty.

I paid $210 for mine, years and years ago. You should be able to get one NIB for somewhere between $200 and $230.

 

[Onmilo]

"always"
A P-32 is my always gun too.
It replaced my Beretta .22 and .25 pocket guns.
For that matter it, the near unobtainable Seecamp, the even less than the Kel-Tec reliable North American Arms Guardian and the all but forgotten Ataugua .32 have made all .22/.25 pocket guns, with the exception of the really deep cover NAA Mini revolvers, obsolete.

 

[meef]

I bought one of the very first P32s when they were originally introduced.

What a piece of crap! Could not go 3 consecutive rounds without malf'ing.

I took it back to the dealer who returned it to Keltec.

Fourteen days later I had it back. They replaced everything but the serial number on that puppy and I didn't pay a nickel, not even shipping.

Gun works like a charm now. I carry it everywhere unless I decide to pack a larger piece when circumstances allow.