Exactly my point of view....What did folks know 80 years ago that we have forgotten or feel is irrelevant?
Nothing. They lived in an age without antibiotics and modern medical care that made any small gunshot wound a far more intimidating prospect. They lived in an age of pistol choices that are inferior to those of today.
The .32 is no power house but as mission capable as it ever was. Part of the reason for it's lack of power is that we only find teeny tiny toys chambered in .32 - you lose some with the very short barrels. As well, domestic .32 is simply not as hot as it was in Europe.
.... and "hot" european .32acp is still not "hot" enough to be considered to a have good power to pistol weight ratio.
Add a hotter round and a longer barrel and suddenly something insignificant comes into the realm of maybe not the best SD pistol but significantly better than it is presently. Lot's of old time gangsters and generals (rumor has it that the Colt 1903 in .32 was in Wyatt Earp's pocket in the 1930's) carried a Model M in .32 I disagree that "there are none" because "it's not profitable" to make one.
I think a compact size 10 - 13 round .32 ACP with a 3 1/2" barrel and killer ergonomics would sell a bunch of pistols. We won't see one so I'll keep running my Colt 1903's until I'm done needing a gun in .32.
You are basically asking for a pistol that has the weight and volume of a TT-33 but significantly less power. Your 1903 Colt with a 3.25" barrel weighs 24 ounces, a 5.25" barreled Tokarev weighs 29 ounces. Increase the capacity of a 1903 by 2 to 5 rounds, bob the barrel of a TT-33 2", and you will have two pistols with a similar weight and volume, but the Tokarev will be the better choice for CCW because of its superior cartridge and impossibility of rimlock.
I think the early Colt Pocket Autos are beautiful. The photos you posted of yours in another thread provide ample proof of this. If I was living during the first two decades of the 20th century I would probably CCW one when a larger choice was not practical. I think Wyatt Earp would have probably preferred a 23 ounce .32 or .380 PPK if he could have bought one before he died.
