Buff, if you think finding ammo is tough, try finding once fired .32acp brass for reloading! Or suitable bullets!
They're available on order, but finding somene who actually has them stocked is rare.
Having recently obtained a pair of .32s, old classics, not modern carry guns, although they will still do their job as well as ever. Never having been a fan of the .32ACP (admittedly without any personal experience) I decided that to be fair, I needed to actually do some shooting with them, before condemming them out of hand.
And, being a dedicated reloader, I felt I was up to the challenge. After searching (and having friends search) the shows, I finally came up with dies, some brass, and some bullets. Choosing one of the less common calibers means you do a lot of looking and only a little finding, or you just order things direct.
And, you need to understand that the really popular cartridges get a price break due to the sheer volume produced and sold. So bigger rounds that ought to cost more due to the greater amount of matierals used are often cheaper or about the same cost as the smaller rounds. So, I felt handloading was the best way to get a quantity of ammo at a decent cost. (plus, I actually like loading ammo
)
So, its going to be a winter project for me, and we'll see what it comes to.
One "advantage" to the .32 is very mild recoil. Micro 9mms offer more, but recoil more, and in the smallest packages, they jump more than you might think. This might be an issue, especially if they gun is intended for use by someone with small hands and limited strength. I have known some very small women (my mother included, a bit under 5ft and under 100lbs) who couldn't manage a tiny .25auto, but could shoot a larger gun.
That doesn't seem to make sense at first, but its true. Dad got a .25 for mom, and while she could shoot it tolerably well, she couldn't rack the slide. It was a matter of the area she had to grip (small slide) and the strength of her hands. She could manage a small to medium size revolver, though.
Based on experiences like that I think that for some people, a .32 they can manage would be a better choice than a 9mm that kicks to much in too small a package. Power is important, but hits (and repeated hits rapidly) is more important, and potentially more effective.
The mouse guns do have a valid place, and for some folks, its more important than for the rest of us. When you need a gun, any gun, even a mousegun is better than none.
