.32 ACP Ammunition Test

M

maxinquaye

New member
Hmm after reading the horror stories about the .25 ACP test, I am concerned that my Kel-Tec P-32 is gonna do the trick if the time ever comes.

Actually, I tend to take more stock in how many National Geographics a round will go through then that damn jelly stuff. I bet that 25 would have at least LOOKED a bit impressive if shot into jelly. But 1/2 a magazine?! Against a .22 SHORT?

Anyone do any "testing" with .32 ammo? I would shoot up some old magazines or phone books except I live in an urban area...not conducive to "experimentation". So any real life tests would be appreciated to restore my confidance :)
 
Is the .32 ACP a good stopper? Hell no. But, its a hell of a lot better than .22 LR and .25 ACP. Marshall ranks it as approximately a 60% stopper (the best load). Not good, but certainly not pathetic either. I think you might want to eventually get a bigger caliber gun, but don't spend much time worrying about the .32-- in general, it will get the job done 3/5 times...

[Removed unnecessary repeat of post above.]

[This message has been edited by Mal H (edited August 31, 2000).]
 
Actually, to use M&S data to obtain even a semi-realistic estimate on which you might be willing to bet your life you need to divide their percentage by 2 then multiply the result by 0.5.
 
At least ball ammo will penetrate (ooh, never thought I'd advise ball ammo, eh?).

My buddy carries Silvertips is his KelTec...

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
I have read that Fiocchi's .32ACP hollowpoint runs about 200 fps faster than other brands. If I had to rely on a .32, I would get the fastest hollow points available and then practice until I could dump the whole clip into a bottle cap at 15 feet. IMHO, if you're going to carry a mouse gun you need to allocate 3 - 4 rounds to your first response.
 
I've started to carry Fiocchi FMJ (hottest round currently available) in my Guardian. With this small of a round, I'm going to penetration...
 
Quantum - I have a Glock 27, but the P-32 is SOOO small and convienent, it _really_ goes anywhere...so it is the one usually with me.

I have Fiocchi FMJ in my P-32, but am woried because the last batch I got seemed to have a lot of hard primers. NOT a good thing, especially since the P-32 does not have the capability to pull the trigger again unless you reset it.

I can already put the magazine in a fist sized area, quite rapidly, at 7 yards. The P-32 has almost zero recoil. And I do practice that way, drawing the gun and putting 4 rounds down, slowing to check for effect, then emptying it.

Juliet - I'm curious to see where you got those statistics...
 
juliet charley,

Could you provide us with more information concerning your M&S reply.

BTW, wouldn't it be simpler to just divide by 4?
 
I shot a 357 Magnum hardcast bullet into dry newspaper and it only penetrated 4 inches. I do not believe this is a fair test of any ammunition because people aren't magazines. Look at statistics and you will find that, although far down the list for manstoppers, is still somewhat effective. If you have the gun, even the .22 short will do the job. Use WET newspapers and make sure they soak overnight. Two 8 inch stacks twined together should work. Take them to the range in garbage bags and fire into them.

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God made us in his own image.
Thomas Jefferson made us free.
John Browning made us equal.

Without Browning, we might not know about the other two...
 
I like .32acp for what it is, a competitor to .22/.25 .32 ball will go through a fridge front to back. It would also go through a decently sized watermelon. .22 hi-vel would not do either.

However, even with face shots, I would not expect .32 from such a short barrel to stop reliably. A full magazine in the chest would give an equivalent of about one 3" 12ga 000 buck load and likely to be effective.
 
In addition to the above mentioned GoldenLoki website, you can access the info via Gel-Talk@egroups.com specifically, or more generally via StraightShooters@egroups.com.

I've never suffered a light primer hit using either Fiocchi FMJ or FN Flatnose surplus ammo, but others have. ANd my usual practice technique is draw from concealment, 4 quick shots to one target, then 4 quick shots to another. I get as close as possible, if alone and outdoors I push off from the target and shoot while retreating, so far I haven't shot myself in the arm. The P-32 is so easy to shoot well that I often draw and fire left handed, as this is where I carry if it's in the back-up role. Much quicker than reloading a primary gun, plus it replaces a damaged strong side gun or hand.



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ChuteTheMallGawdSortaMount
 
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