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32 ACP - FMJ Only ?
- Thread starter Mike H
- Start date
lonegunman
New member
So what you have proven is that JHPs will work well if you are attacked by several naked milk jugs.
But what if your attacker is a 250 lb male wearing thick clothing? And what if your shot placement is perfect, but your bullet hits a rib? or what if he is at a funny angle and you have to take an odd angled shot? or what if he is behind any kind of barrier.
For small, slow calibers like 32 acp, I think FMJs are probably best, and it is strictly because I want to ensure I get as much penetration as I can from this round.
I would be doubtful that a lot of 32 jhp's will reliably expand. An exception to this may be the corbon load, but even if it does expand, I wonder how it will penetrate.
There are a lot of people who will tell you I am totally wrong, as I am sure you are about to see.
But what if your attacker is a 250 lb male wearing thick clothing? And what if your shot placement is perfect, but your bullet hits a rib? or what if he is at a funny angle and you have to take an odd angled shot? or what if he is behind any kind of barrier.
For small, slow calibers like 32 acp, I think FMJs are probably best, and it is strictly because I want to ensure I get as much penetration as I can from this round.
I would be doubtful that a lot of 32 jhp's will reliably expand. An exception to this may be the corbon load, but even if it does expand, I wonder how it will penetrate.
There are a lot of people who will tell you I am totally wrong, as I am sure you are about to see.
"There are a lot of people who will tell you I am totally wrong, as I am sure you are about to see."
There are also some that will tell you that you're right, and I'm one of them. I also think that FMJ is the best choice for the .32ACP. I personally use Fiocchi for carry, since I've found it gives pretty good velocities out of my P32.
There are also some that will tell you that you're right, and I'm one of them. I also think that FMJ is the best choice for the .32ACP. I personally use Fiocchi for carry, since I've found it gives pretty good velocities out of my P32.
lonegunman
New member
johnwill:
how much velocity do you get with Fiocchi?? Have you ever checked velocity on UMC FMJ's? I think thats what I have in my p32 right now.
how much velocity do you get with Fiocchi?? Have you ever checked velocity on UMC FMJ's? I think thats what I have in my p32 right now.
Go to:
http://www.goldenloki.com
Under "Ammunition" & gelatin tests, click on ".32 acp from Kel Tec P32".
This guy did the most comprehensive gelatin tests with ALL types of .32 ACP ammo that I will EVER see, and all were shot from his Kel-Tec P-32.
It is very obvious that FMJ loads penetrate far better than JHP's or "exotics". The foreign brands are the hottest: Geco, Fiocchi, S&B.
The heralded Silvertip and established Hydra-Shok are, in general, pretty wimpy rounds compared to the FMJ's.
My wife and I both carry KT P-32's. Our carry load is Geco 73gr. FMJ. Our practice round is S&B 73gr. FMJ.
Hope this helps.
http://www.goldenloki.com
Under "Ammunition" & gelatin tests, click on ".32 acp from Kel Tec P32".
This guy did the most comprehensive gelatin tests with ALL types of .32 ACP ammo that I will EVER see, and all were shot from his Kel-Tec P-32.
It is very obvious that FMJ loads penetrate far better than JHP's or "exotics". The foreign brands are the hottest: Geco, Fiocchi, S&B.
The heralded Silvertip and established Hydra-Shok are, in general, pretty wimpy rounds compared to the FMJ's.
My wife and I both carry KT P-32's. Our carry load is Geco 73gr. FMJ. Our practice round is S&B 73gr. FMJ.
Hope this helps.
Wild Romanian
Moderator
During my lifetime of shooting handguns I think that i have come full circle as far as defensive ammo goes.
I personally would go with the FMJ ammo. I have always maintained that bullet placement and penetration are the key factors in regards to lethality, not bullet diameter or even velocity as long as you get the penetration with the right shape bullet then you need not push the bullet any faster.
I personally saw barn yard pigs shot with 9mm and .45 acp full metal jackets military bullets. The results were exactly the same. The pigs succumed. I did not see any difference in the killing power of the two calibers even though one was much bigger (.45acp). I am not knocking the .45 acp at all. All I am saying is that the FMJ does the job and I think it works better than trying to rely on trick bullets to expand and if they do expand hoping that you have enough penetration to reach a vital organ.
I realize of course that using FMJ's is not without the risk of overpenetration and the possibility of hurting an innocent bystander. W.R.
I personally would go with the FMJ ammo. I have always maintained that bullet placement and penetration are the key factors in regards to lethality, not bullet diameter or even velocity as long as you get the penetration with the right shape bullet then you need not push the bullet any faster.
I personally saw barn yard pigs shot with 9mm and .45 acp full metal jackets military bullets. The results were exactly the same. The pigs succumed. I did not see any difference in the killing power of the two calibers even though one was much bigger (.45acp). I am not knocking the .45 acp at all. All I am saying is that the FMJ does the job and I think it works better than trying to rely on trick bullets to expand and if they do expand hoping that you have enough penetration to reach a vital organ.
I realize of course that using FMJ's is not without the risk of overpenetration and the possibility of hurting an innocent bystander. W.R.
My opinion on this.....If I am using a 32 on someone, its a last ditch effort to save myself. I'm likely to be VERY close to the attacker. I'm probably more than likely going to shoot them in the face several times. I want velocity with a hollowpoint or a pre fragmented round. Either of these will produce much more damage than a solid bullet. I want something that will turn whatever's in the head to mush as quickly as possible, hopefully ceasing his actions immediately. I don't/won't carry a 32 as a primary carry gun, only as a back up. I carry COR-BONs 32 JHP in my Seecamps. It's the highest velocity HP on the market. My .02!
Captain, at arms length distance I don't know how much of a difference hp's vs. fmj's are going to matter. I personally practice with and carry fiocchi .73 gr. fmj's in my p-32. I have to agree with some of the earlier post on fmj's ..I want all the penetration I can get out of this round. Just my $0.02 worth.
You can't fit FMJ's in a Seecamp mag, the ammo is too long. You can hammer the bullets deeper into the case but pressures go way up. Your trigger finger will blister from the recoil induced contact with the trigger guard, ouch.
It is better to use the Hornady XTP's when you feel you need more penetratrion than a Silvertip. Hollow point ammo is shorter than the FMJ in 32 ACP and will fir in a Seecamp. The FMJ ammo fits easily in a Kel Tec P-32.
It is better to use the Hornady XTP's when you feel you need more penetratrion than a Silvertip. Hollow point ammo is shorter than the FMJ in 32 ACP and will fir in a Seecamp. The FMJ ammo fits easily in a Kel Tec P-32.
revolvergeek
New member
Ditto all the earlier pro-fmj comments. I want the gun to always feed and to penetrate those little bullets as deeply as possible.
Currently i have PMC FMJ in my P32, and after I buy and put in the wolf x-power magazine springs i am going to try the Fiochi and S&B FMJ again. Had some wierd ftf/fte jams with those hot ball loads. Works perfectly with the 'US spec' FMJ though, so that is what it gets fed.
I am also very interested in the FN flat point FMJ. I hope to find some of those at our next gunshow in town, otherwise i will be doing a bit of mail order to try those out.
Currently i have PMC FMJ in my P32, and after I buy and put in the wolf x-power magazine springs i am going to try the Fiochi and S&B FMJ again. Had some wierd ftf/fte jams with those hot ball loads. Works perfectly with the 'US spec' FMJ though, so that is what it gets fed.
I am also very interested in the FN flat point FMJ. I hope to find some of those at our next gunshow in town, otherwise i will be doing a bit of mail order to try those out.
lonegunman
New member
WR, i am not sure there is any real world application of your pig-test conclusion.
What part of the pig were you shooting at, and how far away were you from the pig?
When we used to kill hogs on the farm (i know this makes me sound like a hick, but I did end up going to college), we would shoot them in the head with a .22 from just a few feet away, and they always dropped like rocks.
My guess would be you were shooting them in the head at close range, in which case it doesnt really matter what you shoot them with.
What part of the pig were you shooting at, and how far away were you from the pig?
When we used to kill hogs on the farm (i know this makes me sound like a hick, but I did end up going to college), we would shoot them in the head with a .22 from just a few feet away, and they always dropped like rocks.
My guess would be you were shooting them in the head at close range, in which case it doesnt really matter what you shoot them with.
According to GoldenLoki's gelatin tests, the top three .32 ACP FMJ rounds (through a Kel-Tec P-32) were:
GECO 73gr. FMJ.....947 fps.....145 fpe.....14.2 in. penetration
S&B 73gr. FMJ.....912 fps.....135 fpe.....13.6 in. penetration
FIOCCHI 73gr. FMJ.....859 fps.....120 fpe.....15.0 in. penetration
Looks like Geco has the edge, at least in two out of three catagories, through the P-32. It is my carry load. I've shot probably 100 rounds of it through my gun. It feeds perfectly, is clean, and has very little muzzle flash...just HARD TO FIND.
GECO 73gr. FMJ.....947 fps.....145 fpe.....14.2 in. penetration
S&B 73gr. FMJ.....912 fps.....135 fpe.....13.6 in. penetration
FIOCCHI 73gr. FMJ.....859 fps.....120 fpe.....15.0 in. penetration
Looks like Geco has the edge, at least in two out of three catagories, through the P-32. It is my carry load. I've shot probably 100 rounds of it through my gun. It feeds perfectly, is clean, and has very little muzzle flash...just HARD TO FIND.
Wild Romanian
Moderator
to Lonegunman
I personally did not shoot the pigs. But these pigs were shot on purpose to simulate whate would happen in a gunfight. Bullets were carefully shot behind the shoulder as far as I could tell when observing this. In other words both calibers were shot into the same spot on the pig. And no we would not have been foolish enough to shoot them in the head because that would have proved nothing. W.R.
I personally did not shoot the pigs. But these pigs were shot on purpose to simulate whate would happen in a gunfight. Bullets were carefully shot behind the shoulder as far as I could tell when observing this. In other words both calibers were shot into the same spot on the pig. And no we would not have been foolish enough to shoot them in the head because that would have proved nothing. W.R.
lonegunman
New member
Shooting them just behind the shoulder means you shot them all pretty much in heart, both lungs, and great vessels.
So I still dont think you proved anything other than pigs shot in the heart die. I dont think it would have mattered what you used.
How many pigs did they shoot, by the way?
So I still dont think you proved anything other than pigs shot in the heart die. I dont think it would have mattered what you used.
How many pigs did they shoot, by the way?
Lonegunman...totally agree with your first post.
Revolvergeek..I too have had the same FTE malfunctions with euro-hot rounds (specifically Fiocchi) from my P-32. Domestic ammo feeds great. Blazer's hard primers sometimes will not fire on the first strike.
My carry ammo is the FN flat point...euro, but about as hot as American ammo. Never had a dud with it and it feeds great, but I do have concerns about carrying ammo made in the early to mid 80's.
Revolvergeek..I too have had the same FTE malfunctions with euro-hot rounds (specifically Fiocchi) from my P-32. Domestic ammo feeds great. Blazer's hard primers sometimes will not fire on the first strike.
My carry ammo is the FN flat point...euro, but about as hot as American ammo. Never had a dud with it and it feeds great, but I do have concerns about carrying ammo made in the early to mid 80's.