380 vs 32 Auto

Re: Terminal Performance of .380 ACP Ammunition (Chart)

Amazingly enough every single projectile, including quite a few that expanded significantly, had 100% weight retention!

Based on my experiments (ok, "playing") with bullet expansion/penetration, let alone weighing bullets en mass before reloading them, makes me call shenanigans on that part of the chart at least. And if I call it on one part...

For me, if/when I carry concealed it's usually a Keltec P32 as well. If I feel the need to step up, a Kahr K9 or a S&W M10 3" come out to play. Or I stay home :)
 
.32 ACP

Thirty two auto may have been considered an adequate round in the 50's when Ian Fleming wrote his Bond novels (Fleming was in no way a Mas Ayoob, also BTW) but there is such a good availability of small pistols in .380 and 9 mm to consider to make .32 a (sorry fans) bad choice.

Was it mentioned that .32 is harder to find and more pricey than .380? I tried a .32 out and found this was the case. Sort of like 9 mm compared to .380.

Pico
 
Honestly for Pocket carry, the size difference between a 9mm and 380 or 32 is huge for pocket carry. I love my P32, I had two P3AT and they are gone. I also have a CM9 and it is huge in the pocket compared to my Taurus TCP or the Keltec. I carry FMJ for the 32, HPR for the 380. I think the TCP and the P32 are sweet spots for pocket carry in their respective calibers. Just my opinion.
 
Bigger is always better but, and there always is a but in life, a .32 in hand is better than a .45 in the glove box or back home when attacked at the parking garage! Most folks forget they have hands and feet to supplement the gun if trained. Martial arts, a knife, or an Irish walking stick, anything can help. I have been in Martial arts forever thus at least 12 folks I could have shot on duty I did not, but I admit at an older age I would have shot some of them instead of taking such risks. Both my kids are trained in martial art which also provides a stable base to shoot from, and the ability to move fluidly ... which helps negate the dumb 21 foot rule.

Smaller calibers need better ammo decisions and better shooting skills to be deadly, but deadly they can be in such hands. I am a .45 guy, but do carry my baby Glock ... model 42 in .380 caliber ... when riding my Harley, and not too worried about stopping anybody, I am smiling, they will go down, no worries!:)

Back on point ... What do you carry ammo wise, and do you shoot to see where it goes in comparison to your practice ammo???:)
 
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Well, my 32 is a KelTec P32. I carry it in a pocket holster. I fill it with fmj's for the penetration, so carry and practice ammo are the same. I carry a spare mag.

If I go 380, it would be the cw380. I would carry JHP's that use the XTP bullet or similar that penetrate well for the caliber. I would carry in a wallet holster or a pocket holster with a spare mag holder. Really, I just wonder if this is going to cost me hundreds to step up with little gained??

If I go CM40, I'm comfortable that this round would be effective, but how's the recoil? ....how big is the pocket buldge? Can I shoot this effectively enough for it to replace my 32? I'm not at all concerned about shooting my p40, so I wonder if this is close. Maybe I should rent one....
 
from the kel-tek the .380 will not expand AND penetrate to the 12" FBI minimum. in .32 this same gun will penetrate the same with FMJ and is considerably easier to shoot.
 
I have a few concealable guns, in .25, .380, 9MM, .40 and .45, actually.

There's NO 9MM that can compare to the CW380 for concealability; there just isn't. You're down to the level where 1/8" here and there makes a real difference, and a CM9 is just WAY bigger in a pocket than the CW380. The only gun I have that can compare to it in size is a .25, which is slightly thinner, and roughly similar in outline; but it's a .25.


Larry
 
My truck gun is my Astra A-60 in 380
Double stacked for 13+1 capacity. A bit big for pocket, the wide frame for the double stack mag makes it a bit fat...But she's very easy to shoot and has been 100% reliable and not a jam or FTF or FTE since I grabbed her. (They are available from an online dealer on GB for 170.00)

I do not know of anybody that would willingly take 14 rounds of 380's, no matter how puny they claim it to be. :eek:

C2347C97-7132-44C3-B991-FF6913CC517B_zpsxjb27rua.jpg
 
I have the similar Ruger LCP, and don't really have any trouble shooting it. The only 32ACP pistols I have are a Manurhin WaltherPP, and a CZ 50. Both larger, and heavier than the Kel-Tec, so I can't really compare. Been thinking about a Kel-Tec, or more possibly, if I can find one, a NAA in 32 just for S's&G's, but they aren't on the top of the list.
I will say that if I did carry a 32 it would be loaded with fmj rounds.
 
Of the 380s I've tried or owned, the two I like are the

Kahr P380
Sig P238

The Sig shoots better, but the Kahr carries easier IMHO. Stellar Rigs makes a taco style pocket holster for both, and that significantly decreases the pocket carry size over leather.

My 380 ammo choice is Corbon Powerball and Hornady Critical Defense. My order of preferred performance is Reliability >> Penetration >> Expansion. I'm not the biggest fan of traditional hollow points in micro action handguns.

The only 9mm that I have been comfortable pocket carrying is the Kimber Solo Carry DC. Even the Kahr PM9, which I own, feels a bit too bulky in the pocket. However the Kimber is notorious for being ammo finicky.

Good luck on your search
 
CW380 with Precision ammo XTP bullet meet FBI penetration std. Look at Shootingthebull410's tests on Utube for data. For real.
 
I think if I was looking for a tiny 9mm, there's still the Tiniest...
the Keltec PF-9, its still the littlest and least weight :)

But I like a little heft, so a Star Firestar 43, or a S&W Shield would probably be my current pic...
in fact, been thinking quite a bit about the new Shield...could be one in my future...
if I don't snag a Star soon ;)
 
I own several .380s but I seriously doubt I would ever buy another one. Maybe if a sweat Sig 232 came around I might but to me there is no reason to own either a .380 0r .32 when there are so many great choices in 9mm that are just slightly larger.
 
With a pocket gun that I will actually have most of the time, I prefer 7/8 .32 rounds over 6/7 .380 rounds. I've carried my P32 for many years and have no plan to change. I can always upgrade the arsenal if I plan to visit a riskier area.
 
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