Is Keltec P32 Super a good idea?

O

Oleg Volk

Staff Alumnus
The problem with P32 is that is cost $30 to send a $240 gun for repairs should it malfunction out of the box. It has not yet achieved the Glock 17/Beretta 92 reputation for reliability.

P32 Super, based on the original P32 design, tries to improve the pistol's reputation for reliability and functionality.

-Comes with two magazines instead of one.
-The slides come only in chromed finish.
-The rear "sight" is eliminated and replaced by a milled groove going to a recessed fiberoptic front "bead".
-Can be ordered with a ported (1/3" longer, with a single elliptical port at the top) or unported barrel.
-Test-fired at the factory with ball and JHP to insure functioning.

Currently, blued P32 with one magazine runs roughly $240-250 where I am. P32 Super would run $320-330.

Would that be a good move on Kel-tec's part to offer Super as an option or even to supercede the regular P32 (and derive some economy of scale from standarizing the offerings)? Or would the extra $80 scare off too many buyers?
 
Since I bought mine when they were SCARCE (before the $189 blue ones) I had to pay $279 after tax for mine, so NO, I wouldn't have minded paying a few extra bucks for the confidence that buying a Glock brings you.

Actually, I think Kel-Tec should clean up QC from the get-go, and offer us a better quality, more often reliable pistol to start with, without upping the price much, if any. After all, they have to do the same work, FOR FREE, on each and every one that comes back. In other words, we're spending an extra $30 for reliability, KT is gaining nothing in the process.

How often has KT lost a sale right here on these boards when we see posts like "I changed my mind when I heard about the issues" and "I don't want to buy a pistol that's a crap-shoot for reliability out of the box".

Less problems = more sales!
 
Reliability vs. Cost; P32 vs. Glock

I'm sure they'd sell a goodly number of improved models. But what would it really cost to have them hand fitted and tested with all of the improvements? I'm thinking about the cost of the upgrades, the pay and bennies for the labor required, the ammo, etc. I don't know enough about the process to tell if your $80 figure is high or low.

Let's do some math. A $250 P32 plus, say, $60 to send it back twice. Total = $310. What does the 'perfect' Glock you mentioned cost? The base model with the plain sights. More than $310? How much more? Would I pay $500 or $600 for a P32? No. I'd rather take my chances with the $250 version that I won't have to send it back.

Maybe Kel-Tec will give the P32 Super Deluxe some thought when they catch up with the demand.

John
 
As much as I like my P32, I'd rather see them direct their attention to a P32 size .380 acp pistol.

My blued one took 3 trips to KT to get it right, the newer Hard Chrome one seems to have done it in 1 trip back.
 
I think you have some good ideas here, and KT would be smart to pay lots of attention to this market. However, I gotta pass on the whole thing, 'cause I can't find a single box of .32 Super at the Walmart! :)

Bart Noir
"Walk softly and carry a big stick; one that goes bang in .308 is fine"
 
I think most people overlook the cost of Keltec "paying more attention to quality". They are depending on the economies of mass production and a high rate of 100% functional guns without any hand work. If they put more hand work into each pistol, the price would go up a bunch, not just $20-30! I'll bet that not more than 5-10% max come back for work, so it's a lot cheaper for them to just fix those, not "fix" every P32 they make.

FWIW, I'd pay for the "quality" P32, but I suspect that a vast majority of the population would balk at a $350-400 P32 price...
 
I love my P32, but if I had had this option when I bought mine (for $225) I would definitely have paid for the upgraded model.

ChickenHawk
 
It is easier to find 10 people that will spend $250.00 than to find a couple to spend $500.00

The only thing I wish someone would come out with for the P32 is an [semi] adjustable sight. Even if you had to buy a new slide to get the sight. For a tiny pocket pistol it is very accurate.
 
1) Why "port" a .32ACP? The P32 is locked breech, not blowback. Felt recoil should not be a problem! Besides, the velocity loss would greatly effect the .32's already anemic
effectiveness. Why not carry a pellet gun instead?

2) Chromed slide? You chrome bumpers, not guns. I'd rather have it in black phosphate, thanks.

3) The "guttersnipe" sight system is about as useful as milk ducts on a bull. I'd rather see the P32 offered with Ashley Express Big Dot sights.

4) All guns should be sold with two magazines.

5) The only way Kel-Tec is going to get me to buy a P32 is when they pay more attention to quality control and functional reliability. I should not have to send a NIB gun back to the factory for any reason what-so-ever.
 
I don't think Kel-Tec would be interested. They are clearly making money on the P32 or they'd up the price or quit making them. That means that not nearly as many owners are having trouble as it might appear. If any significant percentage of the guns sold needed to be returned you can bet that they would make some changes. Either that, or they wouldn't be able to keep fixing them for free...

Chromed slides are an excellent idea for small pocket pistols. Not only do you get a reliability benefit, but they are also corrosion proof. However, in my mind, one of the biggest benefits is that the chromed slide makes the gun MUCH more visible and business like and maybe even makes it look a little bigger. Now, if I were a Navy Seal on a night mission, that might be a bad thing, but when I pull a little tiny pistol on someone at close range, I want them to SEE it immediately. I'd much rather have them see it, ID it as a gun and then run than have to shoot them. The little tiny black object that is the standard finish P32 is not very visible IMO.
 
Oleg,


And if you get the optional blue frame it looks like a water pistol!

Really I love the KILLtec 32. Recoil is minimal, shoots accurately from the "weak" as well as shooting hand for me and my Bro. Makes a nice group at seven yards despite the whacky sights.

We did have to send it back to the factory however...bad chamber...PMC ammo casings were left so dented that some did not extract...The gunsmith on the Range comfirmed my suspicions and went a step further by saying the case almost had a failure. The cheap white box Winchester ammo also bulged, but much less, no failure to extract...Word to the wise,Winchester has better brass.

I have been on the verge of gettin' one ever since...just have not got around to it.

If you feel you need something that small for carry, then I would factor in the possibility of return shipping and be done with it.
 
Best course of action

Order or buy your P-32 from your local gunsmith, and have it sent as a unit to Kel-tec for hard chroming before you pick it up. They will function test it afterwards and you will get perfectly functional "orange-dot" sights for a six ounce .32 semi-auto. Total added cost--$20 plus 1 lb. shipping. My dealer didn't even charge me to ship it.

Order a second mag. Added cost--$25??

Do a "fluff and buff" to smooth any rough internal surfaces. Use 600 grit or higher sandpaper and very little pressure. (see ktog.org)

There you have your reliable reloadable P32. Mine is now as reliable as my CZ-75 (99.9%). I use Sellier & Belliot, CCI Gold Dot and Win Silvertips in my "spitwad."

Porting, not for me. Ashley sights either. Add those on your own if you must.

To me, the $20 hard chroming is a no-brainer upgrade and you should send the whole gun so they will test it and tune it to eliminate any problems before you take delivery.

Regards to all.
 
FWIW, I've never bought one because of the many "It's great, but I had to send it back for this one little problem" threads I've read. I would have, though, in the absence of these threads.

Frankly, I wouldn't trust the Super to be better until I've read a whole lot of threads that say "Now it's perfect" and NONE that have problems. It's too bad; the pistol is just down in my "Don't buy" column.

I know many folks love their P-32s, and I'm not trying to run those down, just to answer Oleg's Q. The extra $$ wouldn't scare me off - just the concerns about function.
 
Erich,

Just so you can hear it from ONE person in your life, I didn't need to send my P32 back to Kel-Tec for anything.

I've only had mine for about a month, but I did the F&B thing with it, and I've shot about 100 rounds weekly at the range since then. Not a single misfeed or problem of any kind.

I get the impression most people who have had problems had them right away, so I guess I'm lucky. I know a few people at the range who say they've never had any problems with theirs either. That's why I decided to buy one.

If I reach 1000 rounds with no problems I'll post it here (and on KTOG).

ChickenHawk
 
Erich,

If you only bought guns that nobody had ever reported problems with, you'd have a very limited selection to pick from! :)
 
Shipping:

Ledbetter touched on it. There is no reason to pay 30 bucks to ship a malfunctioning new gun to the manufacturer. Have the dealer you bought it from send it via U.S.Mail. When going from FFL to FFL the post office still does that. Priority mail for K32 should be 3.50, throw in insurance and your about five bucks.

Sam.
 
C. R. Sam

Good to see you back here my friend. I'm getting more proficient at Spam trap, so as to fit in in Ariz. Hope to come hunting wild Spam with you one of these days.

Regards,

Ledbetter
 
Most Kel-Tecs are fine out of the box. Kel-Tec will do whatever it takes to make right the ones that aren't.
Too often I see a posting from a person who didn't put their P-32 (or other gun) through a proper break-in period, had a few jams, didn't call KT for advice, didn't return it to the factory, just sold it and will forever whine that all of them are junk.
 
have 2 p32s consecutive serial #s 22xxx which have fed/shot winstips,reloads with 77gr bullets, fed ball, and fiocchi ball/hps, and fed hs 32acp ammo with nothing done except clean/lube from new one has 500 rounds - the other about 750
 
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