kel tec p32 for carry (Page 4 of 4)
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Resurrecting an old thread: I’ve been carrying a P-32 regularly for years. I have never been accurate enough with it to consider a headshot beyond about 10’ or so. I might could make it out further but with the trigger and short sight radius, I’ve always considered it a center of mass, triple tap affair. I have considered trading up to an LCP Max but it may be more of a “hey let’s get something new” thing. Anyone capable of sharp shooting with these guns? |
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| I think I've mentioned it before, but I took my P 32 to a few action steel matches. 10 to 15 yards is about the limit for me to be consistent with hitting an 8 inch round plate. |
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I definitely need to shoot it more. It’s been reliable but just not very accurate. Pretty sure some if that is this shooter. Pretty good deals on LCPs out there if decide to pick up another pocket pistol. |
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Guess I'm late to the party. Bought mine used off of FunBroker, only run round nose FMJ to prevent rimlock & get as much penetration as possible. Fun to shoot. Take a box of ammo to the range, set aside 8 rounds, shoot 42 - if no jams, shoot the old 8, load the new 8, and back in the holster. Probably should clean it, lol. Tried to get the slide mod for better sights, but by the time I found the service they'd stopped doing it. Was a .32 ACP barrel for the Ruger LCP as well, also gone. Pajama gun, dress pants gun, summer BUG if I feel I need one, etc. Thinking of getting a .22 WMR aluminum Smith J frame for "winter" coat pocket duty, w/ WML, would then take most of the roles of the P32. Just got a Mini 14 and a High Standard .22, need to lay off the buying spree. |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: Guess I'm late to the party. Bought mine used off of FunBroker, only run round nose FMJ to prevent rimlock & get as much penetration as possible. Fun to shoot. Take a box of ammo to the range, set aside 8 rounds, shoot 42 - if no jams, shoot the old 8, load the new 8, and back in the holster. Probably should clean it, lol. Tried to get the slide mod for better sights, but by the time I found the service they'd stopped doing it. Was a .32 ACP barrel for the Ruger LCP as well, also gone. Pajama gun, dress pants gun, summer BUG if I feel I need one, etc. Thinking of getting a .22 WMR aluminum Smith J frame for "winter" coat pocket duty, w/ WML, would then take most of the roles of the P32. Just got a Mini 14 and a High Standard .22, need to lay off the buying spree. I wouldn't shoot a .380 in anything shorter than a 3.5" barrel. I just bought a French (Manhurin) Walther PP and wouldn't trade it for any .380. Americans always seem to think that "bigger is better" wne smaller can get the job done in a Centerfire caliber. I won't trust ANY rimfire in a gunfight. A short-barreled .22 WMRF is not much better than a .22 LR The .32 is more dependable and more accurate than the .380. I'll take my chances with Fiocchi 73-grain FMJ and my Walther PP and Kel Tec P32. |
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Originally Posted By CaptainO: I wouldn't shoot a .380 in anything shorter than a 3.5" barrel. I just bought a French (Manhurin) Walther PP and wouldn't trade it for any .380. Americans always seem to think that "bigger is better" wne smaller can get the job done in a Centerfire caliber. I won't trust ANY rimfire in a gunfight. A short-barreled .22 WMRF is not much better than a .22 LR The .32 is more dependable and more accurate than the .380. I'll take my chances with Fiocchi 73-grain FMJ and my Walther PP and Kel Tec P32. Originally Posted By CaptainO: Originally Posted By backbencher: Guess I'm late to the party. Bought mine used off of FunBroker, only run round nose FMJ to prevent rimlock & get as much penetration as possible. Fun to shoot. Take a box of ammo to the range, set aside 8 rounds, shoot 42 - if no jams, shoot the old 8, load the new 8, and back in the holster. Probably should clean it, lol. Tried to get the slide mod for better sights, but by the time I found the service they'd stopped doing it. Was a .32 ACP barrel for the Ruger LCP as well, also gone. Pajama gun, dress pants gun, summer BUG if I feel I need one, etc. Thinking of getting a .22 WMR aluminum Smith J frame for "winter" coat pocket duty, w/ WML, would then take most of the roles of the P32. Just got a Mini 14 and a High Standard .22, need to lay off the buying spree. I wouldn't shoot a .380 in anything shorter than a 3.5" barrel. I just bought a French (Manhurin) Walther PP and wouldn't trade it for any .380. Americans always seem to think that "bigger is better" wne smaller can get the job done in a Centerfire caliber. I won't trust ANY rimfire in a gunfight. A short-barreled .22 WMRF is not much better than a .22 LR The .32 is more dependable and more accurate than the .380. I'll take my chances with Fiocchi 73-grain FMJ and my Walther PP and Kel Tec P32. If you look @ Lucky Gunner's clear gel testing, you'll see that w/ .32 from the P32 & .22 WMR from a short barrel Ruger, the bullets that failed to expand penetrated pretty deeply. I only run FMJ in my P32, and I'd do the same in the Smith if I go that route, baring snake shot or HPs for varmints. .22 LR from a short barrel failed poorly in their testing, barely making 12" in clear gel - which is why I put my MIL at the time into the longest barreled Ruger SR-22 available, a pistol she at the time could rack the slide on & pull the trigger DA.    I think the old reservation about rimfire ignition, leading to John Moses Browning (PBUH) inventing the .25 ACP, had much validity in the day. But today - when's the last time you had a failure to ignite a rimfire round? I regularly have failures to set off primers in my P32 whenever someone gives me a box of European ammo w/ harder primers, and I set that aside for the day when I send the P32 to KelTec to get all the springs replaced - I did buy it used, so there's no telling how many rounds it's had. I think .22 WMR & .32 ACP are very similarly classed cartridges for defensive purposes, based on the performance of non-expanding HPs in the Lucky Gunner tests. I carried my Ruger SP101 in 9mm as a BUG more often than I did the P32, and I miss having a revolver in my pocket. I don't miss the weight, though. I miss the ability to fire repeatedly through my jacket pocket (and yes, I've tried it more than once). I'm not aware of a WML for the P32 - there's a grip mounted J-frame 100 lumen light available. .22 WMR is available at about any WalMart, and I have dreams of traveling about the country. Were a rimfire round to fail to fire, my next trigger pull brings up the next round in the Smith. I'm giving up swept area and a single round w/ 7x .22 WMR to 8x .32 ACP. The penetration is the about the same. I'm also thinking of switching from 10x 9mm HPs in a G26 to 20x 5.7 FMJ in the new Kel-Tec. Expansion is nice to have, but I really want penetration. |
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I have experienced a substantial number of FTF in 22lr and thus have no confidence in carrying a rimfire into a PD scenario. I can't afford a "click" when a "bang" is necessary. Failure to ignite a cartridge is NOT an acceptable option. There are no self-loading pistols as small and concealable as the P32. This, in my estimation, is something that eliminates the cartridge for deep concealment. |
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Originally Posted By CaptainO: I have experienced a substantial number of FTF in 22lr and thus have no confidence in carrying a rimfire into a PD scenario. I can't afford a "click" when a "bang" is necessary. Failure to ignite a cartridge is NOT an acceptable option. There are no self-loading pistols as small and concealable as the P32. This, in my estimation, is something that eliminates the cartridge for deep concealment. I don't think I've ever had a .22 WMR cartridge fail to go off - but the least reliable pistol I own w/ certain ammo is my P32 - it doesn't like hard primers at all. My next least reliable pistol is my Gen 5 Glock 26 - I can make it fail to feed at will with a Glock 33 round mag & 147 grn Winchester White Box - a combo my Gen 2 SUB2000 was dead nuts reliable w/, even suppressed. The only unreliable .22 WMR firearm I've shot was a Kel-Tec CMR-30. Loved that thing. Manual says it doesn't run 30 grn - it doesn't. Absolutely reliable w/ 40 grn. W/ 30, the bolt cycles so fast the next round doesn't have a chance to feed - same as my Glock 26 w/ certain mags & ammo weights. What firearms and ammo have you had failures to fire in .22 LR w/? |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: I don't think I've ever had a .22 WMR cartridge fail to go off - but the least reliable pistol I own w/ certain ammo is my P32 - it doesn't like hard primers at all. My next least reliable pistol is my Gen 5 Glock 26 - I can make it fail to feed at will with a Glock 33 round mag & 147 grn Winchester White Box - a combo my Gen 2 SUB2000 was dead nuts reliable w/, even suppressed. The only unreliable .22 WMR firearm I've shot was a Kel-Tec CMR-30. Loved that thing. Manual says it doesn't run 30 grn - it doesn't. Absolutely reliable w/ 40 grn. W/ 30, the bolt cycles so fast the next round doesn't have a chance to feed - same as my Glock 26 w/ certain mags & ammo weights. What firearms and ammo have you had failures to fire in .22 LR w/? I have had misfires in my H&R 999 and a Rossi slide action rifle. Handguns are less reliable than rifles and I don't know of a single WMR handgun that is as small or as concealable as my P32. |
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Originally Posted By zoom: Just make sure the first shot is a good one, because they jam often. I've put over 700 rounds through mine, and I don't think it has made it through an entire magazine without jamming. Of course for only $150, even I would be tempted to buy a second one to have for parts.z OP. If you buy one. they can rim lock in the mag. Be VERY careful when you load them so that the rim of the one you are putting on is in FRONT of the rim of the one under it. It's the ultimate rule 1 gun. Get the extended mags. Being the ultimate rule 1 gun, you almost have no excuse to not carry lots of extra mags. The front sight is almost not a front sight. You need to improve it, even if that just means you very carefully painting it with high-viz paint. eta: wow, I should have checked the OP date! Well, my post still stands so ... 
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Originally Posted By shotar: For those worried about the .32acp stopping power, again I remind you to carry European ammo. Fiochi, SB and Geco all clock in about 200 fps faster than the feeble American crap that our lawyers demand. ( the fear is that someone will use it in one of those old top break revolvers chambered for .32 short). For most of the 20th century the .32acp was the standard police round of western Europe. It is not equal to a standard service caliber, but I can't imagine many people or situations where a fight would continue after a well placed hit or three. |
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Originally Posted By backbencher: If you look @ Lucky Gunner's clear gel testing, you'll see that w/ .32 from the P32 & .22 WMR from a short barrel Ruger, the bullets that failed to expand penetrated pretty deeply. I only run FMJ in my P32, and I'd do the same in the Smith if I go that route, baring snake shot or HPs for varmints. .22 LR from a short barrel failed poorly in their testing, barely making 12" in clear gel - which is why I put my MIL at the time into the longest barreled Ruger SR-22 available, a pistol she at the time could rack the slide on & pull the trigger DA. https://cdn-secure.luckygunner.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/geltest/860/f3c8ece9c9179d71e31a6e5e09f112d7.jpg https://cdn-secure.luckygunner.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/geltest/860/5d3201cf7c4fc30dc82aaccbfbc2e02a.jpg https://cdn-secure.luckygunner.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/geltest/860/aadd37c36ffe4d88e31be295dd0c22d3.jpg I think the old reservation about rimfire ignition, leading to John Moses Browning (PBUH) inventing the .25 ACP, had much validity in the day. But today - when's the last time you had a failure to ignite a rimfire round? I regularly have failures to set off primers in my P32 whenever someone gives me a box of European ammo w/ harder primers, and I set that aside for the day when I send the P32 to KelTec to get all the springs replaced - I did buy it used, so there's no telling how many rounds it's had. I think .22 WMR & .32 ACP are very similarly classed cartridges for defensive purposes, based on the performance of non-expanding HPs in the Lucky Gunner tests. I carried my Ruger SP101 in 9mm as a BUG more often than I did the P32, and I miss having a revolver in my pocket. I don't miss the weight, though. I miss the ability to fire repeatedly through my jacket pocket (and yes, I've tried it more than once). I'm not aware of a WML for the P32 - there's a grip mounted J-frame 100 lumen light available. .22 WMR is available at about any WalMart, and I have dreams of traveling about the country. Were a rimfire round to fail to fire, my next trigger pull brings up the next round in the Smith. I'm giving up swept area and a single round w/ 7x .22 WMR to 8x .32 ACP. The penetration is the about the same. I'm also thinking of switching from 10x 9mm HPs in a G26 to 20x 5.7 FMJ in the new Kel-Tec. Expansion is nice to have, but I really want penetration. I have had several failures to fire in rimfires even recently using bulk 22lr. Never had a issue with 17 hmr or 22 mag, is that because they are made better than bulk 22lr or is it because I have not shot near as many rounds I don't know. It's kind of a mute point if the rimfires is a revolver you just pull the trigger again. Not sure I trust a rimfires in a semi auto |
| My P-32 has been my every day everywhere pocket gun for years. I carry it in a Sticky brand pocket holster and carry a 10 rd extended mag in my weak side pocket for a reload. No one has yet volunteered to be shot with a measly .32. I was firing it at the range a while back and the range officer commented on how difficult the "little" pistols were to shoot.... Um, hum. 18 rounds into the face of the target at 5 yards in about 15 seconds might have made him reconsider his opinion, lol. |
| Does anyone own both an LCP Max and a P32? I’d love to hear some opinions on one vs. the other. I can by comparing them online that the P32 is obviously smaller in every dimension and significantly lighter. I’m currently carrying an LCP Max appendix but feel like it’s a bit too bulky for pocket carry, like I originally intended to do. |
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| I haven't shot the max, but I did shoot a regular 380 LCP next to the P32 and the P32 was much easier to control. Plus it had an extra round. a gun that small in 380 is very snappy, and only hits on your target count. I can shoot the P32 very well comparatively |
Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out.
General education should not be mere job training, but training in how to be fully human.
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I now have a P-32 and an LCPmax. The Max is somewhat larger but still okay for pocket carry. I’ve been using a Nemesis holster for it. It was shooting low until I figured out it was me. The more I shot the LCPmax the better it got. Trigger is totally different from my P-32. I still consider them close in double - triple tap pistols. |
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I have been on the lookout for a P-32 for over a year now, hoping to find a used one locally for a decent price (I've had bad luck buying used online, so I like to see them in person now). So far I've only found 2, one with only a promag and rough finish for $299 and another new but for something like $350. I passed on both. I already have other pocket guns, with my main pocket carry being a BG2, but I'd like an ultra-light pistol as an around-the-house gun for sweatpants and as a wintertime coat-pocket gun (backing up a larger IWB). It seems like Hydra-shok Deep and Underwood Critical Defense really up the .32 game so I'm hoping I'll find one one of these days. |
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I’ve been very tempted to buy from Ky Gun Co. I’ve bought from them before and they were gtg. They have all the accessories I’m interested in which is a plus. I just don’t think I would carry a P32. https://www.kygunco.com/search?q=kel-tec+p32 |
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Originally Posted By shotar: Easy to carry and much easier to shoot well than the. 380. Not a huge difference in performance between the calibers. THIS |
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| I'm excited about having another P32 coming to me this weekend. I don't know why but I really like the little thing. It is the perfect "walking the dog" gun and will stay in my pocket or clipped to my shorts when jogging. Great little pistols! |
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The round that never caught on that should have was the .32 NAA. .380 case necked down to 32 bullet. Cor-Bon made it with North American Arms and several small companies were doing LCP conversions. Hornady even made an FTX load in 80 grain for it. Would be great in a Glock 42 or other nice modern .380.  
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Every normal man, at times, must be tempted to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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I got a P-32, it's impressively light and feels nice for how small it is. Trigger is fine for what it is. The sights are kind of amusing but better than the Seecamp (which has none at all). The mag catch seems wonky, though. Mine has to have the mag catch pressed when I insert a mag or the mag jams up hard on the way in (seems to be catching onto the hold-open cutout on the mag), and also catches on the bottom of the follower if I press the release but don't hold it down as I withdraw the mag. Is this normal for these guns, or is my mag release messed up? |
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Originally Posted By CFletch: The mag catch seems wonky, though. Mine has to have the mag catch pressed when I insert a mag or the mag jams up hard on the way in (seems to be catching onto the hold-open cutout on the mag), and also catches on the bottom of the follower if I press the release but don't hold it down as I withdraw the mag. Is this normal for these guns, or is my mag release messed up? No, this is not normal for these guns. Contact KT and get them to send you a shipping label to send it back. |
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." - Dean Wormer
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I bought a new, blue grip p32 back in October for $245 from Dahlonega Armory. I have been extremely busy at work, so I've only shot about 25 rounds. Its more snappy than I expected (I know, I'm a wuss), the trigger is pretty bad (worse than my LCP), and it shoots low and left for me (lefthanded). My pistol skills are not nearly as in shape as when I was doing IDPA every other weekend, but I thought I was getting good sights and trigger pulls. And I did get a FTE, but its brand new. Overall I'm underwhelmed, but not completely disappointed. I think I let my expectations get too high from online reviews. I'll continue to try it and if my opinion changes, I'll update. |
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I've been having failures to eject with my new P32 about once a mag for the first box of PPU, then one every other mag or two for the next 2 boxes. Do these usually need a significant break-in period? |
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Originally Posted By CFletch: I've been having failures to eject with my new P32 about once a mag for the first box of PPU, then one every other mag or two for the next 2 boxes. Do these usually need a significant break-in period? Mine doesn't like hard primers, so I only run US made ammo. Bought mine used, never have changed the springs. I only run round nose FMJ to avoid rimlock. |
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the main thing is to hit all the hot spots in the slide, the places where you can see wear on the finish, with 600-800 grit sandpaper, including the guide rail channels and hammer face in the grip where the slide rides over it. You can do this on the slide guide rails by folding the sandpaper over on itself until it is thick enough to fit snug in the slot. I think for your gun you also need to polish the feed ramp and chamber. clean it thoroughly and then look in the chamber. Can you see machine marks? Take some of the sandpaper and roll it up around a pencil until you have the right thickness and then go in-and-out of the chamber. You want to go the same direction as the case, not spinning around, although that might be helpful too if it's really rough. Here's a current thread on KTOG about it https://www.thektog.org/threads/fluff-and-buff-still-needed-on-new-p32s.277857/ |
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more reading here http://1bad69.com/keltec/fteftf.htm |
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Originally Posted By gotuonpaper: The round that never caught on that should have was the .32 NAA. .380 case necked down to 32 bullet. Cor-Bon made it with North American Arms and several small companies were doing LCP conversions. Hornady even made an FTX load in 80 grain for it. Would be great in a Glock 42 or other nice modern .380. https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/yudi42or/naa_hornady_ammo.jpg https://www.yumpu.com/en/image/facebook/54178166.jpg I always wondered how that would fare in a Walther PP-length (3.9") barrel. |
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Originally Posted By CaptainO: I always wondered how that would fare in a Walther PP-length (3.9") barrel. Originally Posted By CaptainO: Originally Posted By gotuonpaper: The round that never caught on that should have was the .32 NAA. .380 case necked down to 32 bullet. Cor-Bon made it with North American Arms and several small companies were doing LCP conversions. Hornady even made an FTX load in 80 grain for it. Would be great in a Glock 42 or other nice modern .380. https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/yudi42or/naa_hornady_ammo.jpg https://www.yumpu.com/en/image/facebook/54178166.jpg I always wondered how that would fare in a Walther PP-length (3.9") barrel. Agree. I just think it was ahead of it's time and that time has passed unfortunately. |
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Originally Posted By CaptainO: I always wondered how that would fare in a Walther PP-length (3.9") barrel. Originally Posted By CaptainO: Originally Posted By gotuonpaper: The round that never caught on that should have was the .32 NAA. .380 case necked down to 32 bullet. Cor-Bon made it with North American Arms and several small companies were doing LCP conversions. Hornady even made an FTX load in 80 grain for it. Would be great in a Glock 42 or other nice modern .380. https://www.americanrifleman.org/media/yudi42or/naa_hornady_ammo.jpg https://www.yumpu.com/en/image/facebook/54178166.jpg I always wondered how that would fare in a Walther PP-length (3.9") barrel. |
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Lucky Gunner just released a good video on the P32. Everyone Copied The KelTec P32. Nobody Got It Right https://youtu.be/L2cQBM6QC-k?si=T7Jvp0h4aZ-qDs0l |
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I've owned my P32 for a couple decades now. It's my deepest concealment gun (I never carry the NAA pictured below). Shooting it accurately is a challenge but I can keep all my shots in a B8 out to 10-15y with practice, out to 5-7 yards if I haven't shot it in a long while. Where are some of the most unusual places have ya'll stashed yours? I've tucked mine in a zip down outer shoulder pocket, hung it from a lanyard around my neck, clipped it inside one of my boots, even tucked it inside the fuse box in my car (as a BUG to my BUG). 
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