.32 Ballistics Test

Training will overcome most of the issues. When I carried a Beretta .25 I practiced "lacing up" the bad guy target.

That meant the first shot to the thorax, the next shot about 4" higher. A shot to the throat and a shot between the chin and the eyebrows (thinner bones there). That is 4 shots, and you are just raising the sights after the first one. With practice it becomes almost automatic.

I think that four rounds placed as I described it will stop a 400 pound bad guy. You can always double up on the throat shot--but that leaves you short for the 2nd assailant.

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Originally Posted by Packard

Training will overcome most of the issues. When I carried a Beretta .25 I practiced "lacing up" the bad guy target.

That meant the first shot to the thorax, the next shot about 4" higher. A shot to the throat and a shot between the chin and the eyebrows (thinner bones there). That is 4 shots, and you are just raising the sights after the first one. With practice it becomes almost automatic.

I think that four rounds placed as I described it will stop a 400 pound bad guy. You can always double up on the throat shot--but that leaves you short for the 2nd assailant.

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Could you do that on a moving/falling target? I'm good, but I don't know if I'm that good.

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Originally Posted by berettatoter

Could you do that on a moving/falling target? I'm good, but I don't know if I'm that good.

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I don't think you are going to have to be "that good"; you will have to remain level-headed and that is a bigger issue.

If a guy is going to hold you up (try dressing better and it will increase your chances of being held up:mrgreen:) he will be standing right in front of you with a knife drawn and he will be 3 to 6 feet away. He won't see the weapon until you start shooting and you can get off 4 rounds of .25 in about 2 seconds--quicker than he will be able to dive to the ground.

The same will hold true if he is trying to car-jack you (drive a nicer car and it will increase your chances here too :anim_lol:); he will be 3 to 6 feet away and right in front of you. Or he will be standing at an open window with a knife in his hand. In that case put all 4 rounds into his face and neck. I suspect that would disrupt his chain of thought.

The same thing would apply to rapists (assuming the gun owner was a woman). The same 3 to 6 feet in front of her, or held by the neck from behind. A level head is the primary requirement. Hitting the subject is a given at the distances involved. But from behind I would much prefer a revolver like the S & W 351C as you can press the barrel right up to the bad guy and know that the weapon will fire. You cannot be sure of that with a semi-auto.

As civilians we are not expected to get into firefights like the police do; and we might be afoul the law if we do. I think the close up and personal shootings will be the norm.

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Originally Posted by Packard

I don't think you are going to have to be "that good"; you will have to remain level-headed and that is a bigger issue.

If a guy is going to hold you up (try dressing better and it will increase your chances of being held up:mrgreen:) he will be standing right in front of you with a knife drawn and he will be 3 to 6 feet away. He won't see the weapon until you start shooting and you can get off 4 rounds of .25 in about 2 seconds--quicker than he will be able to dive to the ground.

The same will hold true if he is trying to car-jack you (drive a nicer car and it will increase your chances here too :anim_lol:); he will be 3 to 6 feet away and right in front of you. Or he will be standing at an open window with a knife in his hand. In that case put all 4 rounds into his face and neck. I suspect that would disrupt his chain of thought.

The same thing would apply to rapists (assuming the gun owner was a woman). The same 3 to 6 feet in front of her, or held by the neck from behind. A level head is the primary requirement. Hitting the subject is a given at the distances involved. But from behind I would much prefer a revolver like the S & W 351C as you can press the barrel right up to the bad guy and know that the weapon will fire. You cannot be sure of that with a semi-auto.

As civilians we are not expected to get into firefights like the police do; and we might be afoul the law if we do. I think the close up and personal shootings will be the norm.

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Well, I guess at arms length I could probably get that done. I had a .25 auto once, but after reading the ballistics of that round, I decided to trade it off for a larger caliber. Don't get me wrong here, I would not want to get shot with a BB(did), but the .25 ACP is pretty anemic. I guess at arms length though, it would get the job done.:buttkick:

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Originally Posted by Russ

... A 32 is not much more effective than a 22 mag.

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Energy-wise they are nearly identical.

S & W 351C revolver weighs in at 10.2 ounces and shoots 8 rounds of 22 magnum. A nice light weight and reliable alternative to the .32 auto.

(As reliable as rimfire ammo is, at any rate.)

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Originally Posted by Packard

Energy-wise they are nearly identical.

S & W 351C revolver weighs in at 10.2 ounces and shoots 8 rounds of 22 magnum. A nice light weight and reliable alternative to the .32 auto.

(As reliable as rimfire ammo is, at any rate.)

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That is the only issue I have with using rimfire ammo for self defense. If the balloon goes up, I don't want to hear a "click" instead of a "bang". JMHO.:oops:

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Originally Posted by berettatoter

That is the only issue I have with using rimfire ammo for self defense. If the balloon goes up, I don't want to hear a "click" instead of a "bang". JMHO.:oops:

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Rim fire ammo is cheap, and there is some really cheaply made rim fire ammo out there. But high quality rimfire is pretty reliable. CCI/Speer just came out with a .22 magnum designed for self defense from a short barreled handgun. CCI/Speer rimfire ammo is good quality and should be quite reliable.

You do have 8 rounds to shoot so you can keep pulling the trigger even if you get a dud.

"Spray and Pray Baby." If that same officer had used a 357 magnum revolver, he would have more than likely made more hits on target. Tactics and training beat firepower most of the time.

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Originally Posted by Packard

Rim fire ammo is cheap, and there is some really cheaply made rim fire ammo out there. But high quality rimfire is pretty reliable. CCI/Speer just came out with a .22 magnum designed for self defense from a short barreled handgun. CCI/Speer rimfire ammo is good quality and should be quite reliable.

You do have 8 rounds to shoot so you can keep pulling the trigger even if you get a dud.

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Well yeah, if you have a .22 revolver. I don't have a .22 revolver, so if I hear "click" then I have to rack the slide. Your correct about CCI's, I shoot them probably more than any other brand.

Look, folks. I have been at this business awhile, and have carried a gun for a living (private security). I have held people at gunpoint (not fun) and have taken them into custody. (I was glad when the police had arrived to cart them off).

Don't sell the .32 ACP short. The biggest benefit is using the pistol in it's larger incarnations. In a true "pocket pistol" either the Buffalo Bore 75-grain +p loading or the 73-grain Fiocchi FMJ will be your best bet. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT delude yourself into believing that a JHP in this cartridge will ever be to your benefit! In the .32 ACP or the .380 ACP, PENETRATION IS YOUR BEST FRIEND AND ALLY! These cartridges are hampered from the outset by reduced velocity in their abbreviated barrels DON'T put "speed brakes" on them! I have a friend that is an attorney in Albuquerque New Mexico, and works regularly with the County Coroner. Of all the .32 ACP and .380 ACP shootings that he has encountered, ball ammunition is the most effective and "stops the action" more than any other sold, or used. The street shootings bear the factual evidence.

That said, the .32 is more controllable and more accurate in smaller auto pistols. Even in "pocket pistols" (Pistols with barrels between 3 and 4 inches) the .32 shoots more easily and accurately under "stressfire" conditions. The ability to place shots accurately under these conditions is key.

I can shoot my FIE Titan II (Guisseppe Tanfoglio of Brecia, Italy) .32 ACP with extreme accuracy. "Mozambique" drills are easily accomplished, and the 73-grain Fiocchi FMJ pills go precisely where I wish.

Generally speaking, the mere presence of a handgun is sufficient to deter most aggressors. I haven't fired a shot in anger, but I know I am capable of "stopping" an assailant whether I am shooting my Titan II, or my Glock 20 in 10mm Auto. It is all a matter of mindset.

(BTW, I routinely carry a Kel-Tec P-11 beneath my sport coat at work).

Scott

DO NOT use Buffalo Bore 75-grain +p ammunition in the Kel-tec P-32. within an average of 20 rounds, you will bend the recoil spring and damage the frame. Your best bet is to use the Fiocchi 73-grain FMJ ammunition. 2.7" of barrel is terribly short for building up a "full head of steam". (You need all the velocity/energy that the cartridge can muster)!

Scott

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Originally Posted by Shipwreck

When I see them mix the stuff up on Mythbusters, they claim that it has the same density as human flesh.

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Yes and no. The "average" for human flesh is the same as the gel. But parts of the body are much lower in density and other parts have bone and are much higher. It is the best medium we have, and it gives relative scores that are entirely acccurate. But it may or may not relate to the real world of human flesh.

I think that the expanded bullets are not always going to expand. You need about 950 fps for a normal hp to expand. If you make the hp fragile enough it can expand at lower speeds but at what cost?

With a .25 or a .32 I think I would stick with ball. I think penetration is key with these marginal calibers, especially in the winter when heavy clothing will offer a bit more protection.

We used to practice "stitching up" with small caliber hand guns. To "stitch up" a bad guy your first shot goes in the lower center of mass (just below the sternum), and each successive shot goes about 3" higher. One shot should end up in the throat, and one in the mouth. I would always try to shift an inch or two to the side so as to go in the eye rather than the skull (paper targets, not real people).

I still think that "stitching up" is the most effective way to use a marginal caliber weapon. The first shot is point shooting in the center of mass, the additional shots require more accuracy and more precise aiming.

In each case I would be aiming for soft tissue, avoiding the sternum and the skull.

Be aware that this thread is originally six years old. However, I did originally state that FMJ is a better choice in 32 than JHP. And, I was using fiochi FMJ at the time.

I no longer have that 32, however. I avoided a near robbery in a parking lot, and all I had in my pocket was that little keltec that day. After that, I switched to a micro 9mm and sold that little 32. I didn't like feeling that the little 32 was all I had that day

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Originally Posted by Shipwreck

Be aware that this thread is originally six years old. However, I did originally state that FMJ is a better choice in 32 than JHP. And, I was using fiochi FMJ at the time.

I no longer have that 32, however. I avoided a near robbery in a parking lot, and all I had in my pocket was that little keltec that day. After that, I switched to a micro 9mm and sold that little 32. I didn't like feeling that the little 32 was all I had that day

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I know what you mean. I used to carry the Beretta Tomcat all the time, but decided to up-gun to the 9mm myself. I would rather have a .32 ACP than my fist, but if I have the choice, I'll go with the larger catridge.:smt1099

I carry a S & W 340PD (12.6 ounces empty) in my pocket all the time. I have 4 rounds of .38+P and one round of .357 in it.

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Originally Posted by Packard

I carry a S & W 340PD (12.6 ounces empty) in my pocket all the time. I have 4 rounds of .38+P and one round of .357 in it.

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Don't blame you with just the one .357 mag round in there. I can imagine, even with the hot .38's, it still kicks like a mule.

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Originally Posted by berettatoter

Don't blame you with just the one .357 mag round in there. I can imagine, even with the hot .38's, it still kicks like a mule.

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The .38s hurt, no doubt. After 15 or 20 rounds my hand starts to buzz, so I limit myself to shooting 10 rounds per session (but I shoot it every session).

The nice thing about the four rounds of .38 is that mentally I'm ready for another identical one, and the .357 does not cause any involuntary flinch. If you shoot 10 rounds of .357 from that gun you will know what an involuntary flinch is all about.

On the other hand, it is light, perfectly reliable and powerful. A good combination to have in your pocket.

Kel-Tec P-32 is a popular pocket gun. I have a Bersa Thunder .32 I carry IWB and am thinking of also getting a P-32 for pocket. Fiochhi 73 gr FMJ seems to be the popular round for the .32 acp

:smt028

Kel-Tec P-32 is a popular pocket gun. I have a Bersa Thunder .32 I carry IWB and am thinking of also getting a P-32 for pocket. Fiochhi 73 gr FMJ seems to be the popular round for the .32 acp

:smt028