The .32 S&W Long as a man-stopper

[Outpost75]

Most certainly, Al.

One of the concerns that I have for the OP is that the rimless .32ACP may prove problematic (without the use of moonclips of some sort) and I'd be concerned with misalignmnet increasing pressures in an older firearm with less-advanced metallurgy.

.32 ACP is not rimless, but semi-rimmed. But firing the ACP in .32 revolvers is not a good idea for numerous reasons explained in my earlier post #593

[Alferd Packer]

You have to agree also that reloading for any of this old iron is a crapshoot at best.
Taken on an individual basis, what works for my gun can cause yours to go to pieces, and while I don't wish that on anyone, it's a possibility every time you pull the trigger.
I am more comfortable shooting these old girls with primer-powered wax bullets or plastic primer-powered glue bullets than trying black powder and lead slugs even.
Just hate to think of booby-trapping myself or a fellow reloader.
But, also we are all like the kids who used to hit a roll of caps on the sidewalk with a hammer to make it go BOOM.
You pay your nickle and take your chances.
As long as you don't take someone else with you.
NoT LOL, or no joke there.
Anyway all we can do is be safe, till you pull the trigger.
No guts, no glory. Stupid is as stupid does,etc.
Me, I prefer the wax bullets anymore.
Good luck and again, I love this thread and reading what you all have to say.

[bcp]

Since the 30 Carbine gets mentioned once in a while in this thread, here is a photo to think about.

https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/col...21/id/99/rec/1

Bruce

[jrayborn]

Wow. Just wow.

[GhostHawk]

There is a reason bullet placement is king, and everything else follows.

[Crash_Corrigan]

My wife is an avid shooter and when using her Mossberg 500 with 2 3/4 shell with no 4 buckshot she is very deadly indeed. However when walking her dog in a public park in the very early morning hours she is faced with coyotes. Both the 2 footed and 4 footed variety. Lugging around a 40" pump shotgun would not be feasible nor fun. ]

She is an above average pistol shot with my Smith 586 with the 6 inch tube both with full power 357 and/or .38 +p+ handloads. Then again the Smith is a big honking weapon. Our solution was to arm her with a Charter Arms "Patriot" revolver with a 2.5" tube in 327 Federal Magnum caliber. This gives her 6 shots with terminal ballistics even with a low power 357 round without the muzzle blast or recoil of a heavier round. A Federal 327 Mag round with a 100 gr .312 provides 1500 FPS velocity with very manageable recoil although the muzzle blast is severe and the report very loud. With a soft point round the wounds inflicted would be very nasty.

Recently I obtained some j word bullets from Lehigh industries. They are crafted out of solid copper and they have a unique carved shape that produces outstanding wound channels and excellent penetration for a round of only 75 gr but moving at well over 1700 FPS.

I crafted up a bunch of these and she practiced with them and she liked 'em. They are very very loud but the recoil is manageable and her accuracy is very good with them. Now she carries them in her revolver and has two strip clips full of spare ammo to follow up with. I feel good about this combo and so does she.

[Earlwb]

Since the 30 Carbine gets mentioned once in a while in this thread, here is a photo to think about.

https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/col...21/id/99/rec/1

Bruce

That is almost as good as that elderly native Indian lady who killed a grizzly with a .22 Long single shot rifle.
ref https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/bel...#axzz63mwcY76s

But is was amazingly impressive that he killed grizzlies with the .30 carbine though.

[Lance Boyle]

That is almost as good as that elderly native Indian lady who killed a grizzly with a .22 Long single shot rifle.
ref https://www.ammoland.com/2017/06/bel...#axzz63mwcY76s

But is was amazingly impressive that he killed grizzlies with the .30 carbine though.

Easy to kill them with a .30 carbine. The question is at what point do they die!


Coyotes in the east are hard to get a shot at, A lot of times a boiler shot will be made but they still run farther than you can track. You very likely did kill them though.

I have a bit of a hankering for a .32 H&R smith and Wesson. Not that I want it to carry for defense but as a pure enjoyment as a shooter and reloader. More than a rimfire but not unpleasant with a target wadcutter.

I am not kidding myself that all my guns have to have a real defined purpose in the usual categories.

[Green Frog]

Easy to kill them with a .30 carbine. The question is at what point do they die!


Coyotes in the east are hard to get a shot at, A lot of times a boiler shot will be made but they still run farther than you can track. You very likely did kill them though.

I have a bit of a hankering for a .32 H&R smith and Wesson. Not that I want it to carry for defense but as a pure enjoyment as a shooter and reloader. More than a rimfire but not unpleasant with a target wadcutter.

I am not kidding myself that all my guns have to have a real defined purpose in the usual categories.

Although we’re supposed to be talking about the 32 S&W Long here, in the reloader realm I really don’t see that much difference between it and the 32 H&R. One of my great regrets is not getting one of the 4” adjustable sighted stainless Model 631 when Smith was making them... I just didn’t find out about them until they were discontinued and the prices keep climbing faster than my disposable income.

Froggie

[Thundarstick]

Although we’re supposed to be talking about the 32 S&W Long here, in the reloader realm I really don’t see that much difference between it and the 32 H&R. One of my great regrets is not getting one of the 4” adjustable sighted stainless Model 631 when Smith was making them... I just didn’t find out about them until they were discontinued and the prices keep climbing faster than my disposable income.

Froggie

A ported 632 is my edc in 327 FM. Next best thing is the SP101 4 inch.

[Earlwb]

If anyone is interested they have a nice article about the .32 Short and .32 Long Colt cartridges in the February 2020 Handloader magazine issue. The author did talk about the other .32's as well such as the.32 S&W long too.

[Oyeboten]

You have to agree also that reloading for any of this old iron is a crapshoot at best.
Taken on an individual basis, what works for my gun can cause yours to go to pieces, and while I don't wish that on anyone, it's a possibility every time you pull the trigger.
I am more comfortable shooting these old girls with primer-powered wax bullets or plastic primer-powered glue bullets than trying black powder and lead slugs even.
Just hate to think of booby-trapping myself or a fellow reloader.
But, also we are all like the kids who used to hit a roll of caps on the sidewalk with a hammer to make it go BOOM.
You pay your nickle and take your chances.
As long as you don't take someone else with you.
NoT LOL, or no joke there.
Anyway all we can do is be safe, till you pull the trigger.
No guts, no glory. Stupid is as stupid does,etc.
Me, I prefer the wax bullets anymore.
Good luck and again, I love this thread and reading what you all have to say.

One should always load informedly, for "the" Hand Gun one will be using the Loads in.

Problem solved.

And, his is the beauty of re-Loading, or of Loading Cartridges - one tailors them to the Arm in which they will be used.

[Oyeboten]

Well, this Thread has inspired me so I now have a nice-enough-for fun or carry, older S & W Hand Ejector in .32 Long on the way...

I'll report back some fun and info once I have done some Loading for it.

I have an old 'IDEAL' Mold for .32-20 Wadcutters, and I will try those for this...and or size so suit if need be.

[Outpost75]

This is a great thread.

For the sake of aiding others searching through this here is my condensed version of .32 wisdom:

The .32 "Popguns"

The ".32 Popguns" are great small game foraging guns which are much more effective on game larger than bunnies than any rimfire. While the .32 ACP and .32 S&W Long should not be your first choice as defense guns, when loaded with flat-nosed cast lead bullets they are more effective than LRN and FMJ bullets in those calibers which served in European police and military roles into the early 1980s.

I find it interesting that the Colt 1851 Navy, with .375", 80-grain lead round ball and 20 grains of 3Fg black powder, killed multitudes of bad guys in its day, and approximates the energy of a .32 S&W Long revolver, about 850 fps... With handloaded ammunition, in a strong gun, the ballistic performance of the .32 ACP, .32 S&W Long, .32-20 Winchester and .32 H&R Magnum and .380 ACP are all very similar in terms of payload and velocity, about 90 grains at 900 fps.

In a sturdy, steel-frame WW2 era .32 ACP autopistol, you can safely drive a 90-grain .309" Hornady XTP bullet at 900+ fps from a 3.5" barrel using 3 grains of AutoComp. Using a lubricated lead flat-nosed cast bullet of similar weight you approach 1000 fps with that same 3 grains of AutoComp and penetrate 30+ inches of water jugs. In the recently imported modern light alloy-frames like the Beretta 81 former police pistols, reduce the charge to 2.5 grains of AutoComp, Unique or Herco if you want the gun to last if you really plan to shoot it alot.

A charge of 3 grains of Bullseye or 3.5 grains of 231 or HP38 does the same thing in a sturdy post-WW2 steel frame .32 S&W Long revolver like the S&W Model 30 or 31. This exceeds actual chronograph results for 100-grain .32-20 Winchester factory loads fired from a 5-inch revolver.

In post-1918 S&W .32-20 Hand Ejectors having heat treated cylinders you can safely load 3.5 grains of Bullseye, 5 grains of AutoComp, 7.5 grains of Alliant #2400 or 10 grains of 4227 with a 100-grain lead flat-nosed bullet for about 1000 fps from a 5" revolver having a tight cylinder gap of 0.004-0.006".

That level of performance defines the "envelope" for the .32 H&R Magnum, for which the design intent was to efficiently attain full .32-20 black powder velocity levels in a case having correct capacity to efficiently use smokeless powder at pressures approximating the .38 Special +P, which could be chambered in small, compact pocket and "kit" guns. It does precisely that.

The .327 Federal is to the .32s what the .357 Magnum is to the .38s. It approximates the ballistics of Winchester 1892 High Speed .32-20 rifle ballistics, but from a handgun. Think of it as a rimmed, revolver equivalent of the 7.62x25 Tokarev round. Its high velocity appeals to varmint shooters and enhances its potential as a defense round, but is unnecessary for a small game foraging gun, as full charge loads are overly destructive of table game.

The advantage of the .327 is that revolvers chambered for it can also use .32 S&W Long or .32 H&R Magnum ammo, but that you have a sturdy gun for steady use with heavy loads which you are unlikely to shoot loose with what the late Frank Marshall, Jr. referred to as "adventurous experimentation." And if you really want to singe the hair off the backs of your hands, bring spots before your eyes with muzzle flash, and go deaf the first time you shoot full-charge .327s without ear plugs, then it's your huckleberry!

I use my .32 handguns for the same things that "normal people" would use a .22 LR for, recreational shooting, small game and farm utility carry. It does a much better job at humanely putting down slaughtered animals than a .22 and can be loaded more cheaply than buying .22s at current prices, if you cast your own bullets from cheap scrap lead. One pound of Bullseye powder will load about 2500 rounds.

In the rural south .32 guns and ammo are common. This must be a regional thing. Factory ammo is readily available from Internet sellers. Starline makes brass. A variety of suitable molds are available. I frequently find partial boxes of various .32 cartridges at estate and garage sales in my rural West Virginia county, and eagerly snap up all that I find.

You need only ONE set of dies, a bullet mold, and two shell holders to reload for all of the common .32 rounds:

.32 ACP
.32 Smith & Wesson
.32 Smith & Wesson Long
.32 H&R Magnum
.327 Federal

If just starting to gear up to feed your new .32 Bunny Gun Fetish, buy RCBS .32 ACP dies having a carbide sizer, expander die and seater.

Get shell holders for the .32 ACP (or a .30 carbine will work if you already have one) and .32 S&W Long (or a .223 Remington will also work if you already have one). Buy the Lee Bullet Sizing Kit in .311" diameter if you will load for the .32 ACP, or a .314" if you intend to load for the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum or .327 Federal.

Most versatile production "one fits all" mold is the RCBS 32-90CM mold which casts a 90-grain, flattened roundnose "Cowboy" slug. The Saeco #325 semi-wadcutter is a great choice for the revolvers and will also feed in the .32 ACP Colt 1903, Beretta 1935 and CZ27 pistols. In others maybe it will feed, maybe not.

If your .32 Auto feeds flat nosed bullets and JHPs, Accurate has several which approximate the Buffalo Bore shape, but with sufficient .26" nose length to prevent rimlock. These are 31-077B, 31-084H and 31-090B, all being good choices in .32 ACP.

If your pistol tends not to feed anything reliably but roundnose hardball, better bullet choices are Accurate 31-087T, 31-087B, 31-093T and 31-094H.

Any of the 87 grain and heavier bullets which drop no smaller than .313" are suitable for the .32 revolvers and will shoot close to their fixed sights and can tolerate sizing to .311 for the .32 ACP if you want a dual-use bullet.

Accurate 31-105T is a specialized double-crimp-groove design of traditional shape similar to factory bullets once used in the .32-20 and .32 Colt New Police. It is optimized for revolver use in the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum and .32-20, but is a bit heavy and "fat" for successful use in .32 ACP auto pistols.

Cast your .32 bullets from SOFT range backstop scrap or wheelweights, 10-12 BHN is good. Drop them onto a folded towel and let them slowly air cool. Harder quenched alloy is completely unnecessary. Lube your bullets by tumbling in Lee Liquid Alox only until they are a light brassy color all over. There is no need to "fill" the lube grooves for subsonic rounds fired from short barrels. You don't need to buy a lubricator-sizer. If bullets from your mold drop as-cast at .313-.314 you can load them in revolver ammo without sizing. If bullets drop over .314" they should be sized .311" for .32 ACP and .314 for the revolvers.

Best bang for the buck is to buy Alliant Bullseye powder, and anybody's small pistol primers.

The RCBS Little Dandy Measure is perfect for loading the small .32 cases.

Use the Rotor #00 to load 1.7 grains of Bullseye in the .32 ACP with the 90-grain RCBS lead bullet, or 2 grains of TiteGroup for 75-78 grain bullets. This is also a safe load in .32 S&W Long for pre-1918 S&W 1903 Hand Ejectors and Colt New Pocket revolvers which are not heat treated.

Use the Rotor #0 to measure 2.2 grains of Bullseye loading lighter 75-80 grain bullets in the .32 ACP, or to approximate factory loads with your 90-105 grain Cowboy lead bullets in the .32 S&W Long for use in heat treated, but pre-WW2 revolvers.

Use the Rotor #1 to assemble "full-charge" loads in the .32 S&W Long, 2.5 grains of Bullseye for about 850 fps with the 90-105 grain lead bullets in .32 S&W Long brass for general use in postwar S&W Models 30 and 31 and postwar Colt D-frames chambered in .32 Colt New Police.

Rotor #1 and the same 2.5 grains of Bullseye with 71-grain FMJs at 0.97” minimum cartridge OAL in the .32 ACP, which approximates CIP-Euro loads at 905 fps from a 3.5 inch barrel and should not be exceeded in WW2-era steel frame holster pistols, and being OK for moderate use in the postwar light alloy frames if you are not shooting high volume quantities.

In strong, modern revolvers chambered for the .32 S&W Long, such as the S&W Model 30 or 31, or any chambered for .32 H&R Magnum ammunition, you may use the Little Dandy measure Rotor #3 for 3 grains of Bullseye in .32 S&W Long brass with the 90 grain RCBS bullet or the Hornady 85-grain XTP for about 900 fps from a 4-inch barrel. Consider this a "+P" load for occasional use only in the modern post-WW2 steel frame guns .

You can match factory velocities 1000+ fps with 90-grain lead bullet or 85-grain .312" Hornady XTP in the .32 H&R Magnum using the RCBS Little Dandy Rotor #5 to meter 3.5 grs. of Bullseye in Starline .32 H&R Magnum brass with the Federal 200 primer.

The same 3.5 grain charge of Bullseye is a standard-pressure, full charge 900+ fps load with 90-105-grain lead bullets which is safe in any post 1905 .32-20 revolver proofed for smokeless powder.

Some manuals suggest higher velocities in .32 H&R Mag. and .32-20 loads than this, but supersonic velocities defeat the purpose of a non-destructive small game load which permits you to “eat right up to the bullet hole.” The RCBS Cowboy bullet has a flat nose which provides good crush and deep penetration. It does not need to be driven supersonic to be effective.

Do not shoot thousands of .32 ACP cast bullet loads with bullets heavier than 80 grains in the tiny Keltec and Beretta “mouse guns” having light alloy frames, because they are "frame crackers."

If you have GrandDad's Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless, Beretta M1935, CZ27, or Walther PP bringback from WW2 the 84-90-grain lead loads run like a pony trotting.

In steel frame guns you have no worries with up to 2.2 grains of Bullseye with the 90-grain RCBS bullet at .311" diameter and a minimum cartridge OAL of 0.95"

Consider 3 grains of AutoComp in the .32 ACP with the 90-grain Hornady .309" XTP at 0.95" OAL as +P for occasional and emergency use, not as steady diet unless you "heavy-up" the recoil spring with one intended for the .380 ACP version of your Colt, CZ, Beretta or Walther steel-framed pistol.

[Alferd Packer]

One should always load informedly, for "the" Hand Gun one will be using the Loads in.

Problem solved.

And, his is the beauty of re-Loading, or of Loading Cartridges - one tailors them to the Arm in which they will be used.

Amen to that my brother reloader!

[gordie]

Thank-you Outpost75

[jumbeaux]

Thank-you Outpost75

Yes sir an outstanding review of the outstanding information.

rick

[Chev. William]

Since the 30 Carbine gets mentioned once in a while in this thread, here is a photo to think about.

https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/col...21/id/99/rec/1

Bruce

The photo appears to show Hunter displaying his CAL .30 M1 Carbine with two harvested good size Bears. sort of disproves the statements that the .30 M1 Carbine round and rifle are inadequate for Deer size animal hunting. I am NOT talking of 400+ yard shots here!

Chev. William

[Rodfac]

".32 Popguns"

Many thanx for the re-print on .32's, Ed. Your file of wisdom continues to grow here at "Chez" Rodfac. Just hope I don't crash the hard disc some button clicking afternoon. Best regards, Rod

[Outpost75]

Another recap of an older article, with updates added today.

If the moderators want to move this to the Experiences with a .32 sticky, that would be OK:

Pocket Pistol Wisdom from Down on "The Farm"

My mentor, the late Harry J. Archer was a career clandestine services officer who served from the post-WWII cold war period through the Vietnam era. Harry was the real-life equivalent of Jack Bauer or Jason Bourne, surviving Cold War era covert missions in denied areas, later in life becoming a highly respected case officer and trainer down at The Farm, at Camp Peary, VA, near Williamsburg, finally retiring and living long enough to die peacefully at home in bed in New Market, VA.

Harry taught his students that the purpose of a concealed handgun was to neutralize immediate threats from contact distance to about twenty feet to facilitate escape. When on missions where he didn't have official cover, he carried whatever handgun was common among criminal elements in the country where the mission took him. This often meant a .32 ACP or 7.65mm Browning, because a M1911, Colt or S&W revolver would make it obvious that he wasn't "a local."

While no .32 ACP is your first choice for defense, the first rule of gun fighting is to HAVE A GUN. In the worst-case scenario any gun is better than no gun at all. The .32 is a great "get off me" gun. Many countries restrict foreign nationals who work corporate security for their clients from carrying anything larger than a .22 LR or .32 ACP, so you must "dance with the girl you brought."

A .32 autopistol is easy to control to produce rapid, accurate double or triple taps, compared to a .380 or 9mm of similar size, which carries one less round. The currently being imported Beretta 81 double-stack magazine .32 ACPs have a heavy slide and heavy-duty recoil spring, like the Model 84 .380 pistols they are based upon. The .32 ACP version can produce 950 fps with the .309" diameter Hornady XTP bullet with 3 grains of AutoComp from its 3.8" barrel. Their 12+1 magazine capacity of the .32 ACP caliber in this model is also a "plus."

Back in the day (1960-70s) Harry's .32 ACP carry load was the Winchester 100-grain .32-20 lead flatnosed Lubaloy bullet assembled in "sterile" unheadstamped (WWII WRA) primed cases with 3 grains of Hercules Infallible powder (burning rate was between modern Unique and Herco), assembled at 0.95" overall cartridge length, giving 870 +/- 30 fps from a Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless Type III. This approximated the performance of .32-20 factory loads fired from a revolver of the same barrel length, but in a .32 ACP pocket pistol. Indeed a powerful and effective load. Accurate 31-095T and 2 grs. of TiteGroup produces similar results with near full-caliber "crush" and is a full-charge load which should not be exceeded!

Attachment 256101Attachment 256102Attachment 256103Attachment 256109Attachment 256110Attachment 256111

In actual chronograph tests of common modern US .32 ACP hardball typically seldom exceeds 850 fps from a pocket pistol with barrel shorter than 3-1/2 inches, whereas WW2 era 73-74 grain hardball from WRA, Peters or Remington-UMC was little different in velocity than Euro ammo of the period. This was well before the era when lawyers started making the engineering decisions...

The current Speer Gold Dot and Hornady XTP JHPs do break 900 fps, but seldom expand much from barrels shorter than 3-1/2.” European CIP 73-gr. hardball such as Fiocchi, RWS, Geco, Norma, Sako, Hirtenberg or Sellier & Bellot produces about 900 f.p.s. from pocket pistols such as the Beretta Tomcat, and 950+ f.p.s. from the Walther PP, SIG P230, or Beretta M1935, M70 and M81. European municipal police carried .32 ACPs and felt them adequate until after the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attacks.

When using a marginal caliber, feeding reliability, shot placement, ability to produce rapid multiple hits with deep penetration are most important. You want not less than 20” of water or 12” of gelatin penetration. Experienced users of deep-concealment, hideaway guns agree, based on police and military experience dating back to Fairbairn and Sykes exploits in China before WW2, and continuing through the Cold War era. Lighter weight, short-nosed hollow point bullets often fail to feed and may fail to penetrate larger bones or defeat intermediate cover, such as a defensively positioned arm, needed to reach vital organs.

Comparing European CIP specification 73-77-grain hardball in .32 ACP to typical .380 FMJs fired from similarly short barrels any difference in performance not important. Light-weight .380 ACP bullets of fragile enough construction to expand from very short barrels, often fail in the penetration department. Typical .32 ACP hardball, however, usually does a 180-degree "flip" during the first 6-8" of soft-target penetration, continuing base-first to cause more damage than its kinetic energy would suggest. It also tends to bounce around inside the body cavity, rather than penetrating in a straight path.

In my testing of numerous different .32 ACP pocket guns, no JHP loads currently available would expand reliably in either water jugs or gelatin when fired from barrels shorter than 3 inches. US commercial .32 ACP loads are "anemic" compared to their CIP-Euro counterparts and less reliable in function. Many WWII-era European military and police pistols steadfastly refuse to function with American ammo, even Buffalo Bore.

In my testing the short-overall length JHP and hard cast lead flat-nosed rounds such as Buffalo Bore are not reliable enough for defense carry. In most guns they are almost a sure recipe for a “Jam-O-Matic.” The Beretta 81 is the only pistol I have tested which ran Buffalo Bore 75-grain hard-cast FN out of the box with no drips, runs or errors. In most guns overall cartridge length should be 0.945" or greater to prevent rounds from repositioning in the magazine stack, due to recoil, causing "rim-lock." The heavy slide and stiff recoil spring of the Beretta 81 series also helps to mitigate against heavier loads pounding its light-alloy frame to the death, a common cause of failure in Keltec and Beretta Tomcat "mouse guns."

The best .32 ACP pistols for pocket carry should enable safe carry with the chamber loaded, and should be capable of immediate firing by stroking the trigger without having to manipulate an external safety. In the event of a misfire, the trigger mechanism should enable an immediate repeat strike upon the primer by repeating the trigger stroke, and should produce not less than 0.010" copper indent on the government "C" sized .225x.400" copper crusher when used in the government gage holder. While the drawings for the gage holders are in the public domain, the coppers are not available to the gunsmith trade, but only to the gun manufacturers and the labs who assess compliance with government contracts. The last time I bought any, the sole provider was Olin, the minimum order 1000 coppers, and in 2001 they cost about $1 each.

So gunsmiths and police armorers developed a "work-around." The Federal 200 primer used to be designated for "small rifle and magnum pistol," whereas today it is "small pistol Magnum." The base metal thickness of its primer cup is 0.018" + 0.0015"/-0.0000, the same as the military M1 carbine and military 9mm primers, versus 0.0125" + 0.0015/-0.000 for typical small pistol primers used in standard-pressure loads like the .32 ACP and .38 Special (non+P). The Remington 6-1/2 primer is also analogous to the military .30 carbine primer and can be used for similar function tests. So our work around is to assemble 100 rounds in new brass, or once-fired brass in which you are hand-seating the primers into a CLEAN primer pocket, then fire 100 rounds for function test. Accept zero defects. If you get ONE misfire, repeat the test, accept on 1 fail to fire in 200 rounds, reject on 2. If the pistol does not pass, check firing pin driven protrustion to be in the range of 0.028-0.032," headspace to be within limits, replace the hammer spring and test again. Pistols which readily meet these test criteria are the Walther PP, SIG P230, Mauser HSc, CZ27, original Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless and the Beretta Model 81.

Attachment 256104Attachment 256105

The micro-pistols such as the Keltec P-32 and Beretta Tomcat are attractive for concealment, but are difficult to shoot well. They are also not durable when fed a steady diet of heavy loads or a high volume of standard-pressure loads. My advice is to severely limit loads producing over 130 ft.-lbs. to only occasional or emergency use in the micro pistols because they may cause “slide bite” if you have meaty hands and don’t use a Hogue Grip Sleeve, as I painfully found out. After prolonged firing, [over 1000 rounds] loads with bullets over 80 grains and 850 fps are “frame crackers.” My Beretta Model 3032 INOX Tomcat, which replaced my earlier blued version (in which the frame cracked after less than 500 rounds of RWS hardball) did somewhat better, and digested 2000 rounds of hot CIP-Euro and heavy-bullet hand loads before the frame finally cracked. (I finally replaced the .32 Tomcat with an original model Ruger LCP .380 for my deep cover carry and it is still soldiering on after 2000 rounds of 120-grain lead FN handloads with Accurate 35-120H and 2.5 grains of Bullseye).

The most effective carry load in the .32 ACP is a +P handload with the Hornady 90-grain XTP bullet of .309" diameter with 3 grains of AutoComp, at an overall cartridge length of 0.950-0.955," producing 930 fps. from a 3-1/2" barrel and 960 fps from the 3.8" Beretta 81. This load is best limited to steel frame guns. If used even in sturdy, alloy-frame guns with heavy slides and springs such as the Beretta 81 and M70 Puma consider I consider it +P and NOT for casual shooting in quantity if you want your gun to last!

ONLY IF your barrel slugs larger than .310" groove diameter, substitute the Hornady 85-grain XTP .312" intended for the .32 H&R Magnum for the same result. The XTP bullet from the .32 ACP does not expand spectacularly as depicted in typical gun magazine hype, but does expand "some," to about .40 cal., so is more effective than FMJ, and it penetrates deeply.

Attachment 256112

The classic Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless, Beretta 1935, CZ27, CZ50 and the Walther PP are steel-frame pistols which I have shot extensively with these heavy loads. These particular guns will reliably feed large flatnosed bullets such as the Saeco #325 semi-wadcutter and the Accurate 31-095T. The Beretta 81 also feeds the large flatnosed bullets and Buffalo Bore 75-grainers. In pistols which do not feed reliably with anything other than FMJRN "hardball" the best cast bullets are the 87-94 grain Accurate 31-087B, 31-087T and 31-094H bullets. If you intend to standardize on bullets heavier than 80 grains in your .32 ACP pistols, it is VERY highly recommended that you replace the standard recoil spring with a .380 ACP version for the same model pistol, if available.

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Let’s be clear that the .32 ACP is not my choice as a defense gun against either two-legged or 4-legged predators. However, there are those times when “any gun is better than no gun,” so it is better to take an easily concealed .32 along than to go unarmed and take your chances. When the cylinder bulge of my usual Colt .38 Detective Special is too obvious, my 1903 Colt Pocket Hammerless, Beretta M1935 or SIG P230 drop nicely into a pocket holster. I shoot these better than my Ruger LCP .380 and like the fact that a .32 makes a bigger hole than a 22 but still presents a low profile. With correct loads performance is equal to most factory loads in the .380 ACP. Typical .32 ACP pistols give you an additional round of magazine capacity too.

We aren't talking about "one-shot stops" here, but to quickly and accurately put double or triple taps on target. The Italian Carabinieri practice 3-shots in 2 seconds at 5 metres or 2 shots in 2 seconds at 10 metres, aiming at a 10 cm x 8 cm oval which represents the nose, eyes and forehead of a terrorist. While these days they carry 9mm pistols, the drill dates back to the WW2 era and the .32 ACP and .380 ACP Berettas. Multiple hits increase stopping power.

Think of a .32 ACP as delivering a 00 buckshot pattern which arrives sequentially rather than concurrently.

Do you want to stand in front of it? Didn't think so...

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An appropriate historical anecdote from Caroline Moorehead's book "A House In The Mountains" p. 321

"After VE day the Allies insisted on collecting the weapons which had been air dropped to Italian partisans during the war. In order to prevent a Communist takeover there could be no weapons with which to do it. On 9 May 1945 the process of disarming the Italian partisans began. The fighters were invited to assemble at collection centers to turn in their weapons and ammunition and in return would receive a bolt of cloth and 7000L with which to turn it into civilian dress. The handover was staged with some degree of ceremony with flags, military bands and political speeches... But the organizers did not understand that the men and women they were dealing with were not eager, self-respecting and docile, but seasoned, war-weary combat veterans who did not trust this new set of occupiers any more than the Germans.

As the weapons were being handed over the Allies noticed that they consisted mostly of larger items, bazookas, mortars, machineguns and large quantities of bolt-action rifles, but very few of the SMGs, pistols, revolvers and semi-automatic carbines which were so much in evidence in the days leading up to The Liberation... Borne away into the valleys, concealed in attics, barns and cellars or buried in pits in the garden were scores of grenades, carbines, SMGs, pistols and revolvers. Later the Allies who made over 50 raids across the Italian Piedmont in search of hidden weapons would estimate that less than 60 percent of what had been dropped was actually returned."

And when I visited Italy in 2011 the Carabinieri were using ground penetrating radar and STILL recovering WW2 weapons caches buried in graveyards, walled up in stone fences and farmhouses. Farmers having hunting licenses, who find caches and call the authorities are frequently rewarded for their good citizenship by having an M1 carbine or Garand and an S&W Victory revolver added to their firearms certificate. Any explosives are removed to a nearby military base where they are detonated and the machineguns and ammunition inventoried and stored for training use.

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Yes, the MG34 was operational and found along with the restored motorcycle in Tuscany!