Go ahead and laugh, but...

[gunfan]

I would like to see someone build a special 6" barrel for a Beretta .380 frame that's been specially chambered for the .32 NAA cartridge. An arrangement of this type would make for a superb small-game/personal defense "nightstand" handgun. Brass and bullets are available, as is loaded ammunition.

Scott

[chsparkman]

That sounds really cool. Some might argue the practicality of such a piece, but it sure would be quite fun.

[gunfan]

It will get up to 1350-1400 fps with a 71 grain FMJ bullet. This could be a real neat project. Such a thing would be a mite expensive, but the barrel can always be exchanged for another chambered for the .380 cartridge, so there really wouldn't be any "downside."

Scott

[257X50]

Like a 32 Super
In a Star 380 with a locking breach might be easier to dial in.

[429421Cowboy]

gunfan you and i have had this talk before, and i don't think people give the little .32 NAA enough credit! While I don't see anybody going to a 6" version just yet, a LC380 turned into an LC32 would be pretty kick butt if you ask me! I have heard of guys that just swap the barrel on their LCP from .380 to .32NAA, so why not the bigger LC? Or what about a steel frame Makarov? Seems to me that would be a pretty solid, low cost gun to start out with!
I just wish there could be a bit of a fire built under this round, I'd hate to see it die! Do you know if Buffalo Bore offers a loading for it? Memory fails me right now.

[gunfan]

No, but they are loading for the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magnum and the .32 ACP. (All of which are quite spicy!) Soon they will be loading for the .38 S&W (erroneously called the .38 S&W 'short.')

Scott

[35remington]

It would be fun as a small game cartridge. I'd like to have one myself.

As a nightstand gun, any number of people would reasonably ask what it could do that a 9mm couldn't do better.

[gunfan]

It would be fun as a small game cartridge. I'd like to have one myself.

As a nightstand gun, any number of people would reasonably ask what it could do that a 9mm couldn't do better.

Deep penetration, lower recoil (based on the immutable laws of physics) and dead-nuts accuracy (also the inherent laws of ballistics.)

As far as the recoil is concerned, the longer barrel would "soak up" what recoil would normally be generated by the .380 (longer barrel) and a ripping hot .32 hard cast bullet. (What Buffalo Bore couldn't do with a 75 grain HCFN projectile!) It can penetrate far better than any .380 ever could, and stitch someone (or something) up better than the 9mm, and far more quickly (control being the key.)

Any more questions?

[9.3X62AL]

WHY do I read threads like this? DRAT YOU ANYWAY, Gunfan. :)

[Love Life]

I thought they sold Makarov conversions awhile back. It think it was about 4-5 years ago.

[Piedmont]

Something else to consider....you could always do .30 Luger. No it won't work in a blowback, but the cartridge has been around forever. There will always be ammo available and cases. Recoil in a locked breech will probably be less than for your custom .32 NAA in a blowback.

I've long wanted something in .30 Luger but will probably never scratch the itch. Even went so far as emailing Barsto barrels suggesting a .30 barrel that would work in standard 9mm Browning Hipowers. They replied that they didn't see a market for it. I do have a few empty cases that I look at and think, "how cool is that?"

[gunfan]

Something else to consider....you could always do .30 Luger. No it won't work in a blowback, but the cartridge has been around forever. There will always be ammo available and cases. Recoil in a locked breech will probably be less than for your custom .32 NAA in a blowback.

I've long wanted something in .30 Luger but will probably never scratch the itch. Even went so far as emailing Barsto barrels suggesting a .30 barrel that would work in standard 9mm Browning Hipowers. They replied that they didn't see a market for it. I do have a few empty cases that I look at and think, "how cool is that?"

If I "did" a .30 Luger, I would probably be arrested for "committing a lewd and/or lascivious act with an inanimate object." Moving right along, I already have a Yugo M57 pistol chambered for the 7.62 x 25 cartridge (Tokarev.) If I simply wanted a "plaything" I could have a new barrel manufactured for my Yugo Model 70 chambered for the .32 ACP. (The new barrel would be chambered for the .25 NAA.) The longer barrel could generate as much as 1250 fps from the 3" barrel, churning out 173.5 ft/lbs of energy. Talk about penetration!

Scott

[9.3X62AL]

Something else to consider....you could always do .30 Luger. No it won't work in a blowback, but the cartridge has been around forever. There will always be ammo available and cases. Recoil in a locked breech will probably be less than for your custom .32 NAA in a blowback.

I've long wanted something in .30 Luger but will probably never scratch the itch. Even went so far as emailing Barsto barrels suggesting a .30 barrel that would work in standard 9mm Browning Hipowers. They replied that they didn't see a market for it. I do have a few empty cases that I look at and think, "how cool is that?"

It is VERY cool, indeed! I have a Ruger P-89X, a 9mm with swap 30 Luger barrel and recoil spring. For some real entertainment, I combine the 30 Luger barrel with the heavier 9mm recoil spring, and add enough powder under an 85 grain XTP or 93 grain #311419 to elicit 1400+ FPS.

[45 2.1]

The 30 Mauser is already out there and will surpass what you have written.

[gunfan]

The 7.62 X 25 is a marvelous cartridge, no doubt about it, handily surpassing the older .30 Mauser.

On the other hand, the .32 NAA (with a 71-grain FMJ) in a 4" barrel will reach 1250 fps and 246 fpe. (Yeah, that'll leave a mark!) In a pistol the size of an older .380 will gain sufficient penetration, regardless of the (human) target's size. This should not only accomplish any SD task, but is will harvest small game up to 175 lbs quite cleanly.

The concept/platform bears exploration.

Scott

[Mohillbilly]

The old 1903 pocket colt could be done this way too with a barrel change .After all that modell did shoot 32 ACP and 380 .

[gunfan]

The old 1903 pocket colt could be done this way too with a barrel change .After all that modell did shoot 32 ACP and 380 .

Yes. This is why a 4" barreled .380 Colt would have been superb with a new barrel manufactured to proper specifications would make a dandy .32 NAA pistol. Hunting small game could be accomplished at 25 yard ranges with consummate ease. The power generated by the cartridge is nothing short of startling. I'd be willing to bet that a 71-grain FMJ bullet would kill very quickly. This would place the .32 NAA in the .32 H&R Magnum territory.

Using a .380 case to drive a .311" bullet down a 4" barrel isn't a bad idea. Such a concept bears careful consideration.

Scott

[Angus]

A few years back I saw someone on the Hi-point forums that had turned a 995 carbine to 32 NAA. He was getting hornet velocities with a wee fmj. He reworked some internals, too. He had it shooting 1" at 25 yards pretty consistently, too.

[Bullet Caster]

Me, I want a CZ-52. I still like .30 cal. pistols. I like the 7.62x25 screaming out at 1700 fps. I think the CZ is modeled after the German MG-42 with the rollers. BC

[gunfan]

I have a Yugo M57 (in 7.62 X 25.) A dandy pistol that fires a hot .30 Caliber round that dates back to the 1930's. It's a cartridge that flat gets with the program! Many mock it, but I enjoy it!

Scott

[revolvergeek]

Sounds like a cool project. I have often thought that .30 Luger had much potential for experimentation in some of the modern polymer framed guns and would love to pick up a replacement barrel to convert a BHP or S&W 39 to it.

The .32 NAA would be very interesting in a modern Colt Hammerless, or a long barreled Berreta 70S.

[dubber123]

Velocity doesn't really do much for penetration, that has been proven many times over, check out John Linebaughs penetration tests. Bullet weight helps penetration more than anything. People aren't exactly "thick" targets anyways. Depending on Ft Lbs of energy isn't wise either, especially with the piddly amount of energy practically ANY hand held firearm produces. Isn't there a video of a deer walking away from a .50 BMG on here? LOTS of penetration, LOTS of Ft. Lbs., still didn't work. Just a thought.

[gunfan]

With small-bore, lighter weight bullets velocity frequently proves to be your best ally. The 7.62 x 25 Tokarev repeatedly proves this. The .30 Mauser works well, but the .30 Tokarev penetrates far better. This is why the Soviet Bloc used it from 1930 until quite recently.

The foregoing provides the basis for my reasoning. The .380 cartridge providing sufficient power for the .32 caliber projectile (at least Ed Sanow agrees with this.) The low-recoil, deep penetration of a 71-grain FMJ bullet at 1450 fps should cause ample trauma. Several shots in quick succession should achieve the desired results.

Scott

[dubber123]

I don't know, I ran a pistol shoot for years, and even with the comparably low stress of that, even seasoned shooters can miss relatively easy targets in broad daylight. Getting woken at 3 am in a dark bedroom, with little time to react, depending on the likely hood of getting off several perfectly placed shots to achieve your goal seems less than likely to me. Sure, a perfectly placed magazine of .22 shorts would do the job, but the best you should plan on is getting a single decently placed body cavity shot, if you are lucky enough to get that. My opinion only.