Problems with a P32

[Silverboolit]

I know that this is not a cast boolit topic, but here it goes. My neighbor picked up a used KelTec P32 from the pawn shop this week. We went to the range to see how it works. Worked well, no problems except that it will not hit a piece of paper at a measured 4 yards, 12 feet! He knows that it is not a target gun, but at 4 yds, it is not even a close defense weapon. He is very discouraged with it, and was wondering if it was heavy enough to do damage if he just threw it at the target.

Does anyone here have any experience with the KelTec P32 and what should the expectations be out of it?? We did clean/lube it and it functions normally. Is there anything that we could have missed??

Thanks

[Blackwater]

whole LOT better than THAT!

[Geezer in NH]

How good do you or he shoot a double action on DA??

[FergusonTO35]

What kind of ammo are you using, also what kind of sight picture. Keep moving in closer to the target until it gets on paper and then evaluate from there. I have a P32, bought it new and have probably put 2000 rounds through it. In the last few hundred rounds it suddenly started printing 4" low, previously it had always been dead on. I suspect something has changed dimensionally with the barrel and/or slide, I sent it back to Kel Tec for repair. These are great CCW pistols when they are running right, I love mine.

[AtomHeartMother]

My p32 shoots low so I do have to aim high though at the range you mentioned, mine would shoot really close to poa. I would check the barrel to slide fit at the muzzle. If you get a lot of movement there, that will make accuracy pretty eratic. I dry fire mine with snap caps a lot. It takes some practice for sure to get a smooth trigger pull without moving that front sight. Definitely try staging the trigger for accuracy, similar to shooting a revolver double action. I've only fired one box of factory loads through mine, the rest have been hand loads. Dead reliable and I can hit pretty regularly my ipsc 12x20 steel at 25 yards. At that range I have to aim for the head to hit the chest. If my technique gets sloppy I'll pull them right and I see this when I dry fire as the front sight will move right with a sloppy trigger pull. Don't dry fire without snap caps though...it'll damage the firing pin retaining pin I think it is. Don't give up on it... keltecs best pistol imho. ..

[FergusonTO35]

Might want to find some energetic European ammo such as S&B or Fiocchi and try that before you send it back to KT. Most USA .32 Auto ammo is watered down because of all the cheap guns that have been made for this cartridge over the years. I always found mine liked Fiocchi 73 grain FMJ the best. Might as well forget about any sort of hollow point rounds with this thing. This gun and cartridge simply does not have the velocity to take advantage of them.