Kel-Tec P32 review.

[Captain O]

I have been eying a Kel Tec P32 for the sake of having a "disappear on my person pocket pistol" handgun. While not the greatest "carry" piece, at a range of between 5 and 7 feet, the humble .32 ACP beats a .22 lr or 25 ACP hands down!

Does anyone have any opinions on these little handguns?

[Electrod47]

I'v got the .380 which is my 95% carry piece. Bought the time I decided I wanted a Keltec .32 (Few years ago they were everywhere.) Now they are nowhere around here. Saw one a year ago and price was marked up ridiculous. Still want one.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Carried mine Sunday.
Loaded with my newly acquired Accurate mold 31-090B with 1.7 grains Bullseye.
That little gun will drive that little boolit through a row of 5 1-gallon water jugs.
Slide holds open on empty magazine.
Spare magazine is so small it can also disappear in a pocket.
If you’re ok with 32acp and little guns, it’ll do what you ask.
Just realize it’s a close range gun. The sights are not up to the task even if the rest of the gun is.
The trigger pull is long enough and stiff enough I don’t feel the need use a pocket holster. Pocket carry is fine for me.

I prefer it to my LCP. The LCP drops it’s magazine in my pocket. Oddly the Keltek doesn’t. Also I shoot the 32 just a little better than the 380 out of those tiny poppers.

[Outpost75]

Very glad to hear that 31-090B feeds in your Keltec.

Alot of people have asked me that question and now we have the answer!.

I use 2 grains of TiteGroup in my M1935 Beretta for 900 fps as a full charge load.

Same gives 820 fps in the Beretta Tomcat. Pushing the envelope for that gun.

1.7 of Bullseye gave 640 fps in Tomcat, easy on the gun.
2 grains gave 729 fps, see how Bullseye peaks quickly with small increase.
2.2 grains gave 766 fps in the Tomcat. Full Stop. Not to be exceeded.

[RJM52]

Have owned at least one ever since they came out... Have had close to 10 but having more than one at a time some friend was always asking to buy one off me...and I would cave in...and then find another.

To me they are the finest deep cover carry gun ever made. With the pocket clip in place it is really easy to clip it to ones underwear right under ones zipper. It is one place some people are very hesitant to search and if taken prisoner one can always ask to go to the bathroom...

Got to shoot several pocket autos at the same time before buying the Keltec .32....of all the tiny .32s and .380s these had the lowest recoil, most ergonomic and easy to shoot. Most .32s and .380s are blowback action. The Keltec being locked breech has less recoil than the NAA or Seecamp in .32 and all .380s...

Second favorite of the small guns is the Kahr P380...but it will not go places that the Kelec will...

Bob

[Finster101]

Have carried a P-32 so long I don't remember when I got it. Mine is kinda ugly now from all the pocket sweat and in general not being cared for the way I do my Smiths and Colts and that is the whole point of having one. It goes bang every time even when full of pocket lint and the same mag of ammo that has been in it for a year. I bought a spring for the .380 and that tames the recoil even more. I would recommend them to anyone thinking about one. I much prefer the .32 over the .380 having shot them both.

[FergusonTO35]

P-32 was my first carry gun ever and I still carry it alot in the summer. I shoot mine really well considering it's a tiny pistol with almost no sights and DAO trigger. I currently have two of them. One eats factory FMJ, the other gets the Accurate 31-75-RF over 1.9 grains Titewad (not Titegroup) for a very accurate and easy to shoot 825 fps. A word of warning: wide nose slugs will activate the slide hold open early. I removed it completely on my lead boolits pistol, all you have to do is file down the little nub that engages the mag follower. If I could only have one CCW gun it would be the P-32. What's funny is I can't shoot an LCP worth anything, even though it's basically a .380 caliber P-32. I think it's because the trigger pull is different and has a ton of overtravel after it breaks. I have a P-32 in my pocket as I type this!

[Soundguy]

My hot weather daily carry is a P32 with an extended grip magazine in a belly band holster. It's a good working gun.. and I'm not concerned if it gets sweated on. I love mine.

[dogrunner]

Carried mine Sunday.
Loaded with my newly acquired Accurate mold 31-090B with 1.7 grains Bullseye.
That little gun will drive that little boolit through a row of 5 1-gallon water jugs.
Slide holds open on empty magazine.
Spare magazine is so small it can also disappear in a pocket.
If you’re ok with 32acp and little guns, it’ll do what you ask.
Just realize it’s a close range gun. The sights are not up to the task even if the rest of the gun is.
The trigger pull is long enough and stiff enough I don’t feel the need use a pocket holster. Pocket carry is fine for me.

I prefer it to my LCP. The LCP drops it’s magazine in my pocket. Oddly the Keltek doesn’t. Also I shoot the 32 just a little better than the 380 out of those tiny poppers.

Mine's the 3AT..............beat up & gifted to me......took it to KT and they redid the thing completely....slide/bbl/internals, for next to nothing..........put a dab of florescent orange on what goes for a front sight and the thing'l shoot to the point of aim at any reasonable distance. Also had the mag drop so I shaved the ejector face off and that cured the issue. In my opinion there's not enough difference t'ween the .32 & 380 to warrant discussion....the .32 does carry one more round tho and the fella that gave me my gun was an ex leo partner who lived by the creedo that you can never have enough ammo.............he replaced my .380 with the .32 version............only real concern I have ever had with the .32 is that you can experience rim lock.

& meant to say that my gun rides in my right hand pocket via the clip..........lots less bulk than any pocket holster I've ever used and I know of no one playing quick draw with one of these things............sometimes less is best.

[Soundguy]

I have the p3at as well. It lives in an open top non nfa holster that prints like a wallet. I honestly prefer the p32 with the extended grip since it holds 9 rounds. At this point between 32acp and .380... It's more a shot placement issue than raw power.

So far never a rim lock for me.

[FergusonTO35]

Some brands of .32 rimlock worse than others. Never had a problem with decent European ammo including S&B, Fiocchi, RWS, and Geco. I've never had a problem with it in reloads as long as the OAL was at least .940 or so. 'Nother big plus for the P-32: even compared to other carry guns this thing absolutely disappears. In my usual work pants there is no printing whatsoever, not even a wallet shaped bulge. Good choice for places where it's legal to carry but not allowed by the property owners, which is not a criminal offense here.

I've decided to make the P-32 my standard summer carry. I shoot it well, both my examples are very accurate and reliable, and it is dirt cheap to reload for. Kel-Tec customer service is really good and you can buy parts on their website for very low prices.

[kaiser]

I’ve owned the Keltec .380 version, but prefer the.32. You don’t need more expensive “hollow point” ammo to make it more lethal; for 71gr FMJ bullets in a .32 will penetrate as far and create as big of wound channel as most .380 rounds at close range (at least in “jell”). I use 2.2 gr of Bullseye, which is my favorite load; more rounds and less recoil in a “bantam” weight pistol makes “deep concealment” a nonissue. The only thing I do not like about the cartridge is at reloading time where bullet seating is a PIA.

[billmc2]

How do you guys hold the P-32 to shoot it?

I had intended to buy one, thought it would be good for around the house when not wearing street clothes. Went to the gun store and then handled one. It was so small that my trigger finger went all the way to the second knuckle and it didn't sit straight in my hand, similar to the problem I had with the original LCP; so I passed on it. Listening to all of you that really like it makes me think I was doing something wrong.

[dverna]

How do you guys hold the P-32 to shoot it?

I had intended to buy one, thought it would be good for around the house when not wearing street clothes. Went to the gun store and then handled one. It was so small that my trigger finger went all the way to the second knuckle and it didn't sit straight in my hand, similar to the problem I had with the original LCP; so I passed on it. Listening to all of you that really like it makes me think I was doing something wrong.

Never used one but did have a Seecamp for a while. I could never shoot it well, so I sold it.

I do not want to learn a different way to hold a gun that I will depend on for SD. After going through a few different "small" guns, I ended up with a Kahr CW 9mm and it works well. It weighs about 16 oz empty so twice the weight of the P32, but it is easy to carry. I am 220 lbs and do not need an itty bitty gun for it to be comfortable.

I never liked pocket carry. I carry stuff in my pockets plus I found the guns printed. I also found them slow to draw. That may be me and my lack of training with them or poor holsters.

Having a 9mm was worth the added bulk and that factored into it. Not saying a .32 or .380 is inadequate as lots of folks have died from them. But if I needed a larger gun to shoot accurately, I figured why not step to the 9mm.

Something like a P32 is not expensive and if you want something small my advice is to go for it and try it out. After putting a thousand rounds through it you will know. You can always sell it and get most of your money back. You might lose $100 on the gun and that is not a big deal. If the gun works, you lose nothing.

[FergusonTO35]

I guess I'm lucky, as I have big hands and hold the P-32 the same way as all my other pistols. I'm kind of a weirdo as I prefer grips on the small side for handguns.

[kaiser]

Holding the "little" Keltec is akin to shaking hands with a "dainty" lady. You needn't squeeze hard for she doesn't bite much! An extended magazine helps a great deal in providing a better hold on the pistol. Increasing your grip with your "off hand" to oppose the long trigger pull will also help keep the sights aligned. I can't claim any sterling accuracy, but it's plenty good for 7 yards or so. My wife likes the Crimson Trace laser attachment that takes the guesswork out of where the, non-existing, sights are pointing. The .32 Keltec has thus far been one of the most reliable autoloaders I've owned; however, mine is a "one trick pony" that will operate with any factory load, but only shoots accurately with its favorite.

[FergusonTO35]

I don't use my pinky to grip any handgun, which probably helps.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Outpost75,
Yep 31-090B feds fine in the Keltec like they were made for each other.
Perfect fit. Smooth loading the magazine but no room for rim-lock.
Great boolit design Sir. Thanks!

[shooting on a shoestring]

Oh yeah, the pic…

[pipehand]

I'vw had a P-32 for a long time, and even used it in the pocket gun class we had in our local IDPA matches. I may be the only one that has 4 magazines for his-only because of the matches.

It did have an extractor malfunction, and was shipped back to KT. They replaced the whole slide. It works fine now.

I have dies and a mold, but the 32acp is the one centerfire cartridge I have a gun for that I have not reloaded for .

Currently I am more apt to carry a Ruger LCP, mostly because it was my Dad's. The 32 is actually easier to shoot.