My Alternate Carry Gun; Kel-Tec P32

[traditional50s]

I have one and have carried it for many years, maybe 12 or so, my Dad got one, carried the same, I thought I'd go "big" and get the .380 version but its too snappy, the 32 is just right and I am never without it. Great guns.

 

[Valmet]

I owned one years ago for occasional deep cc. Was finnicky with some JHPs but I regularly carried Fiocchi FMJs as they tend to be slightly warmer than other FMJs. Ran 100% with those Fiocchis. Kinda wish I’d kept it.

 

[boykinlp]

I like the Kel-tec too. Mine is the P3AT, and set up a little different. The laser is nice, and works well.
Larry

 

[stu1ritter]

I've had my P32 for quite a few years as it is a great pocket carry. You almost forget it is there. I have a laser and small boot grip on mine and as most folks do, empty a few magazines full at the range every other week or so. The recoil with Fiocchi loads is noticeably stronger than other manufacturers and that becomes the carry ammo. Very pleasant to shoot, just be careful about trigger finger placement as it can pinch a bit.

Stu

 

[BC38]

I've had my P32 for quite a few years as it is a great pocket carry. You almost forget it is there. I have a laser and small boot grip on mine and as most folks do, empty a few magazines full at the range every other week or so. The recoil with Fiocchi loads is noticeably stronger than other manufacturers and that becomes the carry ammo. Very pleasant to shoot, just be careful about trigger finger placement as it can pinch a bit.

Stu

Just curious but could the laser trigger-guard attachment be part of the "finger pinching" issue?
I only ask because I don't have the laser on either my P32 or my P3AT and I also haven't experienced that kind of issue at all.

 

[Pointblank2U]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrLcxqWsM94"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrLcxqWsM94[/ame]

 

[Muss Muggins]

Very interesting and concerning.

I was working for the Yankee Gov’t back in the day and had an assignment in Salt Lake City. Spurs were playing the Jazz that weekend. The assignment had nothing to do with the NBA. Bar we met at was a hip hop club after 9 pm. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were there. Went thru security with a P32 in a wallet holster. Met my Marshal partner on the 4th floor. “Was your search as ineffective as mine?”

“Yes”

 

[stu1ritter]

Just curious but could the laser trigger-guard attachment be part of the "finger pinching" issue?
I only ask because I don't have the laser on either my P32 or my P3AT and I also haven't experienced that kind of issue at all.

I think you are probably correct now that I look at it carefully. I've also had the laser on the gun for years and forget how it was before I installed it.

thanks,

Stu

 

[Abbynormal]

Had friends with .32 and .380 Keltek's. Decent enuf gun, but the trigger pulls were like a mile past anything else I'd ever shot before. You just keep pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger further back than anything else I've ever shot, pulled some more and the damn thing finally went off.

Too long of trigger pull, a little heavy too. Decent accuracy after you figured out where the trigger break was.

Would never buy one. My friends sold all of their's quickly after buying.

 

[hardknocks]

First gens

The first gens have different extractors.
My current P32s

 

[BC38]

I was working for the Yankee Gov’t back in the day and had an assignment in Salt Lake City. Spurs were playing the Jazz that weekend. The assignment had nothing to do with the NBA. Bar we met at was a hip hop club after 9 pm. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were there. Went thru security with a P32 in a wallet holster. Met my Marshal partner on the 4th floor. “Was your search as ineffective as mine?”

“Yes”

So your point would be... what?
That if you carry a P32 in your pocket you have a better chance of getting it past security when entering venues that prohibit concealed carry?
Just askin' for clarity.
If that's the point, then that seems like a pretty good endorsement of the little P32 when deep concealment is the order of the day.
From your anecdote I would have to conclude that a .32 in your pocket is always better than nothing...

 

[Muss Muggins]

Take my point for what you think it might be. I’m not here to offer advice. I just provide anecdotal statements which may or may not be true and may or may not be relevant to real world scenarios. You . . . ?

So your point would be... what?
That if you carry a P32 in your pocket you have a better chance of getting it past security when entering venues that prohibit concealed carry?
Just askin' for clarity.
If that's the point, then that seems like a pretty good endorsement of the little P32 when deep concealment is the order of the day.
From that I would conclude that a .32 in you pocket is always better than nothing...

 

[BC38]

Had friends with .32 and .380 Keltek's. Decent enuf gun, but the trigger pulls were like a mile past anything else I'd ever shot before. You just keep pulling the trigger, pulling the trigger further back than anything else I've ever shot, pulled some more and the damn thing finally went off.

Too long of trigger pull, a little heavy too. Decent accuracy after you figured out where the trigger break was.

Would never buy one. My friends sold all of their's quickly after buying.

I have to concede the point that the first trigger pull is L-O-N-G, and fairly heavy.
However, the reset is quite a bit shorter for the second shot - at least it is for my P32 and P3AT.
While some might see that LONG trigger pull for the first shot as a "problem", I see it as a more of a "safety feature" - a positive rather than a negative.
From my perspective, for pocket a gun with no safety, the longer, heavier trigger pull for that first shot is a good thing.
Though I'll admit it does require making an adjustment.
As always, YMMV.

 

[TJm15.38]

.32 ACP is Pretty Good Too - YouTube

Great video; I learned a lot. What it tells me is that I need to forget the hollow points and go with FMJ in the .32 ACP.

 

[BC38]

Take my point for what you think it might be. I’m not here to offer advice. I just provide anecdotal statements which may or may not be true and may or may not be relevant to real world scenarios. You . . . ?

Anecdotal experience, observations, and research - and the conclusions/opinions drawn from same....

 

[BC38]

Great video; I learned a lot. What it tells me is that I need to forget the hollow points and go with FMJ in the .32 ACP.

That is pretty much what I came away with too.
Same for the .380
Don't rely on HP's to expand. From a short barrel the veilocity just isn't there. OTOH, in the worst case, they are the equivalent of a RNFP bullet of the same weight.
FWIW, I like solid RNFP for both calibers. They have the penetration of an FMJ with the added benefit of a sharp-edged meplat. That will generally do more damage than a plain RN that can slip & slide its way through tissue while doing very little damage. The sharp edge created by a flat nose (FP) has been shown to punch more of a hole and do more damage.
Short of a CNS hit, causing as much rapid blood loss as possible is your next best bet - and a standard RN FMJ doesn't do that as well as a RNFP from what I have seen in my research on the subject.
For my "mouse guns" I alternate rounds of the heaviest RNFP and HP ammo that I can get. That strategy seems to me like the best compromise approach that would yield the best odds of optimal performance benefits from both FMJ and HP ammo.
But to get that "best of both worlds" requires practicing the art of double tapping until it is second nature.
Just one man's thoughts, and as always YMMV.

 

[BC38]

The first gens have different extractors.
My current P32s

So are yours later generation? The first gen had the crude-looking flat spring-steel extractor secured with a cap screw at the rear, right?