Is a .32 good carry

[Harley User]

will it be enough to stop a BG ????

[mavracer]

it will make a hole it depends where the hole is and mr BGs level of determination only one of which you have control over.
that said I've carried a Seecamp and a Walther PP at times.

[Playboypenguin]

I don't know...maybe you should ask the tens of thousands of dead Europeans that were killed with a .32 pistol.

[hoytinak]

I feel confident carrying my Seecamp .32

[Hkmp5sd]

I also feel confident with the .32 in my Beretta Tomcat. Nice pocket pistol for carry in the heat of the Florida summer.

[tplumeri]

thousands of dead Europeans that were killed with a .32 pistol

Yeah, but that was PTC.

I think my 32mag would slow down most aggressors.

[cabbynate]

My pocket pistol is a Kel-Tec PT32. It gets little use but I feel pretty good carrying it when I need to do to what I'm wearing. I once shot a car windshield in a junk yard with a Seecamp .32 at about 15 feet away and it went through the windshield and got stuck in the plywood behind the windshield I was using to hold it up. Not bad penetration....

[T. O'Heir]

Better than nothing, but no handgun round will give you a 100% guarantee of stopping anything or any body.

[jon_in_wv]

If it is what your proficient with I'd say it will work. I've always said I'm more afraid of a trained shooter with a warrior mindset and a .32 than some joker wannabe with a .45. Of course, if he is a trained shooter with a warrior mindset and a .45!?! Even better.

[Keltyke]

No one wants to get shot with ANYTHING. If size and concealment is concern, and a .32 is what you can carry, go for it. Practice, practice, practice.
Proper shot placement will make the difference. Carry a spare mag, most .32s only hold 6 rounds. A .32 between the eyes will stop the BG quicker than a .45 to the arm.

[threegun]

will it be enough to stop a BG ????

Yes. Is it as capable as larger caliber handgun rounds....no. I own the p-32 but it remains a back-up. To easy to carry a bigger caliber nowadays. Why prepare for an event thats very unlikely only to go half way?

A .32 between the eyes will stop the BG quicker than a .45 to the arm.

However a 45 hit to the bad guys arm will cause more damage than a 32 hit in the same spot. The 45 will maintain enough energy continue (for that broad side shot) into the vitals.....the 32 might.

[Keltyke]

However a 45 hit to the bad guys arm will cause more damage than a 32 hit in the same spot.

And that is why I maintain practice and shot placement is EVERYTHING.

[xrocket]

Old tired saying but defiantly applicable:

The firstest with the mostest usually wins.

Personally, I tend to think a slight modification is in order:

The first, best placed shot usually, but not always wins. I place size pretty far down the list when it comes to my personal safety.

Be armed
Be aware
Move
Seek safety
Engage first
Aim for vitals
Shoot to stop

After that short list, I guess size might matter. Although, if it does come down to size I would rather be armed with larger, faster, expanding ammunition.

[Double Naught Spy]

I don't know...maybe you should ask the tens of thousands of dead Europeans that were killed with a .32 pistol.

So since more people have been killed with a .22, it must be better for stopping bad guys?

Killing and stopping aren't the same thing and the OP may not quite understand the difference. Certainly, killed people are stopped, but the question is, "When did they stop?"

It is sort of like the difference between getting hit with a fist and with a baseball bat. Both may work to stop a person, but which do you think would be better to effecting a stop?

I am a big fan of folks carrying the largest caliber in sufficient quantity in a platform that they can conceal and shoot very well. For some, that may just be a .32. For some, it may be something bigger. With practice, most folks can carry a larger caliber and shoot is very well.

[threegun]

And that is why I maintain practice and shot placement is EVERYTHING.

Problem here is that shot placement at the range and during a gunfight are two different animals. Range targets don't move or shoot back making them much easier to hit with precision. While bigger won't make up for a bad placed shot it is capable of penetrating much deeper which could be an advantage with a moving bad guy.

[Relayer]

I'd sure carry bigger if you could/would. Not too many law enforcement agencies issue a .32 as their standard firearm. If it comes down to it, wherever I hit the BG, I'd rather hit him with something bigger, but sometimes compromises will/must be made.

Still, as mentioned previously... yes, the .32 can stop a BG.

[Double Naught Spy]

If your targets don't move, then you need to get better range targets or a better range.

Larger and more powerful calibers also give you the advantage of penetrating more layers better.

[Ala Dan]

As has been stated, "shot placement is paramount"~!

I feel very confident with my ability to place rounds from the LWS-32
to the area that I'm trying too strike~!

[B.N.Real]

Your better served with a .380 as your minimum sized caliber.

And now,just recently some 9mm's are just as small.

There's a power increase of 100% right there.

[FLA2760]

BN REAL said,"Your better served with a .380 as your minimum sized caliber.

And now,just recently some 9mm's are just as small".

A +1 to that.
Oh someone said that most .32s are 6 shot.
My Kel Tec P32 is 8+1 ( I installed the +1 on the magazine)
A second magazine is always a good idea.

[threegun]

DNS,

If your targets don't move, then you need to get better range targets or a better range.

I've shot movers in competition and they are much more difficult to hit even though their movement is predictable. Add unpredictable movement and gun fight stress levels to my list.

Ala Dan, How have you gained such confidence? You shoot unpredictable movers under life and death stress? I mean I can also hit with speed and accuracy but will that translate into such when the above is added?

[Nnobby45]

Well, not the best choice when the 9mm is availale in just as small a package with much better ballistics.

[Wayward_Son]

Don't forget about the new .327 magnum. While most of us don't even have our guns yet (I've been waiting four months now since I originally put down the $50 deposit) and ammo still isn't on the shelves, it should turn out to be a good defense cartridge. I'd really like to see S&W introduce a six-shot J frame available with two or three inch barrels in all of their steel and alloy combinations and with their various hammer choices. I think a scandium six-shot with the shrouded hammer and a three inch barrel would be a fantastic carry piece.

[Wildalaska]

Seecamps are the ultimate daily carry gun for the experienced armed civilian in normal circumstances.

WildnothingbeatsitAlaska TM

[Archie]

This response is from the viewpoint of a seasoned shooter who has a reasonable competence with firearms. It is intended for one with a reasonable knowledge and competence of firearms. It is written with the assumption we all know one cannot substitute caliber or gimmicks for ability and accuracy.

A .32 ACP autopistol is not real high on any list composed by people who carry guns for a living or constantly as a defensive tool.

The good qualities of the .32 ACP is that it is usually easy to carry with minimal concealment and - at least in the better guns - very reliable.

.32 Autos were issued to many field and upper grade German officers during the Second World War. However, they were not intended for use in fighting the enemy - as field and upper grade officer don't really do much shooting. They were primarily a badge of office and probably a means of suicide if things went really, really wrong. One also finds the bulk of people - in the tens of thousands without doubt - killed by the .32 ACP round died of infection some time after the event.

No. .32 ACP is not a 'stopping round'. It is true no handgun round is a fool proof (the fools are far too ingenious) stopping round, there are many that rate better on the scale, starting with .38 Special.

No, no one wants to get shot with one. In this context, one might use a .32 ACP in one or more of those 'no shots fired, problem resolved' events. But that doesn't work on a serious adversary or a doper looking for a score.

I would consider nothing less than heavy loaded .38 Special as a defense gun. I tend more to the .357 Magnum and .45 ACP end of things, but that does require dressing with the intent of carrying a gun.

All that having been said, I do have a Colt 1903 Pocket Pistol in .32 ACP. I have carried it from time to time, mostly on a whim. The fact is, I keep a watchful eye for problems and I've never had to pull a sidearm in that context.

Thank you, Lord.

A good .32 ACP is certainly better than a soft, brown eyed stare. If that's what you have, that's what you have. If this is your choice, I would urge you to choose again and bigger.