Is a .32 good carry - Page 2

velocette · July 6, 2008, 08:04 PM

I'd rather resist with a .32 than beg for mercy with a mournful cry.

My Seecamp is an always pistol. Its almost always in my back pocket. At home, at work, at play. The only time it is not there is when I am carrying something larger, or if I am 60 feet underwater taking pictures.

Roger

Phlip · July 7, 2008, 03:26 AM

I carry an H&K USP45 and a Glock 27 along with some other tools at work. When not wearing polyester, I carry a Keltec P32. I'm happy with a 32 but I do pay attention to what is around me and I generally avoid the kind of places where bad things tend to happen so hopefully, I'll never need to use it.

threegun · July 7, 2008, 06:11 AM

Quote:

I'm happy with a 32 but I do pay attention to what is around me and I generally avoid the kind of places where bad things tend to happen so hopefully, I'll never need to use it.

Situational awareness should be #1 on everyone's list regardless of caliber carried. Still it doesn't make up for the 32's lack of penetration.

obxned · July 7, 2008, 10:47 AM

The .32 is not my first choice in an ultra-concealable gun, but if it was the only choice in the size and model I wanted to carry, I certainly would.

It is not a 'one shot stoppper', but you weren't planning on quitting after firing only once.

CSG · July 7, 2008, 11:47 AM

Regardless of internet commando bravado and advice, my two cents is a firearm loaded with the right .32 ammo is quite deadly in the hands of a calm and collected shooter. Would that be you under duress? Also, most .32 CCW pistols are quite small and not everyone shoots them well. Would the .32 you propose to carry be one you could present and shoot well quickly?

I don't own a .32 but I do own a Beretta 950 .25 that I have carried often in my front pocket. I shoot it very well and it holds a total of nine rounds. While I feel underarmed compared to carrying one of my 9mm's, .45's, or S&W 442, there are times when those won't be appropriate for my dress or location.

If you live in the big city or areas where you feel more vulnerable, something like a Kahr PM 9 *might* be a better choice.

Research the ammo choices and you'll be able to make a more intelligent decision IMO.

Nnobby45 · July 7, 2008, 05:45 PM

Quote:

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

Don't know if a gun without sights can be called the ultimate for daily carry--except as backup.

Where the .32 is concerned, it was the Winchester ST that elevated it's ballistics to respectable. For a while, all Seacamps were built specifically to reliably feed that round, as well as the Glaser. Don't know what they're doing these days with all the new ammo developments.

And there's the Rohrbaugh R9 in 9mm, billed as the world's lightest and smallest 9mm. Probably not much different in size than the .32 Seacamp.

Don't know about the Seacamp, but the R9 Rohrbaugh is unpleasant to shoot and rough on the hand. Not an issue for a BUG, but would tend to discourage practice if a primary CCW.

alistaire · July 7, 2008, 05:52 PM

It's better than a sharp stick, and who carries a sharp stick???

Remember a handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have put down.

Wildalaska · July 7, 2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Don't know if a gun without sights can be called the ultimate for daily carry--except as backup.

For the average armed citizen, what do you need sights for?

Quote:

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.

Folks who carry guns for a living (ie Police) need more than a .32....there are many of us civilains here who constantly carry a firearm as a defensive tool and the Seecamp .32 is quite popular.

WildwhatdoyouhaveinoyurpocketrightnowAlaska ™

2cooltoolz · July 7, 2008, 07:15 PM

Just came in from the grocery store and the answer to
WildwhatdoyouhaveinoyurpocketrightnowAlaska
is a Seecamp .32. I feel more protected with my PM9 but the Seecamp carries easy.

Playboypenguin · July 7, 2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

And there's the Rohrbaugh R9 in 9mm, billed as the world's lightest and smallest 9mm. Probably not much different in size than the .32 Seacamp.

There is actually quite a bit of difference. I own both.

CSG · July 7, 2008, 07:35 PM

I love those miniature Seecamp and NAA .32's but I can only get one finger on the grip of the NAA and my personal rule is a minimum of two. Haven't had a chance to handle the Seecamp.

threegun · July 7, 2008, 09:03 PM

Quote:

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

Says you. My ultimate daily carry gun is a glock 23. Experience tells me that more penetration will be useful if I every need to use my carry gun. The seecamp and keltec micro guns do make fine BACKUP GUNS though.

Wildalaska · July 7, 2008, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Experience tells me that more penetration will be useful if I every need to use my carry gun.

Experience tells me I'll never need to pull the trigger

WildandifidotheseecampwillgiveanowietoitstargetAlaska TM

David Armstrong · July 8, 2008, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Says you. My ultimate daily carry gun is a glock 23. Experience tells me that more penetration will be useful if I every need to use my carry gun.

Perhaps you would care to regale us with just what this "experience" consists of?

For the OP...yes, the .32 will do just fine. It has in the past, it will right now, and it will in the future. Caliber has consistently been shown to be the least important factor in self-defense for the CCW world. Any caliber will do if you do your part, no caliber will do if you don't do your part.

Snackycake · July 8, 2008, 01:37 AM

A lot of fellows who begin to carry concealed (whether off-duty LEO or civilian) often carry a big gun for a year, or two, or three. But a lot of them (maybe most of them?) Eventually find it a pain to carry a big gun and either

A. Carry no gun some of the time (Gasp, admit it, you've done it too!)

or

B. Buy a smaller gun that they would never tell their buddies about but they carry anyway.

Sure, a .32 is a bit of a pipsqueek but so are most handgun loads really (compared to a REAL stopper like a 7.62 rifle round). Better a .32 or a .25...or even a .22 lr than nothing at all.

First rule of the gunfight, ladies and gentlemen?

That's right: Bring a gun.

Get a .32 or whatever, carry it and then get a bigger, better gun, and carry it as much as you can.

(I carry a full sized gun almost every day, for what it is worth)

threegun · July 8, 2008, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Experience tells me I'll never need to pull the trigger

Still you carry Wild, why?

Quote:

Perhaps you would care to regale us with just what this "experience" consists of?

Tons of reading and listening to what experts say is needed to stop a determined threat. That includes a medical examiner (friend) who has looked from the inside at different bullet wounds, hospital workers who treat different bullet wounded patients, and bullet weights & velocities. All suggest that smaller caliber hits are not as incapacitating as larger caliber hits.

See David you prefer to play the odds and thats ok. Odds are you'll never even need a gun and even longer odds as Wild put it "never need to pull the trigger". I prefer to put every tool in my box that I can possibly fit before trouble hits no matter how much more rare the need be.

Let me ask you a direct question David. If you could only carry a handgun (since we can't conceal a rifle) & (a handgun that can be easily concealed) what caliber would it be if you knew a gun battle was coming and you couldn't avoid it? I know you won't answer the question because I've asked it of you many times without a direct answer. I know part of the answer anyway, it won't be a 22/25/32/380.

You prepare for a gun fight by carrying and training only to carry a caliber you would never choose when the awful time comes of ever really needing it. I refuse to do so. To each his own.

And please don't act as though you are the only one who studies this issue. You have a history of....looking down your nose posts...to many TFL members with whom you disagree.

mpage · July 8, 2008, 06:39 AM

Real-life street experience shows the .32 to be a poor defensive round. It just flat out doesn't do the job. I thought this was well-known.

A Skorpion maybe, but not a pistol. If I had to rely on a .32 I'd load it with ball ammo; in self-defense I'd empty the mag.

I know a guy who shot an assailant in the eye with a Seecamp; I don't know the specifics, but it didn't do much.

xrocket · July 8, 2008, 06:54 AM

It's apparent that badgering is not limited to badgers.

flyby · July 8, 2008, 08:00 AM

Quote:

I know a guy who shot an assailant in the eye with a Seecamp; I don't know the specifics, but it didn't do much.

Lexan shades?

mpage · July 8, 2008, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Lexan shades?

More like beer goggles, from what I understand. That and God knows what else he was high on.

Hard Ball · July 8, 2008, 09:48 AM

I cab see a role for most cartridges but noy for the .32ACO and the .25ACP.

Snackycake · July 8, 2008, 09:52 AM

It is true if you look at the numbers the .32 is a pretty weak sister, but on an anecdotal basis it doesn't mean much. I know of two individuals who were shot very nicely with a good 9mm round and kept right on going (one in the forehead--he fell down, but got back up and staggered around).
And before all the .45 worshippers gloat too much...was it just last year that the guy in Texas went postal and shot his girlfriend 6 or 7 times with a Government model? They were good 185 grain JHP's, and good hits, and up until the last shot through the running lights she was still running around nicely...and she weighed less than 100 lbs.

Handgun rounds of all kinds do not provide reliable anything.

If you can't win the fight after shooting someone 5 times through the chest with a .32 then you will feel silly, but a lot less silly than the guy who beats his chest and carries a manly gun...except this one time because it is a pain in the ass and he left it at home and got his mail handed to him by some crack whore with a razor blade and-gosh-he-really-wished-he-had-brought-at-least-a-.22-because-boy-this-sucks-having-a-really-really-cool-gun-back-at-home-on-his-dresser-but-not-here-where-he-needs-it---ouch!

Wildalaska · July 8, 2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Still you carry Wild, why?

It matches my headborne lightning rod

WildicarryfordogprotectionAlaska TM

Wildalaska · July 8, 2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

got his mail handed to him by some crack whore with a razor blade and-gosh-he-really-wished-he-had-brought-at-least-a-.22-because-boy-this-sucks-having-a-really-really-cool-gun-back-at-home-on-his-dresser-but-not-here-where-he-needs-it---ouch!

Thats the perfect example you know why....
It illustrates that one must look for trouble.
Crack whores aren't running around the shopping malls with razor blades.

They are hanging around seedy areas. Why are YOU there.?

No one here says you SHOULDNT carry a bigger gun...I do at times. But, for the average experienced armed citizen living in a low crime area it is quite acceptable.
Its not Hobbesian out there, unless you live in Detroit or Wash DC

WildgetagripboysAlaska TM

threegun · July 8, 2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

I know a guy who shot an assailant in the eye with a Seecamp; I don't know the specifics, but it didn't do much.

Definitely an angle issue. Even the puny 22/25 will easily penetrate enough to kill through the eye if the angle is correct.

I just helped a customer who was car jacked and shot. She took to rounds to the head from to different guns both sub calibers a 22 and a 25. One hit her right eye (now glass) and the other went into her skull causing a huge indention at the top of her head were the hairline starts (she forced me to feel the depression

). She was indeed incapacitated immediately however after 3 brain surgery's she's fully recovered minus the eye.

July 6, 2008, 08:04 PM	#26
velocette Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2007 Location: South Florida Posts: 924	I'd rather resist with a .32 than beg for mercy with a mournful cry. My Seecamp is an always pistol. Its almost always in my back pocket. At home, at work, at play. The only time it is not there is when I am carrying something larger, or if I am 60 feet underwater taking pictures. Roger __________________ Trigger control + Breath control + Sight alignment = Gun Control. http://www.hrpclub.info/ NRA Smallbore Prone Master, High Power Master

July 7, 2008, 10:47 AM	#29
obxned Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2007 Location: OBX, NC Posts: 1,128	The .32 is not my first choice in an ultra-concealable gun, but if it was the only choice in the size and model I wanted to carry, I certainly would. It is not a 'one shot stoppper', but you weren't planning on quitting after firing only once. __________________ “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.” Ronald Reagan I'm a proud member of a North Carolina *Committee of Safety*

July 7, 2008, 07:15 PM	#34
2cooltoolz Senior Member Join Date: September 17, 2007 Location: Lake Conroe, Texas Posts: 1,059	Just came in from the grocery store and the answer to WildwhatdoyouhaveinoyurpocketrightnowAlaska is a Seecamp .32. I feel more protected with my PM9 but the Seecamp carries easy. __________________ What me worry

July 8, 2008, 01:37 AM	#40
Snackycake Junior Member Join Date: June 30, 2008 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 11	Give it a few years... A lot of fellows who begin to carry concealed (whether off-duty LEO or civilian) often carry a big gun for a year, or two, or three. But a lot of them (maybe most of them?) Eventually find it a pain to carry a big gun and either A. Carry no gun some of the time (Gasp, admit it, you've done it too!) or B. Buy a smaller gun that they would never tell their buddies about but they carry anyway. Sure, a .32 is a bit of a pipsqueek but so are most handgun loads really (compared to a REAL stopper like a 7.62 rifle round). Better a .32 or a .25...or even a .22 lr than nothing at all. First rule of the gunfight, ladies and gentlemen? That's right: Bring a gun. Get a .32 or whatever, carry it and then get a bigger, better gun, and carry it as much as you can. (I carry a full sized gun almost every day, for what it is worth)

July 8, 2008, 06:54 AM	#43
xrocket Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2007 Posts: 549	It's apparent that badgering is not limited to badgers. __________________ If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything. My stand begins with "WE THE PEOPLE" ...

July 7, 2008, 03:26 AM	#27
Phlip Member Join Date: March 16, 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 36	I carry an H&K USP45 and a Glock 27 along with some other tools at work. When not wearing polyester, I carry a Keltec P32. I'm happy with a 32 but I do pay attention to what is around me and I generally avoid the kind of places where bad things tend to happen so hopefully, I'll never need to use it.

July 7, 2008, 11:47 AM	#30
CSG Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 1999 Location: Out West Posts: 176	Regardless of internet commando bravado and advice, my two cents is a firearm loaded with the right .32 ammo is quite deadly in the hands of a calm and collected shooter. Would that be you under duress? Also, most .32 CCW pistols are quite small and not everyone shoots them well. Would the .32 you propose to carry be one you could present and shoot well quickly? I don't own a .32 but I do own a Beretta 950 .25 that I have carried often in my front pocket. I shoot it very well and it holds a total of nine rounds. While I feel underarmed compared to carrying one of my 9mm's, .45's, or S&W 442, there are times when those won't be appropriate for my dress or location. If you live in the big city or areas where you feel more vulnerable, something like a Kahr PM 9 might be a better choice. Research the ammo choices and you'll be able to make a more intelligent decision IMO.

July 7, 2008, 05:52 PM	#32
alistaire Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2008 Posts: 191	It's better than a sharp stick, and who carries a sharp stick??? Remember a handgun is what you use to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have put down.

July 7, 2008, 07:35 PM	#36
CSG Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 1999 Location: Out West Posts: 176	I love those miniature Seecamp and NAA .32's but I can only get one finger on the grip of the NAA and my personal rule is a minimum of two. Haven't had a chance to handle the Seecamp.

July 8, 2008, 06:39 AM	#42
mpage Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2006 Posts: 170	Real-life street experience shows the .32 to be a poor defensive round. It just flat out doesn't do the job. I thought this was well-known. A Skorpion maybe, but not a pistol. If I had to rely on a .32 I'd load it with ball ammo; in self-defense I'd empty the mag. I know a guy who shot an assailant in the eye with a Seecamp; I don't know the specifics, but it didn't do much.

July 8, 2008, 09:48 AM	#46
Hard Ball Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 1999 Location: California Posts: 3,925	I cab see a role for most cartridges but noy for the .32ACO and the .25ACP. __________________ "I swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemeis domestic or foreign WHOMSOEVER."

July 8, 2008, 09:52 AM	#47
Snackycake Junior Member Join Date: June 30, 2008 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 11	Not to disagree... It is true if you look at the numbers the .32 is a pretty weak sister, but on an anecdotal basis it doesn't mean much. I know of two individuals who were shot very nicely with a good 9mm round and kept right on going (one in the forehead--he fell down, but got back up and staggered around). And before all the .45 worshippers gloat too much...was it just last year that the guy in Texas went postal and shot his girlfriend 6 or 7 times with a Government model? They were good 185 grain JHP's, and good hits, and up until the last shot through the running lights she was still running around nicely...and she weighed less than 100 lbs. Handgun rounds of all kinds do not provide reliable anything. If you can't win the fight after shooting someone 5 times through the chest with a .32 then you will feel silly, but a lot less silly than the guy who beats his chest and carries a manly gun...except this one time because it is a pain in the ass and he left it at home and got his mail handed to him by some crack whore with a razor blade and-gosh-he-really-wished-he-had-brought-at-least-a-.22-because-boy-this-sucks-having-a-really-really-cool-gun-back-at-home-on-his-dresser-but-not-here-where-he-needs-it---ouch!