The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old October 15, 2001, 02:08 PM   #1
swabjocky
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2001
Location: upstate sc
Posts: 384
p32 lifespan short or long

i just finished shooting my kel-tec p32 at the range using 71 gr. fmj over bullseye powder.i would like to know if this gun is capable of thousands of rounds or would shooting every once in a while be better? thanks
swabjocky is offline  
Old October 15, 2001, 02:44 PM   #2
Johnny Guest
Moderator in Memoriam
 
Join Date: August 28, 1999
Location: North Texas
Posts: 4,123
Pretty long, I think- - -

- - - But consider the type pistol it is.

General trend over at KTOG (Kel Tec Owners Group) was that la pistolita would hold up indefinitely for familiarization and proficiency practice. Couple of participants claimed upwards of two thousand rounds, which sounds like a lot of blasting for this kind of sidearm.

I don't find it a particularly pleasant handgun to plink with. You can spend a LOT of ammo and time getting to thje point where you can plink soft drink cans at 20 or 30 yards, but, really, what does it prove? Sights and power are not such as to make it a hunting piece. Sure, you can finish off a wounded animal with it, but this is usually at a range of a few feet, rather than at several yards.

I consider my P32 sort of llike a +P .25 automatic--a hide out or up-close-and-personal defense item. I believe in proficiency with any tool, of course. We were running some after-the-match drills on Saturday, and a couple of P-32s came out. I shot two mags from mine and put it away. I believe Doug fired some 20 rounds and let someone else shoot some. He characterized his as "My eight-shot Spyderco," and went on to explain that he felt the tactical niche was for just beyond arm's reach.

I will not be disappointed if my P32 works well for, say, 1200 rounds. If I average a magazine every two weeks or so, this is under 200 rounds a year. Six years without a tune-up isn't bad. And, this is NOT the only pistol I shoot.

In truth, the .32 ACP is not a particularly high pressure cartridge. If properly maintained, I see no reason the P32 wouldn't last for several thousand rounds. For whatever it's worth, two weeks ago, I ran the 50-round qualification course with mine. The S.O. rangemaster grinned, but the only comment was that I did rather better than most of the guys who do the qual with snub barrel .38s.

swabjocky, what load of Bullseye do you use? Does it function the action properly? I have a set of dies for .32 ACP but haven't used them yet.

Best,
Johnny
Johnny Guest is offline  
Old October 15, 2001, 02:55 PM   #3
WIL TERRY
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 6, 2000
Location: BLACK HILLS
Posts: 1,322
KEL-TEC'S 32

WHO KNOWS?
IT IS A BRAND NEW GUN DESIGN THAT JUST HAPPENS TO MAYBE BE THE STRONGEST 32ACP EVER MADE.
WHO CARES??
GO SHOOT THE SNOT OUT OF IT. IF YOU WEAR IT OUT I'LL AMOST BET KEL-TEC WOULD SEND YOU A NEW ONE FREE GRATIS NO CHARGE AND "IMAGINE OUR EMBARRASSMENT"
IF YOU DO WEAR IT OUT CALL ME. I WANT TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT. I'VE BEEN SHOOTING FOR 51 YEARS AS OF LAST SATURDAY AND HAVE NUMEROUS PISTOLS WITH FROM 48,000 TO 65,000 ROUNDS THROUGH THEM AND I AIN'T WORN OUT ONE YET. I HOPE I LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO WEAR OUT ONE GUN, JUST ONE LORD, THAT'S ALL I ASK FOR...
WIL TERRY is offline  
Old October 15, 2001, 06:18 PM   #4
swabjocky
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 27, 2001
Location: upstate sc
Posts: 384
p32

thanks to all.jhonny i use 2.1 gr.bullseye at 0.984 oal. it shoots great.i will heed the advice to shoot it and enjoy it. thanks swabjocky
swabjocky is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.04286 seconds with 8 queries