Kel-Tec P-32 who has it, how is it?

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Para Bellum

New member
Hi Folks!

I have a question and would be grateful for answers from people with personal experience with the Kel-Tec P-32 (http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/p32.htm):

Who has and carries a P-32 and what do you have to say about it?
Reliable?
Accurate?
Handy?

I want to buy a mouse gun for my wife and have offers for a Kel-Tec P-32 and a Wather TPH in .22lr. Don't know what to pick. I have a slight preference for the Walther TPH but don't know why...

Thanks a lot and good night,
PB
 
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CraigC

Moderator
I did a fair amount of shooting with the one I had and carried it everywhere. Accuracy was perfectly acceptable at the ranges for which it was intended. It never malfunctioned, no matter what I fed it or how much pocket lint had accumulated in it. I traded it because my neighbor wanted it and I wanted his old screw-cutting lathe. Still need to replace it with another KelTec (this time in .380) or the LCP.
 
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2002gti

New member
i've had one for a while now, havnt put too many rounds through it - maybee around 200 or so. the last time i shot it about 4 years ago i was shooting S&B and the action locked up on a fired round. i was unable to pull the slide back so i sent it in and havn't shot it since. im about ready to give it another shot though, i can say the thing was really accurate though. i can remember pretty decent accuracy out to 40 yards on the tin can range.
 
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scottycoyote

New member
i have one, its my main pocket gun and nothing but good things to say about it, no ftf/fte.....very accurate, easily put all my shots inside a head target at 7 yards. I bought the extended mag and the sideclip for mine, allows you to tuck it on ur belt.
 
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Sid

New member
Keltec P 32

I have had a Keltec P 32 since they first came out. I have put a lot of rounds through mine and I still love it. I shoot only handloads when I take it to the range for practice. This took some trial and error experimentation before I found a load that was reliable. If you would like to know the load send me an email and I will send it to you. It is also my concealed carry piece. I carry it in my right hand pants pocket without a holster. It is so light and slim it is hardly noticeable even in the summer time. For personal protection I load it with 8 Winchester SilverTips.

I have also owned the Walther .22 and was never able to get it to function reliably so I sold it.
 
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troy_mclure

New member
i have one i got this summer, already have 1900 rounds thru it. it was bulging some brass for a while then stopped.

it also starts to jam/ftf after about 350rds, but its a ccw gun, not a combat gun.

the sights are a bit difficult to get used to, but after you do its easy to shoot.
 
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IXLR8

New member
A crimson trace mounted only allows one finger around the grip with my big hands. 10 round mag allowed 2 fingers. Great otherwise.

We call it a "noisy cricket" <from Men In Black>
 
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oldwheat

New member
You might as well just use the 10 round mag. It is just as easy to conceal & gives a much better grip. I have had my P-32 for quite a while & can't fault it @ all. Always works as required.
 
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richard597

New member
I had two and sold one for no bad reason I liked them both. My wife would not part with the other one. It is her primary carry piece. No problems at the range after firing them for about two years. I know, it is not a .45, but my wife doesn't want to carry a .45. I think it is a good, yet small, gun.
 
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CWPinSC

Moderator
My wife carries one daily and loves it. It's easy to shoot and plenty accurate at SD ranges. Remember, this isn't a protracted gunfight distance weapon. It's an "up close and personal", "belly to belly", "get off me" gun. Her's has been totally reliable and I think she has over 2,000 rounds through it. It can be concealed almost anywhere. She uses the "extra round" mag extension and likes the extra rounds and grip it gives.
 
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dsk

New member
I've owned two, an early one and a recent-production one. Neither one has given me any serious issues, in fact I gave the early one to a family member for protection (previously she had a Jennings J-22, yikes!). I know I'm in the minority, but I prefer the P-32 over the .380 P-3AT or the Ruger LCP. There's one more round with the standard magazine, less recoil, it's ever so slightly smaller, and there's hardly an ounce of terminal difference between a .32 and a .380 out of such short barrel lengths anyway. I do suggest only carrying it with FMJ, however. One, I seriously doubt any .32 or .380 JHP round fired out of these short barrels will expand much, if at all. You might as well go for the added feed reliability and penetration of ball ammo. The second reason, exclusive to the .32ACP is the issue of rimlock. The .32CP is a semi-rimmed round, and if the cartridges are able to move fore and aft inside the magazine (possible with the shorter JHP rounds) you can end up with a cartridge rim slipping behind the rim of the cartridge below it. The result will be a malfunction that stops the weapon cold. Therefore I only carry mine with high-quality FMJ ammo and rotate it frequently to prevent dinged case rims.
 
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raftman

New member
When I carry, most of the time I carry the P-32. In my experience, it's a very reliable little pistol and accurate enough for its intended purpose, and with relatively mild recoil. The more I shoot it, the more I like it. I think, on the whole, it's probably a much better choice for self-defense than the Walther TPH. The Kel-Tec is thinner, smaller, lighter than the Walther, it also holds more ammo of a more potent caliber. It's also designed to prevent that whole "Walther bite" problem some tiny semi-autos (like the TPH) suffer from. It's also by far less expensive than the TPH. The Kel-Tec may lack in the fit and finish department and it takes some getting used to, but it's a great little gun.
 
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Bill DeShivs

New member
I have been carrying one every day since before they were commercially available. My wife carries one. I have a lot of guns to choose from, including 2 P3ATs.
I have never had a "rimlock" issue in over 35 years of shooting .25 acp, .32 acp, and .38 super. Rimlock almost exclusively happens when magazines are clumsily and carelessly loaded.
 
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NWCP

New member
I went with the KelTec P3AT rather than the .32. I just wanted a little more punch. They aren't anything fancy and are a handful to shoot all day, but mine at least has worked well for what it is.
 
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michael t

New member
I have 2 P-32 and Sat I bought wife a new Lady 32 Its a P-32 with silver engraving for Christmas , Her present P-32 will be given to our oldest daughter I have a P-3AT also but 32 finds way in to my pocket a lot

All the KelTecs have been great right from the box
 
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dsk

New member
PB,

If you get a Kel-Tec be sure to get one of the new ones. They can easily be identified from the older ones because they have a visible flat extractor spring held on by a button-head Allen screw. The older ones had an internal coil spring, and the extractor is held in by a conventional roll pin. While there's nothing wrong with most of the older ones (my older one has worked well), some of them had numerous QC issues. Your safest bet is to make sure you get a brand-new one of recent manufacture to be sure you've got one with all of the bugs worked out.
 
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