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I just bought a Keltec P32, 32 acp pocket pistol for a price too cheap to pass up. Mainly for deep concealment situations, and as a backup to my regular carry gun. This is my first 32 acp, so I've been reading about the best choices for SD ammo. It seems most recommended FMJ in these tiny guns to ensure adequate penetration. Just wondering if there is any HP ammo that will reliably expand a bit and still get 12-14 of penetration in ballistic gel. From the videos I've watched most HP fail to expand at all and barely hit 10-12 inches of penetration.
Trying to think of a better solution, I remembered I had a Ranch Dog mold for the 380 acp that followed his WFN design of his other molds, and sure enough, he did design a 75 gr bullet for the 32 acp. That could well be the best option for a SD bullet. I'm not sure I want to fumble around trying to reload these tiny cases though.
I would not use HP's. If you have to shoot through an arm to hit the vitals a 32 HP ain't gonna do it. I would not trust shooting Jello unless they have several layers of cloth and a large bone to shoot through. Angles change really fast and shots in those kinds of situations are not stationary. The two things I want is reliability and penetration. I want adequate penetration from the worst possible angles.
Hi Ted. I have no personal experience (thank goodness) with them, but I have heard good things about Hornady's "Critical Defense" ammunition. I often carry with it, but in larger rounds.
I hadn't considered it, but that would be an advantage of the fixed barrel 32's and 380's. Many of the current bug guns are locked breech and can be pushed out of battery.
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As unpleasant as it sounds, the anatomic and ballistic reality of the sub-38/9mm rounds is that a mouth or nose shot is probably what would be needed to quickly incapacitate an aggressor. That's presuming you are staying midline and angling slightly upwards, which might not be the easiest thing to accomplish during an altercation. Even attempting to just punch someone in the face is likely to result in that punch being pushed aside if they have good reflexes, and so getting a firearm to that position may be difficult.
But I've heard others who have experience or knowledge of such things say that a solid-point is better than a hollow-point in that it is less likely to be stopped by clothing. Makes sense. Dunno if 'filling' the hollow-point with a plastic blob counteracts that or not, but lots of ammunition makers do that.
Whatever you decide to use, I think I'd try shooting a few rounds at an old coat or something, put over a pillow or bale of straw (or splurge on some ballistic gel), to see just what happens to the bullet, and how far it penetrates.
Fortunately I am 'lanky' in build, dress sloppily, and live in a state and area where CCW is assumed, so carrying a full-size 'duty' pistol is the easy answer.
It's 2025 - "Cutesy Time is OVER....!" [Dan Bongino]
AJMD429 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 12, 2026 9:59 am
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As unpleasant as it sounds, the anatomic and ballistic reality of the sub-38/9mm rounds is that a mouth or nose shot is probably what would be needed to quickly incapacitate an aggressor.
There’s a great deal of truth in this statement. A smart man might train for this very thing.
I just saw that Buffalo Bore offers a 75 gr. hard cast FN load advertised at 1150 fps. That may well be the best option here. This is what Tim says about it.
"This 32 ACP+P ammo will better all American made 32 ACP+P ammo by 110 fps to 150 fps with a heavier bullet than any other American made 32 ACP ammo.
Item 30A/20 is a 75gr. HARD cast bullet with a flat nose. It is traveling over 1,000 fps out of my 3.4 inch Beretta Mod. 70. We've used a flash suppressed powder so that you won't be blinded by your own gunfire in the dark. This is significant as well over 90% of all civilian shootings in America occur in low light when the criminal element is out and about. Also, this flat nosed, nonexpanding, hard cast, bullet will penetrate deeply and will do much more damage than the typical round nosed FMJ bullet. Round nosed bullets tend to slip and slide through living tissue, doing little damage as opposed to a flat nosed bullet. The flat nose not only wounds much more than a round nosed bullet, but it actually keeps the penetration straight and thus deeper. Notice the below velocities from my personal 32 ACP pistols. These are real world guns and thus the speeds are realistic and not the exaggerated speeds you'll see produced from laboratory test barrels. What you see with Buffalo Bore Ammo advertising, is truly what you get in the "real world" where it matters. You can expect 20+ inches of straight line penetration."
Ed Harris has written extensively (and positively) on the 32 Auto, it's worth the time to search out his posts over on Cast Boolits. The point that's applicable to the discussion here is that European 32 ammo is loaded to higher pressures than domestic fodder. You might find a good load without having to pay boutique prices.
I still carry a .32 from time to time. Normally, with FMJ or Underwood, sold penetrators. I have word enough murder and shooting to know where they work.
The hard cast flat point would be my choice.
I always wondered about the penetration of Winchester White box flat point fmj.
This guy did the gel test for us on it: https://youtu.be/EkppVPfFS48?si=DUbnlfnDLqwHq1EL
Guy I used to know would claim that the purpose of a handgun was to slow the other guy down for the knife fight you were going to have to have anyway. If you look at it that way...
Gunstore Commando wrote: ↑Tue Jan 13, 2026 10:47 pm
Guy I used to know would claim that the purpose of a handgun was to slow the other guy down for the knife fight you were going to have to have anyway. If you look at it that way...
That’s pretty funny. But imagine if it really wend down like that!
I knew a guy that staggered his ammo, a HP in the chamber then fmj,hp,fmj,hp etc in the mag. Didn't matter what caliber he was carrying that was just the way he did it.
That's a good video Scott. Most of us expect the usual disappointment of velocity failing to meet spec -- and rim lock is a serious issue with .32 ACP that makes paying attention to COAL as it relates to your magazine very important. Still, surprised he shot that well at 40 yards offhand.
There’s no magic to it. As I said, I used the old aluminum jacketed Silvertip ammo. Three contact shots, one to the chest and two in the forehead did the trick as well as anything could.
No experience with the 32 acp. I would think that the hard cast flat point ammo would be as effective as any could be.
D. Brian Casady
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The P-32 is a handy pistol. But, the rimlock issue is very real. I used the following link to alter my magazines to stop the rimlock issue. http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/flyerwire.htm
If memory serves, I used Buffalo Bore cast flatpoint ammo. However, the cartridges in that box of ammo I purchased would not chamber in my Keltec. I ended up running each cartridge into a crimp die to take the flare out of the brass that had not been taken out when the bullets were seated at the factory.
Once the magazines were altered, the pistol was very reliable. Another shooter wanted the P-32 more than I did so I sold it and replaced it with a Ruger LCP-II, .380. The LCP-II is, in my opinion one of the better ideas Ruger has had.
As everyone suggests, total reliablilty is the point so pick your ammo accordingly.
I have been reloading the 32 acp for a while now. I also recommend Ed Harris' writings on it. Below are two images of Surplus S&B 7.65 auto from the early1980's. This ammo is the hotter European 73 grain hardball which is teel core and magnetic. It chronographed 989 fps, 55 ES, 17 SD from a CZ-70 with a 3.8-inch barrel (approx). In the other image is my version of the Buffalo Bore load using a 78 grain slippery bullets rnfp resized from .313 o .311. over 3.0 grains of Autocomp. It is sort of a load from the Cast Bullet association, but I substituted a different bullet. I have not chronographed it yet or fired it yet, but it should be fired in steel frame guns only. 3.0g grains of Autocomp and a 71 gr. FMJ is a standard load listed by Hodgdon. The Hodgdon load chronographs at 970 fps, 120 ES, 29 sd from the CZ 70s long barrel and shoots very good. This is not a +P load, but the load with the 78gr rnfp is a +P load.
For what it is worth the WW whitebox fmj flat point chronographed at 929 fps, 54 es, 27 sd from the CZ-70 and was very accurate.
I am not sure about the Kel-tec with it's locked breech, but these loads are probably not good for a Tomcat since they crack the frames often. For some reason I can no longer post images here. When I click on the "insert image" doohicky nothing happens?
Bob
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Last edited by Bob Hatfield on Tue Jan 20, 2026 6:47 am, edited 5 times in total.
Paladin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 13, 2026 12:01 amI still carry a .32 from time to time. Normally, with FMJ or Underwood, sold penetrators. I have worked enough murder and shooting to know where they work.
I carry an older LCP with the factory Crimson Trace.
The points for .32acp are the same for .380.
Forum member "Grizz" performed penetration tests with water-filled gallon jugs and the White Box FMJ flat tips were the best penetrators. IMO, small light bullets need to penetrate to a vital spot and the more penetration, the better.
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Bob Hatfield wrote: ↑Fri Jan 16, 2026 10:53 am
I am not sure about the Kel-tec with it's locked breech, but these loads are probably not good for a Tomcat since they crack the frames often. For some reason I can no longer post images here. When I click on the "insert image" doohicky nothing happens?
Bob
Bob, you need to scroll down and click the "Attachments" tab.
Click "Add files"
Click the file you want to add.
You'll see a progress bar to the right that shows the upload status.
Once it's uploaded you'll get the option to "Place inline" which will place the photo where your cursor is in the message window.
"Rinse and repeat" to add more photos. Once you're done, you can preview to see how your photos display, or just click "Submit".
Paul - in Pereira
"He is the best friend of American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion." -- John Witherspoon
rgates wrote: ↑Fri Jan 16, 2026 8:48 am
The P-32 is a handy pistol. But, the rimlock issue is very real. I used the following link to alter my magazines to stop the rimlock issue. http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/flyerwire.htm
Thanks for this information. I have picked up a box of Buffalo Bore and have 300 rounds of FMJ and 50 HP coming from a gunbroker deal. We're currently experiencing a blizzard so no shooting today, but I'm going to an indoor range Thursday night. I'll see how reliable mine is with the factory magazines.
There was a S & W model 431 that georgia arms brand .32 h & r with the old speer 100 gr. locked-up and while it wasn't wrecked, it now has a hitch in its get-along double-action wise. Once upon a time, we had a largish shoe box (boots?) full of self-loaders that the products from several of the boutique/custom manufactories had absolutely wrecked. Buffalo Bore, Cor-bon, Double-Tap, Georgia Arms and Underwood all involved so there were at least five guns rendered useless and were not repairable. If my memory serves only Cor-bon replaced one box of faulty ammo and none offered to compensate for the damaged guns.
I checked Tim's website, there's no warning against using it in J frames. (The only mention of issues were with a Taurus revolver). I do remember that Brian Pearce refrained from using some loads in the J that were worked up in the Single Six when he did a Pet Loads article but don't recall the exact reason.
Scott, if you get a chance take a look at High Desert Cartridge. Steve Shields over there has been working with the guys from American Fighting Revolver on making ammo that doesn't beat up older guns and shooters, but is still effective and get good penetration. He's also big on making practice ammo that has the same ballistics as duty/defensive ammo.
"When the shooting stops, and the dead are buried, and the politicians take over; it all adds up to one thing: a lost cause."
samsi wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:58 pm
I checked Tim's website, there's no warning against using it in J frames. (The only mention of issues were with a Taurus revolver). I do remember that Brian Pearce refrained from using some loads in the J that were worked up in the Single Six when he did a Pet Loads article but don't recall the exact reason.
Just to be clear, I sent these and additional photos to Tim Sundles. Not complaining, just to let him know. He responded that the problem was that the chambers are not polished mirror smooth like gun companies used to do.
I don’t buy the explanation in this case because it wasn’t just sticky extraction. The primers flattened out and tied up the gun with each shot.
Moreover, I don’t think polishing a titanium cylinder is a good idea. Especially when the gun works great with other ammunition.
Edited to say that Tim wrote back to let me know that they have been making this ammo for years with no complaints. But he has received a number of complaints from people trying to use this ammunition in the Ultra Carry revolvers.
My guess is that this issue may have something to do with titanium cylinders. I’m not complaining, just pointing out that you must test ammo in your gun before you can trust it.
Scott, no worries, I'm legitimately curious about the issue. I was considering a 632UC myself and missed out on the only one that's shown up locally, but then saw the write-up on Revolverguy about the issues experienced with a recent production gun. Sadly both S&W and Ruger seem to be having production/QC issues these days, evidently Corporate has a different idea of what constitutes "good enough". Add to that ammo built to perform at the top of the envelope and issues will become apparent.
Would be interested to know how that load does in the Single Six if you try it. My only personal experience with Buffalo Bore is the 357 Heavy Outdoorsman load, no complaints there.
Bob Hatfield wrote: ↑Fri Jan 16, 2026 10:53 am
I am not sure about the Kel-tec with it's locked breech, but these loads are probably not good for a Tomcat since they crack the frames often. For some reason I can no longer post images here. When I click on the "insert image" doohicky nothing happens?
Bob
Bob, you need to scroll down and click the "Attachments" tab.
Click "Add files"
Click the file you want to add.
You'll see a progress bar to the right that shows the upload status.
Once it's uploaded you'll get the option to "Place inline" which will place the photo where your cursor is in the message window.
"Rinse and repeat" to add more photos. Once you're done, you can preview to see how your photos display, or just click "Submit".
Instructions worked. I was able to post two images of the 32 rounds above. Thanks. I looked back at previous pictures I posted, and I never had to drag and drop. This is the first time I have had to do that. Easier though.
I have not messed with a .32 in years. No particular reason except I wanted larger calibers. If I carry a small caliber in my pocket it is in .22 Long Rifle. My normal pocket gun is a .357. Around the home place it is usually the .22 as it works well for predators, snakes etc. If I am going someplace I carry the larger caliber. Just an old habit of many years.
Imagine if you will being calm and shooting a Goblin in the mouth or right under the nose with either a 32 acp FMJ or HP.
The psychopath in me would laughing at the Goblin's reaction. I can hear the Mmmmmmm, chaaasaaaaasasaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, mmmmmmmmmm, oooooooooh,,,,,,,,,,,,mmmmmm, ahhhhhhhhh, with a hand over his mouth, and the resultant struggling of him/it trying to make cuss words while I am aiming at a kneecap.
Bob Hatfield wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 10:22 am
Imagine if you will being calm and shooting a Goblin in the mouth or right under the nose with either a 32 acp FMJ or HP.
The psychopath in me would laughing at the Goblin's reaction. I can hear the Mmmmmmm, chaaasaaaaasasaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, mmmmmmmmmm, oooooooooh,,,,,,,,,,,,mmmmmm, ahhhhhhhhh, with a hand over his mouth, and the resultant struggling of him/it trying to make cuss words while I am aiming at a kneecap.
Bob Hatfield wrote: ↑Thu Jan 22, 2026 10:22 am
Imagine if you will being calm and shooting a Goblin in the mouth or right under the nose with either a 32 acp FMJ or HP.
The psychopath in me would laughing at the Goblin's reaction. I can hear the Mmmmmmm, chaaasaaaaasasaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, mmmmmmmmmm, oooooooooh,,,,,,,,,,,,mmmmmm, ahhhhhhhhh, with a hand over his mouth, and the resultant struggling of him/it trying to make cuss words while I am aiming at a kneecap.
You have a wicked mind.
In all reality, I would be shaking in my shoes trying to clear a rimlock while feeling regretful as to what I did to the poor devil.
I finally got to shoot my new P32. I ran a full box of FMJ through it, and two mags of Buffalo Bore with zero hiccups. It was surprisingly snappy, even with the ball ammo. A couple more boxes with that kind of performance and I'll be confident in it.
