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Thread: Kahr P and CW 32?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    29

    Default Kahr P and CW 32?

    I have a CW 380 and its great, but find myself carrying my kel tec 32 more because its lighter and smaller plus 1 extra round. Am I the only one that wants a scaled down CW 380? The kel Tec is 9oz loaded vs. 13.9oz loaded on the kahr.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Round Rock, Texas
    Posts
    5,138

    Default

    I kinda regret trading off my 1st Gen hard chrome P32. It was a reliable little shooter.

    Kahr probably won't make one though, as attitudes about the .32 ACP as a defensive round are pretty strong.
    A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition
    -Rudyard Kipling

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    29

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    Mine kel tec is a gen 1 as well, I'll never get rid of it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Jax, Fla
    Posts
    5,572

    Default

    .32 isn’t a bad round. As I understand it, the cost of it is one negative factor, and the other is that .380 is more powerful, fits in the same size gun and is more readily available, so why bother with .32?

    Let Paul Harrell explain it: https://youtu.be/Aw0BPSnrENA

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    1,130

    Default

    Agreed, The cost of 32ACP ammo (and its limited selection around here) would keep me from picking up another gun in that caliber.
    I have a 1903 colt already... and have tried to work a deal (several times) on a .32 Tomcat... Okay, MAYBE I would look into one for the fun of it.
    I was once asked if I was "a paranoid for carrying my Kahr".
    "Nope" I said, "just prepared".
    " prepared for what" he asked?
    "more stuff than you are"
    God Bless our Troups!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Central MN
    Posts
    4,100

    Default

    I have been witness to tests with (at the time ATK now Vista) shooting a 380 vs. .32 auto. That convinced me to sell my Seecamp and replace it with a couple of Ruger LCP's.
    No offense to those who carry the .32 but the difference between the two is dramatic.
    "Never pet a burning dog"

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    29

    Default

    With the technological advances in ammunition such as Lehighs extreme cavitator, for me the weight savings is worth it. I would really like to have all of the things that make kahr pistols great incorporated into a smaller 32 acp package weighing in at 9oz loaded 7+1

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    5,561

    Default

    With all the great ammo out there, and the factors involved, no one cares about .32 cal.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Bowling Green, Virginia
    Posts
    3,207

    Default

    I care. There are some great guns chambered for .32.
    Judging by today's left wing, looks like Senator Joe McCarthy was right after all.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Posts
    138

    Default

    The .32 ACP is an old semi-rimmed round originally designed by John Browning to use in revolvers and blowback automatics. The cartridge rim, if improperly loaded into a magazine, can produce rimlock in which an upper round is seated behind the next lower cartridge stopping the upper cartridge moving into the chamber. It is not hard to prevent this by proper loading, but a rimlock is awkward, slow to remove and bad in an emergency. (These would likely be less reliable in double stack magazines, but I don't know if these exist.) The round is nice to shoot for those sensitive to strong recoil or noise and potentially very accurate. They were frequently carried by European, Japanese and other police forces in more peaceful times with loads heavier than was common in the US market. .380 rounds are the same length and can fit in only slightly larger guns with usually a one round loss of capacity, but can be considerably more powerful and does not have rimlock problems. Since both cartridges are the same length, but the .32 is narrower, the .380 is less likely to have feeding problems in tiny pistols. Smaller automatics work better with shorter cartridges in relation to their width. This is why smallish .22 LR automatic pistols are significantly less reliable than centerfire pistols, and why John Browning invented the .25 ACP for really tiny pistols. (Browning also invented the .380.) Now that small .380 pistols use locking mechanisms to reduce size and felt recoil, I doubt there is a huge demand for these since the .380 has become so much more popular in the US. I doubt that some of the newer hollow point bullet designs would work in the narrower .32 size. If .380 recoil is an issue, it can be addressed by ammo choice and, possibly, spring selection and grip sleeves.

    I have owned two .32s, an HK4 and a KelTec P32 and liked them well enough. If .32 ACP ammo became cheap and of modern design, and the rimlock issue solved, I might find some urgent justification for owning one, but this seems unlikely. It might be interesting in a Kit Gun sized gun for use when more power is not desired and good accuracy is desired. In tiny defensive pistols, however, I think the extra power and bullet weight of a .380 makes more sense.

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