Recovered Bullets from 32ACP Tomcat.

[Bravo Whiskey]

I have been checking out the best type of rounds for my Tomcat pocket gun.
Thanks for not dropping into the .380/9mm/.45acp min. carry rd. discussion.
Having read many articles & posts I was headed for FMJ as many seemed to think that the velocity of the 32 did not allow the hollow point to expand or when the subject was wearing x layers of clothing ,there would little penetration.
I stopped in a shop in Bucks that I like (on the way home from son's football game) as I needed .32acp ammo and they suggested Federal Premium SD Hydra-shok JHP. This suprised me , but several folks chimed in and stated it was GTG in my Tom.
I am approaching 175 rds thru my New tomcat so I want to start carrying it and need to lock down on a SD round.
Today I shot a mix of the Fed SD and Fed eagle FMJ.
I cleared out below the back stop and shot the 32 and a range friend "donated" some rounds which were .38spl. out of a 6" S&W .357 .
The .38s were typical & are for a bench mark / the .32s were the same for all the ones I could recover.





It appears that I am getting good results with the JHP.
These were fired @ 15/20 feet and the back stop was 1/2" thick tire type rubber with the threads running thru it. The rounds all blow thru that and hit the earth/tire stop about 2 feet beyond the target front.
I still want to try more and different types but every one of these jhp expanded and did not fragment. I also think that NO ONE wears clothing thicker/tougher than these stops. I want to find the best for this gun as it could end up being my wife's EDC (I am working on it) as well as an alternative carry for myself.
I do think that the nylon/rubber choked bullet that did not come apart is a good thing.
Am I missing something?

[RickD]

If that's a mouse gun it must be Mighty Mouse!
Thanks for posting this info.

[thelemite]

Couple of things to think about with a 32acp.

1- Penetration. Most folks seem to want 12" of penetration out of a defense round. There are a fair amount of fmjs that can do it. I have not seen a 32acp hollowpoint tested that can.

2- Rimlock. The shorter oal of a HP (in some guns) lends to the possibility of the rounds locking up by the case rim on the magazine with a 32acp. while not common, it can turn your pistol into a 1 shot derringer.


Here is an excellent resource about the penetration, energy and expansion of the 32acp round.
http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm

http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/rimlock.htm

[kpw]

That looks more like bullet deformation than actual expansion. Try shooting them into a softer media and see if you get similar results. Tiny bullets at low velocity don't tend to expand well and when they do, it's usually not very impressive. If it causes a significant drop in penetration, you may be better off with an FMJ. My .32s are loaded with FMJ because my own tests with JHPs weren't very promising.

[Neko456]

The TomCat is a nice gun and 32acp is not a bad round, its been around for a long time and at one time really popular in Europe. If the Tom Cat is the pistol you carry it will do better then being unarmed and if you hit the assailant a lot better option then a missed 357 or 44 mag or one left at home.

I say carry what is comfortable, easy to shoot and carry. The gun you have with you is much better then the arsenal you have at home in your safe when you need a gun for self protection.

[Tomcat088]

I agree with some of the others in this thread on a few things. I don't think those bullets look like they truly "expanded" at all. It looks like the nose was clogged and you got some bullet deformation. If these were eFMJ's, then I'd say you got a little expansion, but that's not how JHP's are designed to work or expand. I'm going to agree with some of what others said as well, the medium that you're testing these bullets WILL effect how they expand and penetrate. Tires rubber, that some some belts of steel in there is reasonably tough, but it doesn't simulate flesh very well. Either way, don't expect the bullets to perform anything like this test, if they were used on flesh. My guess would be that the bullets won't expand reliably and become basically an FMJ, or they would expand, but won't get the penetration necessary.

Either way, those bullets are not "expanded" the way they were designed to expand. If you'd like some pictures of what expanded JHP's look like, we'll be happy to provide you some. Please don't measure the performance of your carry load based on this test. All it really shows you is what the bullets do when they hit hard rubber, nothing else. I also hope that you become more critical of "expansion" because most of us don't consider that very good expansion at all. I'm not offering an opinion one way or the other about what bullet design you should carry in that caliber. I'm simply saying that those bullets are not a very good measure of "expansion".

[PocketProtector]

Buffalo Bore Lead flat nose is what rides in my KT P-32, it is hot for a .32. Not sure if the "blowback" Tomcat would handle it however.

[knight0334]

Do not shoot any "hot" .32acp in the Tomcats, unless you have the Inox version. Beretta has limited "approved" ammo to those making less than 129ft lbs energy because the receivers are breaking on the blued versions.

[Kramer]

Thanks for the info. I wll keep it in mind for my Tomcat.

[spoonltz28]

because the receivers are breaking on the blued versions.

Forgive my ignorance, just learning about the mechanicals of guns.

I have an older Tomcat that has the stainless slide and barrel.
I have feed about 50 rounds of FMJ's through it and about 20 rounds of HPs.
I have not yet had a failure.

What is the part that usually breaks, and what sgould I be looking for?
I have been carrying this for the summer because it's small and can conceal easily.