.32 for self defense

[Zet70]

Absolutely love my beretta 3032 .32 tomcat. Paid $175 for it because no one wanted a chrome and gold beretta the clerk said?!?!?!?!

It's got the tip up barrel so my girl doesn't even need to rack it if she carries it. YouTube it, it's a good option.

[Brick]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall Seacamp recommended using Winchester Silvertip ammo.

[mpan72]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall Seacamp recommended using Winchester Silvertip ammo.

We must be sharing a brain, That rings a bell with me also.

[Brick]

We must be sharing a brain, That rings a bell with me also.

Yes, I think that goes back to the days when Seacamp was new and hot on the market. FWIW .32 ACP is a common caliber among European police depts. and it is the smallest caliber allowed by NYSDEC for off-duty carry by their officers. They also require the use of WInchester Silvertip ammo.

[guard dog]

My wife and I have been looking at pocket guns for her to carry. She has held all the .380 guns and liked the tcp the best until our local gun store showed her a seecamp. Beautiful gun and she loved how small it was. They had both the 380 and .32 version but there is a huge price difference. I asked over at the see camp forum and they pretty much all suggested the .32 over the 380. From my searching online it seems the differences are negligible. Any thoughts?

Please no suggestions of going 9mm or bigger. She will not dress for the gun or carry it in her purse.

She loved how small it was but has she shot it? The SeeCamp, NAA 32
or MPA 32 are truely mouse guns. One day at the range and your wife
will be asking you for a larger weapon. They HURT to shoot!
The TCP or Keltec would be a better choice, but if you really want a
32. cal gun that she will shoot and enjoy get a Beretta INOX Tomcat.

Tilt barrel so she won't have to rack the slide.
DA/ SA Trigger so she won't be wondering when it will actually fire.
Large enough to shoot one handed comfortably.
Has a thumb safety so she can carry cocked and locked when she feels
threatened. If you want to know if .32 cal will do the trick check out
this link.
http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm
Only buy the INOX (stainless steel) Tomcat. The steel Tomcat has a
frame cracking problem.

[mpan72]

Yes, I think that goes back to the days when Seacamp was new and hot on the market. FWIW .32 ACP is a common caliber among European police depts. and it is the smallest caliber allowed by NYSDEC for off-duty carry by their officers. They also require the use of WInchester Silvertip ammo.

I have read articles stating that many European police forces use the .32acp but that it is loaded hotter than what is common here in the U.S.A. Does anyone have any reliable sources confirming or countering this?

[TGS]

Yes, I think that goes back to the days when Seacamp was new and hot on the market. FWIW .32 ACP is a common caliber among European police depts. and it is the smallest caliber allowed by NYSDEC for off-duty carry by their officers. They also require the use of WInchester Silvertip ammo.

I have read articles stating that many European police forces use the .32acp but that it is loaded hotter than what is common here in the U.S.A. Does anyone have any reliable sources confirming or countering this?

.32 used to be popular. It isn't anymore......actually, you can draw a line in the sand with the terrorist events of the 1970s, such as Bader Meinhof group, various other communist groups, and the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage event. Specific to the Munich event, the Germans made solicitations for new combat pistols for police, resulting in the Walther P5, Sig P6 (P225 in the US) and HK P7....all in 9mm. They cited .32acp as one of the specific reasons that the in-extremis hostage rescue failed. The rest of Europe has pretty much followed suit. The French ditched their .32's in the 1980's, the Danish a bit later. The Spanish are running the gamut, with wildcards like Star 9mm's and even .38 revolvers still found in local police holsters.

The most popular police pistols in Europe now are all 9mm.

As to European 32 being hotter, that's generally true with all of their pistol ammo. Some older European pistols, such as the awesome Mauser HSc .32acp, need hotter ammo like Fiocchi or S&B to run right. In general, the average American FMJ you're going to randomly pick up will be loaded more mildly than random European ammo you could pick up.

[Ecclectic Collector]

The advice to get your wife to find a gun she can shoot is very sound.

I'd add that you'd really want her to like shooting whatever gun you pick too. As many others have already noted, having a gun is better than not having one, and actually hitting the target is the most important detail of all.

That said, I have no problem with the little .32 acp.

As for the size of the gun...I'd opt for a slightly larger piece like a PPK or even PP that is comfortable to shoot and carry. There are tons of older .32s out there that are in the 20-25oz weight range and compact enough. I love the old Colt 1903 or Browning M1910 myself. Only problem with the old timers is that these were not designed to shoot anything other than FMJ ammo.

[kel ruger man]

i had both the seacamp and naa in 32, and beretta tom cat....the naa was much more reliable then the seacamp....both guns suck to shoot and they are heavy to stick in a pocket. the beretta shot like a 22, no recoil, reliable and accurate.
let her shoot the 3, i promise she wont want to shoot more then 1 mag out of the 1st 2 after she shoots a beretta

[abner13]

In the old Marshall/Sanow compilation of actual police and self defense shootings , there was very little difference between the results of .32 ACP and .380 shootings. The .32 Winchester Silvertip was actually an upper 50% one shot stopper.

Though I normally carry my Kel Tec or AMT .380 , I do occasionally throw my Seecamp .32 in my pocket. Especially when wearing sweatpants. Loaded with Silvertips of course.