00 Buck or 32 ACP ?

[Connal]

I was thinking of the distance of 5 yd at center mass. Comparing nine 32 Auto shots to one shot of 12 ga 00 Buck. What would the difference be?

Looking at a hypothetical, real worldish scenario I would factor these things into play.

Don't know if you OC, but not many OC a shotgun. . . so with that being said.

Concealing. Could you cut down a 12 guage to be somewhat concealable? Of course, there are many rings to jump through, and the recoil is significant. Compared to that, a pocket .32 is going to be nice to have in a IWB holster, or tucked in a pocket.

Delivery time. One squeeze with a shotgun, is going to be all it takes to get the job done. However, this means an absolute miss, will be pointless. If it is a break open, you are going to be defenseless if you miss. Some would say "Who would miss their target at that short a distance?" Assuming it is a defensive shooting, adrenaline, stress, and other things factor greatly into the ability to "point and click". In the same respect, the .32, would take more time to fire off the same amount of projectiles.

Damage . .illity . . ability. . yeah. Depending on the shotgun, you might have different spread. For example, I have a very old winchester break open 12 gauge. Full choke, extremely long barrel. The gun stands to about my shoulder (old goose gun as my dad called it). I know for a fact, with that choke, the wad wouldn't open up before 20-25 feet. Shooting through large containers, several wads had not even opened. In that case, it isn't so much as comparing the .32 acp, to the equivalent in shot, it's comparing it to what is basically a 12 gauge slug.

Spread: Some missed with a .32 can be bad. If the spread on the shotgun is too wide, you have the possibility of multiple projectiles missing the target (at certain distances of course).

Each has it's own benefits, and drawbacks. I would say for an "inside the house" type situation, a nice pump shotgun would work quite well. (Depending on the situation). However, for general defense, I still think a pistol is more than adequate. However, there are many different things to think of in these situations.

[Rodolfo Fierro]

I was thinking about the misses that you point out are more likely than we expect. In a HD situation they might turn out to hits in my neighbors house. The information gathered here indicates that a shot with 00 Buck has more power than a burst out of a 32 cal. sub-machine gun.

[jcabin]

I was thinking about the misses that you point out are more likely than we expect. In a HD situation they might turn out to hits in my neighbors house. The information gathered here indicates that a shot with 00 Buck has more power than a burst out of a 32 cal. sub-machine gun.

I haven't seen anyone mention anything that indicates any such thing. A select fire sub machine gun is alot different than a semi-auto handgun.

Generally speaking, the shotgun is king when it comes to delivering the most damage with a single pull of the trigger. However, a submachine gun firing 3 round bursts, landing practically on top of eachother, is going to be much more devastating than a single shot, and follow ups from a handgun, even in the same wound area.

[Rodolfo Fierro]

Nine shots from a semi-auto turned out to so much less than the 00 Buck that I upgraded the theoretical gun. It seems about as practical as the concealed 12 ga though.

[jcabin]

Nine shots from a semi-auto turned out to so much less than the 00 Buck that I upgraded the theoretical gun. It seems about as practical as the concealed 12 ga though.

what??????????

[vjb.knife]

32 ACP is the second most worthless common caliber there is next to 25 ACP. I would rather carry a fixed blade knife for protection. You are liable to really piss someone off by shooting them with a 32 or 25.

[Pete D.]

Nine shots from a semi-auto turned out to so much less than the 00 Buck that I upgraded the theoretical gun. It seems about as practical as the concealed 12 ga though.

Yeah....you want to explain that "upgraded the theoretical gun" part?

This part is a hijack....my apologies.

You are liable to really piss someone off by shooting them with a 32 or 25.

This comes up again and again. On one level, I can understand that some one might not want to carry such a small cartridge but then again.......the .32 has substantially more energy than a .22 fired from a similar gun - and makes a bigger hole, The same is true for the .25. Now....why mention the .22, the least powerful of the three? Take a look at the video of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. The weapon involved was a .22. With six shots, John Hinckley incapacitated three grown men, in addition to nearly killing Reagan with a ricochet. The Secret Service agent was literally knocked off his feet. With a .22.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoZeZprXnDg
Pete

[Connal]

32 ACP is the second most worthless common caliber there is next to 25 ACP. I would rather carry a fixed blade knife for protection. You are liable to really piss someone off by shooting them with a 32 or 25.

I wouldn't say that.

Of course, less damage than say a .45. However, anything is better than nothing. And why use a knife as your first line of defense, I would rather keep them at a few feet with a .32, than have them right beside me with a fixed blade.

I think the .32 would be better than a .22lr. However, lets face it. It comes down to shot placement, someone gets shot in the foot with a .45, they are still going to be able to be a threat.

Someone gets a "good" shot with a .22lr, they are going down.

[vjb.knife]

I wouldn't say that.

Of course, less damage than say a .45. However, anything is better than nothing. And why use a knife as your first line of defense, I would rather keep them at a few feet with a .32, than have them right beside me with a fixed blade.

I think the .32 would be better than a .22lr. However, lets face it. It comes down to shot placement, someone gets shot in the foot with a .45, they are still going to be able to be a threat.

Someone gets a "good" shot with a .22lr, they are going down.

First of all I was 'sort of' joking but, I don't consider any of them viable for self defense, but at least there are decent firearms made in 22. Most 25's and 32's are junk guns and a small revolver in 38 or 357 is practically as small if that is important. I wouldn't even carry a .380 although I have one.

I have been shot with a 38 special and I am perfectly aware of what one can do. The knife comment was mostly a slam on the effectiveness of the small calibers but I would risk a shot from a 25 or 32 before taking a 5 or 6 inch blade which I can draw and deliver as fast or faster than a small handgun.

Back to the original post I would rather have this anytime, anyday with almost any load over any 32. And I don't think the OP had anything to do with concealability.

[Connal]

First of all I was 'sort of' joking but, I don't consider any of them viable for self defense, but at least there are decent firearms made in 22. Most 25's and 32's are junk guns and a small revolver in 38 or 357 is practically as small if that is important. I wouldn't even carry a .380 although I have one.

I have been shot with a 38 special and I am perfectly aware of what one can do. The knife comment was mostly a slam on the effectiveness of the small calibers but I would risk a shot from a 25 or 32 before taking a 5 or 6 inch blade which I can draw and deliver as fast or faster than a small handgun.

I understand where you are coming from. Let me make it clear that there are decent guns made in all calibers. The same can be said that there are some pieces of junk made, in different calibers as well. It depends on the manufacturing standpoint, upkeep, and also a little luck. When it comes to bullets, size doesn't really matter. Shot placement matters. I am sorry to hear you have been shot before. I must say though, that had his aim been different, had your luck been "bad" that day, you wouldn't be posting today.

Any gun out there is only as effective as the person using it. For self defense, target shooting, or competition, it still applies.

I must say though, there is an old saying "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight." For all I know, you might have been trained by a ninja in all the ways to kill a person with a knife. However, not everyone has the training, ability, or agility, to work with a knife. And if it came down to self defense at 10 feet, I would rather have a bullet, which would travel faster than the knife any day of the week.