Stopping Power of .32 ACP - Take 2

[@surratt95]

I like the fact that you listened to suggestions and tried the test again. Great video.

[@AmmoMart]

Thanks for the re-watch!! I have known from the beginning that our viewers and well versed and I learn a ton from them every week! Thanks, again.

[@kennethpowers8995]

Definitely agree. This is exactly how it should go; viewers comments listened to and a response given. I just found this channel but I’m certainly going to subscribe and watch some more great content now.

[@jasonsmith1375]

Still my favorite series on any "guntube" channel. Thanks for another great video Rodney.

[@AmmoMart]

Thanks to you for the views and staying with us. Still alot of fun to do the videos and I learn a ton from our viewers. They are amazingly knowledgeable. Thanks again and enjoy the rest of summer.

[@JohnB-dr8sk]

PMC FMJ 32 ACP is one of the lower powered rounds out there. The best FMJs for 32ACP are S&B, Fiocchi, Geco and Norma (all European rounds where 32ACP is loaded hotter). The very best self defense round, bar none, is the Underwood 32ACP Xtreme Defender 55gr. It penetrates like an FMJ but disrupts like a fully expanded hollowpoint.

[@michaelschweimler7292]

.32 is underrated in the US. It is considerably weeker than todays Favoured self defence calibers. But if you shoot real european loads like Sellier& Bellot, Geco or Fiocchi you will gain quite a bit in the velocity department. If you shoot a PP size gun these fmj loads with a 75 grain bullet weight will be around 900 to 950 fps easily. .32 acp is a full class above .25 or .22 in handguns, many put all three in the same mousegun categorie which is just wrong. Even with these watered down loads like Pmc and Speer Gold Dot that you tested in this very short barrels it is still better. I never cared for hollow points in small calibers like this and would always take penetration over expansion and use fmj. I have a lot experience wit the . 32 acp .It was the main police caliber here in Europe for about 8 decades,from the beginning of 1900 till mid 1980'ties Handloaded in a 4 inch barrel you can get very close to 1000fps with a 75 grain fmj. Still not a powerhouse but way better than many think. And a 3/4 inch barrel is making a difference in this class pistols.

[@NMranchhand]

Exactly! I should have read your comment before posting mine. You are all over it. I’ll add that follow-up shots with good placement are easier when recoil is subdued as in the .32 Auto.

[@garyreadler4886]

Great job and very interesting and I also like that you took interest in viewer the comments and you did this video to find out. Thanks, always learning!!!

[@ironmikehallowween]

The 32 ACP is fine. Underwood and Buffalo Bore make acceptable ammo for the 32 ACP. Obviously, a 2 inch barrel doesn’t allow optimal performance with any caliber, not just the 32 ACP, but just as with a snub nose, it’s far more concealable which is the point of the Tom Cat and Bob Cat. They are wonderfully designed pistols. Thanks for the video.

[@NMranchhand]

This is an admirable approach to investigation. One can trust that following your videos will result in peeling away the layers of the onion to find the truth. I learned something valuable here today. Keep it up. Also, I shoot .32 ACP from a Walther PP (Police Pistol) which has a (nearly) 4” barrel. Police carry-guns in Europe in the mid-20th century commonly used .32 Auto in such guns, which causes me to wonder what ballistic difference exists for the 4” barrel. I think this deserves a test. Also, unarguably, ball ammo has a mathematically higher chance of feeding in an automatic, which must be taken into consideration in a defensive gun. Note: Is there empirical data that supports defensive, expanding ammo as being more threatening to life than higher-penetration ball? There isn’t, because the test would be inhumane (obviously) to run. Are we dealing with the myth of expansion? Ball ammo excels the other with 1. Actually leaving the muzzle, and 2. Chance of breaking bone and cutting arteries due to increased penetration. These facts are not in dispute. The effect of expansion is.

[@heeebeeegeeebeee]

Do with this what you will: the commonly recommended .32 defensive loadings are the hot-loaded European FMJ rounds, the 73gr Fiocci and the 73gr S&B rounds. These rounds are hotter than the PMC you fired, and they feature a beveled rim and long OAL to prevent rim-lock and improve reliability in autos. THOSE are the rounds to put to the test in a gel block, not the PMC target ammo. Expansion is pretty much a non-starter in .32 from what I've seen - using hot Euro rounds improves reliability and penetration in this little caliber.

[@shootermcgavin4090]

Good vid, man!

[@MrBuckeye63]

Velocity depends on barrel length And I carry LSWC in my 38spl snubbies 1. Function 2. Accuracy 3. Penetration Expansion is gravy

[@freedomfirst5420]

I believe that the best .32acp round, would be Underwood Xtreme Defender ammo.

[@jamesmccall-k6g]

U.S. ammo is watered down from past days so i would like to see a gun like the zastava m 70 designed for hotter load like overseas and maybe use buffalo bore ammo which is closer to hotter loads they used to use...it should overlap the 380 in performance.

[@2greeksandacamera]

KelTec P-32 with Armalaser is vastly superior to Ruger LCP with laser for us in keeping rounds tightly on target out to 10 yards. This is a very good backup or main carry even, when our manner of dress prevents us from carrying Glock 26.

[@johnmackey3164]

Man I have both P32 & LCP380. I switch back and forth I can't make up my mind on which one is better.

[@gurugoguzhanson]

James Bond (Sean Connery) was upgraded from Beretta .25 ACP to Walther .32 ACP. In the movie they said something about the .32 ACP having really good penetration or hits like a brick or something 😂

[@seethebutter]

Very interesting. Thanks

[@johnmackey3164]

Thanks for the video!

[@boostimalaka1]

The Seecamp LWS .32 ACP was built around the Winchester Silvertip. It actually did well in self defense situations. Best to remove the magazine first and rack the slide back and physically inspect the chamber. Just an added safety taught with firearms instructors.

[@Juneof1944]

i think the benefit of the tip up barrell is you can have a chambered round and not have to decock the hammer on it, if you want to carry chambered/hammer down.

[@FoulPet]

If that is the primary goal, why not do the same on larger calibers?

[@ketchman8299]

This is a great round but was designed for 3+ inch barrels so if your ever lucky enough to borrow a Walther PP length barrel pistol perhaps a v3 test can be done? Fiocchi 32 60gr sjhp is rated at 1100fps and I have had great experience with it in my PP. 11+" in gel with .44" expansion.

[@GlenMones-le6yf]

Most people nowadays want a small lightweight pocket pistol to carry for EDC. There are a lot of 380 small pocket pistols on the market but the problem is they all have snappy recoil.. believe me I have a LCP 380 Max and a Taurus TCP 380.. I can shoot them fine but I have to have a death grip on them.. very snappy.. wouldn't it be nice if we could get our manufacturers to make these guns in 32 again like the Kel-Tec p32 I own which is a gen 1 ..many people including women are recoil sensitive they're not going to want a snappy 380 or practice much with it if they do shoot it.. with the mild recoil 32 they will practice.. with the less recoil they are more likely to get Good Hits on target especially the face headshots needed to stop a perpetrator with this small round... myself Carry Underwood extreme cavitator.. I also installed Kel-Tec. Anti-rimlock kits which were available when I purchased mine in order to safely carry shorter profile 32. without getting rim lock. This works great with the Underwood extreme cavitator no jams no rim lock... I can carry my little Kel-Tec in a.. DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster in my lightweight shorts and it won't weigh me down.. along with a spare mag in my left pocket..

[@Salieri47]

I wasn't expecting the considerable (well, sort of) increase in velocity. With good shot placement the .32 round nose penetration certainly could damage vital organs. One thing is (could be related to .32) testing has shown .380 HP ammo can expand much more with a relatively small increase in barrel length in autoloaders. IIRC just a .750" increase, 3.0" compared to 2.25", makes a big difference.

[@wbwbailey155]

Yes, agreed; much more honest test. From a fellow "wrong hander".

[@127AFS]

Tried to comment three times, but KZbin deleted each attempt. If this comment goes through I guess their new "pew pew" channel policies don't allow anyone to actually talk about "pew pews" here.

[@Salieri47]

It's not just gun channels for me. I watch a wide variety of vids on YT, & frequently have comments disappear after they initially show as posted.

[@BobMarley-pm1xb]

Me three. YT has no use for my comments as YT does not like my politics or interests. I type my comments but NEVER hear back cept once a creator wrote back. Man, I appreciate your comment. Sorry to be late getting back. It was in the “naughty bin”. Something like that. And I pay for Premium…..smh…

[@Salieri47]

I don't know if YT is limiting my comments because I don't have Premium. It probably isn't content related because some of my more strongly worded comment stay posted, while some benign ones disappear...after they initially show as posted. The channel hosts say they haven't removed my comments.

[@BobMarley-pm1xb]

Great vid & even better attitude. Show me a guy who can take criticism well & I’ll show you a dude with no limits. Glad I’m a sub.

[@TheRealMrBlackCat]

I watched and appreciate the information... maybe I am not the target audience however. I test ammunition for many calibers each year and can't imagine not having several loadings and at least half a dozen firearms for a given caliber. It can realy matter. I really appreciate the video as a response to viewer input, as cylinder gap and cylinder clearance pre cone can have a huge effect on some guns/calibers. A .0.006" cylinder gap on a 38sp, which has relatively low chamber pressure (half or so probably) and way higher gas volume will not be nearly as effected as high pressure, small bore with a tiny volume, at the same cylinder gap. In this case for demonstration of "stopping power", I suppose one average semi-auto gives the desired results. While the Tomcat is an unconventional micro pistol, it is also a very common 32 to this day, so a good choice for the video.

[@ericbergfield6451]

I just had an apophany - the "FBI" hasn't been cool since the 1980's... Maybe instead of following their standard, we just realize that we can make our own standard based on 2024 results like these [slightly-sarcastic]

[@AmmoMart]

Thanks for watching Eric. Good to hear from you again. I agree, it would be cool to do other power and impact testing but, in the sake of uniformity...... Thanks Again and be safe.

[@frankbrowning328]

The ammo companies generally use a 3 - 4" test barrel when testing 32 ACP. Wayyy back when the 32ACP was launched guns of that time were often used in Europe as military sidearms and had 3-4+" barrels. A standard loading was a 71-77grain bullet at 900-925 fps.

[@PassivePortfolios]

The 32 ACP was designed for a 4" barrel. The early Brownings and Colts had 4" barrels which met the advertised velocity on the box.

[@richgcoop1842]

Try them nineteen 03 colt

[@tedcollins4684]

Could have just tipped the barrel instead of loading the magazine. Thanks for testing.

[@FoulPet]

That gel looks sad

[@ZONIAN955]

European ammo is hotter. Extra 100 fps in a Keltec. The original Silvertips with the small hollow point and jacket that comes all the way up work. One in .32 ACP into two 2" phone books will turn inside out on itself go in just as deep same damage as good .380. None of the second generation design Silvertips will work in any caliber cartridge. You cannot believe the advertising. Test for yourself or find someone doing it but not the manufacturer. A lot of false advertising going on. Now that a Czechoslovakian billionaire has bought most of our ammo companies this may change.

[@Sandhill1988]

It's sure beats a sharp stick.

[@FoulPet]

Arrows are better

[@ZONIAN955]

None of the second generation Silvertips with the larger hollow point and jacket tha comes up i long fingers work. Looks like they would but they don't. Not in any calibers. Go figure.

[@davidkachel]

You are insulting the 32 ACP by using it in entirely unsuitable guns. If Edward G. Robinson or Humphrey Bogart never used it in a movie, it is inappropriate. Pick one of the elegant classics... the 1903 Colt Pocket or the 1907 Savage, or the 1910 Browning, and there are several others. (The Walther, should you choose one, must be the original PPK and because Walthers are really kind of klunky, you have to insist that YOURS used to belong to Hitler himself.) My personal preference is the 1907 Savage for absolute pure, "you MUST wear a tuxedo", elegance. Frankly, the Beretta is offensive to the eye (unless it is the Model 1935 Beretta) and all that deserves reverence in the gun world. If you use a proper pistol with 32 ACP, the bullets will go twice as fast, penetrate twice as deeply and bring down any big game found on the African Continent, with a single shot to any part of said animal's anatomy. Also, your shooting will be far more accurate if you play the James Bond theme music while shooting. So, get thee to a gun store and buy the kind of gun the 32 ACP was meant to appear in!! Please show the proper reverence for John Browning's most beautiful baby!!

[@Salieri47]

You forgot that the Hollywood issued models you mentioned have at 50% more ammo capacity than the standard magazine.

[@davidkachel]

@@Salieri47 You're right! But it think it's closer to 100%!

[@Salieri47]

​@@davidkachelI think the extended capacity depends on the circumstances. The more dire they are for the hero the greater the capacity. It's certainly true for revolvers.

[@craigmccurdy987]

Hardball and lead rounds have been filling boxes for almost 300 yrs. If it ain't broke don't fix it.