32acp or 25acp?

[tactikel]

Would an accurate .38 spl revolver fill your needs? Few cartridges are as easy to reload, cheaper to reload, and as accurate as the .38 Spl. I cast 90 gr to 168 gr bullets, shoot for powder and primer cost (6 cents a round). I can vary loads from "parlor" loads to +P easily, making the firearm far more useful than a .25 acp mouse gun.

 

[justin22885]

anyway, the issue i have with getting into 32 mags, 38 specials is i was hoping to find something that used very little power, could be used with cast lead and make for some very inexpensive ammunition.. these full size revolver cartridges with the much larger case capacity begin to consume more powder, more lead, and take up more space.. basically i was hoping to find a rimless centerfire analog to a .22 for a small, light automatic

hmm, what about a nagant revolver?.. bonus is you can even suppress it

 

[rcmodel]

mac-11 can be made to be barely any larger than a typical fullsize pistol and are very accurate,

Very Accurate??
Oh Really??

I Did Not know that!!

rc

 

[justin22885]

heres what im going to do, finding some load data on the 25acp, its about an equal in performance to 22lr with handloads out of equal barrel lengths, its the 22lr analog in a reloadable centerfire cartridge that im looking for, i'll keep my eyes open for brass and theres information available about converting .22lr firearms to 25acp, this of course will depend on whether or not i can even find the brass

the other thing im going to take from this is im going to look more into smaller caliber revolvers.. i found some information and even a guide online on actually converting 5.56/.223 brass to 7.62x38R brass.. a bit more labor intensive but a heck of a lot cheaper than some of the other 32 cal revolver brass out there and it would retain the gas seal feature.. also, people have safely fired .32H&R out of the nagant revolvers, so there is some room to play with some handloads, and of course the bonus is you can even suppress these

so i will look more into a nagant revolver for a small caliber revolver, and i will look more into the .25acp brass, which appears my only source is loaded ammunition at about $0.30/rd

 

[TruthTellers]

What you're looking for isn't an automatic, I can tell you that. You should look at revolvers and right now the best one I think you can get is the .327 SP101 that Ruger currently makes with a 4.2" barrel. You'll have the choice of shooting .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R, .327, and maybe .32 ACP. I wouldn't bother with .32 S&W, it's too short and weak to be effective in a .327 revolver and you can load the .32 S&W longs as light as the .32 shorts anyway.

The issue you'll run into with .32 revolvers is there aren't a lot being made currently outside of Ruger, and those that are currently produced are mostly geared towards concealed carry. I think you're down to two choices and that either a .327 SP101 or a .327 Ruger Single Seven. The SP is a DA/SA and has the swing out cylinder for faster reloading, the Single Seven is a SA and takes longer to unload/reload, but it has an 7 rd capacity.

They'll both run you about $550+ new.

 

[WestKentucky]

If you do venture into the revolver world, take note of the substantial gains in performance as you ease up in case length. 32sw is weak. 32 swl is weak, but significantly better than 32sw. 32 mag is a huge jump in the right direction, and 327fed is strong. I would look at 32 mag revolvers and shoot 32swl. Plenty pop for a rabbit or squirrel in swl. Plenty pop for a fox or coyote in mag.

And agreed on all accounts of tiny bullets being a booger. I pinch my fingers worst when loading 32swl or .256 winmag.

If you do jump up to .380 look very seriously at a cheetah. They are/were popular enough you could probably find a longer barrel and possibly even decent sights.

 

[Tallball]

I think that a 32 revolver would probably be best for you.

I don't own a 25, but all of the ones I have seen are very small with tiny sights. I like 32 automatics and own several. But they are also typically small pistols with small sights. My Colt 1903 has a long enough barrel (and therefore sight radius) for decent shooting, but is hampered by the little bitty sights it has. I have actually been on the lookout for a 32acp with a long enough barrel and large enough sights to do some decent target shooting with, but they are few and far between and usually not cheap. I have seen a couple of different Beretta models with longish barrels and decent sized adjustable sights, but none yet that I am willing to pay for.

I also own revolvers in 32 S&W long, 32 H&R, and 327 magnum. Most that I have run across are snubbies with fixed sights. Nobody wants the old 32 S&W long revolvers, so they are dirt cheap. I lucked into an actual S&W with a 4" barrel for $125, but it is about 100 years old and has tiny fixed sights like my Colt 1903 - not good enough (imho) for hunting or longer-range target shooting.

The old H&R or NEF (same company) are cheap and easily available. I got a couple of snubbies for less than $150 apiece. They work fine, but would not serve your purpose. However, they did make models with 4" and even 6" barrels which I have seen for sale occasionally. Some of them even have decent-sized adjustable sights. I think one of those would serve your purpose well. The NEF Ultra models seem particularly nice.

I bought one of those Ruger SP101's in 327 with a 4" barrel and adjustable sights, but have been extremely disappointed by its outrageously stiff trigger. I can't shoot it worth beans. My search for a longish barreled 32 with nice sights and good accuracy was going nowhere until I ran across a Ruger Single Six in 32 H&R magnum. It has a 6.5" barrel and nice adjustable sights. Yeah, I can shoot it quite well and would highly recommend it for your purposes.

I am interested in 32's for two reasons. One is that I am often shooting with women or kids (or my 5'4" tiny-handed male friend) and they generally do quite well with 32's. The other reason is expense. My FiL reloads most of the ammunition that we shoot. He reloads various calibers, but 32 S&W long is generally the very cheapest. Now that we have plenty of brass, the other components are quite inexpensive. Since we are just target shooting or plinking, he uses fairly light loads. They cost very little and are quite accurate in our longer-barreled revolvers.

I have purchased all of these 32 handguns off of Gunbroker in the past few years. If you keep your eyes open you will eventually find something that will suit you at a price you are willing to pay. Sorry for the extremely long post, but as you can see, I am very interested in 32 handguns.

PS I owned a Russian Nagant revolver. It had absolutely the worst trigger of any firearm I have ever shot. I love revolvers, military surplus firearms, and antiques. But its trigger was so horrible that I ended up trading it in towards a Tokerov, which is a far superior handgun, imho.

 

[justin22885]

ill definitely be getting a 1863 pocket revolver (cap and ball) soon, i can get a 32S&W cylinder for that.. but im still going to look more into making 7.62x38mmR brass out of .223 brass because that idea really has me interested considering the quantities of .223 brass i already possess

 

[cocojo]

Couple of good 32's are the Beretta Tomcat 3032, or try and find a Walther ppk in 32 but you talking bucks here for both guns. You might want to consider a Tokarev T-33 surplus or a brand new Zastava T-57 in 7.62x25. I own both models and I like the T-57 slightly better, it had a bigger grip and they are short money and well built. The 7.62x25 round is hot, but has very little recoil and plenty of accuracy.

 

[AK103K]

the mac-11 can be made to be barely any larger than a typical fullsize pistol and are very accurate,

The first part is true, the second....well, I suppose that depends on what you call "very accurate".

They are accurate enough for their intended use, if you know how to shoot them, but they are in no way a tack driver, nor are they something Id try and hunt small game with, except maybe it was all I had, and I was REALLY desperate.

I see youre already starting to bounce all over the place too. Mouse guns, SMG's, and now cap and ball revolvers converted to cartridge fro small game survival hunting? Whats next, Tipton belt feds?

 

[justin22885]

The first part is true, the second....well, I suppose that depends on what you call "very accurate".

They are accurate enough for their intended use, if you know how to shoot them, but they are in no way a tack driver, nor are they something Id try and hunt small game with, except maybe it was all I had, and I was REALLY desperate.

I see youre already starting to bounce all over the place too. Mouse guns, SMG's, and now cap and ball revolvers converted to cartridge fro small game survival hunting? Whats next, Tipton belt feds?

i think you just simply fail to pay attention, everything mentioned has been small caliber, a 25acp or 32 fired from any other weapon is still a mouse gun and a remington 1863 is about the smallest 32 cal revolver youre going to find for the price

lastly, i dont know how many mac-11s youve shot before, but newly made macs with a good barrel are able to be as accurate as any other blowback weapon when fired single fire from a closed bolt.. far cry from the open bolt FA models, they even make 16" carbine versions of the mac 10 chambered in .460 rowland for hunting

 

[AK103K]

im wanting a very small, lightweight, mechanically simple blowback pistol

Your first post, which is basically describing what most would consider "mouse gun" pocket pistols. My mistake if you were inferring otherwise.

That, and previous experience with you in other posts, the "bouncing all over" was just, well, "experience".

lastly, i dont know how many mac-11s youve shot before, but newly made macs with a good barrel are able to be as accurate as any other blowback weapon when fired single fire from a closed bolt.. far cry from the open bolt FA models, they even make 16" carbine versions of the mac 10 chambered in .460 rowland for hunting

Well, you got me there. All my experience with them, has been with the select fire models.

Still, considering what they are, I still dont see them being "very accurate", so youll have to post some of your targets, so we can decide for ourselves.


ETA: Oops, I see your bouncing again, and changed things up as I typed.

 

[justin22885]

now, to stay on topic, im still interested in 32acp, has anyone ever made a 32acp pistol with a barrel longer than 3 1/2 inches?, the problem with old walthers is in my opinion they have too much value for what im looking for, it would probably get damaged

CZ-83 with a 15 round mag seems like a good option if they have the accuracy needed

 

[Deanimator]

Other than as a collector's item, I wouldn't consider a .25acp gun for ANYTHING.

That having been said, I think you'd be better off either with:

1. A .327 revolver of some sort, which will shoot a variety of .32 revolver rounds without concern for bullet shape.
2. A convertible .22lr/22WRM revolver.

 

[Deanimator]

now, to stay on topic, im still interested in 32acp, has anyone ever made a 32acp pistol with a barrel longer than 3 1/2 inches?, the problem with old walthers is in my opinion they have too much value for what im looking for, it would probably get damaged

Beretta made long barreled .32acp semi-autos at least up into the '70s.



I have no idea what they're going for on GunBroker, etc., these days.

Here's a Model 100 with the rear sight where it belongs, on the slide:



Beretta Model 100 on GunBroker

 

[justin22885]

deanimator, wouldnt the sight on the barrel be inherently a bit more accurate as theres zero movement between the sights themselves and the bore of the barrel? that model 74 looks like it has the potential to be extremely accurate

 

[bannockburn]

justin22885

Found something that should work perfectly for you. Check out Gunbroker Item #533798271. It's a Beretta Model 100 Target in .32 ACP, complete with a 6" barrel and adjustable rear sight. Current bid is at $305.

 

[kBob]

Look for a 4 inch Colt Police Positive in .32 Colt New Police fi you want used old school or one of the more modern .327 Magnums maybe with adjustable sights. The later old Police Positives models have decent fixed sights, BTW. The are nice six shot revolvers. The brass stays in the cylinder until YOU decide to drop it out.

.32 Colt New Police IS .32 S&W long with a different lead bullet that had a slight flat area on the nose rather than S&W's round nose. In th ePolice Positive they are completely interchangeable. Some report that the Colt Police Positive of post WWII manufacture also shoot .32 ACP and they certainly do load in the cylinder.

ALL of the .32 revolver rounds can be loaded as low as you want to go. You can make mouse fart round ball buckshot loads in those .327 Magnums as light as any in a .32 S&W shell.....and you can make go fast big boom shells as well if you start with the longer cartridges, so why not a .327? As others have said you can shoot .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, and .32 H&R Mag in them as well.

For a survivalist or even Survivalist (lower case or upper case) you would want flexibility which the .327 would give you.

Still there is a lot to be said for having a good .22 revolver and just laying in a pile of .22 ammo. Lots of survivalist realized back before the fall of the evil empire that for the effort of getting, keeping and transporting loading tools, powder and primers as well as either pre cast bullets or casting blocks and handles, lead ingots, and lube, that just buying a lot of .22 LR made a lot more sense.

-kBob

 

[GooseGestapo]

Justin22885 has become synonymous with silly claims.....

Having owned a couple of decent.32 auto's, what he's looking for doesn't exist.
I had a decently accurate Beretta TomCat, and have a KelTec .32, both of which shoot to the sights. However, neither were/are adequately accurate for shooting anything beyond 20-30 feet
There IS a difference between hitting a soda can at 20' and taking small game at 25-50yds.
My Ruger Single7 w/5.5"bbl barely makes the grade.
Off topic but related, the Single 7 has digested .32S&W, .32acp, .32S&W Long, .32HRM, .327Fed.
But it won't match the S&W 617, or Ruger Mk1 (.22rf).

 

[justin22885]

one other idea i had was to buy a spare 9mm barrel and have it sleeved and chambered for 30 luger, 30 luger, made from 9mm brass and using .308" bullets it can be loaded to 9mm +P pressures and match 7.62x25, or it can be down-loaded to the same charge youd put in a .32acp and give you the same energy.. one caliber, 32acp AND 7.62x25 ballistics at the cost of some 9mm brass

 

[Jim Watson]

You could do that.
Or you could load 9mm with typical .380 bullets and a very light load.
It used to be fairly common to load so light that the gun became a "pump action" for small pests and indoor target practice.

 

[Deanimator]

deanimator, wouldnt the sight on the barrel be inherently a bit more accurate as theres zero movement between the sights themselves and the bore of the barrel? that model 74 looks like it has the potential to be extremely accurate

Whatever you allegedly gain would probably negated by the loss of sight radius.

 

[justin22885]

unfortunately 32acp brass doesnt seem all that much more common than 25acp.. i think the 30 luger idea is good because it only requires a barrel swap of an existing pistol but i dont know how accurate that would be

im going to go with the M1895 nagant revolver, .32-20 brass can be resized, trimmed, and loaded to 32H&R specs and i still have the option of making gas seal brass with .223, the costs for ammunition to do this would cost about the same as 32H&R itself, 1895 revolvers are cheaper than any other option and ill be handloading anyway

 

[Sunray]

"...lot of serviceable .32s around..." Most of which(assuming pistol vs revolver and ACP) aren't accurate enough and have crappy sights. Use a .22 LR target pistol.
A MAC-10/11 are SMG's. Totally unsuitable for hunting anything.

 

[justin22885]

"...lot of serviceable .32s around..." Most of which(assuming pistol vs revolver and ACP) aren't accurate enough and have crappy sights. Use a .22 LR target pistol.
A MAC-10/11 are SMG's. Totally unsuitable for hunting anything.

so would you say my AKs are unsuitable for hunting as well just because they werent designed for it?