.32ACP vs .38 Special

[Al Thompson]

Well Baba, the whole point is the ammo. If he can get good HP ammo for the .38, it's open and shut. If he can't, the difference in penetration is zilch. That's where the spare magazine or three for the .32 comes into play. As soon as we gett a reply on ammo availability, we can make better recommendations.

 

[zxc]

Leaning towards 2 of each, either the 32 or 38s,
BUG scenario. If pressed Id take the auto + xtra mags.

 

[Zip06]

The question for me is simple: Higher ballistic power and better ammo selection vs the ability to reload quickly. Assuming shooting skills are the same with either pistol I would go for the quick reloading advantage of the .32 and at least two extra mags.

 

[Parker Dean]

I too lean towards the .38. With speedloaders and practice I don't see that an autoloader would have such an advantage that it would offset the greater power of the .38 +P. HKS says their 36A is for the Rossi 68 and 88. I couldn't find a detailed listing for the Safarilands that I prefer.

Also if the BG's travel in pairs I would think it would be advantageous for the GG's to pair up too.

 

[bookman]

For a long time all I carried was a PP 32 and got real good with it,.All you have to do is Practice,Practice and more Practice.Make the shot's count and were it will hurt the most ..Now I am useing a 9mm BUT I still at time's go back to the PP as my only and I have been thinking about makeing it full time and geting rid of the 9....I am just better with the 32.....

 

[sm]

This is for carrying and home defense, seeing as we can have only one firearm for self defense here.

I would be concerned about ammo choices also.

My natural tendency is gun fit to shooter, ammo choice reliable everytime in that gun in a large enough caliber to afford quick accurate hits.

---

Primary should be a high-cap 40 or 10mm. And yes, Jim is hereby recommending an auto, possibly the first time on THR...for the *primary* in South Africa.

Jim,... Jim... you OK?...good advice, but I thought my eyes had deceived me...

 

[Jaco]

I got to ask the question after a discussion with a friend of mine, who has a .38 special Rossi 5 shot snubby - Which would be actually the best in our conditions in South Africa? He has that snubby, I have a PPK in .32ACP. Both these guns are obviously not the best for multiple attackers (a lot of attacks are at about 4 to 1, and these 4 are then mostly armed), but which would you prefer? Like I said also - both are completely reliable and the same weight.

Repeating what I stated in my post:
1. Choices between only .38 Special and .32 ACP
2. Good HP ammunition available for all calibers. I carry Silveertips and 75 gr FMJ's in my PPK, and my friend carry a local manufactured +P HP in .38 Special
3. In South Africa you can have only one gun for self defense. I have the PPK, and the only thing better that I can afford now is a .38 Special snubby, which I won't get because of the following:
- I have difficulty in concealing it
- I don't like only 5 shots. I normally carry 2 spare 7-shot magazines with me, and will buy a 10 round mag soon. With a attack by 4 people 5 rounds can get used up very quickly.
- The OSS ratio of the calibers don't differ that much
- I'm not good at DA shooting. Prefer hitting with the .32 vs missing with the .38
- A snubby doesn't have a safety. The biggest pro of a sfatey here is that a BG have to figure it out before he can use your own gun on you.

 

[sm]

Jaco,
I'm going to go out on a limb after your last post.
(not a new thing-trust me)

You have a gun you have confidence in and practice with. You seem to have some good ammo that is reliable everytime, and you carry spare mags. I can respect your choice of the .32ACP. Only one gun and to have spend additional monies for a snub.

I'd stick with your present choice, use the monies for ammo to practice, and any other accessories needed, like additional mags, holsters and the like.

I really hate your in such a predictament.

Best to you, stay safe, watch six.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Most responders here have compared the 32 ACP to the 38 Special +P...

The 5 shot Rossi probably is not +P rated, so you are stuck with standard pressure 38.


Standard pressure 38 is still going to beat 32, but not by as much margin.

 

[444]

A little off topic, but interesting

.....at least to me.

I recently attended the Gunsite 250 Basic Defensive Handgun course. This was my second course at Gunsite and for both courses, the facility provided a notebook filled with good information on everything from Lead exposure, to firearms safety, to more in-depth information on the course material. In both notebooks there were very interesting ballistic studies pertaining to the weapon you are training on. In this class obviously the information pertained to handgun cartridges. The studies were carried out at the California Highway Patrol Academy Weapons Training Department Indoor firing Range by Gary K. Roberts, DDS who is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, performing wound ballistic research and combat casualty care training. One such study included in this material was entitled; Terminal Performance of .38 Special and .380 ACP Hollow Point Bullets Intended for Law Enforcement Back-up and Off Duty Self-Defense Using 10% Ordnance Gelatin as a Tissue Simulant. Acceptable perfromance was arbitrarily defined as meeting both a minimum penetration of 12.0" and expansion of .55". Weapons used were a Colt Mustang Pocket Lite, S&W 60-3 with a 3" barrel and a S&W Model 38 with a 2" barrel.
Boiled down to a nutshell, the study found that All of the .380 ACP JHP bullets tested offered generally inconsistent, unacceptable terminal performance for law enforcement back-up and off duty self-defense use due to inadequate penetration, as well as inadequate expansion. In .38 Special however, he found that The .38 Special bullets which offered the most reliable wounding effects for law enforcement back-up and off duty self-defense use in revolvers of two and three inch barrel lengths and were most likely to provide rapid incapacitation were the Remington +P 158 grain LSWCHP (R38S12) and Winchester +P 147 grain JHP (RA38147HP). The Federal +P+ 147 grain "Hydra-Shok" JHP (P38HS2) bullet offers outstanding performance in revolvers with at least a 3" barrel, but should not be used in 2" barrel weapons due to insufficient expansion. The Winchester +P 138 grain JHP (SXTS35P) bullet offers acceptable performance in 2" barrel revolvers, but should not be used in longer barrel lengths due to insufficient bullet penetration.

I realize this is not .32 ACP, but I think this gives some food for thought.