Wife wants P32. Thoughts?

[Revelationechc]

My wife has dainty little hands and recoil is not her friend. She has tried a variety of hgs in 9 and 380 but did not care for any of them. She likes the pos 22s I have, but they're mid-full size and they're 22s. She wants a smaller hg and the P32 caught her eye online. Anyone have experience with it? Is it worth it or should she just grab a 22mag revolver?

Thanks.

 

[fbirdquik6]

To carry or for around the home?

 

[atilla]

it's better than nothing, and if it's what she wants and is comfortable with? have her get it, practice more, get more comfortable, and then move up to something better.

having a gun is better than not having a gun. even a .32ACP.

 

[fbirdquik6]

I always recommend people check out 38's with a light wadcutter load, even at its lightest you have a much heavier bullet with a lot more energy than a .32, 22 mag, 25acp

 

[Varmint]

Which .380s did she try?

 

[Stumpthumper]

it's better than nothing, and if it's what she wants and is comfortable with? have her get it, practice more, get more comfortable, and then move up to something better.

having a gun is better than not having a gun. even a .32ACP.

+1

 

[BillO]

Try a Ruger SR22 with HV 22(like CCI Stingers) ammo.
Way better than a baseball bat and suitable for recoil sensitive shooters.
If you want a revolver, Ruger (LCR), and S&W make pretty good 22's.

 

[Revelationechc]

She tried bg380, sig 238 and beretta pico. She likes the SR22 we have, but I just dont see it as reliable enough. It would be for home use primarily as we're usually together when we go out so she doesn't usually bother carrying...despite my hopes.

22 mag revolver is probably where she'll end up at this point. That hornady ammo would do the trick in wcs.

But has anyone ever actually tried a P32?

 

[greencobra]

It's not what we think or what you think she should be using, it's where her comfort level is. Listen to the woman and go with it.

 

[DrNVP]

It would be for home use primarily

A P32 for home defense? You say she hates recoil...but a lot of the tiny assed .32 and .380s have snappy sharp felt recoil due to their tiny grip size and low weight.

A K-frame S&W w/ 4" barrel loaded with wadcutters has almost nonexistant recoil, and is going to be a lot more effective than a tiny .32 as a home defense piece. A 38 wadcutter round shoots very softly, but is still superior to a 38 FMJ by far.

 

[Jenny]

Has she shot one?

I find the recoil obnoxious on it - it's so skinny it's hard to keep from going all squirrelly under recoil, then it bangs up my fingers.

To each their own though.
(I'm partial to Kahr MK or smaller 1911-ish patterns, and if I had to go smaller I'd probably start looking at the tiny Berettas to get a bit more thickness in the grip - but to each their own)

 

[Revelationechc]

It's not what we think or what you think she should be using, it's where her comfort level is. Listen to the woman and go with it.

Agreed. This started cause she saw the P32 online and was curious if that would work better for her. I am asking on her behalf to see if others have experience with it before she goes out and spends $

 

[Varmint]

She tried bg380, sig 238 and beretta pico. She likes the SR22 we have, but I just dont see it as reliable enough. It would be for home use primarily as we're usually together when we go out so she doesn't usually bother carrying...despite my hopes.

22 mag revolver is probably where she'll end up at this point. That hornady ammo would do the trick in wcs.

But has anyone ever actually tried a P32?

How about a Glock 42? I heard that shoots very softly.

I like the P238 but felt the same, recoil is too close to a larger 9mm handgun.

 

[BattleSnail]

let your wife get whatever she wants.

 

[frenchman]

Get her that keltec 22WMR. I think it has something like 30 rounds capacity. Oh, wait, Massachusetts? Never mind.

 

[mousegunguy]

The kel tec p32 is very eas to carry almost everywhere. It jumps more than the sr22. Kel tec also sells a 9 round extended mag for it too. But.... The pistol is not Ma. compliant so it may be hard to find in Ma. and it'll cost you extra. I bought one here on NES awhile ago. Once I fixed the trigger spring I haven't had any other problems with it. I like it as a N.Y. reload. If she wants she can try mine. PM me

 

[swampy]

The P3AT is the same as the p32 but in 380acp. It doesn't have a slide lock and it is a tough slide to get a grip on to rack. My daughter had a hard time working it. The gun is very light and recoils sharply with .380acp. The .32 will recoil lighter but not by much. On a good day the trigger sucks. Other days it is terrible. I'd take a 38sp revolver as a first choice over the p32. I'd even take a 22 mag revolver over the p32.

 

[92G]

I think an LCR in 22 magnum w 6 shots is a solid gun for a female or recoil shy person. It puts out decent power w minimal recoil. 6 shots is nice too....people can trashtalk 22wmr. But homestly theres some very good ammo out there...plus w revolver u dont have to worry about the cartridge cycling any action or getting pushed out of battery if the gun is pushed up against a badguy whilebeing discharged. Also female can shoot it through their purse or jacket if needed.

my LCR in .38sp is one of the best little guns i own....great trigger too. Swap on a boot grip and front night sight and youve got a winner.

 

[Jenny]

Couple things...

I LOVE that the firearms community has embraced "let the lady choose her own weapon" - but i think it's notable that this is a "it looks good online, how is it in real life" question and not a "what gun for the little lady" question. So with that in mind...

... I don't think a gal looking for a mostly HD weapon would be long term happy with a tiny pocket pistol in that role... unless she already had a lot of experience, in which case she wouldn't be asking the question.

If recoil sensitivity is an issue- and she wont / cant be training to master it- I think the 22 wmr option is a better suggestion than the p32. I've a gal friend with tiny hands and significant skeletal/joint problems that preclude standard handguns. She LOVES the KelTec PMR 30... and FOR HER its a great choice.


... there's few feelings worse than standing in the dark, hearing the bad guy outside, and having no confidence in your weapon. I'd hate for her to have that feeling.

 

[Revelationechc]

Couple things...

I LOVE that the firearms community has embraced "let the lady choose her own weapon" - but i think it's notable that this is a "it looks good online, how is it in real life" question and not a "what gun for the little lady" question. So with that in mind...

... I don't think a gal looking for a mostly HD weapon would be long term happy with a tiny pocket pistol in that role... unless she already had a lot of experience, in which case she wouldn't be asking the question.

If recoil sensitivity is an issue- and she wont / cant be training to master it- I think the 22 wmr option is a better suggestion than the p32. I've a gal friend with tiny hands and significant skeletal/joint problems that preclude standard handguns. She LOVES the KelTec PMR 30... and FOR HER its a great choice.


... there's few feelings worse than standing in the dark, hearing the bad guy outside, and having no confidence in your weapon. I'd hate for her to have that feeling.

This was a very helpful post for my wife. Thank you for the insight.

 

[hillman]

If recoil is an issue, and it's not for carry, why not go to a larger, heavier pistol rather than a smaller caliber?

My Ruger p89 with cushy hogue grips has virtually no recoil. It's actually my wife's nightstand gun. And she thinks the p238 is too snappy, but loves the p89.

 

[Jenny]

For the record, I agree w/hillman that more mass in the weapon and a standard centerfire chambering is a better solution to the "too much recoil" problem for most people - male or female - who aren't planning to carry.
But not everyone lives near the center of the bellcurve, and better a nice tight cluster of .22 wmr in the aorta than a 9mm in the wall.

Sounds like it's range time. "hey honey, can I try that one...."

 

[92G]

the issue of gun being out of battery is often overlooked.

in all likelihood, if a woman is using a firearm theres a good chance its a male attacker who is either on top of her or has the female physically restrained. in this case the shot will be point blank. most autos are easily pushed out of battery if pressed against an object. this bothers me.

personally i find one of largest advantages w a revolver is that in point blank range it will fire no matter how hard its pressed up against the attacker or how much clothing is surrounding it.

shooting at a 7 yard paper target is fun at the range but unlikely to occur in survival situation....much more likely the shot will need to be placed one-handed while being choked on the ground by a point blank attacker.

 

[jar]

Have her go to a Women on Target event. There are usually a ton of handguns on the line to try that will give her a good idea of what might work for her. Tiny pocket pistols generally aren't good for the recoil sensitive. If it's not for carry, a full size 38 revolver or 9mm auto would probably be the best options.

 

[Swamp_Yankee]

I had a Keltec P32. It does have a little bit of a kick but it was not too bad. My problem was that my hands were too big and it wanted to jump out of them. I could never get a grip on it. I picked up a P380 and am much happier. It is a little bigger but the P380 has the least recoil of any .380 I have ever fired. Not cheap. But I thought it was worth the price.

Also, I kept accidentally hitting the mag release on the P32 because I could not get a grip on it!

 

[thormx538]

I have a P32 that I carry a lot in the summer (sometimes I don't want to dress around my G26). For what it is, I like it. The LCP is better than it in terms of stopping power, but I only paid $200 for my P32. I wouldn't recommend it for anything besides a summer time CCW though, and certainly not as a primary/HD gun.

 

[Revelationechc]

Thanks for the replies folks. I will email her some dates for WOT events. She likes the idea of the revolver at this point, but we did set up some time for her to try out a few of our friends various hgs before she makes a final decision.