Pocket pistols have somewhat fallen out of vogue since the arrival of single stack 9mms, newer high-capacity micro compacts, and loads of modern concealment holster options.
Many people that bought older pocket .380s fired them a few times and realized they suck.
Thus, the pocket pistol genre slowed down in sales as people realized slightly bigger was much better.
However, maybe they just had the wrong caliber. What if we ditched the .380 ACP and looked at something in .32 ACP?
Thinking just that, I recently went searching for a .32 ACP pocket pistol and settled on the KelTec P32.
If you are wondering why I picked this one, read on as I run you through its specs/features and take it to the range.
Table of Contents
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KelTec P32 at a Glance
Pros
- Ultra-light at 6.6 ounces
- Only .75-inches wide
- 7-round flush fit magazine
- Full-length slide rails
- Short recoil operation
Cons
- Tough-to-use sights
The Bottom Line
The KelTec P32 offers shooters a micro-sized pocket pistol in a much lower recoiling caliber than most. It’s very simple and works perfectly for pocket carry. The caliber may seem anemic, but it will reach the necessary penetration requirements with the proper ammunition, making it a viable deep concealment carry gun.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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KelTec P32 Specs & Features
Specs
- Width: 0.75″
- Length: 5.07”
- Barrel Length: 2.68”
- Height: 3.5”
- Weight (empty): 6.6 ounces
- Capacity: 7+1
Features
- Short recoil operation
- Rear slide serrations
- External extractor
- 5-pound DAO trigger
Source: KelTec
Background of the P32
There seems to be a total of three concealed carry .32 ACPs on the market today: the Seecamp, the Beretta 3032, and the subject of today’s article, the KelTec P32.
As much as I wanted a tip-up Beretta, the reputation for cracked frames scared me away. The Seecamp is heavier, lacks sights, and is thicker.
Thus I settled for what appears to be the thinnest and lightest .32 ACP, the KelTec P32.
The P32 is a very simple pistol. Extra features are limited; no rails or optics here. The P32 comes in two generations. Mine is the first-gen model with a rather interesting set of sights.
They are milled into the slide and sit flush. The front sight is a white triangle, and the rear is a white rectangle. Put the triangle on top of the rectangle, and you have your sight picture.
The second-gen guns use a much more traditional notch and post.
The P32 uses a double-action-only, hammer-fired design. While the trigger pull is somewhat long, it’s light. However, it doesn’t offer restrike capability because the trigger is partially cocked by the slide traveling rearward.
Another interesting design idea was to use a short recoil operation. While commonplace on larger pistols, most pocket pistols are direct blowback. Short recoil helps reduce overall recoil.
Who’s it for?
KelTec initially designed the P32 as a backup gun for law enforcement, debuting in 1999. It was small, easily carried, and convenient.
With the rise of concealed carry, it took a new life as an ultra-small and easy-to-shoot option for self-defense.
I typically advocate for something more akin to a P365 or Hellcat for concealed carry. I find these to be the perfect size for concealed carry and a great compromise of size, power, and capacity.
Maybe you have to dress fancy, your work uniform isn’t conducive to concealed carry, or you just can’t carry a larger gun. That’s where the P32 shines.
At .75 inches thick and weighing in at insanely light 6.6 ounces, the gun can be carried anywhere in any position. You can tuck it in your pocket, on your ankle, or in a belly band, and it absolutely disappears.
While close in size to some other tiny .380s, those guns also have about twice the recoil energy. With the P32, shooters get a much easier-to-shoot weapon in a caliber still capable of adequate penetration.
It would appear that KelTec makes the P32 in batches, so they can be a struggle to find at some times.
Fit and Feel of the P32
KelTec doesn’t make fancy guns. They make workable and affordable firearms. Sometimes they make creative firearms as well.
It’s no secret that KelTec firearms, especially early designs, weren’t always up to snuff. Old KelTec forums are full of information on how to fluff and buff early pistols to make sure they run.
Luckily, my Gen 1 runs great. Gen 2 P32s don’t require this fancy treatment to work and work without issue.
Remember, when you pick up a P32, don’t expect to be blown away. You can see the seams in the polymer frame. The slide looks fine, but the finish is lackluster. It won’t win any beauty contests.
Once it’s in your hand, you begin to make a few discoveries about how it functions. The slide is small, but the serrations at the rear make it easy to manipulate. The light recoil spring also makes it very easy to rack.
The magazine release button is placed well for easy access, and when hit, the magazine ejects with good force. While the grip texture is butt ugly, it’s aggressive and sticks to your hand fairly well.
I suggest a grip extension if you wear XL gloves like me due to how extremely small and thin it is.
KelTec P32 At the Range
Finding .32 ACP isn’t too hard if you don’t mind shopping online. Even locally, I found four boxes of it for a reasonable price.
A little warmup with the FMJ ammo instantly showed the gun was a soft shooter. I’m used to guns this small in centerfire calibers giving me that slap-high-five feeling — that’s not the case here.
Getting round after round onto a target at 10 and 15 yards isn’t hard. It’s surprisingly easy to keep the gun under control. It doesn’t try to fight its way out of your hand as many small .380s do.
In terms of accuracy, the gun won’t win any bullseye contests. The sights are a little wonky, but once you get over the learning curve, they work.
I did a modified 10-10-10 drill with the eight rounds I had in the gun. I kept six in the black and two in the eight ring at first. By the end of the day, if I used all 10 seconds, I could occasionally get an all-black run.
These guns are often called belly guns, and most people think they cannot be effective past something like seven yards. I beg to differ. I stepped back to 25 yards and took aim at an IPSC target.
I took my time and landed eight shots in the C and A zone of the target. That’s not too bad as far as I’m concerned.
The trigger is a DAO in length but not in weight. It breaks at around 5 pounds and is not terrible by any means — you just have to get used to riding the reset entirely out.
KelTec’s P32 does lock the slide open when the last round is fired, but it does not have a slide release. Shooters have to slingshot the slide to release it.
In the reliability department, the gun ate through all 320 rounds over three days without issue.
I ran 300 rounds of Fiocchi FMJ and 20 Federal Personal Defense JHP rounds. I would have liked to run more JHP rounds, but they are neither cheap nor easy to find all the time.
P32 – What Sets It Apart
The P32 is not only a tiny gun but a very easy-to-shoot gun. The lower recoil of the .32 ACP makes it one of the few pocket pistols I’d describe as pleasant.
While it still has some of the pocket gun issues, it’s really the only one I’ve ever enjoyed shooting.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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Its size and weight also make it the lightest, thinnest, non-rimfire handgun on the market. It’s super easy to conceal and allows it to work around all manner of dress.
KelTec P32 Gun Deals
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By the Numbers
Reliability: 5/5
Pull the trigger, and it goes bang — not much to it.
Ergonomics: 4/5
A tiny grip is necessary for concealed carry but not great for your hand. The weapon is simple, with just a magazine release to speak of. The last-round hold open is a nice touch, as is the lightweight racking slide.
Accuracy: 3/5
For a little gun, it’s easy to control, and that helps with practical accuracy. Don’t expect to win any contests, but it’s no belly gun by any means.
Customization: 2/5
You can add a magazine extension, a laser, and grip texture, but not much else. A company called Performance Shooting Enhancements makes some ingenious replacement sights that I might have to invest in.
Value: 5/5
The modern, brand-new P32s can still be had for less than $300, and the magazines are not terribly priced either, often selling for less than $20.
Overall: 4/5
The P32 is my favorite pocket pistol. It’s so easy to shoot and enjoyable that I’ll likely never look at a pocket-sized .380 ACP again. It’s small, reliable, and easy to shoot.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Final Thoughts
I wouldn’t carry the P32 as an EDC. It does, however, serve well as a special-purpose carry gun.
When you need something extremely tiny and crazy lightweight, the P32 is tough to beat. Drop it in your pocket, load it with FMJs, and you’re good to go.
What are your thoughts on the P32? Let us know in the comments below! Still not sold on .32 ACP? That’s alright; you can check out our article on the 8 Best Pocket Pistols for Concealed Carry!
Rating score
21 Leave a Reply
Great gun. My EDC that I actually carry. I hate holsters so I just tuck this pistol in my fanny pack (I'm too old to care about fashion). Heavy guns just get left at home so are worthless to me. Had a Ruger LCR before but too bulky and heavy. Got a Springfield 1911 in .45ACP for home defense where weight is not an issue.
Target accuracy is discussed in the article. All well and good.
But how about gel penetration from the Tiny Thirty-Two?
Great pistol. Would like to see it made in .25 ACP. I carry on my bicycle and light weight is essential on long rides. .25 ACP is a great cartridge and highly underrated. Good for us girls or anyone else for that matter.
With Underwood defense it should have penetration and damage.
Hollow points are a big fat no. Fiocchi and s%b have the hottest regularly available for fmj and that is where you want to be for penetration from a 32. That is a generous number of rounds for a single load. It is actually quite stunning. I cant for the life of me understand why no one has built a more refined version of this concept.
We can't carry hand guns here in Europe. People in the US buy home defence guns, and then they can't reach them in time. If I lived in the US I'd carry a P32 all day long at home and in the garden, and I'd have a bigger gun stashed in a safe place.
I saw you recommended FMJ ammo. Is that because the short barrel of the P-32 reduces the velocity of hollow points to where they won't expand. That seems to be the case in some ballistic tests I've seen. Now FMJ isn't necessarily a bad choice as it ensures penetration into the vitals. By the way, the FMJ also tumbles, increasing the amount of damage done-a plus when it comes to stopping power.
Hollow points won't expand with this caliber unless you get them up to 12 or 1400fps. The fmj gives near perfect penetration with fiocchi or s&b- they are both around 1000fps.
The cracked frame issue with the Tomcat has been solved in more recent models, and using ammo < 130 ft lbs of muzzle energy is a must. That is plenty of power as Lazr notes below, the Underwood Extreme Defender meets this requirement with the right mix of penetration and wound cavitation to be a surprisingly potent self defense round in .32. In addition to the tip up barrel and being a steel pistol, the manual safety is a big plus for some that pocket carry with one in the pipe. Lots to like overall..
Put some Underwood Extreme Defender .32 ACP’s in it and you should be good to go with, of course, proper shot placement. Not only do I have a Keltec P-32 but also a couple of CZ-70’s. .32 ACP. is pleasant to shoot for a range session. The Underwood’s elevate it to a whole new level. Now, do we wanna talk .32 H&R Mag or .327 Fed Mag? Oh, yeah….
Why in the world would anyone want this pistol ??? .32 ACP … good caliber to get you killed by a bad guy with . My Kahr CM45 comfortably rides in the back pocket of my jeans and truthfully, really doesn’t “ print “ . Seems like gun writers want to see their name in print so bad they’ll extoll the virtues of practically any caliber and try to convince us why there’s a definite need for it . Yes , I know the OSS made use of handguns chambered in this caliber but we’re talking about highly trained individuals . The average citizen- regardless of the abound of practice they do… forget it . Your article reeks of you know what .
IMHO, YOU Reek also! I among many others, treasure this "little friend"!
Ever try running, you know, for exercise? It's a brilliant runner's gun. Hollow-point in the chamber with 7 round noses standing by. Is the caliber ideal? No, but it's a compromise I'm okay with making in that particular situation. I have plenty of other choices for different situations.
And I don't mean this in mocking way at all but how do you sit down comfortably with a pistol (even a small one) in you back pocket? Do you remove it every time you sit?
Hitler was killed by a 32.
Do you wear your pistol every waking minute while at home? Too few Americans do, I understand. I appreciate that you must know more than me, since I cannot own guns here in Europe, but I suggest that you may have overlooked a home defence application. If the P32 helps someone reach their bigger gun, well that's something.
lol...caliber shaming. tsk tsk......different tools for different jobs. Mr Pike did an excellent job with the P32 review.
This is a great article. I've owned a P32 for some time now & i have passed it on to my daughter.I like Kel Tec's guns & i also have a PMR 30.(& a Grendel P12) In my opinion (& many other writers will agree),if a gun has no second strike capability it is not "double action". 1911's,Glocks, Hi Powers,& most of your "modern" striker fired guns are not double action. It must have second strike capability or it is still single action like the Ruger LCP 2.
Where did you get that small mag extension?
John, I believe the exact extension pictured with the frag pattern is no longer available. However, Pearce Grips still makes a pinky extension with a smooth surface that fits the P32. The factory 10-round extended magazines with the grip extension are still available from various online retailers as well.
With my methods, I'd probably have grip issues with the P32 (2XL gloves are tight in my hands).
.32 ACP was the standard police issue caliber for many European departments for decades. So yes, it can be effective as a personal defense caliber, but like most of the small calibers, shot placement is critical.
I' very always wanted to try the .32NAA, that North American Arms developed with Cor-Bon. Essentially a .380 case necked down to a .32 cal bullet, the velocities that round produces are impressive @ 1400-1500 fps with a 75gr bullet. Alas, finding the gun it was designed for, the NAA Guardian, and its price is prohibitive for this retiree (Big Hint Kel-Tec).
Kel-Rec has put out some interesting firearms. I've one of their P-11's, their 9mm DAO. Though it's not quite as small as my P365, it's a heck of a lot smaller than most compact and full size 9's.
Great review Travis. I'm going to keep my eyes open for a P32. Saw one in a pawn shop a year or two back, I should have snagged as they were only asking $150 for it. Might be something my better half would enjoy with its mild recoil an ease of operation.
Hi, Chuck! Like Travis, I also have a P32. I definitely think they are a neat pickup if you can find one in good working order. The mild recoil and ease of operation you mentioned are definitely a bonus; my better half has pretty much claimed my P32 as her own at this point. If I am lucky, I can sneak it into my front pocket with my Nemesis holster before she snags it.