The Forgotten .32 ACP: Still Kicking After 126 Years

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When it comes to small easily concealable “pocket pistols,” the three most common calibers in the days of old were .25 ACP, .32 ACP and .380 ACP. Of these three, the .32 Automatic Colt Pistol is actually the oldest, dating back to 1899. The .25 ACP was introduced in 1905, and the .380 ACP introduced a short time later in 1908. This trio of cartridges was designed by John Moses Browning and they became not only successful but hugely popular around the world. A wide variety of small auto-loading pistols were chambered for them, and these were used by armed citizens for personal protection, by law enforcement, and they even saw military use.

Today, the .380 ACP remains very popular, while the .25 ACP seems to have fallen by the wayside. What about the oldest of the three, the .32 ACP? While certainly not as popular as it once was, the .32 ACP remains a viable alternative to the .380 ACP in very small pistols intended for personal protection.

The .32 ACP, also known as the 7.65mm Browning, was introduced in 1899 by Fabrique Nationale. The first pistol chambered for it was the Browning designed M1900. The cartridge itself is based on a small semi-rimmed straight-walled case. Yes, it is a semi-rimmed and not a rimless design which belies it dating from the 19th Century. It was actually John Browning’s very first pistol cartridge design. He would retain the semi-rimmed case when designing the .25 ACP, but dispensed with it on the .380 ACP. The semi-rimmed design is perhaps its only real fault.

The small cartridge features a case length of 0.680 inch while the rim diameter is 0.358 inch and it features a base diameter of 0.337 inch. A small Boxer pistol primer is used. Cartridge overall length is 0.984 of an inch and it is loaded with a 0.312-inch diameter projectile. Standard bullet weight is 71 grains; however loads ranging in weight from 55 to 75 grains are often encountered. Typical performance is a 71-grain FMJ projectile at 900 fps, but keep in mind shorter barrels may reduce this. At 900 fps a 71-grain bullet generates 128 ft-lbs. of energy at the muzzle.

Intended for use in simple blow-back operated pistols, the .32 ACP cartridge went on to become extremely popular on both sides of the Atlantic. FN produced a whopping 500,000 pistols chambered for it between its introduction and 1909. In the United States, Savage Arms, with their Model 1907, was one of a number of companies that produced popular handguns in .32 ACP. In Europe, it was widely adopted by both police and military forces. The French Army issued over a million 7.65mm Ruby type pistols to front-line combat units during World War I. These saw heavy fighting in the trenches and were often used during nighttime raids.

In the years after World War I, small .32 ACP pistols became very popular for personal protection due to their small size, light weight and ability to be easily concealed. In 1929, Walther introduced their PP or Polizeipistole (Police Pistol) for law enforcement use. They followed this up in 1931 with the smaller PPK or Polizeipistole Kriminal, referring to the Kriminalamt crime investigation office, for use by detectives. During World War II, Germany issued large numbers of various 7.65mm pistols. In the post-war years, it was a popular cartridge with various European Law Enforcement agencies until it was eventually replaced with the 9mm Parabellum.

Perhaps one of the most interesting firearms chambered for this cartridge was the Samopal vzor 61 (submachine gun model 1961) better known simply as the “Skorpion.” The vz. 61 Skorpion is a select-fire, straight blow-back operated machine pistol which fires from the closed-bolt position. Its small size and light weight, 10.6 inches long with the stock folded and only 2.8 pounds, was achieved by using a telescoping bolt and the low-powered 7.65mm cartridge. The Czechoslovakian Ministry of Interior issued 7.65mm service pistols in the 1950s and so when they needed a compact PDW, this caliber seemed logical.

In recent years, the .32 ACP cartridge’s popularity has waned as both 9mm Parabellum and .380 ACP pistols have grown smaller and lighter. The .380 ACP cartridge especially has proven a serious challenge to the .32 ACP. Even so, the .32 ACP has a number of good features. It provides superior reliability over any rimfire cartridge for personal protection and offers superior terminal performance over the .22 LR, .22 Magnum, and .25 ACP fired from a handgun. Practical accuracy is typically good and recoil is less than a .380 ACP. The 32 ACP also typically provides a higher magazine capacity over the .380 ACP.

A number of companies still produce compact pocket pistols chambered in .32 ACP including Beretta and Keltec. A great example of these is Beretta’s recently introduced 30X Tomcat. A more user-friendly updated version of their older 3032 Tomcat, the 30X features easy to see sights, a threaded muzzle, 8+1 capacity and double-action design. The 30X is a bit on the beefy side and weighs in at 16.2 ounces. If you are looking for something smaller and lighter, Keltec’s P32 is only 0.75 inch wide and weighs just 6.9 ounces while offering 7+1 capacity.

When it comes to ammunition selection for personal protection, your three main options are a traditional Full Metal Jacket load, a modern expanding Hollow Point or a non-expanding load solid. Proper ammunition selection is always critical when it comes to handgun loads intended for personal protection, and with the .32 ACP it is even more important.

Why? The relatively low muzzle velocity and light weight of the projectiles combine to reduce the depth of penetration of expanding bullets. Due to this, many if not most expanding HPs in this caliber will fail to meet the FBI’s minimum penetration depth of 12 inches in calibrated 10% ordnance gelatin. Many modern 60-grain designs will reliably expand between .40 and .50 caliber, but they may only penetrate nine to 11 inches.

Traditional 71- to 73-grain FMJ loads on the other hand will not expand, but they will provide deep penetration. These loads typically penetrate to between 16 and 25 inches of gel, retain all their weight, and are capable of reaching the vital organs of an attacker. Their downside is a smaller permanent wound channel diameter compared to an expanding bullet.

One option is a load like Buffalo Bore Ammunition’s 75-grain Hardcast Flat Nose +P load. This has an advertised muzzle velocity of 910 fps from a 2.5 inch barrel and will penetrate deep (20+ inches) while causing more tissue damage than a FMJ load. Another option is Underwood Ammo’s 55-grain Extreme Defender solid monolithic with nose flutes. This 950 fps load will reduce recoil while still providing penetration within FBI guidelines and more tissue damage than a conventional JHP.

While not as popular as it once was, the .32 ACP remains an option for small ultra-compact pistols for concealed carry and personal protection. It tends to be accurate and easy to shoot, but keep in mind load selection is critical. 

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