.32 ACP vs. .380 ACP

>>32387638
Better for what? Babying your hands while you shoot? .32 Theoretically ending a threat by shooting someone? .380

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>>32387638

They're honestly pretty damn similar for performance with FMJ out of small guns. I prefer .32ACP because it recoils less allowing faster shots. I've got a weird thing for older larger frame .32s though.

>>32387638
I've always wondered why .32 ACP never caught on in the U.S. when in Europe it's a legendary caliber over there.

>>32387698
In Europe they didn't have the same big revolver cowboy culture.

>>32387698
Probably because .45 ACP and Revolvers were firmly cemented in the American firearms scene.

>>32387638
In all honesty .32's sound okay until you handle one, go to a store and open up a box of ammo of each and look at the difference in weight and size. You'll probably go buy a .380 when you walk out of the store desu

32acp is significantly weaker than 380 and only really had a place in pocket pistols. The largest things that still fire them are PPK's and revolvers. Just based on ammo and pistol availability and penetration 380 is the obvious choice.

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>>32387698

The US fell into the "bigger must be better" thing. This was before ballistic testing was really established. I think the .32 performs better than its reputation implies, though you've got to acknowledge that while penetrating acceptably it makes a narrow wound path. I think it's advantage is lack of recoil letting you make lots of holes very fast.

Given the option a 9mm or .45 would be better, but for very compact carry I've really been enjoying the Beretta 81FS. I'd love a CZ83 in .32 as well. 15 shots fast in a small easy to conceal gun is appealing.

.380acp is a bit more powerful, and there a number of decently effective modern loadings around these days. There are a lot more recent offerings in .380 than in .32acp, although .32 was once very popular. Cost per round is similar, ,380 is a few cents cheaper now.

If you want a .32, consider a seecamp.

If you want a .38, you have a ton of choices

>>32387743
>>32387803

Again...between .380 and .32 ACP there is almost no appreciable difference. JHPs in both generally either fail to expand or do expand and cause too shallow penetration. FMJ in both will hit the needed 12 to 18 inches of ballistic gel with .380 having a slight advantage at the cost of sharper recoil in small guns. I'm admittedly biased towards the .32 ACP but do carry a P232 in .380 in the summer.

>>32387803
Walther doesn't even make PPKs in .32 anymore.

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There have been pretty huge advances in .380 in recent years due to it's popularity, whereas .32 was more popular back in the day because it predated .380 by 10 years and pocket pistols were very much in fashion. Look up Hornady's .380 XTP and Federal's Hydrashok bullet performance, it's excellent. I carry the Hornady XTP in my .380 PPK on the rare occasion I'm not carrying my CZ P-01.

http://shootingthebull.net/blog/final-results-of-the-380-acp-ammo-quest/

>>32387870
>Again...between .380 and .32 ACP there is almost no appreciable difference

repeating yourself doesn't make your misinformation true

>>32387870
Alright I'll be honest that I'm biased to the .380
Saying there is no significant difference sounds like crazy talk to me. Handle a .32 and ask yourself if that 60-70 grain pebble is really going to stop something. For a small pistol it's probably better than barehands in some situations.
.380 is way closer to 9x19 in ballistics than it is to .32

I have a .32 it's basically a plinking "toy" or small varmint round.
Not to mention .32 is semi-rimmed and you can come up with jamming problems from loading a magazine wrong.

>>32387810
.32 is like a dollar a round if you can manage to find it in a store and not buy online

inb4 3 replies of
>not buying your ammo online
i know some of you like to buy your ammo online and save yourself an argument with the register clerk about giving personal info when buying the ammo, if they want to see im old enough fine, they don't need to keep records of my business

>>32387932

Neither does regurgitating the fuddlore that there is some significant difference.

>>32387638
I'm really upset that 32 never took off here. If it became sufficiently popular, along with advances in ballistics and metallurgy, we could churn out a defensive load that's actually pretty good. Too bad the only pistols that fire it are either old or cheaply made and new and can't handle anything hotter than what is commerically available.

Still a very very fun round to shoot if you're not using a blowback pistol

.32 would probably make a decent rifle round

>>32387950

There is a difference it's just not as pronounced as people generally imply. A better way to put it is, I think they are similarly pathetic. Given the choice I'd rather shoot more pathetic rounds faster and more accurately over a minor increase in ballistic effect.

The rimlock issues I've never had crop up and I shoot a good amount of .32ACP, I can see how it could happen just never has for me.

>>32387870
>Again...between .380 and .32 ACP there is almost no appreciable difference

They are very different. .32 ACP is essentially 7.65x17mmSR compared to .380 ACP, which is 9x17mm. .380 ACP is more comparable to 9x19mm.

I'd much rather have .380 ACP since it's naturally subsonic like .45 ACP, and would lend itself well to being suppressed.

>>32388041

It's close enough in bullet dimensions that you can fire it through any 7.62x54 barrel with an adapter.

>>32388275

The 9mm has roughly double energy of a .380 ACP. 9x18 Makarov is a little closer but they're still pretty substantially outclassed.

For oddly well performing pocket gun calibers I kinda wish the .32NAA and .25NAA had taken off. They're a neat concept.

>>32387684
thank you for the erection anon

>>32387950
>.32 is $1 a round
Where the fuck do you live?

>>32389613
Twin cities

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>>32387638
.32

>>32388596
you are on crack. A top tier brand .380 is the same velocity with the same penetration as an mid range 9mm

>>32390097

The only way a .380 ACP is getting to 9mm velocities is with a very light bullet. The loss in mass and sectional density is going to make it perform like shit. Typical .380 is 90 or so grains at 800fps, slower out of very compact pistols.

>>32390097
Not him, but...

>comparing apples to oranges
> both at max load, .380 has 60% the energy of 9mm