Good .25s and .32s

[wwdkd]

What are some good reliable 25s or 32s? I'm really looking for something that works well, and is durable.

I like my CZ Duo. it is reliable and built like a tank. It's virtually indestructible. The only con is that it is single-action only, which is the reason I don't carry it. That and it's a .25

Here a pic of one in rough condition

 

[Kagnew]

I can't stand Obama. However,
gun laws have gotten more pro gun in Ohio, since he has
been in office.

 

[PeterJLH09]

I just looked at a colt .25. I did like the gun, but the price wasn't the greatest. I'd rather pay less for a newer, still in production gun, with a larger caliber. Unless the colt is better then the Kel-tec P32. Ya'll have been extremely helpful.

 

[LotsofGlocks]

Keltec P32 rocks

 

[dice dealer]

Beretta 3032 tomcat ....Nuff said

 

[pinshooter45]

Look at a CZ 70

I bought CZ 70 from KS&E Guns on Pendolton Pike here in Indy. The gun is pretty much a PPK clone and vitually indestructable. I can easily hit center of mass on a man sized target at twenty five yrds. Even after sticking two slugs in the barrel bcause my mcro disc for my lee auto disk under loaded two reloads. Drilled them out and srcubbed out the rest of the jackets left in the barrel. I now ensure every one I reload gets a full charge. And don't really reload that caliber much any more, proper slugs are hard to find. I currently have some slightly overloaded 85grn HP that I carry for self defesnse when lightly attired in a t-shirt and Hawiian shirt for concealment. It cost me only $150, the only draw back is a rather heavy double acton trigger, but single action is good. so I practice drawing and cocking all the time!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

A few other suggestions for the OP.

Not sure of your budget, but you can also look at something chambered in .32NAA, which is a necked-down .380 case. Guns aren't all that common, though. I think the NAA Guardian line is about it??

Also, there are more revolvers being chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum. These revolvers have the distinct capability of being chambered in .327mag, .32H&R Mag, .32S&W Long, and .32S&W.

One of those little revolvers stoked with 6 .32H&R mag might be a mighty nice compromise. Ammo isn't all that easy to get a hold of, though.

-J-

 

[Koukalaka]

Not sure of your budget, but you can also look at something chambered in .32NAA, which is a necked-down .380 case. Guns aren't all that common, though. I think the NAA Guardian line is about it?

I believe that's correct, although I have heard that it's possible to purchase a conversion kit for a Makarov that allows it to fire this cartridge.

I own the NAA Guardian in .32NAA and really like it; it's a nice pocket-sized weapon, finely machined (reminds me of some SIG pistols in attention to detail), and reasonably accurate (I use Crimson Trace grips, which helps in rapid fire). After an initial break-in period of a few magazines, it has been reliable.

However--I wouldn't recommend the .32NAA for a novice shooter. It kicks pretty hard--I think noticeably harder than a .380, and certainly harder than a .380 fired through a larger weapon like a Bersa. The .32NAA is more of an enhanced-ballistics (yes, I know that is controversial) pocket pistol for people who are used to recoil and have a fair bit of shooting experience--it's quite a handful.

BTW, I used to have a Bersa Thunder .380 (the CC model, which is a bit slimmer than the regular ones) and found it to be accurate and 100% reliable (I don't believe I ever had a failure, even from the first magazine).

 

[GregD]

Peter, it sounds like your wife is a very new shooter. She just needs to practice. If she can shoot a small .22 a lot that will help. Something like a Walther P-22 would be great. By letting her practice a lot she will start to get use to the recoil. The .22 will let her do this without breaking the bank on ammo cost. I believe that a lot of the problem new shooters have with recoil is that they are just not comfortable with gun yet.

Just a thought, take her with you when you go to the gun shops. Just because the pistol feels good in your hand doesn't mean it will feel good to her. Help her get more involved.

 

[Dog1]

Beretta 3032 tomcat ....Nuff said

Yep..carried on as a back up, when I was a Reserve Police Officer. I shot it alot. Accurate-for what it is-and reliable.

 

[PeterJLH09]

I'm planning on taking her to the gun shop soon. That you for the suggestion, GregD. I think she will get more comfortable. She has shoot quite a few different calibers, just not extensively. She shot a 1911 45, a Glock 19, a SIG 9, a Bursa 380, my S&W 9, and her favorite, the Wather P22. She has shot the 22 quite a bit, and feels very comfortable with it, and is an excellent shot. Do you think it would be a good idea to move up to a 32 at this point, or stick to the 22? I'm really not sure what to do.

 

[Koukalaka]

I'm planning on taking her to the gun shop soon. That you for the suggestion, GregD. I think she will get more comfortable. She has shoot quite a few different calibers, just not extensively. She shot a 1911 45, a Glock 19, a SIG 9, a Bursa 380, my S&W 9, and her favorite, the Wather P22. She has shot the 22 quite a bit, and feels very comfortable with it, and is an excellent shot. Do you think it would be a good idea to move up to a 32 at this point, or stick to the 22? I'm really not sure what to do.

I guess my feeling here is that if she's got some experience with the larger calibers, it's probably worth going up to at least a .32. The recoil of .32 ACP is really not bad, at least in a Tomcat. I suspect it's stouter in a very light pistol like a Kel-Tec, but should still be very manageable with a little practice.

I know that some people say that modern rimfire ammo is just as reliable as centerfire. But in my limited experience, I have had many failures with rimfire ammo (including .22 mag as well as .22 LR), and I can't recall EVER having a round of centerfire that failed to ignite. Especially if you're carrying good-quality, new manufacture, American made, self-defense ammo (HydraShok, Gold Dot, Critical Defense, etc.), the stuff is pretty darn reliable. I would personally never carry a handload of any kind (see this widely-quoted article).

If you could get her to move up to a .380, that would probably be even better--though I suspect a recoil-sensitive shooter might have some trouble with the extremely light Kel-Tec or LCR types. Did she like the Bersa? I think that's one of the best buys in a self-defense pistol, and gets her a lot more power.

 

[PeterJLH09]

She didn't really like the bursa. The handle was too big for her hands, and the recoil caused the hammer guard to cut into her hand. I like the Gold Dot. I have never had a misfire on a centerfire, but constantly with the rimfire.

 

[slacker]

I agree its better to hit your target with 8 rounds of .22 than miss with 15 rounds of 9mm.

I would skip the .25 all together. .22 is just as effective, and ammo is much easier to find, especially for practice at the range.

The slides on .22 tend to be easier to rack than the larger calibers, so I would consider a P22 or something similar.

If she is recoil sensitive avoid the small 9mm pistols for sure. I have a PF9 that is uber reliable, but almost painful to shoot more than 25 rounds through at once.

 

[PeterJLH09]

Does anybody know much about the Taurus 709 & 708?

 

[Jubba]

I have a Taurus 709 that I enjoy shooting. The recoil is light IMO but I am also 6'3" and 280lbs. I had a first time shooter use it and he did not complain about the recoil.

 

[Squib]

They were just being polite, Jubba. I've never considred a KelTec anything to be a range gun. I suspect you may have a physical advantage on her when it comes to absorbing recoil. A Bersa 9UC is fairly good, as is the Kahr CW9 (pricy though). I'm not a Glock person, but I think the Glock 19 would be worth considering. I'd suggest letting her try your S&W 9, if you think the model would be easy to handle.

 

[Orsetto Lavatore]

I bought CZ 70 from KS&E Guns on Pendolton Pike here in Indy.

Great suggestion. I forgot about the milsurp guns - CZ70 is a great choice for a 32 at a reasonable price.

I would skip the .25 all together. .22 is just as effective, and ammo is much easier to find, especially for practice at the range.

This is not true. It is popular errornet myth:
[fact 1] - .22lr seldom ever expands from a handgun, and the sub-weight bullet that MAY get pathetically shallow penetration.
[fact 2] - 25acp in its weaker loadings still exceeds the penetration of 22lr with comparable bullets from comparable bbl lengths.
[fact 3] - 25acp mouse guns meet or exceed the performance of longer barrel .22lr pistols.

Empirical support:
[ LINK 1 ]
[ LINK2 ]
[ Link3 ]

Notice how the Blazer 25acp matched the penetration of the CCI Velocitor despite the fact that it was fired from a 30% shorter BBL? It is also worth noting that the 25 in question is significantly lighter weight, and smaller in both length and height.
http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/22lr/gel22lr.htm

 

[ol' poke]

My wife has a Baretta .25 Bobcat. It's very small, light, and she likes the tip-up barrel for chambering the first round, rather than using the slide. It has never failed to fire/cycle anything put through it.



ol' poke

 

[PeterJLH09]

My father in law just showed me his Beretta 32 on saturday for the first time. I knew he had something, but i didn't know it was the Tomcat. I'm taking it and my wife to the range to test it out. She likes the way it fits in her hand, and feels confident that she could shoot it with no problem at all, as well as be able to easily conceal it once she receives her LTCH. I'll write a range report on here hopefully wednesday and let ya'll know how it goes.