I have a small carry pistol in 32 Auto. I am having the hardest time finding ammo for it. Is the 32 just becoming an obsolete round? I am having reloading friends having a hard time finding the components as well. Thoughts?

MidwayUSA has four flavors in stock.

Any other ideas or thoughts on this?

I see it at academy and Cabelas all the time. I have a colt 1903 and love it. Is it a big, heavy, hunk 'o lead man stopper? No. But with very little recoil and muzzle rise, I can empty the mag accurately very, very fast. If you were a bad guy, would you rather be shot twice with a .45, or 8 times with a .32? I would guess neither.

I only have a 38h and I don't even shoot it. So I haven't paid much attention to it being in stock.
There is some here though..
http://www.sgammo.com/catalog/pistol-ammunition/32-auto-acp

I have the 1903 as well- they were issued to generals as a side arm. Good little round IMHO.

32 acp Winchester Silver Tip Ammo, if you can find it, does real well.

Gander in spring has it

You'd better be able to hit exactly where you want under pressure. I wouldn't carry one for a self defense round.

Many many people have been killed my a 32, and from freak shots such as bullet hits hip then deflects into heart, or bullet enters big toe and deflects up into leg and ruptures femoral artery. I don't think it's a great caliber, but it serves a purpose.

Buffalo bore makes some self-defense loads - they show it available on their web site.

To answer the original question, yes, I'd imagine it's probably on its way to obsolescence. Doubt it will be too soon, but it'll go away before most other calibers. I don't think you need to run out and buy a bunch though. My favorite deer rifle is on it's way to being obsolete as well. Really tough to find factory ammo for a 250-3000 savage.

Generally, with any of the "pipsqueak" rounds you need a head shot.

3 of the 6 shots fired at President Reagan put 2 on the ground and Reagan was loaded into the limo with a wound. Those were fired from a cheap RG 22 snubbie.

It's not too hard to find, but what is more scarce in my area is a defensive load. Winchester Silvertips are the only ones I see-but I don't live in an urban area.

I carry a 32 and I use FMJ's.

Why make an ineffective round even worse, and carrying fmj seems irresponsible. Clean pass throughs are far more likely with fmj putting others at risk.

I want them bleeding out both sides if possible, if not I want as much penetration as possible. You start poking holes in somebody and the last thing on their mind will be the effectiveness of the caliber your making them bleed with. I also shoot FMJ's in my 9's and my 45, may I suggest you not be standing behind the person I'm shooting at!

Wow. That's a pretty irresponsible attitude. You own that bullet from the time it leaves your muzzle til it comes to rest. I want my bullet to expand rapidly, tear up as much tissue as possible, and come to rest, still inside my target. I don't need to shoot somebody in a parking lot, have a clean pass through, and it bounce off the concrete and hit a kid 100 yards away. If fmj was a good choice for a defensive round, there wouldn't be a market for defensive ammo.

A defensive situation requires a lot of snap judgments, and there may not be time to ask the guy you are about to shoot to step aside so you can be sure of what is behind him.

I would say yes, .32 auto is an obsolete round. Not many manufactures still make guns for it and ammo is limited. It was created over 100 years ago for small guns. Now even smaller guns can shoot high pressure rounds like 9mm.


I wouldn't worry about over penetration. I shot my kitchen wall with a .32 fmj and it didn't didn't get through the second layer of sheet rock.

But his 9mm or .45 will.

Irresponsible? For years all law enforcement departments carried FMJ's and most if not all of the world military's still do, but now a civilian doing the same thing is irresponsible. My biggest concern is hitting what I'm aiming at, not whether I'm hitting them with some flying ash tray or a FMJ. A miss with either is far more hazardous than a well placed shot. As far as the 32 cal goes it's strictly a get out of hell round, my little Tomcat fit's nicely in my pocket and with the work I've had done to it it draws like butter.

I carry 10mm FMJs quite a bit. I don't worry about over penetration that much. Plus, I am in compliance with the Hague Convention.

.22 LR for Self-Defense?

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/1354/22-lr-for-self-defense/