2000 Rounds
0 Malfunctions, 2 Stoppages, 0 Parts Breakage
As you may have guessed, the P32 finished its last 3 rounds trouble-free, giving the gun a total of 2 stoppages for the 2000-round test. An average of one stoppage every thousand rounds. Yes, math is my strong suit. Major Ward Smith fired those 3 rounds, who happens to be FAST coin holder number 13. Since this test ran to 13 sessions, and I don’t know any other #13 coin holders, Major Smith was the natural choice to end the test on a great note.
Another reason Major Smith was the perfect person to top off the test, is that he met Todd some years ago when he and a couple of his range staff took a class from Todd. When I moved to the mid-west, Todd introduced us, and we have been friends and shooting buddies ever since.
Bear in mind, the little P32 was not cleaned or lubed once the test started, and in fact, it was shot as it came from the factory. All rounds fired during the test, and in fact all rounds ever fired through that P32, were the excellent Fiocchi 73 grain FMJ. No parts were replaced in any way, though I was assured the recoil spring would need it. It did not. Gun guys like to talk about the gun they would choose if they had to take it out of the box and carry as is. Glock and HK are two of the names you hear a lot in those discussions. I would submit that in the micro gun category, the P32 belongs on that list, and is a great supplement to the bigger carry guns.
This test has been very interesting for me. It is the first of its kind that I have done outside of work. Work tests are brutal to be a part of, and I’m glad to be past that stuff. The relaxed nature of the time and round count that I put through the gun each session made the test much more enjoyable, while still taxing the gun beyond its normal operating parameters. I think it is safe to say that no one, outside of a test, will ever shoot 200 rounds through a P32 in one shooting session. There really isn’t that much point in doing so. The gun just shoots, and if you know how to shoot, a very few rounds at a time will keep you sharp on the P32.
If you do shoot a lot through your P32, you have nothing to worry about. Though the recoil is greater than a .22LR, it is not enough to matter. During the test, I experienced no hot spots, no rubbing, and no discomfort at at all. Try that with your favorite .380, or even most duty guns.
If you currently carry one of these guns, or if you are contemplating it, I would recommend a magazine or two worth of drills every month or two. That’s in addition to whatever else you normally shoot. If that doesn’t work out for whatever reason, or if the gun is carried strictly as a “patterned compliance pistol,” then fewer rounds, fired less frequently, will likely do just fine. A little dry practice in surreptitious draws will go a long way. Of course, just because you carry it as a PCP, doesn’t mean that is how you will need to use it. Last time I checked, we still aren’t getting invitations to fights, so you may need to be able to do a bit more with it than you might like.
And that brings us to my only complaint about the pistol. It needs better sights. Why limit what it can do? Or what you can do with it? Please Kel-Tec, put some decent sights on the gun! That said, I want to thank Kel-Tec for their support and interest in this test. They sent the two pistols to me for testing, and though they were willing to simply send them out, I made it clear to them that I wanted to buy them. I don’t think that makes me more or less unbiased, but the gun was shot and it performed as it did, with no outside influence. I may be an energetic supporter of the P32, but that is because of how it performed, and nothing else.
I also want to thank Fiocchi. Though they did not send me the ammo, they wanted to. Unfortunately, they did not have any in the country and could not say when more would arrive. So I did what any self-respecting gun guy would do, and I bought the ammo online. Fiocchi really does make some nice ammo!
Though this test is officially wrapped up, and the pistol passed with flying colors, I have a few more shooting sessions planned for it. Some other ammo will be shot, though I will lube the gun before continuing. I’m not sure it actually needs any cleaning, so I will put that off unless the gun protests too much. If you are new to this series, here are links to the previous posts.
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