5rds 38Spl+P vs 8rds 32acp

[AdioSS]

I work at a NPE, but carry a 642 J-frame. I’m sorta wondering if I might be better off carrying my Beretta Tomcat. They are close in weight & conceal well. I want more capacity, but I’m not sure if I should trade off the reliability & power.

What do y’all suggest?

[cheezit]

Of the 2 choices the . A compact 9mm is a better option then either imo

[Tex1961]

While shot placement is very important, personally I would not carry a .32acp. I don’t know why you’re not looking at 9mm’s. There’s a lot of sub compacts out there with decent capacity. Best of both worlds.

[flechero]

I'd take the 5 rounds of 38 spl+p in that scenario. In fact I carried just that for many years.


As Noted, any number of compact 9mm's would accomplish the job with added capacity and a legitimate chance to reload. I often carry a PF9 with a spare- that's 15 rounds of 9mm in a smaller package than my snubby, plus it's faster from the holster and more accurate at any distance.

[oljames3]

Since you asked, I choose 5 .38 special. In my opinion, .32 is inadequate for my self defense needs.

I carry a Ruger LCR .38 special, 5 rounds, as backup to my S&W M&P M2.0 9mm 5inch 18+1. Not by choice, but because my wife upgraded to a Walther PPS M2 LE and her Ruger was getting lonely.

9mm is my minimum as my primary self defense caliber.

[The Annoyed Man]

While shot placement is very important, personally I would not carry a .32acp. I don’t know why you’re not looking at 9mm’s. There’s a lot of sub compacts out there with decent capacity. Best of both worlds.

He's right. A compact 9mm would be the superior choice. I would a that of those two pistols—a 5 shot .38 +P versus an 8 shot .32 ACP—I’d take the .38 all day long. But if you’re set on a revolver, consider a .357 magnum 5 shot snubbie. You can still run .38 +P in it, but you have the option of stepping up to a magnum if you ever think you might need it. I carry a 9mm about 99% of the time, because I feel like that’s a better choice than a lower power limited capacity wheelgun. But I do sometimes carry a lightweight scandium j-frame snubbie, and when I do, it’s a .357 loaded with 125 grain Hornady Critical Defense magnum cartridges. In a snubbie, that load develops 1200 FPS and 400 ft-lbs. I would not want to use that load for range plinking, but I have shot 5 or 10 rounds of it in one session, and it’s not THAT bad. It stings the hand a little bit, but it’s not what I would call painful. It’s not nearly as bad as shooting full-house 158 grain magnum loads in that pistol. I just figure that if I’m going to limit my capacity that way, I want the bullet to hit harder.

But you can save yourself a lot of trouble by just springing for a subcompact 9mm. The brand is almost irrelevant, as long as its from one of the reputable manufacturers—like Glock, S&W, Ruger, Springfield Armory, etc.

[narcissist]

Only way I'd go with a 32 is for [maybe] a ankle gun or a third back up gun.

I use a Glock 19x w-light/lazer as my main 3:30-4:00 o'clock position concealed then a Bond arms 410 Loaded with one 3 inch buckshot and one 3 inch Hornady Tap ammo as my pocket pistol and my ankle gun is a Glock 26. I always use +p+ ammo in all the 9s, Ive heard a lot of Horror storys on glocks exploding so I contacted Glock by email then by phone, they stated the pistols could Handle the +p+ ammo as long as its Factory, not Handloads Due to human error that can occur.

I use to just carry around just 61 rnds of ammo, now I upgraded. Now a total of 150rnds. 1 mag in the 26 with one in the chamber, one extra mag in the ankle holster on top. Then 3-20rnd mags for the 19x with 1 in chamber. The Bond arms just 2 in the gun. Then decided that 2-33 rnd Glock 9mm mags in the other pocket wouldnt hurt.

Sorry Paranoia maybe but best to be prepared then to run out of ammo, of course in "probably" 99% of self defense you dont need that much ammo. With all these mass shootings if Im there I'll try my hardest to help the victims by trying to take out the crazy guy. [ yes probably 1 in million chance of that happening/being in that location at the time of the incident ] but.......

Not trying to be a "Hero" just trying to do whats right in my mind/eyes that's all.

[AdioSS]

The reasons I picked those 2 are because I already have them & because this is for ankle carry. Weight is a big concern there.

I used to carry a subcompact 9mm IWB (my first pistol), but it became exposed as I was reaching up for something & I got a talking to by my supervisors & HR... I could try that in an ankle rig. The unloaded weight is actually less than the other 2. Then just load enough in the mag until it feels too heavy?

I also have a steel frame J-frame size .357, but it’s a bit heavy for ankle carry.

When off the clock I carry much larger pistolas.

[Tex1961]

The reasons I picked those 2 are because I already have them & because this is for ankle carry. Weight is a big concern there.

I used to carry a subcompact 9mm IWB (my first pistol), but it became exposed as I was reaching up for something & I got a talking to by my supervisors & HR... I could try that in an ankle rig. The unloaded weight is actually less than the other 2. Then just load enough in the mag until it feels too heavy?

I also have a steel frame J-frame size .357, but it’s a bit heavy for ankle carry.

When off the clock I carry much larger pistolas.

Have you looked into other carry options such as a belly band or one of those belt pouches.

[NotRPB]

I have and carried two 32acp pistols yesterday but I shiver when I "have to carry" .32acp instead of a better designed cartridge.
look up "32acp rimlock"
If you want concealbility and can't carry a tiny pocket 9, go .380 rather than 32.
I say that ...but had my diamondback .380 with corbon flat points versus LWSeecamp .32 hollowpoints dilemma yesterday and carried two .32s (in case 2 is 1 and 1 is none due to .32acp rimlock)
If it's a choice of being unarmed or carrying a .32 ... I carry a .32, and a second .32, pepper spray, a 5 1/2" Knife , pointy toed boots, , and a metal-spiked rat-tailed metal comb for my hair... and a hardwood hickory cane,and wear my sharpened dentures in case I need to bite.

[Tex1961]

I have and carried two 32acp pistols yesterday but I shiver when I "have to carry" .32acp instead of a better designed cartridge.
look up "32acp rimlock"
If you want concealbility and can't carry a tiny pocket 9, go .380 rather than 32.
I say that ...but had my diamondback .380 with corbon flat points versus LWSeecamp .32 hollowpoints dilemma yesterday and carried two .32s (in case 2 is 1 and 1 is none due to .32acp rimlock)
If it's a choice of being unarmed or carrying a .32 ... I carry a .32, and a second .32, pepper spray, a 5 1/2" Knife , pointy toed boots, , and a metal-spiked rat-tailed metal comb for my hair... and a hardwood hickory cane,and wear my sharpened dentures in case I need to bite.

[K-Texas]

The reasons I picked those 2 are because I already have them & because this is for ankle carry. Weight is a big concern there.

I used to carry a subcompact 9mm IWB (my first pistol), but it became exposed as I was reaching up for something & I got a talking to by my supervisors & HR... I could try that in an ankle rig. The unloaded weight is actually less than the other 2. Then just load enough in the mag until it feels too heavy?

I also have a steel frame J-frame size .357, but it’s a bit heavy for ankle carry.

When off the clock I carry much larger pistolas.

If an argument can be made for .380, why not for .32 ACP? At the time it was introduced, the Tomcat was a pretty big deal for your situation, and cops carried .25s as back-ups for years. As far as a pistol of last resort, what you can carry is better than what you can't. Better known as the 7.65mm Browning in Europe, the .32 was used by a lot of LE agencies for a lot of years.

The bigger issue might be ammo. I don't know what's available in .32 ACP as far as a well functioning hollow-point like a Gold Dot. Handloading would open up more possibilities.

If you don't want to make another gun purchase, maybe put one of your alternates up for sale. The S&W Shield is a very carry-able pistol in 9mm. I'm not a huge fan of the .380 ACP and might opt for the NAA cartridge that uses a .32 hollow-point in a .380 case for higher velocity/energy, but it will cost you capacity. Otherwise, my own requirement for a defense cartridge is .650 Lb-seconds of momentum, but that also rules out several 115 gr. 9mm loads from short barrels. In that scenario, a 147 gr. JHP in 9mm gets about as close to .600 Lb-seconds with good penetration as you'll find. That's as low as I'll recommend to anyone.

[JRG]

Only way I'd go with a 32 is for [maybe] a ankle gun or a third back up gun.

I use a Glock 19x w-light/lazer as my main 3:30-4:00 o'clock position concealed then a Bond arms 410 Loaded with one 3 inch buckshot and one 3 inch Hornady Tap ammo as my pocket pistol and my ankle gun is a Glock 26. I always use +p+ ammo in all the 9s, Ive heard a lot of Horror storys on glocks exploding so I contacted Glock by email then by phone, they stated the pistols could Handle the +p+ ammo as long as its Factory, not Handloads Due to human error that can occur.

I use to just carry around just 61 rnds of ammo, now I upgraded. Now a total of 150rnds. 1 mag in the 26 with one in the chamber, one extra mag in the ankle holster on top. Then 3-20rnd mags for the 19x with 1 in chamber. The Bond arms just 2 in the gun. Then decided that 2-33 rnd Glock 9mm mags in the other pocket wouldnt hurt.

Sorry Paranoia maybe but best to be prepared then to run out of ammo, of course in "probably" 99% of self defense you dont need that much ammo. With all these mass shootings if Im there I'll try my hardest to help the victims by trying to take out the crazy guy. [ yes probably 1 in million chance of that happening/being in that location at the time of the incident ] but.......

Not trying to be a "Hero" just trying to do whats right in my mind/eyes that's all.

Narcissist,

I want you with me when I go down that dark alley!

Joe

[Jago668]

Only way I'd go with a 32 is for [maybe] a ankle gun or a third back up gun.

I use a Glock 19x w-light/lazer as my main 3:30-4:00 o'clock position concealed then a Bond arms 410 Loaded with one 3 inch buckshot and one 3 inch Hornady Tap ammo as my pocket pistol and my ankle gun is a Glock 26. I always use +p+ ammo in all the 9s, Ive heard a lot of Horror storys on glocks exploding so I contacted Glock by email then by phone, they stated the pistols could Handle the +p+ ammo as long as its Factory, not Handloads Due to human error that can occur.

I use to just carry around just 61 rnds of ammo, now I upgraded. Now a total of 150rnds. 1 mag in the 26 with one in the chamber, one extra mag in the ankle holster on top. Then 3-20rnd mags for the 19x with 1 in chamber. The Bond arms just 2 in the gun. Then decided that 2-33 rnd Glock 9mm mags in the other pocket wouldnt hurt.

Sorry Paranoia maybe but best to be prepared then to run out of ammo, of course in "probably" 99% of self defense you dont need that much ammo. With all these mass shootings if Im there I'll try my hardest to help the victims by trying to take out the crazy guy. [ yes probably 1 in million chance of that happening/being in that location at the time of the incident ] but.......

Not trying to be a "Hero" just trying to do whats right in my mind/eyes that's all.

Narcissist,

I want you with me when I go down that dark alley!

Joe

What you don't know is that Narcissist is the one in the dark alley.