.32 ACP, also known as the .32 Automatic is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed,
straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use
in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol. It was introduced in 1899 by Fabrique Nationale,
and is also known as the 7.65×17mm Browning SR or 7.65 mm Browning.
History John Browning engineered a number of modern
semi-automatic pistol mechanisms and cartridges. As his first pistol cartridge, the .32 ACP
needed a straight wall for reliable blowback operation as well as a small rim for reliable
feeding from a box magazine. The cartridge headspaces on the rim. The cartridge was a
success and was adopted by dozens of countries and countless governmental agencies.
When the .32 ACP cartridge was introduced, it was chambered in a variety of popular blowback
automatic pistols of the day, including the Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless, the Savage
Model 1907 Automatic Pistol, and the Browning Model 1910 Automatic Pistol. To avoid patent
infringement John Pedersen designed the Remington Model 51 so as to not to rely on any other,
thus the unique hesitation lock breech mechanism was developed. The .32 ACP has been chambered
in more handguns than any other cartridge. Between 1899 and 1909, Fabrique Nationale
produced 500,000 guns chambered for .32 ACP. Adolf Hitler was believed to have committed
suicide with his personal .32 ACP Walther PPK, by pressing it against his right temple
and pulling the trigger while simultaneously biting down on a cyanide capsule.
The popularity of the .32 ACP in the mid 20th century cannot be overstated—especially
in Europe. Firearms expert Geoffrey Boothroyd of the UK informed author Ian Fleming, his
countryman, that James Bond's side arm should be a Walther PPK chambered in .32 ACP. A significant
factor in recommending this round was its near universal availability throughout the
world in the 1950s. Heckler & Koch produced the HK 4, their first
handgun, in 1967. Twelve thousand HK 4 pistols were produced in .32 ACP for the German police
and other government agencies. Design
The .32 ACP was intended for blowback semi-automatic pistols which lacked a breech locking mechanism.
It was John Pedersen with the Remington Model 51 that delivered a true locked breech for
the .32 ACP cartridge. The relatively low power and light bullet of the cartridge allowed
Browning to incorporate a practical blowback mechanism in a small pocket-size pistol. It
is still used today primarily in compact, inexpensive pistols, unless the pistol is
used for ISSF competition where the cost then escalates. Cartridges in .32 ACP are also
sometimes used in caliber conversion sleeves, also known as supplemental chambers, for providing
an alternative pistol caliber carbine function in .30-caliber hunting and service rifles.
Performance
The .32 ACP is compact and light. While some believe it has marginal stopping power, it
has been used effectively by military and police worldwide for the past century. Weapons
chambered in it are often valued for their compactness. Although .32 ACP handguns were
traditionally made of steel, they have been produced in light weight polymers since the
1990s. Their light weight relative to larger caliber pistols make them sutiable for concealed
carry use. It offers more velocity and energy than the
.32 S&W, which was a popular round for pocket defensive revolvers at the time of the .32
ACP's development. Although of lighter bullet weight, the .32 ACP also compares favorably
to the .32 S&W Long in performance. Some European 73 grain .32 ACP loads provides similar performance
to the .32 H&R Magnum 77 grain lead flat point and 90 grain lead semiwadcutter.
Even though the .32 ACP is capable of killing small game, most handguns chambered for this
round utilize fixed sights and are designed for use against human-sized targets at fairly
close range, which greatly limits their utility as hunting handguns.
The .32 ACP is one of the most common calibers used in veterinary "humane killers", such
as the Greener Humane Killer. Given that a .22 LR can penetrate bone, the higher power
.32 ACP can easily penetrate an animal skull with a muzzle-contact shot. As a result the
round has been found to be perfectly adequate for the purpose, even where fully grown horses
and bulls are concerned. In Europe, where the round is commonly known
as the 7.65 mm Browning, the .32 ACP has always been more widely accepted than it has
in America, having a long history of use by civilians and police/security forces, along
with limited issue by the military forces of some European nations.
During the second half of the 20th century, several European countries developed firearms
for police chambered in 9x18mm Makarov while chambering the same pistol for civilians in
.32 ACP and .380 ACP. Examples include the Vz. 82/CZ-83 from Czechoslovakia, FEG PA-63/AP
765 from Hungary, SIG Sauer P230 from Switzerland, and P-83 Wanad from Poland.
Today the cartridge has an increased popularity in the United States due to modern compact
concealed carry pistols chambered for it, such as the Kel-Tec P-32, Beretta Tomcat,
Seecamp LWS 32 and North American Arms Guardian .32. This increase in popularity has led many
ammunition manufacturers to develop new loads for the cartridge to increase performance.
However, these polymer subcompact guns typically have barrel lengths around 2.5". The traditional
steel guns chambered for .32 ACP have barrel lengths around 3.5". Different barrel lengths
can have a significant effect on bullet performance with longer barrels providing higher muzzle
velocity and energy. For example, a Cor-Bon 60 grain .32 ACP JHP has 130 ft•lbf of
energy when fired out of a 2.5" barrel and 165 ft•lbf of energy when fired out of
a 3.5" barrel. The shorter barrel length can also reduce the accuracy and range of a bullet.
Synonyms 32 Auto
7.65 mm Browning 32 Browning Auto
7.65×17mm 7.65×17mm Browning SR
7.65 Walther Prominent firearms chambered in .32 ACP
Beretta M1935 Beretta Model 70
Beretta Model 81 and 82 Beretta 3032 Tomcat
Beretta Pico Bersa 84
Bersa Thunder 32 Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
CZ-27 CZ-50
CZ-70 CZ-83
CZ Škorpion Vz. 61 Machine pistol Erma KGP-68A "Baby Luger"
FÉG 37M Pistol FÉG AP 765 Pistol
FN M1900 FN Model 1910 and 1910/22
Heckler & Koch HK 4 P11 Heckler & Koch HK P7K3
Kel-Tec P-32 Llama BufaloLlama I/Llama X-A
MAB Model D Mauser HSc
Mauser Model 1934 Radom P-83 Wanad
Remington 51 Romanian Makarov Model-74
Ruby Sauer 38H
Savage Model 1907 Seecamp LWS 32
SIG Sauer P230 Smith & Wesson Model 35
Star Izarra Star Model 1914/1919
Star SIS Steyr-Pieper Model 1908/34
Taurus Millennium PT132 Walther PP
Walther PPK Webley & Scott M1905-M1908
Welrod Zastava M70
See also .32 NAA
List of handgun cartridges Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
7 mm caliber for other cartridges of similar diameter
Notes
References
External links Is The .32 Mission Feasible?
Ballistics 101 .32 ACP Ballistics Chart Ballistics By The Inch .32 ACP Results
Brass Fetcher .32 ACP Gelatin Tests Golden Loki .32 ACP Gelatin Tests
Mouse Gun Addict Ammo Tests