In Response to the Guns.com Article About Derringers

The Case Against the Derringer

Yesterday over at Guns.com, David LaPell posted a great article entitled "From the Remington 95 to the Heizer DoubleTap: The Case for the Derringers". Its a very well written article, and it gives a nice look at the history of the Derringer as well as some compelling reasons why one might choose a Derringer.

Why would you carry one?  One word: summer.

While ideally one would like to have a gun on them at all times and it’s not always the easiest thing to do as the temperature rises and we lose layers of clothing. Ask yourself, how does one go about trying to concealed carry around a Glock on a really hot summer day? Few things can be more uncomfortable than trying to wear a sidearm in an inside the waistband holster when it's hot and sticky out.

Amen to that! My primary carry gun is the Glock 26, but being from the deep south I years ago came to the realization that carrying "a real gun" during the dog days of summer for any extended period of time is no comfortable task. I also had started to realize that there were times when certain clothing dictated that I pretty much had to go unarmed.

.380 Ballistics Gel Test

Mouse Guns and Gear has posted up some great info on some gel testing they did with the Kahr P380. There is video and pics and everything else that you need.... The testing was very well done, and the results were impressive.

The good news is that all 4 showed some expansion from the short barrel and for me, that's what is most important.

I really would love to see some more testing with .380 done similar to the test that I pointed out a while back that included the use of a rack of ribs. .380 does great in geletin (even with a denim cover, but penetration was severely hampered in that video when the bullet struck a rib. I would like to see it tested further to determine if that is a consistent problem or just a fluke.

Video: Review Kel-Tec P32 Pistol

Beretta Tomcat 3032

The crew over at My Gun Culture puts together a really well done review.

I am actually very fond of the Tomcat. It a good reliable gun, it fills the hand nicely, and its a joy to shoot. They gripe about the trigger on their test gun, but the one's I have shot have been nice. Its more of a purse gun than a pocket pistol (IMO) because of the weight and the exposed hammer. I also have often wondered why they dont put out a .380 version on the same platform.

Pocket Guns

Human Events has a very nice read on this subject. They have put together a "best of breed" look at .22 and .32 caliber pocket guns. It is a Part 1 with a .380 write up coming soon. They also talk a bit about pocket carry in general.

Now, I agree with just about everyone of their picks except for that darn NAA Mini. Simply put... Those little suckers are really hard to shoot. Yes, the grip on the Pug does make it considerably easier, but I would not look to one of these to ever be anything more then a novelty. That being said... the other side of the coin is that I have seen a good number of news stories over the years where in an attacker/home invasion was stopped by elderly gentlemen who happened to have had one of those NAA Minis in their pocket. Yes, there is a lot to be said about the "first rule of a gun fight".

Gel tests galore

Golden Loki has some really nice gel tests for several pocket pistol calibers up to 9mm. These are very well done, and most importantly are done with small carry pistols. If you carry a small gun, then you need to spend some time checking these out.

Video: Slow motion Kel-Tec P-32

Video: Kel-Tec Pistols

Another discusion on .32 ACP being the new .380

You can check out my original post on the subject here... and here is what the Kel-Tec fanboys think.

*Or maybe 9mm is the new .380

Is .32 ACP the new .380?

Richard has done a really nice write up about the possible coming rise of the .32 ACP over at his blog, Guns Holsters and Gear

Just a couple of years ago, the .380 ACP was a secondary cartridge: largely ignored by professional gun toters, eschewed in the press by gun experts, and not a big seller for dealers.  Now, it is the exact opposite thanks, in large part, to the Ruger LCP.  Since then, nearly every manufacturer introduced a .380 pistol trying to cash in on this invigorated market.
The question asked at many gun manufacturers’ marketing and design meetings has undoubtedly been “What’s the next big trend?”
Some are looking at the .32 ACP.
On the surface, the state of the .32 ACP is similar to that of the .380 ACP from three years ago.  Guns and ammo can be found in the caliber, but nothing really new, and nothing really hot.

Go read the whole thing. As I noted in the comments section:

I bought my P32 during the Obama Gun Glut…. I decided I wanted a pocket pistol for times when I could not carry my Glock 26 and then finally narrowed it down to the Kel-Tec. It was bought at a time when you could not find any pocket pistol anywhere within 500 miles and I decided that I was going to get the first new P32/P3AT that I could find. It ended up being the P32 and I am very happy with it.

IMO, the small trade off in 32 performance from .380 is not enough to be significant. I also like the weight advantage you get (vs the P3AT and all the other .380s) as well as the extra round in the mag. I also believe that the significantly less recoil in the .32 is a huge advantage as I am a firm believer that you need to empty the whole damn mag into the bastard.

To answer your original question: Maybe.

I think it all will be driven by the ammo industry. Once many different manufactures come out with enough tricked out loads to do to the .32 what was done with the once sub par .380 it will catch on like wild fire….. This all of course will be driven by the gun makers who have to sell enough guns first to make it worth while for the ammo companies to do the R&D needed to supply the high performance ammo. Maybe if Ruger introduces a sexy little .32 it will happen. The Kel-Tec and the SeeCamp have been out for a while in .32, but like the .380 I dont think Kel-Tec is going to be enough to start the wild fire.

The .32 is a good round, and like I said, it doesnt give away enough to the .380 that it really matters. You still get enough penetration and expansion to make it enough gun. Corbon already has a really nicely performing hallow point:
http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm
… and they are now offering their DPX in .32 ACP and that thing is a monster when it comes to expansion:
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=8234

Kel-Tec P32 review

Here is a very well done review of the Kel-Tec P32 - My personal choice for deep concealment and/or for during those dog days of summer. There are lots of pics, technical specs, and opionion. Its a really good read. Go check it out............ here

Video: Beretta Tomcat INOX

First time gun owner?

Taurus TCP in .32 ACP

Yes, they are making these in .32 ACP now. It has been done very quietly. They were shown at shot, but I had not heard about it until I saw it in an ad in a recent gun magazine.

These will be great for recoil sensitive shooters or those who are still finding it hard to find .380 ammo. .32 ACP does give up some performance to the .380, but IMHO it is really not enough to make a significant difference.... with the right load you can still come very close to .380 penetration and expansion.

*BTW - I hope that there is a weight reduction in the .32 vs the .380 version. The Kel-Tec P32 is about 2 oz lighter then the P3AT and about 3 oz lighter then the LCP