Florida Shooters Network

I'm looking for advice or feedback on a .32 for a carry piece for my wife, whose birthday will be coming up after the holidays.

I was going to give her my Bersa, which she loves to shoot anyway (and giving me the opportunity to pick up a cool .380 for me), but she finds it too heavy and bulky for purse or personal carry.

She hates shooting my LCP and wouldn't want to carry one primarily due to the recoil.

So I was thinking something along the lines of a Kel-Tec .32, but am curious as to what other options are out there, or what experience people have with said pocket pistol.

Her range guns are a .22 Neos and a 92FS, and she is comfortable around firearms, but she has expressed the desire for a manual safety/safety-decocker like her others have (including the Bersa), so maybe the Kel-Tec might not be the best choice. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options on the market these days for a sub-subcompact .32.

I suggested my P95 in a shoulder rig, but for some reason, she wasn't interested. Women!

I got my wife the Sig P238 with rosewood grips and the rainbow finish



Very small and lightweight, and can shoot +P (even though technically doesn't exist for .380). Has never given us any problems.

I was going to suggest either the Sign P238 or
The Colt Mustang. .380 with external safety.
Very easy to shoot.

The P-32 is tiny and easy to conceal, and the three I've owned were all reliable, but really limited in power & accuracy.

I know you only mentioned autos, but the Ruger LCR snubbie in .327 Federal Magnum holds six rounds and isn't a *whole* lot bigger than the P-32, and you can run mild to wild in it, from .32 ACP, to .32 S&W Long, to .32 H&R Magnum to the .327 Fed. Mag. She can train with the two lower powered rounds and carry one of the two heavier loads, as her comfort permits. Plus, no safety, no decocker, and no mag release.

20 years ago Seecamps were the hot gun. I know it does not have a safety or DA/SA but the trigger pull is long but not heavy.
I carried one to work every day without anyone ever spotting it. Still have 4 that Larry Seecamp customized the serial #s on for myself and my sons.
Very accurate and reliable. Plenty of Speer and Federal HS ammo around. Almost no recoil.
Just a thought.

Take a look at the S&W M&P 380 EZ Shield. It's easy to work the action and very smooth to shoot. It's very popular with the ladies we train.

Thanks for the input so far.

We considered the Sig and other SA and she doesn't like SAO for carry. Although she prefers an external safety, she doesn't want to carry cocked, or doesn't want the added step of manually decocking/cocking.

I think she visions a smaller, lighter, and softer version of the Bersa with the safety/decocker that she can flick off the safety and do that first DA shot.

Or a lower recoil version of the LCP, which brought up the Kel-Tec in .32. When looking at the Seacamp, she thought it was a bit too small, and for the weight she would prefer the Tomcat, which also has the safety and a bit longer barrel. I have read that the Tomcats can be problematic and may not be all that durable unless you get the newer version (only in Inox).

Based on her familiarity with the LCP, I had her considering some DAO without manual safety (P32), then used that to transition back to 380 and the Kahr CT 380 which falls between the LCP and Bersa in size and weight and would be a winner except for the slide. She wasn't crazy about the slide on the Sig. The Kahr is at least twice as hard to charge, otherwise that would likely be the one.

We considered the M&P Shield too, but for the size she prefers the PK380, but was hesitant on that due to it being almost the same size as the Bersa.

She also doesn't want a revolver. She's shot them, but just isn't a wheel gun sort of gal.

Odessaman wrote: ↑Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:28 pm The P-32 is tiny and easy to conceal, and the three I've owned were all reliable, but really limited in power & accuracy

When you say the P32 is limited in accuracy, is it any worse than say an LCP?

I am not getting a perfectly clear message on what she wants (all jokes aside), so it may be one of those she knows it when she sees it kind of things. I do know that she wants something that she feels comfortable carrying pocket, purse, or holster, without fear of AD. No comfort-no carry, then what is the point. Frustrating but understandable.

chester field wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:29 am

Odessaman wrote: ↑Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:28 pm The P-32 is tiny and easy to conceal, and the three I've owned were all reliable, but really limited in power & accuracy

When you say the P32 is limited in accuracy, is it any worse than say an LCP?

Accuracy is fine for what it is: a 0-5 yd. pistol. Never fired an LCP, so I can;t make that comparison. Some folks are disappointed when they try a gun that small and can't get the same groups they do with even slightly larger pistols.

The most accurate small pistol I own is a Kahr CM9, and that's one I'd recommend, but you said she has a hard time racking the slide on the 380, and the 9 will be just as stiff. Wolff makes a reduced power recoil spring which would help that, but I'd test it thoroughly in a carry gun to make sure function is 100% before relying on it.

Maybe I'll just get her some socks

chester field wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:29 am We considered the M&P Shield too, but for the size she prefers the PK380, but was hesitant on that due to it being almost the same size as the Bersa.

The 380 EZ Shield is substantially different from the 9mm Shield. It is a little smaller and the slide is tremendously easy to operate. We have sold them to several ladies in their 70's who love them. We've also sold them to twenty-somethings that love them as well.