Kel-Tec P-32
Encyclopedia
The Kel-Tec P-32 is a compact semi-automatic pistol
using the short-recoil
principle of operation. Chambered in .32 ACP
, it is popular for concealed carry in the United States
. It was designed by George Kellgren, the Swedish firearms designer associated earlier with the Husqvarna
, Intratec
, and Grendel brands of firearms. It is manufactured by Kel-Tec
CNC Industries Inc., of Cocoa, Florida. It is designed for concealed carry by civilians and by law enforcement officers as a back-up gun; all edges are rounded and smoothed and nothing protrudes from the gun to get caught on clothing.
CNC Industries (founded 1991) in the city of Cocoa, Florida
, USA
, the P-32 has a barrel length of 2.68 inches (68 mm). Trigger pulling weight is between five and six pounds (22 N to 27 N), and the pistol is hammer fired, with a long trigger pull. The trigger mechanism is not a true double action and the hammer must be pre-set to a half-cock position. Magazine capacity is seven .32 ACP
cartridges
in a standard, single-stack magazine
, plus one in the chamber
. Optional ten-round magazines are also available from the factory. The ten-round magazines also extend the grip.
The P-32 operates on Browning
's short-recoil principle. The barrel travels a short distance rearward while locked to the slide and the rear is then tilted down and unlocked from the slide through the action of a cam slot. The slide then continues rearward under inertia, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. This design closely follows the Browning Hi-Power
design. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the compressed recoil spring moves it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine into the chamber. The cam slot and take-down pin move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.
An internal slide catch is activated by the magazine follower; when the last shot is fired, the magazine follower pushes up on the slide catch, locking the slide open. The slide remains open when the magazine is removed. After removing the empty magazine, a loaded magazine may be inserted into the pistol; pulling back and releasing the slide will feed the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. The pistol is then ready for additional firing. Alternatively, after removing the empty magazine, pulling the slide back when the slide catch is activated will also allow the slide to close with the empty magazine removed; this enables closing the action and is used when the pistol is to be stored in an unloaded condition. The takedown pin, retained by a detent and spring, removes with a fired .32 ACP cartridge case. The gun disassembles like most standard semi-automatic pistols into slide, barrel, recoil rod/springs, frame, and retainer takedown pin. Re-assembly is likewise very easy.
The P-32 has no manual safety, relying instead on the long double-action trigger pull and an internal hammer block to provide safe operation. The pistol meets SAAMI
guidelines, and will not fire if dropped. The P-32 has passed extensive SAAMI
drop-testing at the H. P. White labs, as well as drop tests to military specifications. The trigger must physically be pulled for the gun to fire. Because of the lack of this manual safety, several American states prohibit the sale of this pistol.
The P-32 is made of the following materials: SAE 4140 ordnance steel for the barrel and slide; 7075-T6 aluminum for the internal frame which houses the firing mechanism (machined from a solid block of aluminum); and Dupont ST-8018 ultra-high-impact polymer for the checkered grip, frame, and trigger. This polymer material can be molded in a wide range of colors, although a matte black (blued
) slide combined with a black polymer frame is standard. Other slide finishes include Parkerizing and hard-chrome.
pistol, Kel-Tec began redesigning their pistols for greater reliability and to streamline production. Changes in the P-32 were primarily limited to the extractor, sights, and incorporation of the recoil spring guide retainer into the design of the slide.
The extractor on first-generation pistols, when viewed from the side, was a straight metal bar, held in place by a pin and tensioned by a coil spring. Second-generation extractors use a triangular leaf spring bolted directly to the slide body.
Sights on the new pistol are different because of manufacturing changes. First-generation slides are milled from hex-bar 4140 steel while second-generation slides are milled from square-bar steel. The first-generation front sight is a triangular "peak" milled on the front top of the slide, and the rear sight is a large groove milled into the flat rib of the slide and marked with a vertical white bar. To aim, the user aligns the triangular front sight over the rear white bar.
The second-generation front sight is rectangular, and the rear sight is a half-moon shape that is machined into the rear of the slide, with a rectangular notch machined in the top of the rear sight. The user simply centers the front sight in the rear sight notch. With either type of sight, shooters with presbyopia
(age-related difficulty focusing on small objects close to the eyes) may find a "point and shoot"
aiming method faster than using the sights.
Semi-automatic self-loading pistol
A semi-automatic pistol is a type of handgun which uses a single chamber and barrel, with a mechanism powered by the previous shot to load a fresh cartridge into the chamber...
using the short-recoil
Recoil operation
Recoil operation is an operating mechanism used in locked-breech, autoloading firearms. As the name implies, these actions use the force of recoil to provide energy to cycle the action...
principle of operation. Chambered in .32 ACP
.32 ACP
.32 ACP , also known as the .32 Automatic is a 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 is popular for concealed carry in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was designed by George Kellgren, the Swedish firearms designer associated earlier with the Husqvarna
Husqvarna
Husqvarna , originally a military arsenal founded in 1689 to produce muskets for the Swedish Army.The company Husqvarna has since grown, and its production has changed from weapons, sewing machines, kitchen equipment, bicycles and motorcycles to lawn mowers, chainsaws and construction products. The...
, Intratec
Intratec
Intratec was a firearm company based in Miami, Florida. The company's most famous product was the TEC-9.- History :Intratec began as Interdynamic USA, an offshoot of Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Due to the lack of firearm market in Sweden, Interdynamic AB set up a subsidiary in...
, and Grendel brands of firearms. It is manufactured by Kel-Tec
Kel-Tec
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. is a United States manufacturer of firearms. Founded in 1991 and based in Cocoa, Florida, the company has manufactured firearms since 1995, starting with small, affordable semi-automatic pistols and expanding to rifles. Kel-Tec is a privately-owned Florida corporation....
CNC Industries Inc., of Cocoa, Florida. It is designed for concealed carry by civilians and by law enforcement officers as a back-up gun; all edges are rounded and smoothed and nothing protrudes from the gun to get caught on clothing.
Design
Manufactured by Kel-TecKel-Tec
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. is a United States manufacturer of firearms. Founded in 1991 and based in Cocoa, Florida, the company has manufactured firearms since 1995, starting with small, affordable semi-automatic pistols and expanding to rifles. Kel-Tec is a privately-owned Florida corporation....
CNC Industries (founded 1991) in the city of Cocoa, Florida
Cocoa, Florida
Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,412 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 16,478. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Cocoa was...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the P-32 has a barrel length of 2.68 inches (68 mm). Trigger pulling weight is between five and six pounds (22 N to 27 N), and the pistol is hammer fired, with a long trigger pull. The trigger mechanism is not a true double action and the hammer must be pre-set to a half-cock position. Magazine capacity is seven .32 ACP
.32 ACP
.32 ACP , also known as the .32 Automatic is a 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...
cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
in a standard, single-stack magazine
Magazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
, plus one in the chamber
Chamber (weaponry)
In firearms, the chamber is that portion of the barrel or firing cylinder in which the cartridge is inserted prior to being fired. Rifles and pistols generally have a single chamber in their barrels, while revolvers have multiple chambers in their cylinders and no chamber in their barrel...
. Optional ten-round magazines are also available from the factory. The ten-round magazines also extend the grip.
The P-32 operates on Browning
John Browning
John Moses Browning , born in Ogden, Utah, was an American firearms designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world...
's short-recoil principle. The barrel travels a short distance rearward while locked to the slide and the rear is then tilted down and unlocked from the slide through the action of a cam slot. The slide then continues rearward under inertia, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. This design closely follows the Browning Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...
design. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the compressed recoil spring moves it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine into the chamber. The cam slot and take-down pin move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.
An internal slide catch is activated by the magazine follower; when the last shot is fired, the magazine follower pushes up on the slide catch, locking the slide open. The slide remains open when the magazine is removed. After removing the empty magazine, a loaded magazine may be inserted into the pistol; pulling back and releasing the slide will feed the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. The pistol is then ready for additional firing. Alternatively, after removing the empty magazine, pulling the slide back when the slide catch is activated will also allow the slide to close with the empty magazine removed; this enables closing the action and is used when the pistol is to be stored in an unloaded condition. The takedown pin, retained by a detent and spring, removes with a fired .32 ACP cartridge case. The gun disassembles like most standard semi-automatic pistols into slide, barrel, recoil rod/springs, frame, and retainer takedown pin. Re-assembly is likewise very easy.
The P-32 has no manual safety, relying instead on the long double-action trigger pull and an internal hammer block to provide safe operation. The pistol meets SAAMI
Saami
Saami or SAAMI can stand for:*Sami people*Sami languages*Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute...
guidelines, and will not fire if dropped. The P-32 has passed extensive SAAMI
Saami
Saami or SAAMI can stand for:*Sami people*Sami languages*Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute...
drop-testing at the H. P. White labs, as well as drop tests to military specifications. The trigger must physically be pulled for the gun to fire. Because of the lack of this manual safety, several American states prohibit the sale of this pistol.
The P-32 is made of the following materials: SAE 4140 ordnance steel for the barrel and slide; 7075-T6 aluminum for the internal frame which houses the firing mechanism (machined from a solid block of aluminum); and Dupont ST-8018 ultra-high-impact polymer for the checkered grip, frame, and trigger. This polymer material can be molded in a wide range of colors, although a matte black (blued
Bluing (steel)
Bluing is a passivation process in which steel is partially protected against rust, and is named after the blue-black appearance of the resulting protective finish. True gun bluing is an electrochemical conversion coating resulting from an oxidizing chemical reaction with iron on the surface...
) slide combined with a black polymer frame is standard. Other slide finishes include Parkerizing and hard-chrome.
Redesign
Starting with the slightly larger P3ATKel-Tec P3AT
The P-3AT is a locked-breech, double action only .380 ACP pistol designed and manufactured by Kel-Tec based on the P-32. The frame is made of polymer with an aluminum insert, and the slide and barrel are steel...
pistol, Kel-Tec began redesigning their pistols for greater reliability and to streamline production. Changes in the P-32 were primarily limited to the extractor, sights, and incorporation of the recoil spring guide retainer into the design of the slide.
The extractor on first-generation pistols, when viewed from the side, was a straight metal bar, held in place by a pin and tensioned by a coil spring. Second-generation extractors use a triangular leaf spring bolted directly to the slide body.
Sights on the new pistol are different because of manufacturing changes. First-generation slides are milled from hex-bar 4140 steel while second-generation slides are milled from square-bar steel. The first-generation front sight is a triangular "peak" milled on the front top of the slide, and the rear sight is a large groove milled into the flat rib of the slide and marked with a vertical white bar. To aim, the user aligns the triangular front sight over the rear white bar.
The second-generation front sight is rectangular, and the rear sight is a half-moon shape that is machined into the rear of the slide, with a rectangular notch machined in the top of the rear sight. The user simply centers the front sight in the rear sight notch. With either type of sight, shooters with presbyopia
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a condition where the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age. Presbyopia’s exact mechanisms are not known with certainty; the research evidence most strongly supports a loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens, although changes in the...
(age-related difficulty focusing on small objects close to the eyes) may find a "point and shoot"
Point shooting
Point shooting, also called threat focused shooting, is a method of shooting a firearm that relies on a shooter's instinctive reactions, kinematics, and the use of biomechanics that can be employed effectively in life-threatening emergencies to quickly engage close targets.This method of shooting...
aiming method faster than using the sights.
See also
- Kel-TecKel-TecKel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. is a United States manufacturer of firearms. Founded in 1991 and based in Cocoa, Florida, the company has manufactured firearms since 1995, starting with small, affordable semi-automatic pistols and expanding to rifles. Kel-Tec is a privately-owned Florida corporation....
CNC Industries of Cocoa, FL - MousegunMousegunA mousegun is most often considered a category of small revolver, or semi-automatic handgun intended for self defense. Typically such small pistols are of .380 ACP caliber or less, with .32 ACP and .22 Long Rifle calibers also being common. The term is used to describe a class of small handguns...
- Pocket pistolPocket pistolA pocket pistol is an American term for any small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol or, less-popular, any other handgun of small caliber, suitable for concealed carry in either a front or rear pocket of a pair of trousers, or in an exterior coat pocket...
- Single column magazine