.32 Caliber Walther

Jon G.

I am a big fan of the .32 caliber cartridge, and have been using an old Pocket Hammerless for some time. I was thinking about a Walther in the same caliber; however, I rented a .380 Walther at the range, and it was AWFUL. The magazine dropped out. Many misfeeds and failures to fire. Just a rotten firearm, and unsafe. I warned the range officer of the problems with the pistol, and the only explanation I could come up with was that the gun was probably worn out and abused from many years of rentals, and based on the kick from the .380, that the gun simply was not adequate for that round.Have any of you had any similar problems with the walther? What about in the .32 chambering?

nmyers@home.com

You may have something there.I have a PPK/S .380, and have had no problems with it. However, that may be because it HURTS so much to shoot it, I can't fire many rounds in a session. I suspect that the rental gun gets more use than most owners can tolerate.On the other hand, I used to own a PPK/L .32, which was pleasant to shoot and absolutely reliable. I don't think that they make the aluminum frame model in the US, and older German ones are scarce.If you really want a steel frame .32, consider a CZ50/70; these police trade-ins only cost about $100.Neal

rolpher

don't forget the sig P232, it comes in .380 or .32. It is a great gun with fantastick accuracy. I tried the walther too and found the trigger pull was way too high and the machining was fair to poor. Not what I expected from sucha great manufacturer. I use the sig as a carry, it won't stop a raging bull, but it may make him think twice.

ED P

I had an MP-5 and a Thompson jam at the range- rental guns jamming should be taken with a grain of salt and not be the final word on reliability, IMO. They are usually very worn, and often filthy far beyond what a private owner would want.

jet

I have a beretta tomcat 32 its accurate but, I'm always thinking is it enough?I had a acutec 9mm not much larger but I can't help but limp wrist it there is not much to hold on to ,so reliability and accuracy suffer, 380 is some were betweenI think its more important to score a hit than worry about one shot stops.I like the 32 because I can control it in a small package and I'm more likely to have it with me because it's easy to hide.stopping power dosen't mater if you miss.