1997 Rounds
0 Malfunctions, 2 Stoppages, 0 Parts Breakage
I purposely stopped short of the 2000-round mark this week, but I forgot just how close it was, so that’s kind of dumb. I thought I had another 15 rounds or so to go but it is what it is.
I used only the factory 7-round magazines this week, thinking that they would give the gun the best chance for success. I’m not sure it mattered at all. The gun hummed along just like it had all along. I’ve had Glocks malfunction more than this little P32. I had intended to field strip the gun and take a look at the internal parts, just to make sure that last week’s malfunctions weren’t due to some parts breakage. I decided against that, as cycling the gun dry sounded perfect and even the recoil spring feels just about as strong as my other P32s.
A $250 or $300 gun can’t be as high quality as a $600 gun, right? I’m not sure the P32 is a budget gun in any way other than the sights. To make a gun as thin and small as the P32 requires that you use thin, small pieces of material. If another manufacturer produced P32s, would they really be made any differently? Some would no doubt make them worse, and maybe someone would make a better one, but it seems to me that this little gun does what it was designed to do and does it very well. My only complaint remains the sights and I can only dream about how shootable it would be with sights you could pick up quickly and read well.
The trigger remains smooth and creep-free. Many duty grade double action triggers begin to feel gritty after being shot so much, but not this little, “non-duty grade” gun. I put that in quotes because while it is obvious that the P32 is not a duty gun, I would have no issues at all with issuing or carrying a P32 as Onion Field insurance. On the civilian side, the P32 does seem to be the best choice for a pocket pistol, at least for those of us who cannot really conceal a J frame in most pockets.
Stay tuned for next week’s installment, and the wrap-up (maybe?) of this little test. BTW, the picture at the top shows my favorite sub-compact pistol next to my new favorite hideout pistol. Both guns shoot way better than I think they have any right to.