[Badman400]

TX, RJ, RC, anybody? I ran a search and came up with a few entries on the 32NAA, but not much. A long time ago I read about this and it has continued to ferment in my subconscious. 8)

I read about the P32 conversions and the P3AT conversions. The latter being "very, very, rare". Is it easier to get the one for the P32? Or are they "gettable" at all? Is one more desirable than the other?

I would love to read more about this caliber as it applies to the P32 and the P3AT. What do the "kits" contain? Barrel, or barrel and slide? What's involved in making the switch? Can any of you guys help a brother out? Any for sale anywhere? Thnx in advance for any feedback. ;D

 

[TxCajun]

The few kits made several years back (by KT gunsmith Marty) were only for the 1st gen P3AT.  My kit consists of a slide, barrel and recoil set.  The only thing that should be different though, (from the 380 parts) is the barrel.

A couple showed up on the KT Range a year or so back as did a couple on Ebay.  I have seen no others for sale.

If you could acquire a blank 380 barrel from KT, you could maybe have it reamed by someone for the 32NAA.  It may also be possible for someone to make one from scratch, but to make only one would be expensive.  

The finished product would have a chamber made to fit the 32NAA round which is a 380 cartridge necked down to accept a 32 bullet.  The rest of the 380 barrel would be cut to 32 caliber.

It would be nice if KT would make a batch of barrels for the 2nd gen P3AT, but they seem to have their hands full just keeping up with production on their regular inventory.  Perhaps at some point in the future, if a bunch of folks prepaid, they would make up a batch.  I really have no idea.  I would think they would have to be totally caught up on everything to the point of boredom.  I'm not sure that will ever happen.  It might be a question for KTWM.

Meanwhile, keep checking Ebay, the KT sites and major gunboards, but realize that any you may find will be for the 1st gen P3AT.   :-/

Edited to add, since this is a conversion for the P3AT, I'll move it to that forum.

 

[Badman400]

Thanks for the info TX. If anyone else can add to this, please jump on in! Anyone out there with the means to make this barrel? 8)

 

[rcmodel]

IMO: The .32 NAA is a big improvement over the .32 ACP, but not over the .380 ACP.

The .32 NAA puts out a 60 grain bullet @ 1,150 for 176 ft/lb energy.
Tests I have seen show it only gives about 6 1/4" penetration in ballistics gel, with about 1/3 bullet weight loss.  We are talking slightly improved .22 rim-fire performance here folks!

The .380 Corbon DPX .380 ACP shows an 80 grain bullet @ 1,050 for 196 ft/lb energy.
Penetration is at least double that of the .32 NAA, at 12" or more with 100% weight retention.
And, it makes a bigger hole!

.32 NAA ammo is only available from Corbon, and costs about .75 cents a shot, making extensive practice cost prohibitive for most people.

They might be fun to play around with, but:
I wouldn't go out of my way to take one to a gun-fight if I already had a .380 stoked with Corbon DPX.

rcmodel

 

[Guest]

+1 rc, not sure I could have said that any better, a nice toy to have but IMO not good enough for CCW with the advent of the kt380 and the advent of the 380dpx round..

 

[TxCajun]

From: http://www.naaminis.com/32NAA.html

To summarize, the load delivers in excess of 1222 f.p.s. velocity to a 60 grain proprietary bullet from Hornady. This generates 199 ft. lbs of energy, specifically from the 2.5" Guardian barrel (1453 f.p.s. & 287 ft. lbs from a 4" test barrel).

According to industry expert Ed Sanow, the 32NAA:

Produces more velocity, more energy and more stopping power than any conventional jacketed lead hollow point (JHP) 32 ACP, 380 ACP or 380 ACP (+P) with 15% less recoil (Power Factor) than the (+P),

Penetrates 8.3" of Gelatin after passing through four (4) layers of denim, expanding to a .55" mushroom with a retained weight of 100%,

Has a Fuller Index of 62% One-Shot Stops, compared to (for example) the 380 ACP Federal 90gr. Hydra-Shok (53%).



There's that whole "stopping power" thing. :-/

While I'm sure it's no magic bullet, the KT does have 1/4" longer barrel than the NAA which produced the numbers above. It is something of a novelty. If it weren't a unique Kel-tec, I doubt I'd own one but it is fun to shoot. I brought it to the Bayou Blast but we ran out of time before I broke it out.

 

[rcmodel]

Well, I don't know about Ed & the Fuller Index.
Lots of very smart firearms people have been trying for years & years to come up with a math formula for stopping power.
So far, without much success.

As for real-world stopping power?
I wonder if a .32 NAA has even been used in a real shooting yet, and if so, what the result was?

I do know that a .30 caliber 60 grain bullet at 1,200 fps or so, with 6" of penetration, wouldn't make much of a small deer, hog, or varmint killer, unless head shots at very close range were all that were taken.
But you could say the same thing about the .380.

I think I'll still pass!
I can afford to practice lots more with a .380!

rcmodel

 

[JFB]

I would think the only advantage a 32NAA has over the 32 or 380 would be more reliable feed.

If I just wanted a fast 380, wouldn't a 60 grain do the same thing.

 

[Guest]

would probably do even more...

 

[Packer]

Supposedly, the smaller .32 caliber bullet allows a reduction in recoil while the larger powder charge increases velocity. It's all a trade off.

IMO, DPX is just as powerful, even though it costs more per round than NAA .32, but at least the practice ammo is (relatively) cheap.

Packer.

 

[Badman400]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Enthralling reading! Makes me feel good about adding the P3AT to my KT collection, and not so worried about not having the rare 32NAA. It seems the P3AT still wins for overall carryability/power balance. Auto-hijack; I carry my P32 everyday, and have a P11. I plan on getting the P3AT soon to replace the P32 for daily carry. Among you owners of both 1st & 2nd gen, is there a well defined preference between the two extractors? 8)

 

[Packer]

  The 2G extractor is much easier to work on. The 1G extractor was replaced toward the end of the model run with a P-32 extractor, but now they seem to be unavailable.

  The 2G is a much improved pistol, and that's what you should get.

Packer, who is NEVER sending his last 1G in for service because they will replace it with a 2G.

 

[Badman400]

Thanks for the tip TPP!