Help/suggestions from esteemed members regarding replacement of my .32 revolver with .30 bore pistol

[timmy]

kittu has the right basic idea here, I think.

The Tsarists developed the Mosin Nagant 7.62x54r rifle in the late 1880s-early 1890s from the designs of Col. Mosin and Emile and Leon Nagant of Belgium. Then, to save money on tooling, they contracted with the Nagant brothers for their 7.62 Nagant M1895 revolver, which used the same barrel making machinery.

The Bolsheviks then developed the TT-30 and TT-33 semiautomatic pistol in 7.62x25 -- again, the 30 bore, which shared existing machinery, and then after WW2 used the same 30 bore for the SKS and AK series of rifles.

Both of these regimes were faced with the task of arming large numbers of people and this required the lowest manufacturing costs possible -- and still, they didn't have enough guns despite having the highest production numbers.

The Chinese depended on Bolshevik technology transfers to solve the same problem: arming large numbers of troops.

Barrel making and bullet size are the same for both 7.62x25 and 32 Automatic (despite the naming of each) and, in my opinion, the 30 bore in any of these cartridges may well be the best bore size of all, if there is the availability of the right bullets for the intended use. The 30 bore is well established in India with both 32 Automatic and 7.62x39 rifle being manufactured.

The points I would like to make with this said is that 30 bore should be a factor leading to cheaper and better guns, and also that 30 bore itself is a great size for modern self defense pistols. Please check out this link relating to 9mm (which isn't normally available) to 7.62x25 Tokarev:

https://ammo.com/comparison/7.62x25-vs-9mm

Also in this realm of cartridges, check out the 9mm vs the 30 Super Carry. The Super Carry offers the ability to carry more magazine capacity than 7.62x25 while only giving up a little in performance, and should be adaptable to any locked breech pistol with a little engineering for the length and some improved metallurgy and heat treatment:

https://ammo.com/comparison/30-super-carry-vs-9mm

While 9mm is admittedly a fine self defense cartridge with the right bullets, the same technology (good bullets and higher operating pressures) that made 9mm succeed in the presence of 45 Automatic where both are available also now makes the new 30 Super Carry a viable solution in the market.

[sandzz72]

I am in the same boat. Would request the learned members here to advise if .32 bore is an effective caliber for Self Defence?? I get that the bullets are easily available and not that expensive etc but adequate stopping power for self defence? Thanks.

[timmy]

Nobody wants to get shot with a 32 Auto, or a 25 Auto or 22 LR, for that matter. There is all of this baloney about "stopping power," but I don't buy it. Attacks are stopped by by disabling the central nervous system or bleed out from the cardio pulmonary system. This takes penetration, and a larger hole is more likely to do this damage than a small one is. Roughly, this is the issue.

The 32 Auto is capable of this in many circumstances. Other cartridges, like 7.62x25, 9mm, and 45 Auto are effective in more circumstances, like if the attacker is wearing heavy clothing. Nobody flies backward from the power of being hit -- that is movie rubbish.

None of this business is a magic formula that guarantees success. It is all like playing the odds. I don't think my house will burn down, but I have several fire extinguishers, just in case a fire does break out. Then, I must decide whether i will get a little fire extinguisher or a big one, because if the fire is too big, a small one may not work. But wait! I didn't even think a fire would break out, but I wanted an extinguisher anyway, just in case the odds worked against me. So then, I wonder whether to play defense against further odds and get the big extinguisher to put out a big fire.

So you see what sort of choices are before you. Only you can determine whether you should have a "fire extinguisher" for yourself, and what size it should be to offset the chances of a fire in your case.

I felt OK carrying a 32 Auto for many years, but as I live in a rural place that is many miles away from any other city or town, I have to consider something happening between automobiles. These threats have arisen for me in the past, and I feel that I must take them into consideration. So, I went from the 32 Auto to a 9mm. You don't have that choice, but the 7.62x25 is about the same thing as a 9mm.

And yes, guns and ammunition do cost money, and you must consider that, as well.

Good luck and tell us what you decide.

PS: I did just choose to carry a fire extinguisher in my car before leaving on a long drive. We calculate these things all the time. Yes, I got the bigger one and there's not a lot of room for it.

[Vineet]

I am in the same boat. Would request the learned members here to advise if .32 bore is an effective caliber for Self Defence?? I get that the bullets are easily available and not that expensive etc but adequate stopping power for self defence? Thanks.

.45 acp is more effective, no doubt about it. 45 pistol and ammo, both are expensive, you need regular practice with .45 to become familiar with recoil. So if you can afford .45 then go for it.

If budget is low and you are sensitive to recoil then go for .32