Moving from the piece on the light 22 Magnum revolvers last week, someone will ask the question “Is he recommending tiny guns?”

The answer has been “Carry the most capable handgun for your perceived needs.” It takes judgement and you know your situation better than I.

When discretion is at or near top of the list, we’re losing something in caliber size, capacity, control and accuracy at distance. Where you don’t want to fall short is reliability. After that, the other items intrude.

Above the rimfires in potential reliability (due to centerfire priming) – 32 Auto, 380 ACP, 32 H&R Magnum (amongst other 32 cartridges). 

“So he’s recommending 32s?” 

I’m on my second Kel-Tec P32. I confess that it’s seldom carried, but I have it for those extreme deep concealment needs.

For revolvers, there are more now than there has been in some years. A pair of newer editions are the Smith & Wesson M632UC or Model 632 (Davidsons with gold bead front sight, boot grips). A recent new entry is the (Lipsey's Exclusive) Ruger LCR 32 H&R Magnum six-shot snub. 

I can’t tell you much about performance in gelatin – that’s more Chuck Haggard’s wheelhouse. I can say that I witnessed a 32 H&R Mag load out of a 32 Ultimate Carry S&W at Range Ready in Louisiana that was remarkable in penetration. The Double Tap 120 gr. SWC at just under 760 fps from the S&W 632 perforated two 16” blocks of Clear Ballistics gel. This was repeated by Rob Garrett at a later time, reported on here.

Did I end up with a 32 revolver? No – but I’d carry one of these or the Ruger LCR 32 H&R Magnum without ammo performance concerns. 

Commonly found among those who would carry smaller guns are the autos in 380 ACP. As to the ammo, my main concerns are function and hitting to the sights. A pair of great 380 pistols for those who can hide nothing more are Ruger’s LCP – including the LCP Max – and the GLOCK 42. 

The G42, with less capacity than the Max, is very comfortable to shoot and you can put rounds just where they need to go. You can hit with the LCP line too.

When I first became interested in the LCP/LCP II/LCP Max line of pistols, I’d decided on 30 feet – 10 yards – as a good place to check point of impact deviation from point of aim. Before a procedure that required some lengthy rehab, the LCP II was chosen. 

My concern was putting five consecutive hits in the 5+” 9-ring of a B-8 repair center from that distance. After my medical adventures, I moved that back to 15 yards. 

The shooting at 10 yards didn’t really prove anything. When the LCP Max came out, with vastly improved sights, I moved back to fifty yards and tried to get three hits on a police silhouette target. All three hits were in the -1 zone of the silhouette. 

That proved only that the gun was up to hitting the target – not that I could perform that stunt out in the world in a real situation. 

A “baseline drill,” discussed here, is an attempt to find out how far you can shoot, hitting the target with 100% hits. The LCP II surprised me. 

Are the smallest guns the best choice? 

Not for every situation, but there are places that the smaller gun is the only one that will do.

– Rich Grassi