“‘That’s the attractive thing about war,’ said Rosewater. ‘Absolutely everybody gets a little something.’” – Slaughterhouse-Five
That line, from Kurt Vonnegut’s greatest work, isn’t meant to be taken literally. Like Vonnegut himself, the character speaking is a WWII veteran. By “a little something,” he’s referring to suffering.
My own grandfather certainly got his fair share of that in France. He also got a little something that actually was attractive: a shiny Sauer 38H pistol, which has since become my family’s most treasured heirloom.
“Previous owner didn’t need it anymore,” my grandfather once explained to me vis-à-vis the Sauer’s origin.
Did the “previous owner” wish he had something more powerful than a 32 ACP during his encounter with my grandfather? Judging from my grandfather’s incredible marksmanship, which would end the lives of thousands of woodchucks during peacetime, the thought may have never had time to cross his mind.
Here’s the only point I really need to make. Although it is weak by contemporary standards, the 32 ACP is by no means incapable of doing what the great John Moses Browning designed it to do: neutralize a human opponent.
32 ACP’s Place in History
Dozens of countries have issued 32 ACP (aka 32 Auto) pistols to their military and police over the decades. Those pistols’ smaller size made them economical and easy to carry – both great advantages for weaponry to have. And although the 32 ACP was already outclassed by many other cartridges at the time of its introduction, it still proved plenty effective at the kinds of objectives military and police seek to accomplish.
Have you chosen to carry a 32 ACP pistol as your primary or secondary carry? Or have you recently inherited your own grandfather’s Sauer, and haven’t the faintest idea what kind of ammo to buy for it? Then rejoice. I’m about to recommend some of the best 32 ACP ammo money can buy.
Best 32 ACP Ammo for Target Shooting
Federal American Eagle 71 Grain FMJ
- Product No. AE32AP
- Bullet Weight: 71 Grains
- Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
- Muzzle Velocity: 900 fps
- Muzzle Energy: 128 ft lbs
Aluminum cases aren’t all sunshine and buttercups. In addition to being not reloadable, aluminum is not as supple as the brass it substitutes for. Some semi-automatics have difficulty cycling aluminum-cased ammo for that reason.
But even if your pistol tears through aluminum without hesitation, you’ll still find Federal Premium’s American Eagle series 32 ACP ammo more than worthy of your range time. These rounds are ballistically identical to Blazer Aluminum, manufactured with first-rate target-grade brass cases, and loaded with the even-keeled, deformation-resistant copper-jacketed FMJs requisite for smooth feeding and consistent accuracy.
Incidentally, Federal and CCI are owned by the same company, which also owns the brand responsible for creating my all-time favorite 32 ACP defense ammo. But first, let’s explore a cheaper option.
| Federal 32 ACP 71gr FMJ; 4" bbl; 0.122 G1 BC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 900 | 128 | -0.2 |
| 20 | 877 | 121 | 0.8 |
| 40 | 856 | 116 | 0 |
| 60 | 836 | 110 | -2.7 |
| 80 | 818 | 105 | -7.4 |
| 100 | 800 | 101 | -14.2 |
Best Cheap Foreign 32 ACP Ammo for Target Shooting
Magtech 71 Grain FMC 32 ACP
- Product No. 32A
- Bullet Weight: 71 Grains
- Bullet Type: Full Metal Case (FMC)
- Muzzle Velocity: 905 fps
- Muzzle Energy: 129 ft lbs
Magtech’s blue box almost always occupies my lists of recommended ammo. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying target ammo for a Beretta 3032, Bersa Thunder 32, Colt Model 1903, KelTec P32, NAA-32 Guardian, Seecamp LWS, or Walther PPK. These range loads will do it justice.
The Magtech brand was created in 1990 by CBC Global Ammunition of Brazil. CBC is much older than that – founded in 1926 by a couple of Italian immigrants – and presently one of the world’s largest ammunition manufacturers. That’s all to say that Magtech ammo is made by people who know what they’re doing.
These are foreign-made rounds, but they don’t have the kinds of cheap components that make some shooters wary of foreign manufacturers. Steel-free nonmagnetic FMJs that you can fire at indoor ranges? Check. Reliable, sensitive and noncorrosive Boxer primers? Check. New and reloadable brass cases? Hail, hail, the gang’s all here.
| Magtech 32 ACP 71gr FMJ; 4" bbl; 0.134 G1 BC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 905 | 129 | -0.2 |
| 20 | 884 | 123 | 0.8 |
| 40 | 864 | 118 | 0 |
| 60 | 846 | 113 | -2.6 |
| 80 | 828 | 108 | -7.2 |
| 100 | 811 | 104 | -13.9 |
Best Cheap American-Made 32 ACP Ammo for Target Shooting
Blazer Aluminum 71 Grain FMJ
- Product No. 3503
- Bullet Weight: 71 Grains
- Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
- Muzzle Velocity: 900 fps
- Muzzle Energy: 128 ft lbs
The Blazer brand was established by CCI, an ammo manufacturer that had already risen to prominence, in 1981. At the time CCI had recently invented a fully functional aluminum shell casing: substantially cheaper to manufacture than the traditional brass alternative, though still at risk of receiving a lukewarm (or negative) reception from the commercial market.
CCI chose not to put their valuable initials on this exciting-yet-uncertain venture. But Blazer turned out to be a big hit – so much so that CCI would eventually begin marketing brass-cased ammo under the same label.
If you get a chance to buy Blazer Aluminum 32 ACP, do. This ammo cycles reliably despite its unconventional cases. Its FMJs are OK to fire at ranges that ban magnetic ammo, and its primers are noncorrosive. Those are Berdan primers, which are unusual for American-made ammo. CCI uses them to discourage handloaders from attempting to reload previously fired aluminum cases, which are unfit for that purpose.
| Blazer 32 ACP 71gr FMJ; 4" bbl; 0.122 G1 BC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 900 | 128 | -0.2 |
| 20 | 877 | 121 | 0.8 |
| 40 | 856 | 116 | 0 |
| 60 | 836 | 110 | -2.7 |
| 80 | 818 | 105 | -7.4 |
| 100 | 800 | 101 | -14.2 |
Best Cheap 32 ACP Ammo for Self-Defense
Winchester Silvertip 60 Grain JHP
- Product No. W32AST
- Bullet Weight: 60 Grains
- Bullet Type: Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP)
- Muzzle Velocity: 970 fps
- Muzzle Energy: 125 ft lbs
Winchester introduced their Silvertip line of ammunition in 1979. It was never overly fancy stuff; just the basic components requisite for an effective self-defense load assembled with Winchester’s usual high quality and attention to detail.
Our customers have asked me more than once if Winchester Silvertip ammo actually contains silver. I hate to break their hearts, but the answer is no. If it did, then a 20-round box of Silvertip 32 Auto would cost well over $120. The JHP is constructed in the conventional fashion: lead core, copper-alloy coat. It just has an extra layer of nickel plating to make it pretty.
Its marketing gimmick aside, Silvertip is solid defensive ammo. Dependable. Accurate. Loaded with bullets that accentuate trauma by expanding immediately following impact. Those bullets may fail to expand fully, but that’s a shortcoming any 32 Auto JHP is inclined to suffer from – not just nickel-plated ones.
| Winchester 32 ACP 60gr JHP; 4" bbl; 0.108 G1 BC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 970 | 125 | -0.2 |
| 20 | 938 | 117 | 0.71 |
| 40 | 909 | 110 | 0.02 |
| 60 | 883 | 104 | -2.36 |
| 80 | 859 | 98 | -6.51 |
| 100 | 837 | 93 | -12.55 |
Best Premium 32 ACP Ammo for Self-Defense
Speer Gold Dot 60 Grain JHP
- Product No. 23604GD
- Bullet Weight: 60 Grains
- Bullet Type: Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP)
- Muzzle Velocity: 960 fps
- Muzzle Energy: 123 ft lbs
If I could carry only one brand of self-defense ammo, it would come down to a coin toss between Speer Gold Dot and Federal HST (Tactical or Personal Defense: same thing). I had to go with Speer Gold Dot on this occasion because there is no such ammo as Federal HST 32 ACP.
The Gold Dot jacketed hollow point is the first bonded handgun bullet ever to hit the commercial market. Its copper jacket is electrochemically fused to its alloyed lead core, making it tough enough to penetrate a barrier without undergoing excessive fragmentation in the process. The payoff? Deeper penetration, which is especially helpful when you’re talking about a not-all-that-powerful cartridge.
The Gold Dot JHP additionally features a precision-formed nose cavity, which is programed to expand at a steady rate and to a wide diameter. Once again, there are no guarantees that so slow and light a bullet will succeed at expanding fully. But doesn’t that just mean you should give yourself every advantage you can?
| 23604GD 32 ACP 60gr JHP; 4" bbl; 0.121 G1 BC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Range (yds) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft lbs) | Elevation (in) |
| 0 | 960 | 123 | -0.2 |
| 20 | 932 | 116 | 0.71 |
| 40 | 907 | 110 | 0.01 |
| 60 | 884 | 104 | -2.38 |
| 80 | 862 | 99 | -6.55 |
| 100 | 842 | 94 | -12.6 |
Good alternative if Gold Dots are unavailable? Check out Hornady’s 60 grain FTX 32 ACP ammo here.
The Takeaway
If you would ever entrust your life to a pocket pistol, then the best thing you can do is get plenty of training ahead of time. Being able to hit your target is quite arguably even more important when you’re firing a pistol with such a small magazine. That means stocking up on quality target ammo, stat!
Investing in good defense ammo is equally important. The 32 ACP may not be blessed with tons of raw power, but so long as it is loaded with an accurate and reliably injurious bullet, it can get the job done quite capably.
Got all that? Good. Now, here’s one more parting lesson. If you need ammo – 32 ACP or otherwise – then the best place to order it from is this very website.
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