Kel-Tec P32 | |
---|---|
Type | Pocket pistol |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
Used by | Private citizens and police officers |
Production history | |
Designer | George Kellgren |
Designed | 1999 |
Manufacturer | Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. |
Produced | 1999–present |
Specifications | |
Mass | 6.6 oz (190 g) unloaded.[1] |
Length | 5.07 inches (129 mm) |
Barrel length | 2.68 inches (68 mm) |
Width | 0.75 inches (19 mm) |
Height | 3.50 inches (89 mm) |
Cartridge | .32 ACP |
Action | locked-breech |
Feed system | Detachable box magazine; capacities: |
Sights | Fixed, iron (two variants) |
The Kel-Tec P32 is a sub-compact semi-automatic pistol using the short-recoil principle of operation that is chambered in .32 ACP.[5] It was designed by George Kellgren.[6] It is manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc., of Cocoa, Florida and was designed for concealed carry by citizens and by law enforcement officers as a back-up gun.[7]
Manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries (founded 1991) in the city of Cocoa, Florida, United States, the P32 has a barrel length of 2.68 inches (68 mm).[8]
Unlike almost all blowback pocket pistols of the 20th century, P32 operates on Browning's short-recoil principle with a locked breech,[9] allowing to mitigate recoil despite the very low weight (this solution became popular in the following decades).
Similar in concept to a revolver, the P32 has no manual safety, relying instead on the long double-action trigger pull and an internal hammer block to provide safe operation.[9] The pistol meets SAAMI guidelines, and will not fire if dropped. The P32 has passed extensive SAAMI drop-testing at the H. P. White labs, as well as drop tests to military specifications. The trigger must physically be pulled for the gun to fire.[9]
The P32 is made of the following materials: SAE 4140 ordnance steel for the barrel and slide; 7075-T6 aluminum for the internal frame which houses the firing mechanism (machined from a solid block of aluminum); and Dupont ST-8018 ultra-high-impact polymer for the checkered grip, frame, and trigger.[8]