32 ACP vs. 9mm: Concealed Carry Clash

When looking for a new concealed carry cartridge, you’ve likely considered the 380 ACP, 9mm, and 45 ACP. However, John Moses Browning created a legendary cartridge– the 32 ACP –that might be worth considering.

Throughout this article, we’ll compare the 32 ACP vs. 9mm in critical categories most important to shooters and concealed carriers. Recoil, accuracy, stopping power, and self-defense capabilities are a few sections we will discuss in detail to help us determine a winner.

Once you finish reading, you can confidently choose the best cartridge for your situation.

Let’s go!

32 ACP vs. 9mm

The 9mm is also called the 9x19mm Parabellum, 9x19mm NATO, 9mm NATO, or 9mm Luger. In Europe, the .32 ACP is called the 7.65mm Browning.

Both centerfire handgun cartridges are over 100 years old, so a less experienced shooter might think they’re obsolete. In fact, the 9mm remains a favorite of many concealed-carry enthusiasts and law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, the 32 ACP struggles to stay relevant.

The 9mm and 32 Auto are chambered in semi-automatic pistols. The 32 ACP was designed for pocket pistols, like the Beretta Tomcat and KelTec P32, whereas the 9mm was designed for full-size pistols. In recent decades, carbines and revolvers have been designed around the 9mm cartridge.

Below, you’ll discover the technical specs that make these cartridges unique. Afterward we’ll begin our comparison to help you decide which personal defense cartridge is right for you!

Technical Specs: 9mm vs. 32 ACP

The 32 ACP cartridge is noticeably smaller than the 9mm, as it fires a smaller diameter bullet, has less case capacity, and is shorter overall.

The bullet diameter of a 32 ACP round is 0.3125 inches, whereas the 9mm is 0.355 inches. The case capacity of the 9mm is 13.3 grains; the 32 ACP, only 9.25 grains. The 9mm’s higher case capacity and chamber pressure enable its heavier bullet to attain a higher muzzle energy – and strike with greater kinetic energy because of it.

While these cartridges have some significant differences, they were designed for similar tasks. Let’s see how these numbers translate into real-world situations.

Recoil

Recoil is a critical consideration when purchasing a new handgun, as a round with heavy recoil will be more challenging to control and slow your follow-up shots. The potential for recoil flinching (anticipation) is also an issue for cartridges with powerful kick.

Felt recoil will differ from shooter to shooter and is often dependent on firearm choice, stance, and your chosen ammo. However, free recoil is a more objective measure of how hard a cartridge hits based on firearm weight, muzzle velocity, powder charge, and bullet weight.

Both handgun rounds are known for having low recoil. We’ll compare two loads for reference.

For the 9mm, we’ll fire Winchester white box 115 grain full metal jacket (FMJ) with a muzzle velocity of 1,190 fps out of a Glock 45 weighing 2 pounds. Under these circumstances, the 9mm has a free recoil of 4 ft-lbs, which isn’t much.

For the 32 ACP, we’ll fire Fiocchi Range Dynamics 73 grain FMJ with a muzzle velocity of 1,000 fps out of a North American Arms Guardian weighing 0.8 pounds. Under these conditions, the 32 ACP has a free recoil of 1.7 ft-lbs – less than half that of the 9mm.

The 32 ACP wins this section because it has less recoil. Its very low recoil makes handling the firearm easier for most shooters.

Accuracy: 9x19mm Parabellum vs. .32 Auto

Cartridge accuracy depends on several factors, such as bullet design, firearm, shooter, and shooting conditions. That means this comparison can never be truly apples to apples.

However, we can still help you decide which one you might be more accurate with: a 9mm or 32 ACP pistol!

A “mouse gun” chambered for 32 ACP is an excellent option for recoil-sensitive shooters. When I was a kid, my grandpa had a 25 ACP pistol we would use for target shooting and firing into ballistic gel for fun. It didn’t have much recoil, and I was reasonably accurate with it. The same can be said for the 32 ACP. Its low recoil will probably allow you to be more accurate.

The advantage of the 9mm is its longer barrel. In some instances, this isn’t much of an advantage (compact pistols often used for concealed carry), but it is in others (full-size pistols and carbines). A longer barrel will help you be more accurate when firing a gun because it gives the propellant longer to burn, increasing the velocity of the round an flattening its trajectory. I carry a 9mm Smith & Wesson Shield and have accurate shot placement at the range.

This section is a draw, as some shooters will enjoy the lower recoil benefits of the 32 ACP, while others will take advantage of the longer barrels of 9mm pistols. I recommend testing several high-quality factory loads to see what your firearm handles the best.

Stopping Power

9mm enthusiasts harp on the mystical concept of “stopping power” and state that the .32 ACP is underpowered.

They aren’t wrong on paper. According to the numbers, the 9mm is the superior cartridge – but how is “stopping power” defined?

Although no column exists in the ballistics tables for stopping power, the FBI has done its best to quantify it by developing a complicated scoring system to evaluate handgun ammunition and its terminal performance after having pierced multiple barriers, such as drywall and sheet metal.

Here’s the simplified version: A bullet penetrating no less than 12 inches and no more than 16 inches into ballistic gelatin (a synthetic substitute for soft tissues) is optimal for self-defense.

Modern 9mm JHP ammo penetrates 13-15 inches on average. That’s precisely where you want it to be for a good home or self-defense cartridge.

Modern 32 ACP FMJ ammo penetrates 12-14 inches on average. That’s good, but it’s also using a full metal jacket, not a jacketed hollow point, which is better suited for self-defense.

The critical factor we’re ignoring is shot placement. It doesn’t matter how well the bullet penetrates the target if it hits the threat in a non-vital area, such as the foot or hand.

If shot placement is equal between a 9mm Luger and a 32 ACP, I’d always pick the 9mm as it's a more powerful round. However, if you’re more accurate with a .32 Auto, do not hesitate to use that as your CCW round.

The 9mm wins this section as it fires a heavier bullet, has more energy behind it, and penetrates deeper.

Self-Defense: 32 Automatic Colt Pistol vs. 9mm Luger

Since the 32 ACP was specifically designed for self-defense, one might think it will have an advantage here – although the 9mm’s development for warfare hardly makes it a poor choice for self-defense, either.

The 32 ACP is primarily found in pocket pistols, which are very easy to conceal due to their small size. However, this drastically limits their magazine capacity and accuracy capabilities. As we will see in the next section, 32 ACP ammo and firearm availability is much lower than 9mm, and it doesn’t penetrate as well, further hurting the cause.

All sorts of pistols and carbines are chambered in 9mm, so you can find the perfect one to pair with your 9mm personal protection ammo.

Unless you’re just a sucker for nostalgia and also think the 38 Special is a superior self-defense cartridge, the 9mm is the way to go.

The 9mm Luger wins this section because it offers better penetration (with a JHP) and more firearm and ammo options (as we’ll see soon).

Ammo & Firearm Costs & Availability

Even though 9mm is the larger cartridge, the ammo is less expensive. Target and self-defense ammo are also more readily available from brands like Federal, Hornady, Remington, Underwood, and many other ammunition manufacturers.

The 32 ACP is not expensive to fire, however. Firearms are priced similarly to 9mm handguns, and the ammo is only slightly more costly.

The 9mm wins this section because it is less expensive and has more ammo and gun options.

Reloading: 32 ACP vs. 9mm

Since the cartridges are well established, plenty of information and reloading supplies are available for each. The 9mm will likely be easier to reload due to its increased popularity, but it’s not significant enough to win this section.

This section is a draw.

Ballistics: 32 Auto vs. 9mm

This part of the article is for all you number lovers! If you love digging into the ballistics of each cartridge, then you’ll love what’s below!

Note: This information comes from the manufacturer. The actual ballistics obtained with your firearm can vary considerably from the advertised ballistics. Also, ballistics can vary from lot to lot with the same brand and type load.

32 ACP Ballistics

9mm Ballistics

To continue digging into 9mm ballistics, check out our other article!

32 ACP Brief History

The 32 ACP's roots go back to the legend of John Moses Browning. In 1899, he designed this handgun cartridge for the Fabrique Nationale 1900 blowback pistol.

The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Pistol was released in the U.S. in 1903, increasing the popularity of 32 Automatic Colt Pistol. Unsurprisingly, other firearms manufacturers released their semi-auto pistols chambered in .32 ACP.

The .32 ACP was carried by law enforcement and militaries around the world. Today its popularity has waned, but is still enjoyed by many shooters.

9mm Brief History

The 9mm was designed by Austrian gunsmith Georg Luger in 1901. Luger created the 9x19mm from his previous design, the 7.65x21mm Parabellum.

The 9mm was adopted by the Imperial German Navy in 1904, and then the Imperial German Army in 1908.

After World War I, the 9mm Parabellum became one of the most popular pistol cartridges worldwide for military and law enforcement use. The popularity of the 9mm exploded in the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s.

There is no denying that the 9mm has established itself as one of the top self-defense cartridges, for many reasons.

Parting Shots

Now that you’ve read our 32 ACP vs. 9mm article, it’s time to tally the results.

The 32 ACP won one section (recoil). The 9mm won three sections (stopping power, self-defense, and availability). Two sections were a draw (accuracy and reloading).

The 9mm is the clear winner for most concealed carriers, as it offers more stopping power, ammo options, and firearm options without breaking the bank.

However, the 32 ACP is still fun to take to the range or use as a backup CCW.

No matter which you get, stock up on all your ammo needs at Ammo.com!