Some New Guns On Their Way To My Local FFL

 Last weekend, I bid in a Hessney.com online Sportsman Auction. I know this may come as a shock to some but I almost did not bid on any guns. Yes the word almost was in there so of course I bid on some guns and I had the high bid on one of them. That one was listed as a High Standard - 12 Ga. 2.75" Pump, 28" Mod. Barrel. It is probably a Flight King Field grade model. No clue do my little gray cells have as to why I bid on it except maybe that the auction bug bit and bid on it. 

 

 

It is a nice looking slide action shotgun. Not exactly anything for which I had a need but it is something I can use for trades or whatever if I decide not to keep it. Chances are though, I will keep it at least until I, THE Great Procrastinator, take it to the range to see how well or not well it functions. I probably would have made a wiser move had I bid on a couple of 22 LR rifles that were up for bids at around the same time. They were less expensive, would have been much easier for me to shoot considering Arthur I. Tis is my constant companion and me not needing anything to rile him up as a 12 gauge will do.

Then yesterday, I decided to treat myself to what I guess I should consider a Father's Day gift from me to me even though Father's Day was not taken into consideration when I bought it. I had been thinking about, somewhat frequently, getting myself an Inox Beretta Tomcat 3032 in 32 ACP. Don't recall exactly how or why it came to mind yesterday but when it did I just happened to stumble across one going for a few cents under $400.00. 

 

This is not the actual one I am going to get but was a stock photo of it I found online.

 

 

 

Since they usually go for around $540.00 plus shipping I jumped right on that one and ordered it. I almost ordered two of them but being I had almost 8K of credit card debt last month, I figured I had best take it easy and purchase only one of them. Tonight I ordered a couple of spare magazines and a couple of boxes of ammo for it (already have about 1K of 32 ACP for it). The mags I ordered are not the seven round mags that normally are in the box with the Tomcat 3023 model; instead they are 8 round mags with a grip extension for the new Tomcat 30X model but are backwards compatible with the older model 3023. The new 30X model comes with a threaded barrel, the higher capacity mags with grip extension and the mag release on the new model is on the frame behind the trigger as opposed to being in the lower rear portion of the left grip panel as on the 3023. I'd prefer the new mag release but the ne 30X model is going for about $650.00 and I was much more comfortable with mine costing just under $400.00 shipped to my local FFL. As for the extra mags I ordered for it, I ordered them directly from Beretta because Beretta was nice enough to be giving a 25% Father's Day discount on them.

I like my Berettas, this new one will be the 20th Beretta pistol I have owned and will bring my current number of them to 11 more than any other brand that I own right now. The ones I currently own, including the new one not yet delivered, are: a Beretta 92SB pistol, two Beretta 92FS full size pistols, two Beretta 92FS Compact L Type M pistols, a Beretta Model 70S in 22 LR, a Beretta 70S in .380, a Beretta 84 in .380, a Beretta 87 Target in 22 LR, a Beretta 950BS in .22 short and the new Beretta Tomcat 3023 in .32 ACP. The ones I already have are all very good to excellent in the accuracy department, are very reliable (the 92 series pistols feed any ammo I have ever put through them and I love them all with the possible exception of the of the model 84 which is not quite as accurate as the others but is still more than good enough in that department. I am pretty sure that the Tomcat will make an excellent backup pistol - one that I can pocket carry in the Texarkana heat without worrying that it will wind up being corroded  by sweat since it has an Inox finish (Beretta's trade name for stainless steel). If I like it as much as I like my others, I may also have to pick up the 30X model. Time, my bank account balance and uncontrollable buying impulses will tell. So much for my New Year's resolution to stop buying any guns this year; I have bought at least seven of them  so far.

All the best,

Glenn B

Hangun Ammunition Specs - One Of The Many Things I Like About Target Sports USA...

 ... is how they list information about ammunition that they have for sale. They list not only the brand name, the caliber, the amount of rounds, the cost and normal stuff like that which you would expect to see but they also include information about the ammo that most other retailers do not include. Specifically they include a chart showing the following information, if not for every type of ammo they sell then at least for most of them.

 

MPN	SB32A
UPC	754908500024
Manufacturer	Sellier & Bellot Ammo
Caliber	32 ACP Auto Ammo
Bullet Type	Full Metal Jacket
Muzzle Velocity	1043 fps
Muzzle Energy	176 ft. lbs
Primer	Boxer
Casing	Brass Casing
Ammo Rating	Target & Practice 32 ACP Auto Ammo

 

What I particularly like about that is the information about the muzzle velocity and the muzzle energy. Normally, I'd expect both of those to be higher for JHP ammo (self defense ammo) as opposed to FMJ (target ammo). The thing is when it comes to certain brand of ammo, like Sellier & Bellot, their numbers seemingly are always higher as compared to other brands. So their ammo is hotter or performing at a higher velocity with more muzzle energy for each round. As it turns out Sellier & Bellot FMJ (target ammo) ammo winds up being faster and more powerful than most other manufacturers JHP and FMJ ammo in 32 auto. For instance, the above listed Sellier & Bellot FMJ ammo compares to Prvi Partisan JHP (self defense ammo) like this:

 

MPN	PPD32A
UPC	8605003813033
Manufacturer	Prvi Partizan Ammo
Caliber	32 ACP AUTO Ammo
Bullet Type	HP - Hollow Point
Muzzle Velocity	902 fps
Muzzle Energy	129 ft. lbs
Primer	Boxer
Casing	Brass Casing
Ammo Rating	Personal Protection 32 ACP AUTO Ammo

 

The Prvi Partisan ammo is within SAAMI standards (Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) for muzzle velocity and muzzle energy; however, the Sellier & Bellot ammo seemingly exceeds those standards as I understand it after reading this article by Chuck Hawks. Thus, it seems to me, the Sellier & Bellot 32 Auto ammo may be unsafe to fire in most if not all of my pistols. Who woulda thunk it!  I don't know about what you would expect but I would not expect a major ammo manufacturer to make ammo that might blow up my pistol. I am none to certain that what I just wrote is correct but it seems to be a genuine concern to me; so, I intend to check into this further. Sellier & Bellot has been one of my go to brands when I can get it and that is all because it is usually more powerful than any other brands I can find but I'll be damned if I continue using it if I find out it is unsafe. Here is what Mr. Hawks had to say about it:

 

"Almost all .32 ACP and .380 ACP semi-automatic pistols are blow-back operated, not locked breech designs. In these pistols only the mass/inertia of the breech bolt and the pressure of the recoil spring keep the action closed during firing. These are carefully calibrated to the anticipated pressure of the cartridge for which the pistol is chambered. Any increase (or decrease) in the cartridge's MAP can create an unsafe and/or unreliable condition.

In other words, these cartridges are intended to be loaded within a narrow range of pressures that cannot be exceeded if the guns designed to shoot them are to operate correctly. Since any handgun used for personal protection must, above all, be reliable, I recommend against the use of ersatz "+P" ammunition. Stick with ammunition loaded to SAAMI specifications."; (source). I am hopeful I can contact Mr. Hawks to determine if the S&B ammo is safe to use in my pistols or if I should avoid it. For now, I am going to order some of the Prvi Partisan ammo.

Dazed & confused about this am I but I am willing to learn more about the subject especially with the goal of preventing a catastrophic failure in any of my pistols and preventing possible injury should such a failure take place. So, if you are truly in the know about this subject - please be so kind as to clue me in with references if possible. In addition, if you are aware of contact information for Chuck Hawks, I would appreciate you letting me know how to contact him. Thanks.

 

All the best,

Glenn B