Perfectly Small

Guns Magazine, Annual, 2001 by Andy Stanford

Although the pistol grip of the carbine outwardly resembles the P series Kel-Tec pistols, it's made of 7075 aluminum alloy, not polymer. Likewise, the Sub-9 and Sub-40 internals vary significantly from those of the pistols. Specifically, the carbines operate on straight blowback, as opposed to the classic Browning short-recoil lockup of the pistols. Additionally, the carbines are concealed-hammer single actions, and hence have a bit lighter trigger pull than their sister handguns. The down-to-fire thumb safety on the left side of the weapon is properly positioned for firing grip access for a right-handed shooter.

Sights consist of a rear peep and hooded front post, with both windage and elevation adjustments on the latter. The rear aperture folds down in transport/storage mode and the front sight base serves double duty as the detent latch that holds the folded weapon closed. The finish on all Kel-Tec subrifles is blued steel and black anodized aluminum, with a black polymer butt and forend.

In the past, I've been somewhat critical of pistol caliber carbines, arguing that if one is going to put up with the bulk and weight of a shoulder weapon, then one should reap the benefits of a true rifle-caliber chambering. Many tactical teams have reached the same conclusion, trading their MP-5s for 5.56 caliber guns such as the M-4/CAR-15.

Lately, however, I've softened my position a bit. Since virtually any shoulder weapon is easier than a handgun to hit on target, even a pistol-caliber carbine provides significant advantage over a sidearm in a gunfight. With an increase in the hiring of small-statured police officers, it represents a viable alternative to the heavier, hard-kicking 12 gauge for those in law enforcement. Likewise, in the hands of a well-trained private citizen, these easy-to-shoot weapons trump the average assailant's pistol.

Pocket Rocket

The remaining, and smallest, Kel-Tec model is clearly intended as competition for Larry Seecamp's revolutionary LWS-32. The little Seecamp gun is so popular that demand far exceeds supply, with a resulting backlog of years. Kel-Tec's P-32 provides an alternative for those who don't want to wait or pay scalper's prices.

No, the DAO P-32 isn't the tiniest .32 ACP on the market. That distinction is still held by the Seecamp gun, in both length and height. But the Kel-Tec gun is the flattest and the lightest at 6.6 ozs. unloaded. Since the P-32 is small enough to fit into an average pocket, the reduction in girth and weight are perhaps more important than minor differences in the other dimensions.

Like the P-11 and P-40, the .32 caliber Kel-Tec includes a lot of polymer parts in its lower half, with a blued, Parkerized or hard-chromed steel top. Interestingly, it is a locked-breech weapon, unlike competing designs such as the Seecamp and North American Arms Guardian. This allows the slide to be lighter, but still requires full-power ammo. Any factory .32 ACP cartridge may be used -- in comparison with the Winchester Silvertip-only Seecamp -- and the steel mag holds seven rounds.