Buy a PTR 32P on GunsAmerica: https://www.gunsamerica.com/PTR 32P
Check out the 32P at Atlantic Fireamrs: https://www.atlanticfirearms.com/ptr-32/
Check out PTR’s guns: https://www.ptr91.com/
The PTR 32P isn’t your average pistol. Derived from the H&K G3, the PTR 32P combines the ergonomics and looks of an H&K with the eating habits of an AK47. The “P” stands for pistol. The 32P is huge. At nearly 8 pounds and 24 inches long, the PTR is not exactly a gun you can easily conceal, and it isn’t a gun you would want to carry all day long. So what role does this beastly pistol play?
The 32P falls into that class of guns that truly deserves to be taken through the short barrel rifle rigmarole. For those who don’t want the hassle, I’d suggest an arm brace. In its stock form the 32P is a kick-ass range toy. With a few tweaks and the addition of the right accessories, it becomes a much more capable gun.
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H&K’s legacy built to PTR’s legendary standards, and shooting the least expensive ammo on the market? Seems like a logical choice to me.
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Features and Specifications
• Caliber – 7.62×39
• OA Length – 23.5 inches
• Barrel Length – 8.5 inches
• Length with brace – 31 inches
• Length with folded brace – 23 inches
• Weight Empty – 7.5 pounds
• Operation – semi-automatic, roller-lock, delayed blowback
• Sights – rear drum for elevation and windage, front protected post
• Magazine – 30-round AK pattern
• Picatinny rail welded to receiver
• Retail – $919.00
How does it shoot?
The PTR 32P is undoubtedly one of the coolest guns on the market. But cool only goes so far. Some pistol versions of notorious rifles look great, but don’t shoot well. The 32P does both with ease. Yet because it runs on 7.62 x 39, the gun will always be compared to the AK. How does it stack up? After 1500 rounds of Wolf 123 Gr. FMJs, I experienced zero malfunctions, no issues, or problems.
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Mag changes are not as graceful as they could be on a SBR or full sized rifle, because you have to support the weight with one hand.
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The 32P is compact enough for use indoors, and just the right size to drop behind the seat of a truck.
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That’s not insignificant. The gun wasn’t cleaned and it wasn’t babied. I’m not claiming to have done pull-ups, push-ups, or anything destructive to the gun. The reality of it is the 32P is that the gun is extremely reliable under normal conditions. When stressed with lack of lubrication and cleaning, and dusty range conditions, it never showed any signs of stopping.
I am not claiming that this gun is superior to an AK platform anything. But it appears to be at least equal in the ways that matter. And that’s significant. As much as I love the AK platform, I understand why some Americans want nothing to do with the #1 weapon of choice of our enemies.
Handling
Shooting the 32P is a lot like shooting other unwieldy rifle caliber pistols. It’s easy to do, but hard to do well. With plenty of surface to grip and a long sight radius, the gun is more than capable of delivering devastating and accurate shots on target. But due to the large size, heavy weight, and lack of support provided by a stock, the ergonomics suffer. As is the case with most rifle caliber pistols, they are slower and less accurate than a traditional rifle or smaller pistol.
An example: every shot fired causes the gun to do the recoil wave. This takes the gun completely off target and makes the follow-up shot time consuming. This isn’t bad if you are only going to be using the PTR 32P on the range. But why leave it like that? It is an easy problem to fix.
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The Shockwave Blade is far more trim than some of the other braces.
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But the wider braces allow you to strap the gun to your forearm.
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With the addition of the Atlantic Firearms arm brace kit or a Shockwave Blade, the pistol offers its user a much more versatile firearm. With a cheek weld, you pick up a third point of contact. The ATF doesn’t want you to shoulder the arm braces, but I could care less. Either way, the extra support brings out the gun’s potential.
With the gun braced, recoil is absent and the action is smooth. Beyond its handling and ergonomics the 32P is, at heart, a roller locked delayed blowback firearm that not only shoots but also masters the 7.62×39 cartridge.
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With the arm brace attached, the gun is stable–but still heavy.
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The arm brace does cut out the wave created by the 7.62 x 39’s recoil.
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With a cheek weld, the gun is sufficiently braced. Not optimal, but it works.
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This allows the ATF to sleep through the night, as it isn’t as scary as the gun being shouldered.
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Accuracy
The PTR 32P is rock solid. Shooting at 10 meters with a UM tactical red dot sight, I was able to consistently produce a .75-inch 5 shot group. Moving out to 25 meters the 32P cut a 1.25-inch hole. This isn’t sniper precision, but this isn’t a sniper rifle. Consider that this pistol is shooting economical ammo out of my shaking hands–brace the gun and run better ammo and you’ll see a gun that’s exceptionally accurate and easy to shoot.
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Five shots from 25 meters. Shooting the heavy pistol without the brace isn’t impossible, but it can be awkward.
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Still, the PTR 32P’s potential is easy to see.
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Short barreled guns, though, are designed for speed and maneuverability. The 32P is no exception, and the instinctive feel makes for an easy learning curve. In its stock configuration, it points naturally. Combat effective hits are easy and almost effortless. With an arm brace, this becomes even easier. Under the right circumstances, the 32P is more than capable of making hits past 100 meters. And because it has the feel of many other classic H&K designs, a lot of shooters will feel immediately at home.
Customization
https://riflestocks.com/store/product30.html
https://riflestocks.com/store/product105.html
https://riflestocks.com/store/product29.html
https://www.kakindustry.com/shockwave
https://www.umtactical.com/store/p18/UM_Optic_-_6_MOA_Red_Dot_Sight_.html
The 32P comes in a hard plastic case. It ships with one magazine and is more or less ready for the range out of the box. If you are interested in optimizing the gun, there are endless aftermarket accessories available. Atlantic firearms sells an arm brace kit. It consists of an AR tube adapter, buffer tube and brace. It is expandable for use of a side-folding hinge, as well as length-of-pull adapters. It retails for $139.00.
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As a pistol, the 32P is cumbersome. With the edition of a brace, it is well balanced and extremely effective.
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There are numerous was to go with the butt end of the gun. You will need a brace, a tube, and I’d suggest a folding adapter.
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Other options are available from Ace Rifle Stocks and KAK Industries. Swap out the receiver block for a flat plate and an Ace Side Folder. Slide a Shockwave Blade on the tube and the gun becomes a bit less bulky. This setup costs a bit more: $265.00. The Ace parts cost $170.00 and the Shockwave Blade kit cost $95.00.
Last but not least, the gun benefits from some type of optic. Seeing as it excels at close quarters, a red dot optic makes the most since. I used the UM Tactical Red Dot. The UM Optic retails for $159.00 and you can read a review of it here.
Conclusion
The 32P more or less has everything covered once you piece the right parts together. Is it worth the $920.00 price tag? For the AK purist, or the H&K collector I’d say yes. The 32P isn’t exactly a Kalashnikov, nor is it a thoroughbred blaster. But where this franken-gun falls short on collectability or purity, it more than makes up with functionality.
For the average gun guy, I’d say this gun is big, unwieldy, and (for the most part) hard to handle in its stock form. But given the opportunity to change a few parts and add a source of stabilization, it’s clear this gun would more than serve you well. And even though there is some expense associated with that, you will end up with a gun that will last forever (and one that runs on the least expensive ammo available). Long-term costs of maintenance and operation are minimal, which should make it even more attractive.
Buy a PTR 32P on GunsAmerica: https://www.gunsamerica.com/PTR 32P
Check out the 32P at Atlantic Fireamrs: https://www.atlanticfirearms.com/ptr-32/
Check out PTR’s guns: https://www.ptr91.com/
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The folding brace helps cut out some of the length.
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Takedown is easy, and allows for easy maintenance.
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For use in home defense, or as a truck gun, a good light is a must.
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Folded, the Blade doesn’t take up much room.
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The phrase is- COULDN’T care less, not COULD care less.
“Is it worth the $920.00 price tag? For the AK purist, or the H&K collector I’d say yes.” I agree, short answer is that for the rest of us that’s not the best investment.
Who says a fun gun has to be an investment? drop $900 on it, shoot it for a few years, enjoy it, sell it for $600-$700 and recoup some of your money. Did you have $200 worth of fun from it? probably so!
“The 32P falls into that class of guns that truly deserves to be taken through the short barrel rifle rigmarole. For those who don’t want the hassle, I’d suggest an arm brace. In its stock form the 32P is a kick-ass range toy. With a few tweaks and the addition of the right accessories, it becomes a much more capable gun.” That right there is a very interesting paragraph. Let’s break it down and take sober look at what it really means. That first sentence is certainly as good a place as any to start. The author is saying this gun would be a really great as an SBR. “a much more capable gun” Why would a manufacturer produce and sell a gun that is less “capable”? Who does that? Sure as hell doesn’t sound American to me. We have a 2nd Amendment which guarantees our right to keep and bear arms. Nothing in there says anything about barrel length or stocks. So there’s that. Let’s move on. “For those who don’t want the hassle” So for the record, this author feels the same way as too many Americans feel. Owning and fielding an “SBR” under current ATF regulations and laws is a “hassle”. For purposes of legal definition, we can replace “hassle” with “infringement” without stretching the meanings of any words in the very least. Why is it that the federal government feels it’s alright to make it a “hassle” for American citizens to own a “much more capable” firearm? If not this, then what in the bloody hell does “shall not be infringed” mean? The English felt fine in banning the much more effective “long bow” from all but officials in the Kings court. That’s why we came here and made something different. That’s the whole damn point as far as I’m concerned. OK, “In its stock form the 32P is a kick-ass range toy.” Range toy? Really? I don’t want a fucking range toy! For the part of $2500 as described and tested here, I demand a “much more capable” gun! “With a few tweaks and the right accessories” Almost any mass produced product can benefit from tweaks and accessories. That’s true. But a hobbled firearm, without any stock to speak of, and a disabled selector by law is very simply an infringement on our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Again, our 2nd Amendment says nothing about “range toys”. I refuse on principal to own “range toys”. Further, if I want to own one of these, and modify it to my requirements, I have every right in the world to do that without any federal “hassle”. All of you folks really need to start looking at these things with a little scrutiny. If you don’t start doing this, there ain’t even gonna be any more “kick ass range toys” either. Let’s get this party started already! Take it back people!
I picked up a Gen 2 PTR 32P a few months ago as I’ve been an avid HK / clone collector who is lucky enough to own a sear and a number of other hosts. This weapon makes a nice rifle caliber host that costs less to shoot vs. 223/556 or 308. With a sear pack installed, you can put a full stock on it which makes the gun handle like an HK53 – one of my favorites. The rate of fire is pretty low (5-600 rpm) so it’s easier to shoot and control. Dtwalkerfl, the gen 2 runs fine with most drums and AK pattern mags though it was designed for Magpul. If you’re buying as a host, you may encounter a few problems (most of us have had to tweak them to run) but they’re minor and you get a unique host gun that in my opinion, handles better in F/A than an AK. Atl_Matt
Joe- You can pickup one of the older surefire MP5 hand guards from H&K Parts for about $160 on occasion. Here is a link http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/MP5-Surefire-628-Forearm-Used-In-VG+-Shape-75p683.htm
dtwalkerfl- That would take make this gun even better. Especially if you had a full auto sear registered and ready to drop in!
Hope this helps guys! Keep Posting Questions!
Should have mag well notched for a drum.
I wish you would have mentioned the MP5 style front hand guard with integral light and where to get one. Nice review and thank you.