.32 NAA

Last updated
.32 NAA
.32 NAA sketch.png
.32 NAA cartridge basic sketch.
TypePistol
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerNorth American Arms / Ed Sanow
Designed1996
ManufacturerNorth American Arms
Produced2002–present
Specifications
Parent case .380 ACP
Case typeRimless, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter.3129 in (7.95 mm)
Neck diameter.3365 in (8.55 mm)
Shoulder diameter.3729 in (9.47 mm)
Base diameter.3740 in (9.50 mm)
Rim diameter.3740 in (9.50 mm)
Rim thickness.045 in (1.1 mm)
Case length.680 in (17.3 mm)
Overall length.984 in (25.0 mm)
Case capacity10.5  gr H2O (0.68 cm3)
Rifling twist1 in 16 in (410 mm)
Primer typesmall pistol
Maximum pressure25,700 psi (177 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
60 gr (4 g) JHP1,222 ft/s (372 m/s)199 ft⋅lbf (270 J)
71 gr (5 g) FMJ1,000 ft/s (300 m/s)158 ft⋅lbf (214 J)
Test barrel length: 2.5
Source(s): Cartridges of the World [1]

The .32 NAA is a cartridge/firearm 'system' designed and developed by the partnership of North American Arms and Corbon Ammunition. The cartridge is a .380 ACP case necked-down to hold a .32 caliber bullet with the goal of improved ballistic performance over the .32 ACP.

Contents

History and Design

Bottleneck handgun cartridge designs experienced early success and have had continuing development since at least the 7.65×25mm Borchardt or earlier, which led to the development of the 7.63×25mm Mauser (also known as the .30 Mauser), followed by the 7.62×25mm Tokarev. The benefits of bottleneck designs include smooth feeding and chambering and simple, robust headspacing.

The .32 NAA uses the .312" diameter bullet of the .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum, and .327 Federal Magnum, and .32 ACP.

The .32 NAA is one of the most recent of a line of commercial bottleneck handgun cartridges. Renewed western interest in bottleneck handgun cartridges began with the .357 SIG in 1994 (necking a .40 S&W case down to a .355 bullet); followed by the .400 Corbon in 1996 (necking a .45 ACP case down to hold a .40 cal. bullet); and then the .25 NAA in 1999 (necking a .32 ACP case down to hold a .25 caliber bullet). 2015 saw the introduction of the 7.5 FK bottleneck cartridge by the Czech company FK BRNO.

Performance

The cartridge delivers in excess of 1,222 ft/s (372 m/s) velocity to a 60 grain (3.9 gram) proprietary bullet from Hornady. This generates 199 ft⋅lbf (270 J) of energy from the 2.5" Guardian barrel (1453 ft/s & 287 ft⋅lbf (389 J) from a 4" test barrel). [2]

According to Phil W. Johnston, the 60 gr Corbon cartridge averaged 1204 fps, with an extreme spread of 69 fps and a standard deviation of 19 fps, for 193.09 ft-lbs of energy. When fired at ballistic gelatin, he obtained 6.25" of penetration, with expansion to 0.528" and 72% weight retention. [3]

Extreme Shock Ammunition offers an "Enhanced Penetration Round" that sends a 60 gr. bullet at 1196 fps for 190 ft lbs of energy. [4]

In fall 2012, Hornady released a .32 NAA Critical Defense load that propels a relatively heavy (thus higher sectional density), 80 grain JHP FTX bullet at 1,000 fps. [5]

Handguns

The North American Arms Guardian .32 NAA is designed around this cartridge.

Diamondback Firearms offers .32 NAA conversion barrels (2.8") for their DB380 pistols. [6]

Makarov.com once stocked barrels of two different lengths for converting Makarov pistols to .32 NAA. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Table of handgun and rifle cartridges</span> Small arms cartridge data

This is a table of selected pistol/submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.40 S&W</span> Pistol cartridge

The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by American firearms manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Winchester in 1990. The .40 S&W was developed as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) reduced-velocity 10mm Auto cartridge which could be retrofitted into medium-frame semi-automatic handguns. It uses 0.40-inch (10 mm) diameter bullets ranging in weight from 105 to 200 grains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.380 ACP</span> Pistol cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

The .380 ACP (9×17mm) is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, for use in its new Colt Model 1908 pocket hammerless semi-automatic, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since, seeing wide use in numerous handguns. Other names for .380 ACP include .380 Auto, 9×17mm, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, and 9mm Browning Court. It should not be confused with .38 ACP. The .380 ACP does not strictly conform to cartridge naming conventions, named after the diameter of the bullet, as the actual bullet diameter of the .380 ACP is .355 inches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.357 SIG</span> Pistol cartridge designed by SIG Sauer and Federal Premium Ammunition

The .357 SIG is a bottlenecked rimless centerfire handgun cartridge developed by the Swiss-German firearms manufacturer SIG Sauer, in cooperation with ammunition manufacturer Federal Premium. The cartridge is used by a number of law enforcement agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.32 ACP</span> Pistol cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

.32 ACP is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol. It was introduced in 1899 by Fabrique Nationale, and is also known as the 7.65×17mmSR Browning or 7.65 mm Browning Short.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.62×25mm Tokarev</span> Pistol cartridge

The 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge is a Soviet rimless bottleneck pistol cartridge widely used in former Soviet states and in China, among other countries. The cartridge has since been replaced in most capacities by the 9×18mm Makarov in Russian service.

The .256 Winchester Magnum is a firearms cartridge developed by Winchester, and was produced by necking-down a .357 Magnum cartridge to .257 diameter. It was designed for shooting small game and varmints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildcat cartridge</span> Custom cartridge for firearms

A wildcat cartridge, often shortened to wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and/or firearms are not mass-produced. These cartridges are often created in order to optimize a certain performance characteristic of an existing commercial cartridge, or may merely be intended as novelty items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.338 Winchester Magnum</span> Rifle cartridge

The .338 Winchester Magnum is a .338 in (8.6 mm) caliber, belted, rimless, bottlenecked cartridge introduced in 1958 by Winchester Repeating Arms. It is based on the blown-out, shortened .375 H&H Magnum. The .338 in (8.6 mm) is the caliber at which medium-bore cartridges are considered to begin. The .338 Winchester Magnum is the first choice among professional brown bear guides in Alaska to back up clients where a powerful stopping caliber is required on charging bears. It is also the most popular medium-bore cartridge in North America and has the most widely available choice in rifles among medium bore rifles. The action length is the same as a .30-06, and most major rifle manufacturers in the United States chamber rifles for the cartridge including the semi-automatic Browning BAR Mk II Safari, making it a very powerful combination against charging dangerous game. The cartridge was intended for larger North American big-game species and has found use as for the hunting of thin-skinned African plains-game species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.400 Cor-Bon</span> Automatic pistol cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in 1997

The .400 Corbon is an automatic pistol cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in 1997. It was created to mimic the ballistics of the 10 mm Auto cartridge in a .45 ACP form factor. It is essentially a .45 ACP case, necked down to .40 caliber with a 25-degree shoulder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Arms</span>

North American Arms is a United States company, headquartered in Provo, Utah, that manufactures pocket pistols and mini-revolvers, also called mouse guns. The company was originally named Rocky Mountain Arms when it was founded in 1972. In 1974 it was bought by new owners who renamed the company North American Manufacturing (NAM) and then North American Arms (NAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.32 H&R Magnum</span> US rimmed revolver cartridge

The .32 H&R Magnum, also known as the .32 Magnum, is a rimmed cartridge designed for use in revolvers. It was developed and introduced in 1984 as a joint venture between Harrington & Richardson and Federal Premium Ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.25 NAA</span> Pistol cartridge introduced by the North American Arms company in 2002

The .25 NAA is a pistol cartridge introduced by the North American Arms company in 2002. It was originally created for use in a smaller and lighter model of their Guardian pistol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cor-Bon/Glaser</span>

Cor-Bon/Glaser LLC is a manufacturer of small arms ammunition.

.32 caliber is a size of ammunition, fitted to firearms with a bore diameter of 0.32 inches (8.1 mm).

The 7-30 Waters cartridge was originally a wildcat cartridge developed by author Ken Waters in 1976 to give better performance to lever-action rifle shooters than the parent .30-30 Winchester cartridge, by providing a higher velocity and flatter trajectory with a smaller, lighter bullet. By 1984, Winchester introduced a Model 94 rifle chambered for the 7-30 Waters, establishing it as a commercial cartridge. In 1986, Thompson/Center began chambering 10-inch, 14-inch, and 20-inch Contender barrels for the cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9×25mm Mauser</span>

The 9×25mm Mauser is a cartridge developed for the Mauser C96 service pistol around 1904 by DWM. Mauser pistols in this relatively powerful caliber were primarily intended for export to Africa, Asia, and South America. The 9mm Mauser Export cartridge was produced specifically for Mauser pistols and carbines made from 1904 to 1914 and then later from approximately 1930 to 1945 for submachine guns chambered for this caliber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.63×25mm Mauser</span> Pistol cartridge

The 7.63×25mm Mauser round was the original cartridge for the Mauser C96 service pistol. This cartridge headspaces on the shoulder of the case. It later served as the basis for the 7.62mm Tokarev cartridge commonly used in Soviet and Eastern Bloc weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9×18mm Makarov</span> Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge

The 9×18mm Makarov is a Soviet pistol and submachine gun cartridge. During the latter half of the 20th century, it was a standard military pistol cartridge of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, analogous to the 9×19mm Parabellum in NATO and Western Bloc military use.

The .500 S&W Magnum or 12.7×41mmSR is a .50 caliber semi-rimmed revolver cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in partnership with the Smith & Wesson "X-Gun" engineering team for use in the Smith & Wesson Model 500 X-frame revolver and introduced in February 2003 at the SHOT Show. From its inception, it was intended to be the most powerful handgun cartridge to date, with the capacity to harvest all North American game species. While more powerful handgun cartridges, such as the .500 Bushwhacker, have emerged since, they are only available in custom firearms, and the .500 S&W remains the most powerful production handgun cartridge.

References

  1. Cartridges of the World 11th Edition, Book by Frank C. Barnes, Edited by Stan Skinner, Gun Digest Books, 2006, ISBN   0-89689-297-2 p.291
  2. "North American Arms, 32 NAA Guardian, retrieved 2012 May 12". Archived from the original on 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  3. "Handguns, "The Mouse Gun That Roared," retrieved 2012 May 12". Archived from the original on 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
  4. "Extreme Shock Ammunition, Enhanced Penetration Rounds, retrieved 2012 May 12". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  5. "Hornady Manufacturing, 32 NAA 80 gr FTX Critical Defense, retrieved 2012 Nov 23". Archived from the original on 2012-11-16. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  6. Diamondback Firearms, .32 NAA Conversion Barrel for DB380, retrieved 2012 May 12
  7. Makarov.com, The .32 NAA Conversion for the Makarov Pistol, retrieved 2012 May 12