As a .32 ACP fan, one of the more delightful aspects of the .32 ACP cartridge is the guns. They are often creative, and if not creative, they are cheap. If you like old guns, but are sick of modern surplus prices, then maybe check out the .32 ACP. Sure, the ammo isn’t cheap, but the guns tend to be. As a collector, I have a few budget-worthy picks for cheap .32 ACP handguns.
.32 ACP Handguns on the Cheap
CZ 70
The CZ 70 or CZ 50, also called the VZ 70 or 50, are Czech-made pistols that were inspired by the Walther series of pistols. They aren’t direct clones, but keep the simple blowback design with the fixed barrel acting as the recoil guide rod. They were developed as police pistols for the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
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Well, they ended that practice, and now these guns have slid into the American market. The heavy all-steel designs are Glock 19 weight, but a little skinnier. The 3.8-inch barrels allow .32 ACP to get up there in terms of velocity and hit hard and fast. Plus, the frame-mounted safety is a big improvement over the Walther slide-mounted safety.
With a little shopping around, you can find one of these for less than $300, depending on condition and accessories. A plain Jane gun with one mag? That’s easy. But some come with multiple mags, original holsters, etc and that ratchets the price up.
Zastava M70
Another 70, and one of four Zastava M70 models. This M70 has a few different names. It was locally called the little Bee, and American audiences took to calling it the baby Tokarev. It’s not a Tokarev, but it kind of looks like one, especially with the hammer. The little M70s are hammer-fired, single-action pistols.
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They are remarkably simple, but hefty and heavy thanks to the all-steel design. They house a single-stack, 8-round magazine and are quite compact. A bit heavy, but still fairly small. The gun uses a conventional layout with a standard magazine release, a slide release, and a manually activated thumb safety.
They are also incredibly affordable. I can find them for less than $250. They come caked in cosmoline, but are often in exquisite condition. I’ve never seen a poor-condition M70. This is probably the cheapest .32 ACP handgun out there.
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Savage M1907
The Savage M1907 is a fascinating design. It’s a compact pistol that came in .32 ACP and .380 ACP. The .32 variant is a real charmer. Savage declared it a delayed blowback design thanks to the barrel rotation, but modern high-speed camera work filmed by Forgotten Weapons showed it really is just a straight blowback design.
The M1907 and its numerous variants are striker-fired guns, although they appear to have a hammer. It’s really just a way to cock or decock the striker. The gun uses a double-stack 10-round magazine and might be the first handgun to use a double-stack magazine.
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Prices will vary; admittedly, this one depends a lot on condition. I’ve picked up three of these for less than $200 in working condition, but they were roughly finished and good shooters. If you shop around, a decent model will cost around $500, but plenty are available for less than that.
Beretta Model 70
Berettas and cheap rarely go hand in hand. In fact, it’s usually the opposite. However, the Beretta Model 70 never reached the same appeal as other guns, which keeps the price point fairly low. The Beretta Model 70 is a straight blowback gun, and it came in .32 ACP and .380 ACP.
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The .380 ACP versions aren’t all that pleasant to shoot, but the .32 ACP handles quite nicely. It’s a timid, low-recoil gun that’s quite large for a .32 ACP. The gun is single-action only, with a nice trigger and nice slim grips. It even has the hotdog-in-the-bun look of Beretta’s modern handguns.
Price-wise, they are around $350, and a lot of them come with threaded barrels. The .32 ACP is a great suppressor cartridge and works wonderfully suppressed. The Bareeta design means we don’t need a booster to ensure reliable cycling.
Bernardelli Model 60
The Bernardelli Model 60s are another Italian .32 ACP that might be forgotten a bit these days. The Berenardelli Model 60 is a big, hefty, all-steel gun that seems overly heavy for .32 ACP; however, the weight tames the blowback action of the .32 ACP well.
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It does have some swoops and lines that give it an elegant appeal. It looks refined, even if it’s just a simple blowback design. It’s hammer-fired single-action and uses a single-stack 8-round magazine. The gun’s a single-action, hammer-fired design. The grips are quite large for a single-stack gun, but they make it quite comfortable.
A lot of these guns are beat up, but still functional, reliable, and easy to shoot. Prices have varied, but we are seeing sub-$350 price points for the guns. Not a bad price for something that’s a little different than most of the other surplus guns on the market.
The Cheap .32 ACP Handguns
Cheap guns aren’t often good guns, but every so often, there are diamonds in the rough. Due to low demand for .32 ACP guns in the states, these guns remain affordable and common on the market. Give them a peep, and let us know what you think.
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