When I say military sidearm or maybe service pistol, what do you picture? Maybe a Glock 17 or 19? The Army’s relatively new M17? Perhaps the old-school M1911. You likely picture a full-sized gun or a compact weapon at the smallest. Do you ever picture a .32 ACP? Likely not because it’s unlikely you’re a European soldier from one of the World Wars. The .32 ACP service pistol was a reasonably common sight across Europe at that time.
It’s worth mentioning it was a different period. Even as a fan of the .32 ACP cartridge, I admit it’s not of an excellent duty caliber, especially in warfare. In the early 1900s, we weren’t that far from black powder cap-and-ball revolvers like the Colt Navy guns. These launched an 80-grain ball at 1,000 feet per second and were huge. That’s not too far from a 73-grain round moving at 1,050 feet per second.
It was also an age when blowback-operated guns were common. These guns were affordable, reliable, and easily handled the pressure of .32 ACP. The little cartridge offered light recoil and was easy to shoot one-handed. The one-handed shooting was the style at the time. Handguns have always been relatively far from the front lines of warfare. They are very rarely used, so they are almost a secondary concern.
Plus, the .32 ACP could reach in deep enough to get the vitals, so it was good enough.
The World Of .32 ACP Service Pistols
Let’s look at a few more common and exciting .32 ACP service pistols and who used them. Some seem more popular than others and certainly more successful. You might even be surprised by how long some served.
FN M1900
Notable Users: Austro-Hungarian Empire, Belgium, France, Greece, Germany, Russian Empire, North Korea
John Browning designed the FN M1900 in 1896 and presented it to F.N. Herstal in 1897. Production began in 1899 with the Model 1899. In 1900, an improved design was released, and to no one’s surprise, they named it the M1900. Over 700,000 were produced in its decade-long run. A good bit of those 1900s served in World War I, arming numerous military forces.
This .32 ACP service pistol served on both sides of the First World War and lasted long enough to get involved in the Second. France issued 200 of the guns to be used by Trench Raiders. In the German Empire, the FN M1900 was popular for officers to purchase and carry privately. North Korea famously copied and suppressed the gun as well.
It’s notably the first pistol with a slide as we know it. The design is slightly different, with the barrel on the bottom and the spring along the top of the gun. This straight blowback, seven-shot pistol was also popular outside military circles. Theodore Roosevelt even made one his EDC.
Walther PP Series
Notable Users – Nazi Germany, United Kingdom, Argentina
There are lots of Walther PP-series guns in a variety of calibers. It’s tough to figure out what caliber each country used. Many used .380 ACP, and others even used the .22LR version. I kept the notable countries list narrowed to models I could source using the .32 ACP version.
It’s no big surprise that Nazi Germany wielded the Walther PP series in various forms. The cowardly Hitler put one to his head, so the gun gets that confirmed kill at the very least. The Walther series was issued to German officers and essential party members. The Argentinian Commandos Anfibios also carried the .32 ACP variant of the Walther PPK.
Finally, the United Kingdom issued the .32 ACP version of the Walther PP as the L47A1. The Brits issued this model to Royal Air Force pilots as their bail-out blaster.
Colt M1903
Notable Users: United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, Japan
This might be my favorite .32 ACP service pistol of all time. This Browning-designed blowback-operated pistol helped influence the M1911 and offered a small and slim automatic .32 ACP service pistol to the pickiest user.
The United States issued the weapon to General Officers. It was much smaller than the M1911, and those General Officers were rarely on the front lines. The M1903 was also very popular with OSS spies and commandos. The gun saw service in both World Wars for America and the United Kingdom.
The U.K. received a pile of Colt M1903 handguns for the lend-lease program. The Belgians and French also used the guns as part of resistance forces. Finally, it appeared in the hands of Japanese officers who privately purchased their handguns. I’d prefer a .32 ACP Colt M1903 than any Nambu designs.
Dreyse M1907
Notable Users: Finland, Ottoman Empire, Lithuania, Nazi Germany, German Empire, Vatican City
The Dreyse M1907 isn’t well known in the United States, but it was super popular with European forces. This .32 ACP Service pistol served around the world. Dreyse was a German company, so it’s no surprise the gun served German troops during both World Wars. In World War II, the weapon was issued to last-ditch battalions put together by the Germans.
Allies of Germany, including Finland and the Ottoman Empire, were also outfitted with pistols. Oddly enough, the Vatican even purchased 30 batches of the gun for Vatican City guards. The Dreyse M1907 was never officially imported, and most samples in the United States are G.I. bringbacks from WWII.
Savage M1907
Notable Users: Portugal, France, United Kingdom
I describe the Savage M1907 as the P365 of its day. It was compact, held 10 rounds of .32 ACP in one of the earliest examples of a double stack magazine, and was striker-fired. It even had influencer marketing. A .45 ACP version aimed to be our service pistol but lost to the M1911.
It became a .32 ACP service pistol when the French forces used it in World War I. They needed pistols badly and took a contract with Savage for 40,000 pistols. These pistols feature lanyard rings and a loaded chamber indicator. Portugal purchased 1,150 of the guns with the lanyard ring but replaced the Savage Indian head with the lesser arms of Portugal.
As far as I can tell, the British never formally purchased the Savage. Many of their officers privately purchased the weapons for use during both World Wars.
FN M1910/1922
Notable Users: Belgium, Finland, Nazi Germany, Japan, Netherlands
The FN M1910 helped start World War I, but it was a .380 ACP variant and the .32 ACP variant that were quite popular. The M1910 was a compact, blowback-operated, single-stack magazine, striker-fired pistol. The M1922 was the same general pistol but had a lengthened barrel. Both were available in .32 ACP, and numerous military forces used both.
F.N. Herstal is a Belgian company, so unsurprisingly, the Belgians wielded the gun. Germany invaded Belgium in both World Wars, so it’s no surprise they had a few M1910/M1922s in service. Germany even sent some to Finland. It’s reported that Officers of the Empire of Japan purchased these pistols privately. In the Netherlands, they found a home with resistance fighters.
These guns are prevalent and well-respected for their durability and reliability. As a John Browning design, do we expect anything less?
Welrod
Finally, without a doubt, one of the most unique pistols ever fielded in .32 ACP is the Welrod. Those clever Brits designed this weapon at the famed Station IX, which was based near Welwyn Gard City.
The Welrod is an oddball all around. It’s an integrally suppressed pistol with a single-shot design and, technically, a bolt action. The British SOE designed a weapon that would be absurdly quiet when used. It was intended to assassinate officials, take down sentries silently, and take out things like guard dogs without raising the alarm. The Brits shared the design with the OSS and numerous resistance forces.
Interestingly, the Welrod remained in use for years after World War II. The British used them during the Troubles, the Falklands War, and Desert Storm. American forces maintained their use in Vietnam, specifically with MACV-SOG.
The Little 32
The .32 ACP is considered a mouse gun round these days, but I think that’s a silly way to view the cartridge. Sure, it’s not 9mm, but clearly, it was competent enough to be helpful in the most significant conflicts of all time. While I wouldn’t pick a .32 as a service pistol, the projectile’s popularity amongst both sides of two massive wars and even beyond those wars is certainly worth thinking about.
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