kreighoff k32

Discussion in 'Trapshooting Forum - Americantrapshooter.com' started by bob schorsch, Apr 5, 2021.

  1. bob schorsch

    bob schorsch Active Member

    im looking at a k32 can i get input
    plus and minus
     
  2. Turbine

    Turbine Active Member Past State President

    From my experience, great barrels, very reliable, and with the addition of a spacer, mine fit me well.
    I used Krieghoff for service about every 18 months (about 20,000 rounds). I think there are no user serviceable parts in the complex action. The only downside was the original red, virtually grainless wood
    looked really pretty bad. Many or most of these stocks have been replaced.
     
  3. bob schorsch

    bob schorsch Active Member

    im looking at a 30 year old gun that has spent most of its life in a safe
    what do you think value would be its a combo has a little corrosion by ejector 3 little spots about the size of the #8 shot
     
  4. oleolliedawg

    oleolliedawg Mega Poster Founding Member

    More like 50 yo. Old M-32 wood, top single, standard or Vandalia rib. 34"x30",34"x32" or 32"x30"? Shorter barrels are less marketable. I'll say $3,500 is close to right.
     
    Reyper likes this.
  5. Reyper

    Reyper Mega Poster

    Bob, if you can post pics and more specific details. we should be able to help you out better. However, Oleolliedawg is just about right. Good shooting, Rey
     
  6. Pat Savage

    Pat Savage Well-Known Member

    They are about a pound lighter in the receiver. They can have the Trigger upgraded. Good gun. Stay away from serial numbers under 3000. I loved mine. Wish I had it back. K80 barrels will work on them as well as the stock. Only deference is the Trigger guard area will have a little more cutout. I just had a K-80 Trigger guard put on mine and everything fit perfectly. I sold mine in a time of stupidity. They can be great buys.
     
  7. mpolans

    mpolans Mega Poster

    I see folks repeat the "stay away from K32s with serial numbers under xxxx," but why? (Sometimes its 1000, sometimes its 2000, others, its 3000.) IIRC, the key difference was that really early ones had a Remington 32 trigger that was an inferior design, but that they were all within the first couple hundred, and were easily identifiable because trigger/selector looked different from other K32s anyway.

    What differences in design or materials distinguish K32s under 3000 from those above 3000?
     
    oleolliedawg likes this.
  8. mpolans

    mpolans Mega Poster

    So to partially answer my own question, I looked into internal changes made between the K32 and K80 over the years.

    Super early (possibly the first 100 or so) model 32s were made with Remington triggers that were less reliable and pretty different from everything that came after. They’re easily identifiable as the they don’t have the pivoting barrel selector switch found on most K32s and K80s.

    K32s have single loop, universal (left/right doesn’t matter) mousetrap-like sear springs. The single loop springs had a reputation for not lasting long and breaking. Early K80s had the same design, except the springs had two loops and were a bit heartier. However, the K80 springs weren’t universal; they came in top and bottom versions. A cheap and very easy upgrade for K32s is to swap in K80 sear springs.

    K80s later redesigned the sears to work with coil sear springs. I suppose this might have been to improve reliability (don’t know for sure), though I haven’t seen too many posts anywhere about folks complaining about early K80s breaking sear springs. However, the change to coil sear springs made swapping them out more of a pain.

    Since I tend to be more of a do it yourself type a guy who would hate to spend $200 in shipping and insurance alone just to have a sear spring replaced, I’d probably be fine with early K80 sear springs.

    After being a Perazzi guy, I just picked up my first Krieghoff (K32) to see what the fuss was about. There is definitely a learning curve to figuring out assembly/disassembly. All the screws and mini-circlips are a *huge* pain in the ass compared to the simplicity of a Perazzi MX8 or MX12. Seriously, nobody else puts that much crap into a receiver...and each tiny screw and circlip is just another opportunity to spend 10-15 minutes hunting under your workbench!

    So far, Krieghoffs seem like the old squeeze-cocker H&K P7M13s of the O/U shotgun world...popular, known for quality and reliability, but not a lot going on inside. By comparison, Perazzis are the Glocks of the O/U shotgun world...popular and also known for getting the job done, but you knock out a few pins and everything comes apart easily.
     
  9. mpolans

    mpolans Mega Poster

    that should say “got a lot going on inside.” Darn autocorrect.
     
  10. oleolliedawg

    oleolliedawg Mega Poster Founding Member

    Anything Italian, like their automobiles, require a mechanic called Guido to sit in the passenger seat with a bucket of spare parts and a toolbox.
     
    Michael McGee likes this.
  11. mpolans

    mpolans Mega Poster

    In this case, it’s quite the opposite. Perazzis are easy...Krieghoffs are hard. Beretta 682s are somewhere in between the two, but probably closer to Perazzis.
     
  12. oleolliedawg

    oleolliedawg Mega Poster Founding Member

    Sure, as long as you have a sharp file, locking bolts, top lever springs, spare trigger and a PFS stock to reduce recoil you'll be fine. In the meantime, I'll drive my Mercedes.
     
    SanRemo32 likes this.
  13. mpolans

    mpolans Mega Poster

    Let's see...if your gun wears and your lever goes to center on a Perazzi:
    Locking bolt - $100-120
    Top lever spring - $8
    Total: $108-128, plus 1-2 hours of your time.

    If the same thing happens on a Krieghoff:
    Weld up and refit barrel, probably $200+
    Reblue barrel, probably $150-200
    Insured shipping to/from gunsmith, probably $200 (I doubt most folks have the skill to do this on their own.)
    So if you're lucky enough to live near a gunsmith, your total is probably $350-400. If not $550-600.

    As for spare triggers, if you're comparing to an MX12 or MT-6, they're fixed trigger coil spring guns (like Krieghoffs). Even with my removable trigger Perazzis, over the past 5 years, I've never had to replace a leaf spring.

    I'm not saying Krieghoffs are bad (I just bought a K32), I'm just pointing out that Krieghoffs have a higher cost/difficulty level regarding maintenance.
     
  14. oleolliedawg

    oleolliedawg Mega Poster Founding Member

    I've never known Giacomo to charge little for repairs on a Perazzi. "Oh sir, you have such a beautiful Perazzi here and I suggest I make it like new again". $500-$600 later and a smile on your face you retrieve your gun. Nothing wrong with that as Perazzi repairs made Giacomo a wealthy man. Since I live close to Krieghoff and their wonderful factory service shipping is not an issue. Most kitchen table wannabe gunsmiths I know are barely qualified to work on H&R single barrels-not Perazzis or Krieghoffs. The reason Perazzi parts can be easily fitted is because they're quite soft-think finger nail file while most Krieghoff parts are drop in or require a diamond file.
     
  15. mpolans

    mpolans Mega Poster

    With Perazzis, at least you have the option of doing simple stuff without dropping a ton of cash with Giacomo...no such luck with Krieghoffs. Regarding soft metal...BS...show me some evidence. Other than K80s being known for hardened receivers, I bet the internal parts are probably about the same grade steel. But if you really want to play that card, how about doing a google image search on “Perazzi blow up” and “Krieghoff blow up” and tell me which one gets more hits for pics of blown up shotguns.
     
  16. oleolliedawg

    oleolliedawg Mega Poster Founding Member

    63 Rockwell sears in a Krieghoff. I worked in a Krieghoff/other repair shop so I know a bit about soft parts. I also stood behind a shooter who blew a Perazzi TM-X into smaller pieces. He needed a release trigger after that incident. Plenty of guns blow up-not all are Perazzis or Krieghoffs.