Beretta Tomcat--Unique Design--How to Clear Jams?

[Shivahasagun]

I've owned all of these except a .22 short Jetfire.

Bobcat .22's and the Tomcat .32 are the least reliable of them. My Tomcat cracked the frame then the slide. The slide break was a show-stopper.

The .25's are very reliable after break-in. Keep them clean.

To clear a stoppage look and see what kind of malfunction you have. If it's a bullet Fed high make a fist or use your palm to smack down over the cartridge/chamber area. This will usually chamber the round and won't pinch you. At least not much.

A stove pipe you can usually pluck. They don't sweep out well. Same goes for a fired case stuck length-wise.

If these remedial dont work pop up the barrel and that should clear it but do NOT rack the slide until the chamber is empty and action clear.

If you have a case stuck in the barrel, which I've never seen happen with the. 25"s, its out of the fight as far as firing bullets.

Reloads aren't really slow. I have a pouch that holds two mags on my belt. Eject mag with firing hand thumb while reaching for new one. Put new mag in gun, rack slide and go.

This is easier with a Bobcat than a Jetfire because of the fatter grip and larger mag body.

The most I've fired from one Beretta .25 in a session was between 250 and 300 rds. I had about 3 stoppages in the 1st half attributed to two Mecgar mags I tossed. I have one Mecgar that works but all the others are Beretta made. In most guns Mecgar mags are great and even used from the factory. But I do not reccomend then in the .25 Berettas. The test was to see if it would run dirty and they will, but honestly the chances of a stoppage go up after 50-100 rounds. But it doesn't seem to get worse after that.

 

[aaaaa]

They are nearly corrosion proof and they are slicker.

Since there's no extractor, you want to do everything possible to make sure the cases will self-extract reliably.

Looks like for nickle plated 32 ACP we have limited choices. Underwood has some or the HORNADY CRITICAL DEFENSE - 32 ACP - 60 GRAIN FTX. The Hornady is 60 grain and 133 ft-lb muzzle energy. The Tomcat says to keep it under 130 in muzzle energy, but if the Hornady is rated for a 3 or 4 inch barrel, then it will be under 130 for the Tomcat's 2 inch barrel (or 2.25, some wheres about there). The Hornady is hollow point so one then has to be concerned to not get rimlock in the magazine, or are they long enough.

 

[trackskippy]

I just read some reviews and it seems the Seacamp clone, NAA Guardian, is likely the better gun of the two. Certainly not as restrictive for ammo you can use. My back-up likely is the Kel Tec P32 though I have not carried a back-up as of yet.

The NAA is bigger and heavier than the Seecamp, which sort of defeats the purpose, if youre looking for small. The Beretta has the same problem.

I had a P32 when they first came out, and mine was not reliable. Had a bad habit of not letting the hammer drop when the trigger was pulled. I didnt keep it long. Keltec has always had some cool ideas in guns, but they always seem to screw it up and come up short in the execution. Ive had a few of them now, handguns and rifles, and didnt keep any of them long.

My main beef with the Beretta 21A was, it was fat and chunky for its size. Of course, at the time I had mine, I was comparing it to my Baby Browning, and pretty much everything loses to that when it comes to size. Except for the Seecamp. The Baby wasnt really all that safe to carry loaded, the Seecamp was, and won out there.

The stoppage issue with the 21 was also a problem, but if the gun was kept spotless and the right ammo used, the chances of the gun having an issue with what was in the mag in the gun, was pretty slim. Then again, it was a 22, and there is always that issue. From a reliability standpoint, the .25 version would probably be the better bet.

The only way to really know here what will work best for you, for what you want out of it, is to get some experience with as many as you can, and really wring them out in practice and use. And you need to be at least somewhat realistic in your expectations and what you do in that respect. You need to know how its going to work from how you carry it, through shooting it like you would if you had to, just like anything else you might carry.

Once I figured out I could carry my Glock 26 in the same way and places I was carrying my Seecamps, I stopped carrying the Seecamp. The 26 also eliminates most all of the issues the smaller guns usually have.

 

[aaaaa]

Wow, I just pulled the slide off this gun. Piece of cake. I had read how to do it and wasn't trying when I tipped the barrel all the way up, then cocked it and the slide just came up in the front, and i had it out in an instant. It takes a few seconds to take out or put back in, and no springs to monkey with.

Also, while there is varied opinion online about how to carry this gun and some say do not carry with one in the chamber, it seems so long as the hammer is down, one in the chamber is fine. It would take a massive hit to the hammer to fire it. Not sure one even needs to use the safety.

 

[halfmoonclip]

The firing pin is inertial, and the hammer is resting against the frame. Hitting the hammer will do nothing.
Have had two Toms; they were interesting, but somewhat bulky for caliber. The tip barrel does solve problems for those with limited handstrength, tho' the gun itself is a little rappy when fired.
Had 950 Jetfires, one in .22 as a trainer, and a .25. Even the .22 Short was remarkably reliable, and surprisingly accurate.
Moon

 

[hemiram]

Regardless of caliber, a pistol that required a screwdriver, knife, or other tool to clear a jam would be unacceptable to me for carry.

Mine has never jammed, not once in over 44 years. When I would practice, I either put a fired case in the mag or just flipped the barrel up, it will launch a cartridge a fair distance. The chamber fit isn't tight on any 950 or similar I've ever seen. Most of the time, just opening the barrel and turning the muzzle upwards is more than enough to get the round out. I always carried mine without a round in the chamber. It was my back up gun and if I had ever had to use it, I would have racked the slide as I drew it. Yeah, it's a 25 ACP, but the thing is, like most Beretta guns, about as reliable as they get.

 

[Autodidactic]

I recall my Tomcat as being extremely hard to rack. It's not made with that in mind.

With the 22, racking wouldn't even help eject a jam. Don't remember if that was the case the the 32.

The Tomcat though can avoid racking by popping the tip up barrel and putting in a round

 

[Autodidactic]

My Tomcat has been reliable, except if it gets dirty after I estimate 75 rounds. It’s nice, low recoil, sufficiently accurate, etc.

 

[Autodidactic]

Looks like for nickle plated 32 ACP we have limited choices. Underwood has some or the HORNADY CRITICAL DEFENSE - 32 ACP - 60 GRAIN FTX. The Hornady is 60 grain and 133 ft-lb muzzle energy. The Tomcat says to keep it under 130 in muzzle energy, but if the Hornady is rated for a 3 or 4 inch barrel, then it will be under 130 for the Tomcat's 2 inch barrel (or 2.25, some wheres about there). The Hornady is hollow point so one then has to be concerned to not get rimlock in the magazine, or are they long enough.

Yeah but they mean 130 for pound out of the longer barrel, not tomcat.

 

[Autodidactic]

It may depend how often jams occur in the Tomcat and how often normal semiautos jam worse than a tap, rack, bang can fix. If these are about equal then either gun works about the same, and perhaps the Tomcat is better in that it does not jam as much overall. However, it is .32 caliber and so .... But I think I bought it as a toy, a much nicer toy than that nasty Seacamp anyway. If I carry a .32 for a backup it will be the KelTec P32.

I only had it not extract a round maybe twice when it was running dirty

 

[aaaaa]

Yeah but they mean 130 for pound out of the longer barrel, not tomcat.

Well it looks like the Hornady critical defense was made for short barrels. The 133 ft-lb muzzle energy rating is for a 2-inch barrel:

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/32-auto-60-gr-ftx-critical-defense#!/

 

[aaaaa]

Also Beretta says the barrel length is 2.4 inches, but that includes the chamber. Would it not be wise to actually calculate barrel length minus the chamber since the bullet does not traverse the chamber? Barrel length on a revolver NEVER includes the chamber.

Wikipedia says case length for .32 ACP is 0.68 inch, so the Tomcat barrel is effectively 1.72 inches long.

 

[Autodidactic]

Also Beretta says the barrel length is 2.4 inches, but that includes the chamber. Would it not be wise to actually calculate barrel length minus the chamber since the bullet does not traverse the chamber? Barrel length on a revolver NEVER includes the chamber.

Wikipedia says case length for .32 ACP is 0.68 inch, so the Tomcat barrel is effectively 1.72 inches long.

Semi autos are measured from the beginning of the chamber. But this is actually why revolver barrel lengths are understated. A 1.75 inch barrel revolver is actually more like 2.75 if you include cylinder.

The .32 acp test barrels are likely 3 or 4 inches including the cartridge. So it still applies.

 

[Autodidactic]

Well it looks like the Hornady critical defense was made for short barrels. The 133 ft-lb muzzle energy rating is for a 2-inch barrel:
View attachment 1098710
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/handgun/32-auto-60-gr-ftx-critical-defense#!/

In that case then probably okay

 

[aaaaa]

Semi autos are measured from the beginning of the chamber. But this is actually why revolver barrel lengths are understated. A 1.75 inch barrel revolver is actually more like 2.75 if you include cylinder.
.

So my J-frame is actually a 3.5-inch barrel! There was a video with a guy shooting a revolver with no barrel, just the cylinder. It worked and would probably be a find belly gun. In fact, I think the Gatling Gun has a cylinder of barrels.

 

[Autodidactic]

So my J-frame is actually a 3.5-inch barrel! There was a video with a guy shooting a revolver with no barrel, just the cylinder. It worked and would probably be a find belly gun. In fact, I think the Gatling Gun has a cylinder of barrels.

Right I think it’s weird that they change the measurement between revolver and semi autos. Assuming some cylinder gap loss, my “1.75 inch barrel” snubbie is more like 2.5 inches.

Edit: Many derringers such as Bond Arms have short enough barrels that the cartridge is almost like shooting a cylinder only in a revolver. It works, but velocity can suffer depending on how short.