Can't decide between Tomcat, Guardian or LWS32

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wbwanzer

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I keep going back and forth between these three. I want something for in my pocket around the house. (I live in Maryland so carrying legally outside of my property is imposible.) The Seecamp and the Guardian are smaller than the Tomcat, but I want a little weight so that the recoil is not too snappy. If it's a too snappy then I won't practice with it and I'm a believer in being familiar with what you might need in an emergency.
If I get the Tomcat it would be the Inox version so that a cracked frame will not be an issue.
I know that everybody seems to love their LCPs but I can't help thinking that .380 out of a 9 oz. gun is going to be real snappy. Also they just can't be found here in the Baltimore area.
People seem to like their Guardians, but prefer LWS32 over it. Tomcat would probably be last on most peoples list (of these three) but it's got that extra weight (16 oz.) that I'm looking for to control recoil.

Any help will be appreciated.
 
I was all set to get a Kel-Tec P-32 but found out it was not on Maryland's list of approved handguns. So I could not complete the deal.
 
I had a tomcat and eventually ended up getting rid of it after its firing pin fell out in my pocket. It was fun to shoot and relatively comfortable in a large hand for such a small gun but I dont have much confidence in them. Beretta did repair it (btw this happened within 2 weeks of purchase and im sure it was probably just a bad apple among many good ones). I worked the trigger with snap caps as suggested and never dry fired without a snap inside. The tilt barrel is neat but I have seen a few of them wobble a little side to side with some wear. My father has a keltec p32 but I dont like it, very snappy, and the mag release is in a spot that i cannot help hitting like, every time i fire the thing. Why not revolver? a smith 642 or 360 can be pocket carried without any problem, is a reliable option, and a heavier round than 32. Then again, I do not know laws there.
 
I have a Tomcat and don't like it. It has no extractor. If you get a fail to eject, you have to pry the case out with your fingertips or shove something up the barrel to pop it out. So mine is a 'fun gun' and not a serious gun.
 
Had the NAA380 - just too snappy and heavy.

VERY happy with my Seecamp LWS32. Good luck!

(Shoots Hornady XTPs, Speer Gold Dots, and/or Winchester Silvertips perfectly!)
 
The Seecamp is the best of those you mentioned, but it also costs the most and is harder to find.

Bobo
 
Tomcat and Seecamp are both blowback. The LCP and Keltec are locked breach that absorbs recoil better.

I had a Guardian and hated to shoot it. I purchased a KelTec and found it much easier to shoot and it carries much better than the NAA.

Having never shot a Seecamp I can't say anything either way about it, but it is a blowback.
 
I've shot all three, and I prefer the Seecamp. It is the smallest, easiest to conceal. The Beretta is a nice gun and fun to shoot, but larger and heavier.

The Guardian is also a fine pistol, but lacks features the Seecamp has and is a bit larger and heavier.

Recoil is pretty mild in the small .32acp pistols. I wouldn't want to shoot it all day, but a box is pretty easy to do.
 
I was all set to get a Kel-Tec P-32 but found out it was not on Maryland's list of approved handguns.
Click to expand...
Maryland actually did you a favor. I have a P-32. Its profile is too thin for comfortable, accurate shooting and the DAO trigger is horrible - you'd be lucky to hit anything with it, under stress, at 15 yards.

I also have a Tomcat. I carried it as a BUG on police patrol. It has been a reliable pistol and its wider girth makes it a pleasure to shoot accurately. In addition it can be carried cocked-n-locked.

Good luck!
 
At least down here in Central Florida, the Seecamp LWS32 had become almost commonplace. My local store had 8 at one point. If you talk nice, you can get them for around $450.

The LWS380 is still impossible to find.
 
If you can't carry off your own property you could consider a Bersa or Firestorm...same manufacture, warranty service, etc. but different importers use different names. Read up on them at bersatalk. They're reliable, easy to operate and cost far less than some others naned. Design is basically an updated Walther design. Most versions are stretching things for pocket carry but there's a CC design from Bersa that seems to fit. I have two other Bersa versions and they work fine.
If you're really new to shooting you should have a 22 revolver and shoot thousands of rounds of the cheapest bulk 22 ammo you can find. Shooting, lots of shooting and reading and asking questions is how to learn how to shoot accurately enough to do somegood. You can pick up a reliable but scarred-looking used 22 revolver at most gun shows for less than $100. If possible, go with a friend who knows a fair amount about such things and go with that at first.
Many will say a 22 is too light and as a friend of the 45 I'm not immune to such thinking. But most shots fired in anger don't hit anything. You're totally better off with a gun you shoot a lot and can hit something with. 22 autos can be finnicky about ammo and give too many jams.
Later you can get a pocket auto but with a pocketable working shooter in the form of a 22 snub nosed revolver you can take your time. Look at web sites for various makers. See what owners say about customer service(varies from wonderful to non-existent) and consider everything pocketable. I own, shoot and carry guns from Kel-Tec, Bersa and my favorite an XD-45c from Springfield Arms. All have wonderful customer service.
There's a website called mouseguns that specializes in pocket autos. Give them a look. :)
 
NAA .32 Guardian

I bought a NAA .32 Guardian a couple of years ago and can't say anything bad about it. It has never malfunctioned with all types of ammo. It is easy to carry in a trouser pocket. I use an Uncle Mikes nylon pocket holster just to help protect the gun. The gun is an accurate close quarters gun - what its designed for. Far as the .32/.380 argument. You will find people who will argue both sides. To me the .380 version was bulkier in the NAA. Also, in that small of a gun the .380 is a little harder to control for follow up shots (more recoil). The .32 is really comfortable to shoot and recoil is very manageable considering the size.
 
I recommend AGAINST home pocket carry in your situation. All of the pocket mouseguns have one thing in common. They are really easy to forget you have them in your pocket. It would be very easy for you to jump in the car for a quick trip to the store and not remember you are carrying it.

As far as "snappy" is concerned, my experience has been that grip surface is more of a determiner with 380s than weight. Adding the magazine finger extension to the Guardian tames the gun's snappiness.
 
Carrying around the house

Let me say - I did not catch the "around the house" part of your post. I carry my NAA Guardian to those events and functions where I do not want the print of a larger gun being seen (CCW). Reliable as it is - given the options I would have at home, bigger is better. Not to start a flame war on the gun being hard to maneuver around, I'm really partial to .12 gauges in that setting. From what you have stated - I would look at something larger. Pocket guns fill a unique place, but are not an optimum choice. Like I said, I have been well pleased with mine for what I bought it for, but on most days I will have a .38 or .44 Special on me.
 
If you're set on getting a pocket pistol, I would second the notion of checking out mouseguns.com. It's very informative. I know someone who is very pleased with his Tomcat...so i guess that would be my choice of the three. I like the flip-up barrel feature.
 
380

380, bigger hole, far far more ammo selection. Price about the same for both ammo and gun. Just so much more good defense ammo in the 380 over the 32.

buy the 380, first choice would be the lcp, last choice the kt..
 
I've owned a Gardian in 32 and the seecamp.

Althogh the gardian is heavier it has some bite when fired.
I was amazed at how smooth the seecamp was.

Thats just me I'm used to and preferr light j frames.
 
wb:

I had all three (plus a Keltec P32).

I HAVE an LWS32, with an LWS380 on order. (due shortly).

From my personal experience I found that the NAA Guardian is an excellent pistol. It's basically a Seecamp clone anyway. Surprisingly the KT P32 was a very good pistol also.

My Tomcat was a first series and a piece of crap. I found out trying to deal with Beretta CS was a nightmare. I heard the later series Tomcats had improvements, but I've sworn off Beretta for-ever-more...:barf:

The Rolex of mouseguns is generally understood to be the Seecamp... Highest quality, smallest, most reliable, etc..

I believe the NAA Guardian or P32 would serve you as well as a Seecamp, and if all you are looking for is a utility firearm, you might want to go that route. But, a new Guardian is about the same price as a new Seecamp, so why buy a clone when you can get the real thing?

I've yet to find an easier to cc firearm than my Seecamp... It's always with me, and I have complete faith in it's reliability..

Just personal opinion,

Jesse

100_8018.jpg
 
I had a Seecamp 32 and recoil was not bad at all, then I moved up to the Seecamp 380 and recoil is punishing but managable. Of your choices Seecamp is the best IMO but I would recommend the Rohrbaugh R9 9mm for your intended purpose. Easy to carry, 9mm,and recoil is not bad at all.
 
My first CC firearm was a 380. (I still carry it very often.) I did a lot of research via the internet and determined that most of the information out there said that the 380 was the "beginning" self defense round. Granted, we've all heard the stories about someone knocking off a bad guy with a 22LR, a brick or rock, etc. Anyway, I decided on the 380 caliber. That settled, which brand? Seecamp. No brainer. But. No can find. And I could have bought a Sig Sauer 45acp for the same price. When all was said and done, I chose the NAA Guardian 380. All SS, very easy to break down and clean, a good variety of rounds available for it and I prefered the mag release button placement over the Seecamp's. The aforementioned grip on a 380 is a truthful statement. I have put the curved extension on all 4 magazines and replaced the stock grips with Cocobolo wood grips. I shoot 102gr Remington Golden Sabers in it and carry it in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. I carry this firearm whenever I cannot carry a 45acp. I have shoved over 1000 rounds through the NAA 380 with very few problems. I do not consider the weight to be an issue; others do. Good luck in your search. A couple pix:

1_11_21_07.jpg

A size comparison and the Nemesis:
NemesisandSanDisk.jpg
 
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