Thinking of Beretta 3032

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I should like the Beretta 3032, since I'm a fan of the other Beretta tip ups...
But this crack situation has been discussed over at Berettaforum, and Berettas response hasn't been too great.
A year or more after people were talking about it, Beretta customer service was still saying "oh, we've never heard of that happening..."
I love Beretta, but that's unacceptable.
Coincidentally, I bought a Keltec P32 just before the plandemic, and I have nothing but positive things to say about it...plus, no worries about what I shoot through it, like the Beretta, which suggests only lower powered loads.
 
I love the looks of the gun. It’s like a textbook example of the platonic ideal of a beautiful pocket gun. But, it’s not fun to shoot, surprising considering the chunky width, has the slide cracking issue that hasn’t been, apparently, resolved even though the gun has been in production since the 90s…. I really don’t know why this gun still exists.
 
golden said:
LEP,

If the problem persists, you might consider getting new springs. If this is a civilian gun (it would have a blue or nickel finish), it is at least 80 years old! Some guns were made for the military during WW II, but they are usually parkerized.

JIm
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Thank you Jim. It is a circa 2020 :)
 
I had one. Slide cracked, Beretta replaced it. It's too heavy for pocket carry and so thick that my the time you carry it, you might as well be using something "bigger". I also had a Keltec P3AT and a P32 at the time. Sold the Beretta and the P3AT and kept the P32, which is my pocket carry gun. And I've since bought another P32. Not classy but much more functional than the 3032.
 
CDW4ME said:
Beretta 3032 - 32 acp?
I don't carry less than 9mm; if I HAD TO limit myself to a smaller pocket gun (work attire) the Ruger LCP MAX 380 is lighter, thinner, and holds more & bigger bullets:
https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/beretta-3032-tomcat-vs-ruger-lcp-max
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The LCP Max is going to be a real bellwether in whether or not .32 versions of all these pocket .380s that have come out the past 15 years or so actually happen. I'll have to try one out in the future and see if it feels any different during shooting than the single stack LCP. If the recoil has the same snappiness to it and after a couple mags my hand is shaking like Michael J Fox then my opinion on micro .380 pistols won't change, but if that doesn't happen I'll put the final nail in the coffin of .32 ACP myself.
 
LEP,

You may just need a feed ramp polish. If you have a qualified gunsmith, with experience doing this, that may be the answer. Good luck with it.

Jim
 
chicharrones said:
If that's the repair answer, I kind of regret that I didn't get a Tomcat so many years ago. I'd probably like it so much more than my Bobcat. Chunky or not.
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That same area broke on my 2018 ( or 19) built 3032 Tomcat.

150 rds later the slide came apart at the front. Frame and slide broke in about 800 rds. Oh, it had malfunctions and drew blood, too. (Slide bite)

The Tomcat is a loser. Cheetahs are great, Bobcats are great, (.25 is much more reliable than .22 lr though), Jetfires are great. (Again, in .25) Pico is okay IF you get a good one.

Beretta sent me a new Tomcat. I sold it unfired.

Stay away from the Tomcat.
 
I've owned a few tip barrels started with a blue 22 sold it and got a blue 32 traded for a SS 32 sold that and got a SS 22 ended up selling that one for big bucks when SS ones were unobtanium and now have what I started with a blue 22. my old LCP IMHO was a much superior carry gun and now I have a Max which is even better. I love the little tip barrel but 32 ammo is pricy and with the slide/frame cracking issues you need to keep to the anemic domestic stuff which doesn't exactly have a huge advantage over Velocitors out of my Bobcat
 
mavracer said:
I love the little tip barrel but 32 ammo is pricy and with the slide/frame cracking issues you need to keep to the anemic domestic stuff which doesn't exactly have a huge advantage over Velocitors out of my Bobcat
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You can tell yourself that.

According to Ballistics by the Inch, your Bobcat should shoot the 40 gr. Velocitor at around 895 fps, which gives you 69 ft-lbs of energy.

Alternate, BBI lists the Win 71 gr. FMJ at 774 fps from the Tomcat (95 ft-lbs), or the 65 gr. HydraShock at 821 fps (104 ft-lbs).

Having said all of that, I don’t get too worked up over numbers. Realistically, they’re all anemic. And I have carried either gun at various times. Stick with what you are comfortable with and what you can shoot well.
 
CDW4ME writes:

Beretta 3032 - 32 acp?
I don't carry less than 9mm; if I HAD TO limit myself to a smaller pocket gun (work attire) the Ruger LCP MAX 380 is lighter, thinner, and holds more & bigger bullets..
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with the 9mm by now (and with the LCP MAX.) There's no new revelation here.
 
mavracer said:
Well if you think that's a HUGE advantage we'll have to agree to disagree.
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I’d say the difference between 69 ftlbs and 104 ftlbs is significant, as is going to a jacket bullet and centerfire priming.
Believe me, I love my Bobcat, and have carried it plenty. I’ve plinked a few thousand rounds through it.
The keltec P32 is thinner, lighter, and more powerful.
 
Glad this thread was posted. I had a couple of Beretta Tomcat's on my GB watchlist. Those were the Inox guns that supposedly have no cracking issues. My bad has one of the older Tomcats that I held years ago and even way back then I thought it was fat and heavy. Too fat and heavy but he liked it. I should have never sold my Keltec 32. I had one of the originals back in 2005. I added the belt clip and 10 round mag. It never jammed or gave any problems at all.

The only 32acp I have now is a Walther/Manurin PP made in 1957. Its a super nice gun but just a little to big and heavy for a pocket gun. But does just fine in my home made belt slide holster. I have another KelTec I am watching now. I doubt I will win it. But since I now reload 32acp I am in the market for another one for pocket carry.
 
Surprised that no one has mentioned (perhaps since it's mostly Kel-Tec guys posting) that Beretta has always specified the ammunition to be used in the Tomcat. Now, we know that it isn't always the higher-pressure .32 loads that may or may not have caused some 3032 issues, but this is one pistol that folks should really read their owner's manual before using (just like the side of the Beretta pistols notes).

Nothing wrong with the Tomcat. Yeah, a little fat and heavy for the caliber, but the tip-up barrel and frame-mounted safety are nice features, plus it's relatively soft-shooting. So when someone asks about buying a Tomcat and guy says, get the Kel-Tec, is that like when someone asks about buying a SIG and guy says, get a Glock?
zzzz.jpg
 
Not quite the same, since at least there's a good reason to suggest the p32. However I have both, and yet I won't give up my tomcat despite the crack. Its a nice pistol. The 130 foot pound limitation is easy to live with even if the tomcat design doesn't scale up to all common 32 loads.
 
Old Dog said:
Surprised that no one has mentioned (perhaps since it's mostly Kel-Tec guys posting) that Beretta has always specified the ammunition to be used in the Tomcat. Now, we know that it isn't always the higher-pressure .32 loads that may or may not have caused some 3032 issues, but this is one pistol that folks should really read their owner's manual before using (just like the side of the Beretta pistols notes).
Click to expand...

OK I'll bite. What ammo does Beretta recommend for the Tomcat?
 
Any ammo that has a muzzle energy that exceeds Beretta's recommended limit of 130 ft. lbs. It is in the manual and it takes some looking, especially now, to find that ammo. Winchester white box, Armscor, and PMC hollow point are all at or under the 130 ft. lbs. I still struggle with the thought that if anyone could make a good small and reliable 32acp pocket gun it should be Beretta.
 
Beretta ought to put that 130 ft. lb. info on the slide of the gun. It's weird to me that a Euro designed gun made by a company headquartered in Europe can't fire Euro strength ammo. I guess the USA built Tomcat isn't sold in Europe?

Anyway, that's really just sour grapes at this point. I still like the idea of owning a Tomcat, but I've moved on from manual safety pocket guns long ago and it's hard to look back.
 
I like the Tomcat, and I have a quite a few .32 acp guns. The tomcat is chunky but I can shoot well and yes it does fit in a simple pocket holster and pocket just fine - and I’m not a big guy. I do love my Beretta cheetah series including my 3 different 81s but they are rarely carried. I also have a Jetfire, bobcat, a few 92s and Cheetahs in every caliber just missing the 86. Have the Seecamp .32, KelTec P32 and probably forgetting something.

Point is - I have quite a few and carry 4’clock with my P365 these days. That said, my pocket carry is the Tomcat or the Seecamp when I choose to pocket. Tomcat probably has over a thousand rounds of ammo at the range, and my carry ammo is FMJ. Stainless, reliable, and accurate - for me. If you like it, great firearm.
 
GarrettJ

Thanks for the excellent comparison photos, especially the ones showing how much wider the slide is on the Covert versus the slide on your original Tomcat.
 
tbs said:
I have been kicking around the idea of getting one of these. I have an 81bb that is my carry gun IWB. Any of you guys have a 3032 and how do you like it. Thinking possible pocket holster or ankle holster for this.
View attachment 1022114
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Because it's Halloween, I'm reviving this dying thread because it's of interest and I own a Tomcat. I bought one used for a good price. I always wanted .32 ACP for some reason, and a Tomcat like, classic looking pocket pistol. I'm aware they aren't the most practical choice for carry. However, they do fit a niche and classic gun type. So far, mine has shot fine and only once jammed I think when I didn't clean it. Granted, I've put only 150 rounds through it I think. It's not a primary carry or SD gun for me. It was reasonably accurate.

On the topic of other guns though, I had an LCP I sold recently which was junk, although it was probably a lemon. I know the II and Max are better, upgraded guns, no doubt.

On the size topic, the Tomcat isn't that much bigger than an LCP, as in it's a bit fatter and maybe slightly bigger length and width. However, it fits in all of my LCP holsters. And it comfortably pocket carries.

My biggest gripe is one already mentioned, that I can't use hot ammo. Or, it's inadvisable per cracking issue.
 
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