Beretta 3032 vs Kel Tec P32

Which would you buy?

  • Beretta

    Votes: 25 28.7%
  • Kel Tec

    Votes: 62 71.3%

  • Total voters
    87
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Short version: Go for the P32.

I have a tomcat with the "crack". It always cracks in the same place in every picture I have looked at. Top right of frame above a milled out area where the trigger bar moves. The crack is in a very thin area and of those who report problems from the crack, it's the remaining thin metal that tends to bow and interfere with slide movement. I myself did what some others do, take a file and clean up the crack so that it has no further stress and no ability to interfere. I've fired it that way with no mishaps.

If you look at the frame all around the thin area, it is thick metal. I am not a gunsmith or a metal professional, just a guy who owns one and likes it. I'm not afraid to fire it but I'm not going to carry it. If I had known about the well-known issue with frame cracks, I'd probably not have bought it. I wanted it because I was building a collection of "cat guns". The crack and Beretta's reported responses to people who experienced it has been disappointing to me, but I still like it anyway.

If I want to carry a reliable modern 32 acp I will carry my parkerized locked-breach P32 from Kel-tec, with either FMJ or JHP using the flyer wire (rimlock prevention). It's light, small, reliable, carries 7+1 w/flush mag, locks back on last round, easy to hit with. In short, it works.
 
Is there any reliable information about whether the cracked-frame issue has been finally resolved by Beretta?

I think there is enough info to doubt that it's really fixed. It still happens but seemingly not as much. But that maybe be a use people aren't using them as much because of the problems.

I'm not convinced and thats the main reaso why I didn't buy it.
 
for 32acp I like the beretta....but the seecamp is close second in my opnion
 
Operative word would be "had" issues with the frame/slide cracking. The company rather quickly attended to that issue after a year or so from introduction, and the later models did not suffer the problems.


My only experience with Kel-Tec was the P11, and it was garbage. Literally could not get through two consecutive magazines without malfunctions and requiring immediate cleaning.

My Tomcat, on the other hand, is a cool little pistol. Yes, someone chunky for the caliber (especially considering recent advances in pistol production), but the tip-up barrel is a great feature (especially for some women or elderly folk who have trouble racking slides).
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Have seen many pic that the frames was still cracking. Have not had a PF11 but sure different view from other reviews I have read. The Kel-tec p32 I just bought is a fine little shooter. Pleasantly surprised. I would not mind having the Beretta as I am a Beretta fan and yes, it is a cool looking pistol But not for the cost , especially with the Keltec which is so much lighter and from the 200 rds I have fired through it, quite reliable. In fact flawless at this point. Have already shot 50 rounds of the Underwood Defender with great results. The Keltec is only 6 ounces. THAT is one reason I love the gun for summer. Other wise will just carry a 380 or the Kahr CW9mm at only 15oz.
 
I think the Keltec 32 has a locked breech action, while the Beretta is a blowback. In a blowback action, the pressure of the round is contained by the weight of the slide and the strength of the rebound spring. Whereas, in a locked breech action, the slide and barrel stay locked together until the pressure drops. So blowback actions tend to impart a lot more energy to the slide. This might explain why the Keltec can be a lot lighter and still be stronger.

Note that locked breech designs are pretty uncommon in small caliber pistols, since blowback guns are simpler to manufacture. I am sure there must be other locked breech .32 ACP pistols, but I can't think of any.
The 1907 Savage and Remington 51 were both sorta, kinda, locked breech .32s. Combined with their weight and bulk, they were very soft shooters. My blowback .32 PP kicks like a mule by comparison.
 
Oddly enough, IIRC, a 1903 looks like it fires from a locked breech, but the "locking lugs" really aren't. It's heavy enough that it doesn't matter. The recoil is insubstantial. I haven't shot mine for a while. I should rectify that situation soon.

I adopted an abused PF11 for about $150 once. It was the filthiest used gun I ever bought, neglected to the point where there was even light surface rust on the slide. I cleaned it up and put a couple of boxes of ammo through it with no malfunctions. The trigger pull was so stiff, though, that I traded it towards something else before long.

The CZ70 is a nice-looking little 32acp service pistol. However, mine fit my hand poorly and the recoil was a bit annoying. The several other people who shot mine didn't care for it much either. That was something of a shame, since they were selling for $200 or so, unissued with the box and papers and so forth. I think mine may have even come with a holster.

The CZ70 resembles the PP or PPK, but I had a much better experience with the FEG PP "clone" made in Hungary. The couple that I've owned have had aluminum frames and steel slides. I still have one, and even shot it (quite pleasantly) just the other day. My FiL managed to talk me out of the other one. Even the SA trigger is a little stiff, and the DA trigger is absurd, but it's a nicely-balanced little pistol and fun to shoot.

 
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TallBall, I have an FEG AP9 32 also. Its a 10 minute job to swap the stock hammer spring for a 9lb Wolff Pa-63 hammer spring. Mine has been 100% reliable with Geco and S&B fmj 32 ammo. The spring swap turns a good pistol into a great one....especially for $200 street price.
 
I have owned two Kel Tec P-32’s and still own one of them. I chose it over other pocket guns for the reduced recoil and different magazine configurations. I carry the 7 round magazine as a pocket gun and the 10 round magazine for my IWB holster on days when a larger gun is too cumbersome. I can order just about every part for the P-32 on Kel Tec’s website. Great little gun for the price. Palmetto State Armory is having a sale on them right now for $149. Very tempting to get a second one.
 
If choosing between the two I would go with the P32. Since I was well stocked in .380 ammo versus .32 ammo I went with a P3AT. For what it offers in terms of size, weight, and caliber I think it was a better fit for me over something like the P32 or Beretta Tomcat in .32. To me it's my take-anywhere gun.

I also have a Colt Mustang and SIG P238 which are both great pocket size autos that are well made, have very good accuracy, are easy to shoot, and have little in the way of sharp recoil.

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I voted Kel tec because that what I carried for quite awhile my wife then gf got me one for Christmas one year, I was wanting a NAA .32 but she couldn't fine one so she got that. One of the guy that worked in my section had the beretta and it was a larger weapon. I got her a kel tec a couple of years later and she still carry it as a back up and off duty. she like small and if that what you want with little recoil then that the way to go. I have moved to a Ruger LCP a couple of years ago for my deep concealment almost as small but .380.

stay safe
 
Back in 2003...
I went with the Kel-Tec P-32 Gen 1 and my friend went with a Beretta Model 3032 Tomcat.

I liked how light & slim the Kel-Tec P32 was and how much easier it was to maintain & modify (it has a steel receiver that uses replaceable grip frames), over the Beretta Tomcat.

I still have my Kel-Tec P32 Gen 1, but I think I killed it, after 13 years, at around the 4000 round mark (rear of receiver appears to have a crack & can't disassembly it anymore, slide won't come off frame anymore).
I want to send it back to Kel-Tec for work, but due to being in CA and it being an off-Roster handgun, it's complicated on if they can legally send it back to me or not.

My friend made it to about 500 rounds with his Beretta Model 3032, before the frame cracked.
He sent it in for warranty work, which resulted in them sending him a new pistol.
They told him not to use any type of +P rated ammo with it and that only the Inox version was rated to last to 1000 rounds.
He ended up selling it and replacing it with a .380ACP SIG P-238HD.
 
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I voted p32.

The p32 is locked breech, and the 3032 is direct blowback but heavier- so recoil is about the same. They carry the same 7+1 rounds, they're about the same length and height wise, but you will notice a huge difference in thickness. it's .75" for the p32 and 1.1" for the tomcat. It's also almost twice the weight.

I've owned both, and the 3032 was a really nice, really well made gun. But in comparison to the p32, it pocket carries like a brick. I sold the 3032 and haven't regretted it, and the p32 lives in my pocket daily.
 
no love here for the naa guardian 32acp? i wish ruger would offer the lcp in 32acp, same with taurus spectrum and beretta pico.
 
no love here for the naa guardian 32acp?

I tried. Even had one on layaway (didn't want the shop to have to a multiple handgun purchase report). Went back a week later pick it up. The shop owner hand a local official who had seen it and decided to buy it. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse to let him have it back. I ended up with the first of my P32s.

I later found out that the NAA had to go back for warranty work three times and still was not 100% reliable. I guess the universe was looking out for me that time.
 
The Guardian looks nice and that's about all I can say about it. I'd love to know how many of those sell every year, I can't imagine it's that many considering there are much cheaper (and better) .32's and .380's available.
 
The Guardian .32 I pictured a couple of post above I eventually sold. I tried so many ways to like it but never did. To be so heavy and a .32 that little pistol was a hard-kicker and difficult to even shoot. I never had any functional issues with it. I just did not like it. I put it on consignment sale at a LGS and it sold within a few days.

Only .32's I own are a Kel-Tec and a 1903 Colt. Both of these shoot great and are easy on old fingers to shoot.

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I did have this Llama .32 but gave it to my oldest son. :thumbup:

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Reasons to go with the Keltec. (Started to carry one a few months back for Summer) And I am a Beretta Fan Boy. Now have about 200 rds of Underwood Pluse P.

1. It is reliable
2) It is Mild shooting
3) It only weighs 6 1/2 OZ.
4) It shoot very well-I shoot pocket guns very often. This gun surprised me with the easy shooting and ability to hit all rounds to center mass at 10 yds with rapid fire on first shooting session.
5) It has a very nice trigger. Just what the Doctor ordered for a small pocket gun.
6) it handled the Underwood Defender ammo perfectly and flawlessly. If a gun cannot shoot this ammo, then I do not want a 32.cal.
7) It is inexpensive-The quality is on par with the LCP's. But 32.cal is much better suited for these guns than 380
8).You can carry this gun just about anywhere. A light pair of summer short pants with no belt is no problem with the Keltec.
9) Pretty buy can you fight? I am a Beretta fan, but the Tom Cat is Heavy, and cracks still reported. Advice from Beretta is not to shoot any thing that might be a hot load.
10.Again the Keltec Only weight 6 1/2 Ounces.
*** Parts are cheap. you can get a whole complete grip for $35.00. Trigger, springs etc. Lifetime warranty.

** I bought a Heavier 13 lb recoil spring from Gallaway and a steel striker guide rod.
Want a Beretta with high Quality and reliability, get a Pico. But you will not get the very light weight of the Keltc. After summer, I will move back to the Beretta and Kahr. Why folks even buy the Tomcat is beyond me. The Pico is light years ahead in quality and shoots so mild, plus a very small slim gun.

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This thread got me to looking at buying another Kel-Tec. So I went looking on GB. While looking I also gave the Taurus TCP 380 a look and ended up buying this one used. I got it for $77.00 plus $35 shipping and $15 transfer when it gets here. So a total of $127.00 for what appears to be a clean gun. The seller stated he wanted an easier to rack 380 and bought one of the "Shield EZ" guns. I still have a couple of KTs on my watch list.

I watched several Youtube videos on the Taurus and most were positive. Anyway the price was right.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/819224666
 
Is there any reliable information about whether the cracked-frame issue has been finally resolved by Beretta?
What's reliable on the internet today?
I've had two Tomcats a inox and a later wide frame one, which the inox are wide frame too and this was done to fix the problem. Even so the manual of even these warns that ammunition should be limited to 130 ft lbs IIRC. I think you'd be fine if you kept to this. I love the design and I fully believe that standard FMJ is capable of poking holes in important stuff for SD so is hot 22lr, so a few years ago I sold the inox 32 and got a bobcat 22.

As to the OP if you want comfort and recoil absorption the Tomcat is leaps and bounds better.
I would probably have a p32 but I'm a Ruger fan and have a LCP.
 
Like jdh, I have a Kel-Tec P-32 because the Beretta was not to be found. The Kel-Tec P-32 is small and easy to pocket carry.

Berettas generally have a good reputation.

But, I kind of like my Colt 1903 for 32 ACP but it is larger than either.

The world of 32acp pistols from that era is amazing. In SA there is the Colt, the Savage 1907, the Walther Model 4 and PP, the Bernardelli Model 60, the Ortgies, a bunch from CZ and FN and MAB and Mac and ...

Most can still be pocket carried with big pockets and a good holster and they are all a joy to shoot.
 
I had an early Tomcat and had a lot of problems with it. I dry-fired it a lot trying to improve the crappy trigger, and broke the firing pin even though I used snap caps. (I didn't notice, but the firing pin cratered a good snap cap very quickly and THAT was my error; a cratered snap cap is like NO snap cap!)

Because the gun was so small, local gunsmiths didn't want to work on the trigger. After a long wait to get the broken-firing pin replaced, I went back to the range and had the slide partially come off the frame while firing -- and had a heck of a time getting it back on. I sent it back to Beretta, they checked it out; they gave it an OK and sent it back, and I sold it.
  • While the Tomcat is SMALL, it is very wide. It's not what I consider a good pocket gun. If I were to carry one, now, it would be carried in an inside the waistband holster.
Everyone I know who has a P32 loves their gun. I haven't had a P32, but never had problems with Kel-Tec guns, having owned a P3AT, a P11, a PF9, and still have a PMR-30, which I consider a great gun! I've owned a number of other small guns (LCP, LC9, Kahr CM9, and a couple of small .380s ). I still have a Browning BDA380, but like the Kahr P9, which I also liked a lot, it was not a pocket gun.

After trying a bunch of different small guns, I ended up with a Remington RM380, which is about the same size as the Tomcat (but not as wide) in a more potent caliber. The RM380 is based on the Rohrbaugh R9, tuned down to .380 caliber. (Remington bought the design from Rohrbaugh.) It's my go-to gun when I need something small. It's easy to shoot well and it's locked breech design handles the recoil very well.
 
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Beretta Tomcats are beautiful guns and well made but they will crack. I bought a new Tomcat six months ago had about 600 rounds in it and it cracked. I did not use any hot loaded 32’s just standard velocity ammo only. Beretta sent me a new gun and I haven’t shot this one yet. You would think Beretta would have fixed this issue. Funny when it cracked I felt it crack while shooting it. I checked and sure enough it was cracked. These guns will still shoot and run with a cracked frame. They are still nice guns but only for carry not for range use other than break in and familiarity and thats it. Kel Tec’s will crack too but on their slides. I had a pf9 that cracked and kel tec fixed it and the gun runs fine.
 
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