32 beretta tomcat ammo

[Juggaloninja]

i recently purchased a 3032 beretta tomcat what is the best ammunition to use as far as stopping power

 

[Tennessee Ned]

When I had a 32 I always liked the Winchester silvertip hollow points and because of the silver, they are effective against werewolves too. That's a big plus if you live in werewolf country

 

[CWL]

There is a big argument over .32ACP as well as all other calibers over how much is "enough".

Don't count on causing major tissue destruction with that tiny little 'pill' coming out of your Tomcat. You will need to destroy a major organ or damage the CNS to incapacitate a bad guy.

My SD philosophy with .32ACP is to shoot FMJs because it is such a small bullet and pistols for this cartridge tend to be very short and cannot generate high velocities. Because of this, I don't believe JHPs or frangibles will open reliably -nor will they penetrate enough to damage major organs, CNS etc. JHPs may also suffer from feeding issues.

I keep it simple and carry only FMJs in my .32ACP. I want something this small to penetrate as deep as possible to hit organs and also penetrate the skull if necessary. I think I have WWB right now, but the Fiocchi .32ACP FMJ is loaded hotter.

 

[bigfatdave]

There is a big argument over .32ACP as well as all other calibers over how much is "enough".

Which is beyond the scope of this thread.
Placement, depth, width ... in that order ... are the most important factors.

Juggaloninja, get a bunch of ammo of different brands and styles, and see what feeds reliably in your Tomcat, and if you notice a major accuracy difference. .32 will require good shot placement if ever needed for SD, so if the most lethal ammo in the world doesn't feed, it won't do you any good.

Stopping power is a myth anyway, as far as most handgun calibers goes.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Fiocchi has a 60gr SJHP round that's rated @ 1200 fps. I know you won't get that velocity from a short barrel but when you start higher you end up higher than the rest. This is the stuff they originally made for the Italian Police who were carrying .32 Autos as a service weapon.

I'm talking about their 32APHP ammo, not the 32XTP ammo made with a Hornady XTP bullet. Unfortunately when Fiocchi changed their web site a few months back they removed all the velocity listings and a few other listings too.

 

[Glockman17366]

I used Winchester Silvertips exclusively (for carry) when I had a Tomcat. However, I'd try Hornady Critical Defense (if available in .32ACP) now.

For practice, I'd use any FMJ rounds I could find.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have Corbon JHP in my 32's

 

[Big_John1961]

I always used Silvertips with my Tomcat. Zero issues.

 

[makarovnik]

Fiocchi or S&B FMJ and carry an extra mag. Penetration and lots of holes, that's the answer for the .32 ACP.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I had a Beretta .32acp TomCat.
It fed and cycled with essentially everthing I fed it.
It was VERY accurate. With a cast 78gr RN over 1.7gr of Bullseye it would hold the 10ring of an NRA B21 at 25yds. More accurate than several Glocks I've had/owned (some were "issue" firearms).

I preferred the Fiocchi 60gr HP, it chrono'd 1,050fps from the 2.125" TomCat. The Fiocchi 73gr RN chrono'd at 970fps and would penetrate (8) 3/4" Pine boards. Likewise the 60gr HP. I don't think that it expanded much if any. So, the choice was moot between the two.

However, after several years, I did develope cracks in the frame and slide. I sent the gun back to Beretta. They replaced the gun with a new one. I sold it NIB.

I'm told the Stainless steel guns have a stainless steel frame likewise, and aren't suspectable to the cracking... I don't know however.....

I suggest limiting the amount of Fiocchi or such as the Cor-bon to self-defense carry as it seems to put undue stress on the firearm. I'd practice with the USA or American Eagle, or UMC as they're 150-200fps slower than the Fiocchi....

Currently my "church" or "back-pocket" gun is a Kel-Tec in .32acp. (I still had the dies, moulds, ect. from the '90's when I was carrying the Beretta in an ankle holster as a backup) It gets a little less velocity than the Beretta did, but with tilt barrel unlocking action, and polymer frame seems to be a little more robust than the Beretta. I carry a "warm" loading of the 60gr XTP which wasn't available when I was toting the Beretta. I also have an additional magazine of the Fiocchi FMJ's .......

My Kel-Tec is of late manufacture with sights.... and oddly enough it's POI/POA at 15'. Not as accurate as the little Beretta. Problem with the Beretta was I enjoyed shooting it so much, I "wore it out"...... Less so with the Kel-Tec as it throws the brass into orbit.... so it seems. I loose almost 50% of the brass. The Beretta threw it's straight up, so they landed near the shooter......

I had an early Kel-Tec, and gave it to my brother who was working for a Homeland Security contractor, who gave it to my nephew who took it to Iraq in '03. It had only the "sight track" but was 100% reliable.

Sometimes it only matters to have A GUN when a gun fight becomes unavoidable.....

 

[searcher451]

Good luck to you. The one I had -- had being the operative word here --wouldn't work with any ammo tried.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

the one my mom got would not work, kept stove piping a unfired round. the ammo being used was winchester.

 

[SwampWolf]

Fiocchi or S&B FMJ and carry an extra mag. Penetration and lots of holes, that's the answer for the .32 ACP.

makarovnik has this pretty well figured out.

 

[bigfatdave]

the one my mom got would not work, kept stove piping a unfired round. the ammo being used was winchester.

Maybe an ammo change is in order before declaring the thing a loss.

 

[AKElroy]

Fiocchi loads the hottest factory ammo I have found; I would stick with FMJ's from such a short barrel.

 

[SwampWolf]

I would stick with FMJ's from such a short barrel.

I absolutely agree with this opinion.

 

[Sunray]

Stopping what?

 

[Elvishead]

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