Beretta .22 Bobcat or .32 Tomcat: Opinions?

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woad_yurt

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Someone I know is getting a carry permit soon (I do spread the word!) and she won't carry if it's at all inconvenient. She's slide-racking challenged and wants small and light. The smallest S&W .38 snubbies are too fat so I'm left with ultra-tiny DA Iver Johnson/H&R 32s from 1910 or the Bobcat/Tomcat, which have the tip-up feature.

I'm very familiar with old 32s but completely ignorant regarding these little Berettas. Do they function reliably? Can the Bobcat handle hypervelocity stuff every now and then?

I know these are not powerful calibers but they're way better than nothing. She loves the Model 10 so there's a good chance that she'll upsize in the future but, right now, as a newbie, she doesn't want to compromise her wardrobe much. Thus, my search for something simple and pocketable.

Thanks for any info.
 
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The Bobcat doesn't either, but mine is accurate and reliable, as long as I keep it very clean, and shoot CCI stingers.

Mine is a nearly constant carry weapon, and damn straight.......they are a heckuva lot better than nothing! I know, I know........I should be carrying my steel framed, full sized .45, but these little guns just have a way of slipping into your pocket on the way out the door.

If you can find one, buy it.
 
I often have my model 21 in .25ACP in a pocket holster, usually as a backup. Mine is about 18 years old, always reliable. I would choose the .32 over the .22, they didn't make the Tomcat when I got my model 21 or I would have chose it instead.
 
If she doesn't want to rack a slide then the options are pretty limited. Does she have specific problems with her hand strength? If not, maybe she ought to try out some small 9mm or .380 autos at a range to see if there are any where the slide is easier for her. Locked-breech designs, rather than simpler blowback designs, will usually be easier to rack. Otherwise, if the small-frame revolvers are too big, then I can't think of anything other than the little Berettas or their Taurus clones.
 
Carried a Bobcat for years ultra reliable fairly accurate. Shot a coon out with mine one night. Of course I was half way up the tree though. I would highly recomend one.
 
I used to have multiples of both of these little guns, cause they are just so darn cute.
First 32 broke after two magazines, after a trip back to Beretta, who did not fix it, the store gave me my money back.
Second 32, (the stainless one), was absolutely reliable, shot fine. Some women who shot it thought it was a little snappy and unpleasant.
I've had three of the 22s.
One was ammo picky, would only shoot Remington Vipers. Other two would feed and fire just about anything.
Very nice easy to shoot little guns, not intimidating to a beginner.
I started a friend off carrying one of these, because she absolutely would not carry anything bigger. I decided that a 22 was better than a poke with a sharp stick, so went with it.
After most of a year of carrying the Bobcat, she was asking me for something in 9mm.
 
Beretta 21a is a winner on so many levels in my opinion!


I religiously keep mine clean with solvent baths, compressed air spray down & finish it off with a generous amount of oil to the rails.

I have found CCI MiniMags and Stingers to be the best ammo to use and and can reliably fire somewhere around 100 rounds before fouling potentially causes the gun to become finicky!

So moral of the story with me at least is the Beretta .22 requires diligent upkeep and premium 22lr ammo to be reliable. And I pick it as a winner because even premium CCI .22lr is vastly cheaper than .32 which allows the user to inexpensively practice the daylights out of it!:)
 
I've carried a Beretta, 'Alley Cat' (3032 with night sights) as a backup gun for almost nine years now. It's got something like seven or eight hundred rounds through it - All without the slightest hitch.

Yes, it's true that early model 3032's had problems; but, those days are long gone. Additionally, I find Beretta's, 'Tom Cat' to be the easiest small pistol to transition down to of any handgun I've ever used. That wide backstrap makes it possible to switch over from a full-size frame to a small compact and still be able to hit the target well inside 15 yards.

As far as I'm concerned you can't make a better choice in a small gun. Just be sure to use only FMJ ammunition - the hottest you can find. (Buffalo Bore) 32 acp doesn't work well with JHP ammunition.
 
For "stopping power" I'd prefer the .32 everytime but... the frames cracking on them do worry me.

I have a little Beretta 21A that I bought last year from a guy who siad it "wouldn't work right".... took it home cleaned and lubed it. Took it to the range and it shot fine with all kinds of ammo I had on hand except Remington Golden bullets. Loved Federal 550 bulk, Winchest Xpert bulk and Federal Spitfire (its carry round).

Don't have a clue what his problem with it was. Maybe all he owned was Remington bulk ammo.

I've got bigger pistols for everyday carry but if the little 21A was all I had, I know it would do a good job for me. Ammo is so cheap, I get plenty of practice with it too.
Will
 
If you run a search on the site, you'll find lots and lots and lots more threads detailing myriad problems with both the Tomcat and the Bobcat. The No. 1 rule has got to be that the gun you select for self-defense is reliable, and neither of these two are, IMO.
 
I got no experience with the bobcat, but my Tomcat was a festering pile of you know what. Do a search on Tomcat frame cracked.
 
I had a little .22 short tip up Beretta. Whatta POS! Wouldn't cap the round on the first try most of the time and when it did, it jammed. I tried messing with it, the magazine lips, and such to get it to feed, waste of time, sold it to a dealer at a gun show. Probably just a lemon, but I hear a lot about the tomcats bad rep, so never again for me, thanks.

Get a Kel Tec P32 or P3AT or Ruger LCP.
 
My YL had a Tomcat that had the cracked frame problem so it is now in the shop. She could not rack it but the flip-up loading sold her on it. I just bought her a Ruger LCP 380 Auto to replace it. When she tried out the Ruger she had absolutely no problem racking it. And, it came with a short magazine extension that permits you to get a good two finger grip on the handle.

You might also get her to try an LCR if you can find one. Around here they seem to disappear within a few hours after arriving. While it's a little wider that than the LCP, once you have fired a revolver a few times you can go years with little to no practice and still be able to use it (not that I would recommend doing that, but some ladies seem to fall into that modus operandi fairly easily).
 
I will only say that at one time I had all of the new 32's. The NAA, the Kel-Tec and the Tom Cat. Bottom line, I no longer own the Tomcat and I carry the Kel-Tec.
 
Upshot:
She recently told me that she really likes the longer trigger pull of a DA revolver (she has a Model 10) over the semi-auto's short one. She shot the Makarov well on the first round's DA pull but did badly on the SA pulls. So, it looks like it's small revolver time.

I have an old, small breaktop .32 that she said that she'd carry, that it wasn't to big to lug around. I know, it's not a powerful gun, but at least she'd have it with her. What can I say? She likes revolvers and the 5 shot lightweight .38 SPL revolvers are too fat for her taste.

After what I've read here, I'd have to ultra-carefully consider those little Berettas. There were a lot of negative impressions, too many when one considers the amount of positive ones. It was almost 50-50. Not a good ratio.
 
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My NRA fact book lists the .22 WMRF as having muzzle energy of 181 ft/lbs. The .32 ACP as having 129 ft/lbs. So as to ignore the .22 WMRF on a pure numbers context does not make sense. The NAA mini revolver, is simple, reliable, single action can be got with both LR and WMRF cylinders. Practice ammo for both .22's beats the cost of .32 or .380. No racking required. The numbers quoted are for 6" barrel in .22 WMRF and 4" in .32 ACP so don't apply exactly to comparing a .22 mini to a .32 Kel-tec. My daughters carry the NAA mini in the gold plated edition, girls and shinny gold objects. Don't try to understand, if it don't look good to her she won't carry it or practice with it. Find one she likes the look of and TRAIN her on it. Training and accuracy will more than make up for the ill percieved view that .22's are mouseguns. By the way both my girls can put 5 rounds into a group the size of a half-dollar at 15'. I wonder if the ohs and ahs at the range are for the gold or the tight groups. To round out your comparison the .380 ACP 88 grain from 4" barrel comes in at 195 ft/lbs.
 
I had two new Tomcats, both frames cracked at 60 rounds. Stay away from the blued Tomcats. The INOX ones are suppoed to be ok, but that much heavier. I went to a Keltec p3at and it is reliable and a better pocket gun.
 
If you gave me a Tomcat I'd give it you back.

I was warned not to buy one, but did anyway. It lasted exactly 12 rounds before the trigger bar broke.

An absolute and utter piece of junk.
 
My wife carries a Beretta Jetfire .25 auto, it is small and it is reliable but she has to carry it cocked and locked, you see it's a SA only auto pistol, similar to the 1911. She either has it in a hand bag belly pack or glove box, when she pocket carries it is in a IWB holster (at my request). I still cringe at the thought of a cocked and locked mouse gun in my wifes purse. She has owned this pistol for about 15 years and is very familiar with it, and can actually hit the 10 ring at 10 yds with it. Are the Tomcat and Bobcat SA only pistols, does your wife have much experience with semiauto pistols, my wife had a lot of problems with "stove pipes" caused by limp wristing. I personally prefer pistols to revolvers, their complexity may prove problematic to an inexperienced shooter, there is a way to over come this, practice, practice and more practice.
 
I had a Bobcat for about a year. didn't like the fact that it had no hammer block.
Wasn't one to carry it loaded because of that.

Still have the High noon pocket holster (for sale) now that I sold the gun to
a guy's wife.
 
I will only say that at one time I had all of the new 32's. The NAA, the Kel-Tec and the Tom Cat. Bottom line, I no longer own the Tomcat and I carry the Kel-Tec.
Click to expand...

You had all of 'em? Seecamp? :D It's the one that started the .32 craze. Do they even make it anymore? Used to be rather exclusive with waiting lists and astronomical price tags. I was never interested.

I'm not really enthralled with the .32, either. As someone states, I think out of a 4" mini master, the .22 mag is just as good for the purpose. Now, out of a 2" or less barrel mini revolver, I'd give the edge to the .32. .22 mag is pretty weak out of a really short barrel. It takes 4" or more to get it up to steam. Killer out of a rifle, what it was invented for in the first place.

She might LOVE the new LCR. I hear (haven't yet tried one) the DA is wonderful on 'em. Not very pretty guns, but very purposeful, rugged, and, well, self defense isn't a real pretty business anyway. I have a very nice, good shooting little Taurus M85SSUL or I'd be looking at LCRs. No need to fix what ain't been broke for 13 years, though.
 
I second the LCR. It's definitely worth a look. Besides, as some one stated on another forum, once you get use to shooting a revolver you can put it down for years, pick it up in an emergency and still remember how to fire it. You might not be real accurate with it, but at least you can still fire it.
 
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