unclenunzie
Contributing Member
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.
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.