beretta tomcat 32acp
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MICHAEL T
Member
Their relieable for most part.
to big and weight to much for caliber
Worst trigger in world. People that complaine about the trigger on a PPK never tried a tomcat.
If you got to have a 32 Go with little KelTec P-32 Nothing smaller or lighter, If need warrenty a lot better than Beretta snobs.
to big and weight to much for caliber
Worst trigger in world. People that complaine about the trigger on a PPK never tried a tomcat.
If you got to have a 32 Go with little KelTec P-32 Nothing smaller or lighter, If need warrenty a lot better than Beretta snobs.
Old Dog
Member
Don't you love it when you ask about one pistol and someone chimes in touting the virtues of another pistol?
I've got a couple Inox Tomcats.
Yes, the trigger pull sucks.
Yes, they're a bit heavy for their size. But they're steel, and put together quite well. My specimens have quite exceptional fit and finish. An added bonus is that they're cute little buggers.
Yes, they can be finicky after a few mags are shot or if filled with pocket lint or other detritus from not have been cleaned for a bit ...
The safety is very good, snicks on and off quite positively and will normally not come off-safe unintentionally.
There is no decocker on the 3032. No need to decock -- there is a tip-up barrel, which is a great feature, especially for those with weaker hands/arms (older folk, those with a disability ...dare I suggest ... some women?).
The sights are miniscule, but then, this is not a target pistol; it's for up-close-and-personal last-ditch work.
Accuracy of these pistols can be downright impressive (in my experience) -- with practice -- one of my Tomcats is extraordinarily accurate for a pocket pistol.
.32 ACP as a self-defense round ... hmm ... Most would use it for back-up rather than one's primary defensive caliber. Not the optimum, but it'll do the job if it's all you brought. Marshall's & Sanow's research showed some interesting results; Ayoob and a few others addressed the .32 for defensive purposes.
There are many good IWB holsters that will enable one to conceal a Tomcat exceptionally well, and you will be able to carry one for sixteen hours a day or more without noticing it. If you can't carry anything bigger, the Tomcat's much better than not carrying at all ... just keep it clean.
I've never, ever had a problem with Beretta customer service or warranty work.
I've got a couple Inox Tomcats.
Yes, the trigger pull sucks.
Yes, they're a bit heavy for their size. But they're steel, and put together quite well. My specimens have quite exceptional fit and finish. An added bonus is that they're cute little buggers.
Yes, they can be finicky after a few mags are shot or if filled with pocket lint or other detritus from not have been cleaned for a bit ...
The safety is very good, snicks on and off quite positively and will normally not come off-safe unintentionally.
There is no decocker on the 3032. No need to decock -- there is a tip-up barrel, which is a great feature, especially for those with weaker hands/arms (older folk, those with a disability ...dare I suggest ... some women?).
The sights are miniscule, but then, this is not a target pistol; it's for up-close-and-personal last-ditch work.
Accuracy of these pistols can be downright impressive (in my experience) -- with practice -- one of my Tomcats is extraordinarily accurate for a pocket pistol.
.32 ACP as a self-defense round ... hmm ... Most would use it for back-up rather than one's primary defensive caliber. Not the optimum, but it'll do the job if it's all you brought. Marshall's & Sanow's research showed some interesting results; Ayoob and a few others addressed the .32 for defensive purposes.
There are many good IWB holsters that will enable one to conceal a Tomcat exceptionally well, and you will be able to carry one for sixteen hours a day or more without noticing it. If you can't carry anything bigger, the Tomcat's much better than not carrying at all ... just keep it clean.
I've never, ever had a problem with Beretta customer service or warranty work.
Skywarp
member
I thought about buying one despite my distrust of the 32ACP round.
I shot two examples. I understand it's more or less a belly gun (stick it in their gun and pull the trigger) but damn I couldn't hit anything at range.
I shot two examples. I understand it's more or less a belly gun (stick it in their gun and pull the trigger) but damn I couldn't hit anything at range.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
.32 ACP
One stands above all the other's, a Seecamp LWS-32. Not as lightweight
as the Kel-Tec, not as large as the Beretta Tomcat; but a solid, state of
the arm "pocket pistol" made of stainless steel. Mine has been utterly
reliable~!
One stands above all the other's, a Seecamp LWS-32. Not as lightweight
as the Kel-Tec, not as large as the Beretta Tomcat; but a solid, state of
the arm "pocket pistol" made of stainless steel. Mine has been utterly
reliable~!
If you want a Tomcat, go for it, I owed one, in fact at one time I owned a Tomcat, P-32 and a Guardian . The only one that gave me trouble with reliability and was uncomfortable to shoot was the Tomcat. But hey, it's a carry pistol not a target gun, you're not going to be putting 500 rounds a week through it, so if it floats your boat, go for it.
I have one. Better shooter than you'd think. Nice solid pistol. Sure, 32 ACP aint my weapon of choice, but hard to hide my other pistols in shorts. Trigger is okay. As someone said earlier, it's no target pistol. I find it gets carried more in the summer when it's harder to hide a pistol on you. Never had mine jam, but haven't shot more than a box or so through it. I recommend it.
I bought one of these last year, it broke twice, Beretta couldn't fix it, but the store I got it from gave me a refund after the second trip to Beretta.
Now I have a stainless one, and it has been flawless through about 500r.
It doesn't like to be dirty, and the double action trigger pull is long and hard, but the single action pull is not bad, and mine is decently accurate.
Cute little gun.
Now I have a stainless one, and it has been flawless through about 500r.
It doesn't like to be dirty, and the double action trigger pull is long and hard, but the single action pull is not bad, and mine is decently accurate.
Cute little gun.
Only put 200 rounds or so through mine (or I should say my wife's) and not a hickup. Got it used for $200.
Single stage, it's nice and crisp - no idea how heavy exactly, but I'd guess at or about 5#. Double stage is kinda long, but smooth. Recoil will result in the underside of your trigger finger getting slapped by the trigger guard.
Eh, it's anemic compared to other things. I've read it's best to use FMJ instead of HP .32acp, simply because of the low velocity and lack of advantage the HP gives you over FMJ. (Do they even make HP .32acp?)
It works almost exactly like a 1911, but smaller, actually. I'm not familiar with Beretta's other firearms, but basically: it's a safety of roughly the same proportions as a 1911, functioning the same way (push down to deactivate) and same tension. Decocking is by lowering the hammer manually while holding it.
It's got like, a 2" barrel if you're counting the chamber - you're not going to get much accuracy out of it. But, it delivers well enough for the range you'd expect to be using it in, ie under 15 feet or so.
Nice feature of the tomcat: the barrel does not actually move when fired, but you can load the chamber in one of two ways: load the magazine and use the slide to strip off a round, or manually load the chamber either before or after inserting the magazine by hitting the 'barrel release' lever (which also doubles for takedown, IIRC - I'd have to look at it again to be 100% certain). This springs the barrel up via spring, with the chamber pointing upwards and the barrel down (provided the pistol is being held in your hand), allowing the insertion of a cartridge. Then just snap the barrel back down into place and it's ready to go. This basically means a weak-handed individual can use it without having to rack the slide.
It is a nice feature to be able to spring the barrel and load a round . However, it's designed that way because it has no extractor. If you have a dud ( rare in a .32 but it does happen) or any type of failure to fire, you can't rack the slide and re chamber a new round. you have to hit the little lever, spring the barrel and dig it out with your fingernails. Yes, they make a number of very good .32 ACP HPs. I believe Winchester Silvertips are the best.
cloudcroft
Member
Yeah, I have one too...an inox version. VERY high-quality-made gun.
reliabilty
100% so far, right out of the box. Using Aguila 71-grain FMJ ammo in it, the lower-powered stuff as Beretta recommends, but not giving up anything re: penetration compared to the hot ammo.
trigger pull
First shot (DA) is terrible...but that's true of all DA/SA guns. SA shots are more than adequate. You shoot the first round DA only if you the assailant is VERY close and or you are surprise-attacked (that shouldn't happen)...but most likely you can cock the hammer first and fire ALL shots SA.
32acp in general
It's bullet placement, not caliber. It's the shooter, not the gun. Therefore, ANY caliber is fine, including the .32ACP.
safety or decocker
No decocker. Safety is just like my 1911...like it. And since it's also just like my Beretta 21A, I like it more.
general accuracy
VERY accurate...but some people just can't shoot small guns so they slam them. Some CAN shoot small guns. THIS gun can do it if YOU can.
BTW, NO, the Seecamp does NOT "stand above all others"...not everyone wants a DAO gun. Same for the Keltec P32 and NAA 32NAA Guardian...they're all DAO. The Beretta is DA/SA...your choice.
-- John D.
reliabilty
100% so far, right out of the box. Using Aguila 71-grain FMJ ammo in it, the lower-powered stuff as Beretta recommends, but not giving up anything re: penetration compared to the hot ammo.
trigger pull
First shot (DA) is terrible...but that's true of all DA/SA guns. SA shots are more than adequate. You shoot the first round DA only if you the assailant is VERY close and or you are surprise-attacked (that shouldn't happen)...but most likely you can cock the hammer first and fire ALL shots SA.
32acp in general
It's bullet placement, not caliber. It's the shooter, not the gun. Therefore, ANY caliber is fine, including the .32ACP.
safety or decocker
No decocker. Safety is just like my 1911...like it. And since it's also just like my Beretta 21A, I like it more.
general accuracy
VERY accurate...but some people just can't shoot small guns so they slam them. Some CAN shoot small guns. THIS gun can do it if YOU can.
BTW, NO, the Seecamp does NOT "stand above all others"...not everyone wants a DAO gun. Same for the Keltec P32 and NAA 32NAA Guardian...they're all DAO. The Beretta is DA/SA...your choice.
-- John D.
cloudcroft
Member
Ron James,
If it's a dud, it will fall out on its own weight since the unfired case is not expanded to stick in the chamber!
No need to "dig it out."
-- John D.
If it's a dud, it will fall out on its own weight since the unfired case is not expanded to stick in the chamber!
No need to "dig it out."
-- John D.
I have the Inox (stainless) model and agree with most of the positive posts here. Information about trigger pull and the trigger guard letting you know that it is there is the same for me. But mine is surprisingly accurate and mine is very reliable.
cloudcroft
Member
Ron James,
It'd have to be REAL dirty...but I haven't seen an unfired round fail to drop out yet...I must not be shooting it enough between cleanings.
-- John D.
P.S. This comment is addressed to the general membership here and it applies to ALL new guns regardless of brand:
Give them a chance to break-in first (maybe a couple hundred rounds) BEFORE you diagnose the gun as being problematic, unreliable, jam-o-matic, or a POS. Before firing it -- and this is certainly safe to do at home -- over-oil a new gun's slide/rails/etc., and work it back-and-forth a few hundred times and that will help remove and burrs on these moving parts (be sure to clean gun and remove excess oil afterwards).
-- JD
It'd have to be REAL dirty...but I haven't seen an unfired round fail to drop out yet...I must not be shooting it enough between cleanings.
-- John D.
P.S. This comment is addressed to the general membership here and it applies to ALL new guns regardless of brand:
Give them a chance to break-in first (maybe a couple hundred rounds) BEFORE you diagnose the gun as being problematic, unreliable, jam-o-matic, or a POS. Before firing it -- and this is certainly safe to do at home -- over-oil a new gun's slide/rails/etc., and work it back-and-forth a few hundred times and that will help remove and burrs on these moving parts (be sure to clean gun and remove excess oil afterwards).
-- JD
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I just purchased a Tomcat. I note Beretta staes to fire velocity in the area of Remington FMJ with about 130 Ft Lbs. I shot some Sellier and Bellot fmj with no problem. I plan to carry Fiocchi 73 grain fmj. It show muzzle energy at about 155 Ft Lbs. Is the Fiocchi too hot? Byron
Glockman17366
Member
Old Dog and cloudcroft did a fine job answering the original question...I've got a Tomcat and concur with their every comment.
I'm going to add one...it's a criticism....maybe more of a precaution.
If you grip the Tomcat high, that slide will bite. It isn't a big deal (hurts a bit though) so watch your grip.
One of my favorite features about this little gun is the tip up barrel...that's quite convenient!
The .32ACP is a decent round, knowing these little guns are for close in self defense
Ala-Dan does give a glowing review of the Seecamp. Sweet little pistol, but they sure ain't cheap (seems like they're not as expensive (used) as they used to be though)
I'm going to add one...it's a criticism....maybe more of a precaution.
If you grip the Tomcat high, that slide will bite. It isn't a big deal (hurts a bit though) so watch your grip.
One of my favorite features about this little gun is the tip up barrel...that's quite convenient!
The .32ACP is a decent round, knowing these little guns are for close in self defense
Ala-Dan does give a glowing review of the Seecamp. Sweet little pistol, but they sure ain't cheap (seems like they're not as expensive (used) as they used to be though)
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ozarkhillbilly
Member
I have had no problems with mine, just make sure you find some ammo it likes and it will serve you well.
cloudcroft
Member
Quote: "Is the Fiocchi too hot?" -- Byron
Yes, it is.
So is the S&B...all the European ammo is traditionally hotter than American stuff.
So use what Beretta says to use (the moderate power-level ammo only).
I use Aguila.
-- John D.
Yes, it is.
So is the S&B...all the European ammo is traditionally hotter than American stuff.
So use what Beretta says to use (the moderate power-level ammo only).
I use Aguila.
-- John D.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
From MY observations, too thick and too heavy; opt for an all stainless steel
Seecamp LWS-32 instead~!
Seecamp LWS-32 instead~!
cloudcroft
Member
Some people just don't care for DAO guns no matter how "better" they are.
You may have the Seecamps, Guardians and KelTecs.
-- John D.
You may have the Seecamps, Guardians and KelTecs.
-- John D.
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