Beretta Tomcat.32 acp

[Guest eggman]

My parents bought me one of these for Christmas several years ago. It is the Inox model I believe. Are there any problems with this model? What are your thoughts on .32acp? Any other things I should know about this little pistol?

Thanks Eggman

Edited August 24, 2011 by eggman

[ttocswob]

Got one for my wife, and the companion Bobcat .22LR. She has arthritis, and the tip up barrel eliminates the need to rack the slide. Also you can immediately and visibly clear the pistol simply by releasing the barrel catch and dumping the chambered round.

SA/DA blowback, may also be carried cocked and locked.

I've read some reports of cracked frames in the earlier Tomcats, but I think this was fixed before the Inox came out.

The pistol does not have an extractor, and depends totally on blowback to clear the chamber. Brass tends to eject over your head and behind, might put brass in your face if fired from belly position.

So far, the .32 is jam-free, and only a few hang-ups in the .22 - none at the last session, seems to be broken in now.

Great little pocket pistol, IMO.

[Jonnin]

Ive shot the .22 that is the same design, no troubles there. .32 is not a major caliber but it will work fine. The biggest problem I have with anything under a .380 is that the guns are usually not much smaller or higher cap than the small 380s, fractions of an inch and 1 extra round usually, so you give up firepower for small gains. That is just my personal preference though, basically I look at caliber last and pick the biggest thing that I can get to meet all the other needs. If I did want a carry .32 or .25 these berettas would be top contenders.

[TNWNGR]

Good little pistol's, other's are smaller but this is still a fine pocket or belt carry pistol. Modern 32ACP HP round's made a lot of difference in this caliber. I no longer own a 32 ACP but owned a KT P32 for year''s and it did very well in my water filled milk jug testing.

[JAB]

My wife and mom both have a Kel Tec P32 for their carry gun. Honestly, I wish they would carry at least a .380 but neither of them can handle the recoil of my P3AT and neither of them would be likely to carry a gun that is bigger/heavier so the P32, it is.

As with my P3AT, I believe that ammo selection is of great importance with a .32. Unlike my my P3AT and the .380 in general, I am not entirely convinced that any .32 JHP currently on the market would give consistent, reliable expansion and penetration. For that reason, I advise my mom and wife to stick with FMJ. Overpenetration isn't likely with a .32 and carrying FMJ means they can practice with the same ammo they carry without breaking the bank.

When it comes to FMJ ammo, a lot of folks believe that Fiocchi and S&B are a bit 'hotter' than most American brands of ammo. I don't know that I've ever even seen any S&B in the caliber but we have shot Fiocchi through both my mom's and my wife's pistols. It seemed a little 'dirtier' than some others but consistently fired and gave good accuracy.

[MphsTiger1981]

I owned a Beretta in .22 lr pistol for many years and got good service out of it. It was not the lightest pocket pistol, but it was fun to shoot.

Historically, I have read that the .32 acp was used by police and military in Europe, prior to WWII. It worked for Hitler, as that's the caliber he shot himself with. Chances are the police and military of that time were also getting the added benefit of a longer service barrel, likely 4". As JAB pointed out, the .32 JHP is a relatively weak load, not well known for its ability to expand, so FMJ is your best bet in a carry gun. I have a Kel-Tec P32 and I have shot Remington, Winchester as well as Fiocchi, Privi Partizan, and S&B. The S&B is definitely a hotter cartridge than the American made ammo, and is what I use in my P32. It's not cheap, and runs about $22 per box of 50 here in town, but it's also pretty easy to find. Even during the ammo shortage after the '08 election, you could almost always find a box of .32acp on the shelves of the guns stores, and at Wally World. (Right next to the boxes of .40 S&W )