I might have the opportunity to buy a Tomcat .32 at a good price. Does anyone have any experience with one?

I told my son not to buy a .32 ACP for CC. He did! He did not keep it long. I had a .25 Bobcat. Gave it to my brother. I'm sure some people like them. Bob

Not a Tomcat, but I have owned 21A’s in .25 Auto and .22 LR. I still have the .22. They both worked just fine. Nice little guns, but I’d just use it at the range.

I’ve been sorta on the lookout for one for some time. If I came across a Tomcat locally at a good price, especially one in stainless, I’d buy it.

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Beretta .32 Tomcats have a bad reputation. Do some research. I’ve never owned one but I’d never accept one as a gift either (& I like Berettas).

I have a blue Tomcat 3032. Mine is very early, and a has a fantastic double action trigger.

My dad's wife has an early 2000's stainless. Very rough trigger.

I usually ankle carry (inside left leg), easy access when driving. I like Winchester Silver Tip Hollow Point ammo. I bought it used around 1995, my personal round count is around 3000-3200, all White Box FMJ and STHP. I have several hundred Rem. FMJ but the Tomcat doesn't like them at all! (The Walther PPK did!)

At 10 yards I get 3 to 4 inch groups, but I'm a rifle guy. At one time in the 90's I had four 32 Autos, my Tomcat was more accurate that a Kel-tec. and 2 PPK's, so I still have it and the other went bye-bye!

Ivan

I carried one as a second (backup) for a while, inside my vest so I had access with my weak hand. Loaded with Winchester Silver Tips. Never any issues. Sold it to one of the officers I worked with. He wanted it for his wife to have.

Mine was blue steel, I have heard of issues with the frame cracking but no first hand information.

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1601 (ret)

I've had a couple of them and unlike many I don't think the round bounces off of tee shirts . . .



I like the .32 and readily acknowledge it's not the most effective round you can carry, but the Beretta is a small reliable package and with the tip-up barrel pretty safe to carry in a pocket without being too obvious. Some have experienced frame cracking in some of the earlier blued versions but mine were always reliable. Though if I picked up another I'd likely go for the INOX model.


One thing I will say, there is a small spring and a detent held in place by the left side grip panel. So when and if one has occasion to take off/change the grips I recommend disassembly while holding the gun in a large (gallon size) freezer storage bag or such to keep these little parts from flying off into oblivion never to be seen again.


Don't ask me how I know . . .

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I bought one when they first came out back in the late 1990s. The frame cracked on mine after shooting maybe 500 rounds through it over a period of a few years. This was a problem with the early Tomcat pistols, as there was a weak spot in the right side of the frame where the trigger group sits. I have heard that issues has been resolved and newer versions are fine.

So, just make sure you know how old the one you are purchasing is.

Have a Love - Hate relationship with a 21a.
Let’s put it this way- if making a Pistol without an extractor was really a good idea, Beretta and others would make them all that way.

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I think they warn the user not to use any "hot" loads. Good European made loads are hotter than the American produced stuff and will still crack the frame if used a lot. I had one just a few years ago. After a friend of mine cracked the frame on his Tomcat using Italian made Fiocchi cartridges, I sold mine and got a 1903 Colt.

Bought one years ago and immediately took it back. Never looked back.

I bought my Tomcat used, but it came with all the original paperwork. There's a card in there that warns against using any ammo with greater than 130 Ft/lbs of energy.
I did some checking and found that most American made ammo is rated under that spec. However, most foreign ammo is above it.
Specifically The card recommends Winchester 60gr Silver tips, Speer Gold Dot 60 gr, and Federal Hydra-shok 65 grs and "a number of lower velocity 71 grain loads".
I've been careful to stay under the 130 ft/lb spec. However, my particular gun keeps having feed jams. I do like it and the idea of it, but I need to do some experimenting with ammo to find something reliable. Unfortunately I just haven't had the time.

Had a cracked frame on my .32 Tomcat. Before that, it was unpleasant to shoot, and pretty heavy and bulky for what it did. I think the Inox models stopped the cracking issue, but I can't reccomend one. They are pretty neat at least, but I was much happier with the threaded .22lr model I had.

My friend had an Inox that cracked. They mean it about that 130 ft/lbs. limit.
Think of the Tomcat as a nicer looking, costlier, heavier P-32 KelTec

It’s one of those guns that some folks love to hate, both for the caliber and for the reputation the Tomcats have developed for frame cracks.

The Beretta Tomcat is an upsized and beefed up descendant of the Beretta .25 ACP Jet Fire and .22 Short Minx in their progressive Beretta 950, 950B and 950BS versions.

The major problem is that some American made .32 ACP and European made 7.65 Browning ammunition can exceed the recommended limit of 130 ft pounds.

For example, the 60 gr CorBonload develops 1000 fps out of the short barrel of the Tomcat and that puts it at 133 ft pounds.

It doesn’t sound like 3 foot pounds would make any difference and it wouldn’t, if that were all there was to the story. What folks don’t realize is that .32 ACP / 7.62 Browning factory ammo specs are normaly based on a 3.9” PP barrel. That same 60 gr. CorBon load will produce about 1180 fps in a 3.9” PP. That’s 176 ft pounds, 142% of the recommended limit.

The Fiocchi 60 gr XTP load produces about 1100 fps in a PP and that’s 161 ft pounds and 124% of the recommended limit. The numbers for the Buffalo Bore TAC XP are almost identical.

The Fiocchi 73 gr FMJ launches at around 985 fps in a PP, and that’s 157 ft pounds and 121% of the recommended limit.

Those are all significant, frame cracking differences, and differences that lead to the stories of “I knew a guy who used 130 ft pound ammo and still ended up with a cracked frame”. Well…if he used a chronograph to determine velocity in the Tomcat to decide it was under 130 ft poinds, he didn’t actually understand what Beretta meant with the 130 ft pound factory rated ft pounds calculated in a 4” barrel.

——

In comparison, the 60 gr silver tip generates about 930 fps and 115 ft pounds in a 3.9” PP, but only 785 fps and 82 ft pounds in a Tomcat.

Similarly the Federal 65 gr Hydra-Shok load produces about 990 fps in a PP, which is right at 130 ft pounds. In the Tomcat it’s about 820 fps and 97 ft pounds.

The Hornady 60 gr FTX produces about 980 fps and 128 ft pounds in a PP which again works just fine in a Tomcat. The Speer 60 gr Gold Dot numbers are alsmost identical.

The Hornady 60 gr XTP load produces 925 fps in a PP with 114 ft pounds of muzzle energy and is a good choice for the Tomcat (as opposed to the Fiocchi load using the same bullet at 1100 fps which will tear a Tomcat up in short order).

In the middle you’ll have loads like the Winchester 71 gr FMJ ammo will produce around 940 fps in a PP with 139 ft pounds of energy compared to about 775 fps in a Tomcat. That extra 9 ft pounds (107% of the recommended limit) probably isn’t going to be cracking a Tomcat frame, but it’s also not something I would feed one on a regular basis.

—-

In short, details matter with a Tomcat. Shooters can get by feeding most handguns pretty much anything, but that doesn’t work well with a Tomcat. Still, Beretta is decent about it and will replace one if you crack it - as long as you are not openly stupid about telling them you’ve been feeding it ammo producing well over 130 ft pounds in a 4” barrel.

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I have the Covert version of the Tomcat and I like it as an ankle holster carried backup pistol. It does recoil a little sharper than you’d expect if you are used to shooting .32 ACP in a larger pistol like a PP, but it’s not bad.

And like the Jet Fire, Mynx, and Lynx, the tip barrel design is very friendly to women, and old folks with weak hands who don’t enjoy racking a slide.

As you can see it’s a lot bigger than the 950B:



The crack occurs in the frame above the trigger, in the thin spot above the cross pin for the trigger, but it’s not all that thin, so if you don’t abuse it with the wrong ammo, it’ll hold up pretty well.

I've owned several of the hinge-barrel Berettas over the years, and really like the design. I have no interest in the Tomcat, however, because (at least) three friends around the country have had these .32s crack frames on them. And these were experienced shooters shooting nothing but factory ammo - no "abuse" was involved. That's a bad design - many smaller, lighter Kel-Tec and Ruger pistols run .32 and .380 with no such problems. Look on the Beretta Forum to read many such stories.
(BTW - one friend who was a police officer griped to Beretta and got his Tomcat replaced after his crack. He promptly sold the new gun without firing it.)

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I say Buy It! I bought mine around 6 months ago at a cost of $470. It goes to the range every week where I put 4-5mags through it. I know that's not a lot but the 32 is one of five firearms that I always take to shoot.

I don't shoot for groups per se unless you count putting all rounds in a 5" circle at 20-30ft. That's a headshot or center mass every time in my book. I find it to be reliable and suited for home self defense at a moments notice.

I have 3 firearms that will make a intruder think twice before sticking around. They are the Beretta Bobcat (with Stingers)...A PMR30 (22WMR) loaded with 30rds... And the Tomcat 32ACP. All three would have one guessing at what I'm shooting.

Meanwhile I'm tucking my 5906 9mm and my XDS 45acp into my waistband waiting for your next move.

I wouldn't carry it as my sole defensive firearm but it makes a nice backup piece and is just fun to shoot otherwise.

So many of us have either wanted one... have one... or had one. It's a good enough firearm to own and easy enough to sell if you don't like it.

“Nothing but factory ammo” isn’t sufficient. Read my post above.

Factory ammo by CorBon, Buffalo Bore, Fiocchi, and Sellier and Bellot are all well in excess of the recommended limit. Most of the other niche market .32 ACP ammo (Ruag, RBCD, Masafe, etc, is also over the 130 ft pound limit.


Ammo that is under the 130 ft pound limit includes:

Federal 71 gr FMJ
Federal 65 gr Hydra-Shok
Blazer 70 gr
Hornady 60 gr XTP
Magtec 65 gr and 71 gr
PMC 60 and 71 gr
Remington 71 gr
Speer 60 and 71 gr.
Winchester 60 and 71 gr
Extreme Shock 60 gr.
Privi Partizan 71 gr.

Gee, I didn't thing I'd have to spell it out. These guys were not buying anything crazy - they were using plain, underpowered American ball ammo. I can't give you specifics without more digging than I'm willing to do, but my statement that I'd not buy one after my friends' experiences stands.

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Absolutely wonderful little gun! The Tomcat is older tech in that it uses an alloy frame and the slide rides low across the web of the hand. It's also DA/SA with a cocked and locked option and "second strike" capability.

Being simple blowback, the slide is not locked and so the gun needs no extractor. Cartridges can be inserted and removed from the barrel proper by using the tip-up release lever which makes it extremely convenient to carry, check, and clear! The little gun is about as small as they come dimensionally, though somewhat thick and portly at around 16 ounces, BUT the overall ergonomics are the best I've ever felt in a pocket pistol! Because it's a fixed barrel, accuracy is superb at beyond close quarter's fighting distance.

The Tomcat holds a solid 8 rounds of .32 ACP which isn't as "powerful" as .380 but does rate the same in the Ellifritz study for one-shot stops at around 35%. Basically, if you unload 3 or 4 .32 auto rounds into an assailant at close range he WILL find somewhere else to be - actually, he'll end up on the ground.

I really LIKE the Beretta Tomcat and there's a reason it's still around when there are so many leaner and lighter choices.

As for "frame cracking" that's about 90% BS and 10% somebody actually experienced it, BUT, the crack occurs in a portion of the frame along the right side, just above the where the trigger protrudes through the frame. At that point the sliver of aluminum is paper thin and incapable of carrying any sort of load, and was clearly an oversight on the part of Beretta. IF and when that ribbon cracks it can be cut away, leaving a rectangular recess and the frame is fine forever on. The frame PROPER does NOT crack...

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My Tomcat has barked once: head shot on a snake. Never fired it since. I do not carry it.

I purchased mine as soon as I could after they came out. I will say that over the years my experience has been very good with the one I have. There was a waiting list for several months after they started shipping the Tomcats because they hit the market about the time SC started allowing carry permits. There was no mini nines available then and 9mm ammo hadn't been developed to the dependable state it is in now. So, with WW Silvertips it was reputed to be as good as the best 380 available at the time, if I remember correctly.

I have fired only silvertips in mine as recommended and it has never failed to fire. It has developed no mechanical issues or cracks. It is not a target pistol but it will certainly will suffice at defensive distances. I carried it to the range every time I went for 4 to 5 years because it was my carry gun. Shot 2 to 3 clips every time, and as I said with no issues. I have confidence that it will do the job it was designed for, considering the caliber. I don't think an average jackal will stick around for you to pump 5 or six 32 acp hp rounds in his gut. I still carry it on occasion, mainly in my windshield bag on the motorcycle.

My main small edc is a 9mm now. Not getting rid of the Tomcat though because I like it. I like the size, the reliability and it's paid for along with a couple 50 round boxes of ammo remaining.

Haven't posted in several years but I've been in the shadows reading all the great stuff here. I thought I would try to get in the habit of contributing again when I can add something positive.

How do you identify the older, "weak" ones that crack? A friend has one. I might be able to get it.

With the Tomcat, details matter on the ammo.

Essentially what you said in your first post is that they shot factory ammo.

Now you’re saying it was “underpowered American ball ammo”, but without knowing what it was they actually shot.

Feel free to stand behind your statement and your recommendation. However, I’ll continue to stand behind my statement that ammo matters with the Tomcat.

In my experience the Tomcat isn’t likely to crack if you select your ammunition appropriately - and in my experience many Tomcat shooters don’t understand that not all American ball ammo is “underpowered”.

The difference is in the slide, not the frame.

A lot of people assume they made the frame thicker, but there isn’t any difference with the new versus old Tomcat. The “Inox” version is often though to have a stronger frame but it just has a stainless steel barrel and a matching anodized frame finish. The Alley Cat had the same frame as well, it just had tritium sights in the slide. The most recent “Covert” also has the same frame.

For a couple years Beretta did offer a version with a titanium frame and that is the only difference in any of the frames.

What Beretta did do was widen the slide and raise the frame rails. That added mass to the slide and decreased the slide velocity which reduced the stress on the frame.

The difference in width is subtle and telling one from the other just based on the width would be a little tricky without comparing them side by side:



However the wide slides also have raised slide rails and the right hand rail is relieved to allow for unrestricted ejection. That makes the newer wide slide Tomcats easy to spot as there will be a relief cut in the right hand rail: