Need some advice -- choosing a pocket pistol for my father-in-law ...

[adoddere]

My retired father-in-law purchased a Beretta Tomcat in .32 ACP. Well, if any of you have ever owned one of these little guns, you know that they are far from easy to operate. The slide is so stiff that he can't even pull it back to load the gun. I tried to break it in by putting 100 rounds through it, but experienced no noticeable difference in the action. Moreover, it is not a gentle, or easy to aim/shoot option for a small caliber. Accordingly, he's relinquished the gun to me and asked me to choose a replacement pocket auto (he already has a compact revolver).

I thought about something like my SIG P238, which is about the same size and weight of the Beretta, and is pretty easy to shoot.

Are there other options I should be considering?

Also, I want to replace the Tomcat. I've never traded in a gun before -- is it a foregone conclusion that the trade value will be well below what I might sell it for? I'd rather forego the hassle of selling it seperately, but not if I'm going to get 60% of retail on a trade in.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[CHEMICAL]

um.....he doesnt have to pull the slide back to load the gun. push the lever , flip up the barrel, drop in a round.Next round will advance when the slide cycles.....easy. that gun is simple as hell to operate. And on a trade you usually get about 50%

[Beardog]

um.....he doesnt have to pull the slide back to load the gun. push the lever , flip up the barrel, drop in a round.Next round will advance when the slide cycles.....easy. that gun is simple as hell to operate. And on a trade you usually get about 50%

DITTO...
The tomcat is a gun I recommend sometimes to people who say they can't rack a slide for the reason stated by CHEMICAL, just push the lever and the barrel pops up for loading.
I have an old 950 BS in .22 short thats always a favorite for novice women to shoot because of this feature and the low recoil.

[jshwak]

My pocket gun is a Keltech P3AT.. It's no fun at all to shoot, but has been extremely reliable and makes a great "belly gun".. I'm always confident that it will deliver if needed.

6+1 using corbon dpx rounds.

just a thought...

[rwb1500]

um.....he doesnt have to pull the slide back to load the gun. push the lever , flip up the barrel, drop in a round.Next round will advance when the slide cycles.....easy. that gun is simple as hell to operate. And on a trade you usually get about 50%

This.


Tip up barrel = first round loaded directly into the chamber.

The Tomcat is also built without an extractor. That means big trouble if you get a click when you are hoping for a bang.

Most pocket pistols.are a pain to manipulate. You may even want to try looking at revolvers.

[knight0334]

As others have pointed out, the gun has a tip up barrel for loading - which is how it is supposed to be loaded. The reason why the slide is had to pull back is because of the hammer spring. When the hammer is cocked the slide is very easy to manipulate.

[knight0334]

This.


Tip up barrel = first round loaded directly into the chamber.

The Tomcat is also built without an extractor. That means big trouble if you get a click when you are hoping for a bang.

Most pocket pistols.are a pain to manipulate. You may even want to try looking at revolvers.

They are double action so a person can perform a restrike on the primer. If it fails to fire again, tipping up the barrel then turn over the gun will usually allow the dud to fall out. ...Which in most cases it will since the brass hasn't expanded due to firing.

[rwb1500]

They are double action so a person can perform a restrike on the primer. If it fails to fire again, tipping up the barrel then turn over the gun will usually allow the dud to fall out. ...Which in most cases it will since the brass hasn't expanded due to firing.

Indeed, but I think it's been discussed many times that re-striking a bad primer may very well be a waste of time. Better to preform a failure drill. Unfortunately dealing with such a failure with a Tomcat/Bobcat isn't as simple as tap rack bang. Fine manipulation of small parts isn't so easy under stress. I had a Bobcat, and being rimfire it was much more likely to see duds. I'd be in a bad spot if I had to clear a malfunction in such a gun during a fight.

I'm not saying they're bad guns. I think they're cool, and fun, especially in .22, but I certainly wouldn't rely on one as a primary firearm. Maybe as a backup. YMMV.

[joe15003]

Maybe try and LCP?

http://www.ruger.com/products/lcp/index.html

[WVBob]

Two to think about. The Ruger LCR in .38 Spl +P and a Bersa .380. Both are small, light, and fit a pocket. There have been some bad reports on the Ruger LCP.