Considering Beretta Tomcat .32

[Fred762]

GF wants a small, concealable .32..has a Kel-Tec but has a devil of a time racking slide. She looking at Tomcat, butt too fat tho..the gun..not her butt. Does anyone make THIN grips for a Tomcat??

[Gunsnwater]

I never saw any. The ruger lc380 racks so easy. Can she handle 380? Ammo is easy to get and good too.

[knight0334]

There is little you can do to make thinner grips because the mag release protrudes through the grip. Making it thinner would have the mag release sticking out further, which would cause more accidental disengagements of the magazine.

[Dave_n]

I would look at some of the reviews on the Tomcat. Earlier versions had a short lifetime on the frame and Beretta may well have fixed it. Try the Beretta Forum for more info. Dave_n

[Gunsnwater]

I recently picked up the Berretta and the Taurus metal one. Both are used and in 25acp. They seem sturdy. The Taurus is cheaper manufacturing, but not anything that's going to fail. I see that Taurus has a polymer framed version. I wonder if that is thinner.

[knight0334]

I would look at some of the reviews on the Tomcat. Earlier versions had a short lifetime on the frame and Beretta may well have fixed it. Try the Beretta Forum for more info. Dave_n

Beretta is very specific about the max level of .32ACP to be used in the Tomcats. ...no more than 129FTLBS of energy. The primary reason of the frame cracking issue is because of use of warmer or other ammos.

The guns that were replaced under warranty were replaced with Inox versions.

[solrac7]

I have a Tomcat in .32 and a Bobcat in .22 . I bought both used, the 22 is fantastic, and fun to shoot, great for practicing with a cheaper version of the same gun. They ARE thick, and I don't believe that there is much to be done about that. The advantage is the tip-up slide rather than racking, however the tip-up release on the .32 is really stiff (might need more break-in?) mine had a cracked frame, which Beretta replaced it at no charge. How is she going carry it? Purse, waistband, bra, pocket, or holster? the thickness makes it more comfortable to shoot... Cb

[Thehersh13]

What about a ruger lcp? Not much difference in size. Very thin and light and you get a more powerful .380 round.

[dannyb]

I agree that the tip up feature makes the Tomcat easier to load than the standard "rack the slide" method. My one real problem with the Tomcat that I've owned, carried, and practice with is the DA/SA trigger. The DA first shot is just fine, but the second shot under SA conditions has the trigger creeping back in a big way. The first few times I fired it, I thought that there had been some kind of misfire on the first shot because the trigger pulled so far beyond where I expected the second shot to fire. Once you get used to it, it's OK, but I would prefer a more consistent DA/SA trigger pull.

[Zeke2A]

I agree that the tip up feature makes the Tomcat easier to load than the standard "rack the slide" method. My one real problem with the Tomcat that I've owned, carried, and practice with is the DA/SA trigger. The DA first shot is just fine, but the second shot under SA conditions has the trigger creeping back in a big way. The first few times I fired it, I thought that there had been some kind of misfire on the first shot because the trigger pulled so far beyond where I expected the second shot to fire. Once you get used to it, it's OK, but I would prefer a more consistent DA/SA trigger pull.

Completely agree with the above ....but once used to it mine is extremely accurate for a pocket pistol .