Beretta Mouse Guns
I own the Beretta 21A Bobcat (.22LR version of the .32ACP Tomcat). It was my first mousegun way back when I first got my CHL.
https://www.berettausa.com/e2wItemM...5&parentLink=2100000084:3100001364:3100001371
Beretta makes a quality weapon and I would not disqualify it on account of quality.
IMO, both the Bob & Tom lose out to newer designs in the pocket carry category. The gun that really knocked them for a loop was the Kel-tec P32 in .32ACP. It weighs half what the Bobcat weighs and less than half what the Tom weighs. It is also much thinner. Recoil, given the p32's action, is very mild.
The P32 displaced my Beretta mousegun from pocket carry duties for me.
If one does not have the hand strength to rack the P32 slide, the Tom might be just the ticket.
I keep my Bob around as a backup in case my P32 goes TU and as a cheap trainer, given that .22LR is cheap to shoot. I'll warm up with it and cooll off with it at most every range session.
.32ACP Suitability
In a word:
NOT.
Minimum suitable for CCW is .38spl, and I rank that above .380ACP due to bullet weight (heavier), bullet shape (SWC vs FMJ), and +P capability.
HP rounds do not improve the mouse-calibers, as they usually do not open up and, if they do, generally reduce already-insufficient penetration.
If you can in any way manage to tote a more powerfully chambered handgun instead of a mouse-caliber mouse gun, do so.
For instance, .38spl/.357mag lightweight snubbies are nearly as concealable. Matter of fact, once I got my snubbie, I almost never carry my P32, post-snubbie. Kel-tec's PF9 and the high-dollar Rohrbaugh (spelling?) are similarly-sized options.
.22LR, .25ACP, .32ACP, and .380ACP mouseguns are for when you truly do not want to be detected packing and you are wearing next to nothing suitable for concealing, say, a snubbie. Deep CCW is also another role, so as to supplement a more effective firearm. Like you wrote, a "no gun" gun or BU.
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ICTsnub said:
I carry a Seecamp 32 everywhere, tell me it's a mouse if I screw it in your ear.
I would caution against contact firing with most semi-autos, as pressing the SA against the opponent can cause the SA to come out of battery and not fire or move it out of battery, fire, and cause hot, pressurized gasses to blow out the now-unsupported case, likely doing damage to self and weapon.
The Seecamp is a fixed-bbl, blowback action, but the slide goes all the way to the muzzle. Push too hard and surrounding tissues could move the slide out of battery. The Kel-tec P32 is the browning style action and is even more susceptible to being pushed out of battery, as it does not need as strong a recoil spring.
A contact "in his belly/ear/etc" weapon calls for a revolver.