[dr_cmg]

The wife and I went out shooting Friday afternoon and for the first time she fired my little Kel-Tec P32. I had told her that I wanted to get her something similar for her to carry. So we looked on line to see what is available and both of us want to look at the Beretta Tomcat.

Because of her job she will always be wearing dresses and suits to work so she is not really having much success in changing her wardrobe for carry. I read Gabriela Cox's profile in the May/June issue of CCM and although I don't like off the body carry, Gabriela makes a good point about the one thing she is sure to carry with her on a consistent basis is her purse. Leah and I are looking now for a purse that she can use to carry her primary pistol. Right now that is a Bersa Thunder .380. I would like for her to move to something more powerful and I think she is going to try to take my Sig P239 9mm from me. I have already started looking for a P239 in 357Sig. Anyway we are considering the Beretta Tomcat for her BUG and on body carry weapon. I think we can create a little coin purse that goes around the waist for her to carry that in. So does anyone out there have any experience with the Beretta Tomcat? Let me hear from you.

BTW, in the late 60s and early 70s there was a ladies fashion of carrying a small change purse on a belt around the waist. It was usually made of leather and many times had fringe sort of like appears on rawhide jackets. Does anyone besides me remember these? Does anyone have a photo or example. If we do this I am going to have to get one of our fantastic holster makers here on CC to make one for my wife. Who knows it may start a new fashion. If I am going to have to get one made I will need to provide some info on what it is I want. So if you have a photo or if your wife, mother, girl friend, etc. has an old one that is not in use please let me know.

Thanks.

 

[The Goose]

Can't help on the purse thing, but I do have a Tomcat. Personally, I like the little Beretta's. I have a Tomcat, A Model 21 in .25 and another one in .22LR and a 950 .25. I don't really carry any of them much, I prefer my j frame. If I was going to carry a .32 it would be the Tomcat. Very reliable and accurate, a joy to shoot. I used to have a Seecamp, much smaller, but hard to shoot and finicky on ammo. The Beretta will shoot just about anything.

The criticism that I have always heard is that the Tomcat is relatively big and heavy compared to some other .32's. I think it is a nice size. Also the sights actually work.

 

[Baby Hulk]

Beretta

I have a .32 Tomcat and am having trouble with stovepipes to the point of 1 every 2/3 clips. I talked to my local gun dealer last week and he suggested that I try a different brand of ammo in it. I had a bad feeling about the handgun when the second shot right out of the box stovepiped on me. I've only had 'bout 200 rounds through it thus far and have owned it new for only five months.

I've decided at this point that I wouldn't trust my life with it. If a change in feed doesn't improve it's performance, I'll take it to a gunsmith. I have a 92FS that's had over 700 rounds through it and it's YET to have any misfeeds. Beretta's are usually reliable, so I'm hoping that I just happened to get a 'rare lemon'.

Hope this isn't too windy a response.

 

[frankmako]

i have a beretta jetfire 25 acp that i used a as "bug" during u/c in the florida keys during the late 80's. great little gun. did the job for me during u/c work. later i got a beretta .22lr. it is also a great little gun. but i like the .25 acp the most. went bang each and every time. both are not guns for a tv gun fight, but they will do the job when you need two or three shots. pull the trigger two or three times real fast, then run like hell, let backup clean up the mess.

 

[swiftyjuan]

I have a Tomcat on my ccw, usually carry it in a pocket holster as a backup, but for a quick run to the store, it has been primary for longer than I can remember. NO problems with it, and it should get me to the car and the arsenal...

 

[michael t]

Over on Bersatalk member just reported his tomcat frame cracked in less than 500 rounds. He shipping back to Beretta.

 

[Teacher]

Just joined an cruising through the threads. Carry Tomcat Inox, three years now. Trigger is small and sharp edges. Was finicky about ammo we both settled on Winchester Ball no problems. Careful on the grip the slide can leave bloody railroad tracks. Feel armed enough most of the time. Need more carry SP 101 or GP100 always have NAA MINI 22lr.

 

[Freedz]

I've never shot one but I've looked at a few in shops. I like the way they fill my hand for such a small gun. I've heard theyre great guns after you find what ammo they like.

 

[Blackhawk6]

I had occasion to shoot a student's Tomcat several years ago. Evidently it left an impression on me as my wife bought me a Inox Tomcat for an anniversary present "because I talked about it so much."

I have had it for almost 6 years and I have shot it quite a bit. I do not subscribe to the BUG concept for CCW, but I know others do. I would consider it an acceptable choice for a second gun but unsuitable for use as a primary.

My impressions:

1. It is reliable. No malfunctions other than one instance of rim lock with Hornady hollow-points. I now use Speer's GD with excellent results and no issues. The gun has functioned flawlessly with ball. I would estimate I have about 800 rounds through the gun.

2. Though there are certainly lighter and smaller guns in .32 ACP. I believe the extra weight and size aid in the controllability of the gun. My splits are in the .15 range with this gun.

3. My sights were not regulated properly when I first got the gun. It shot about 4" left at 7 yards. It took a Herculean effort to move the rear sight. The front sight on the Inox version is also difficult to see, easily remedied with some paint or nail polish. That said it is surprisingly accurate. Groups run less than 2" at 7 yards and 8" plates at 25 yards are no problem.

4. The gun does not lend itself to high-speed gun handling. Reloading and/or malfunction clearance are time-consuming. The absence of a slide-lock and an extractor make the manual of arms for this gun different than for most other semi-automatic handguns. The placement of the magazine release on the left grip panel is awkward but manageable.

5. At the end of the day, its a .32 ACP. Definitely not my first choice, nor my second.

A good friend and co-worker has a blued Tomcat with a Big-Dot Tritum front sight. He bought his after shooting my Tomcat. He has about 300 rounds through it, almost exclusively HP's of various manufacture, with no problems. His is more difficult to shoot accurately due to the sight configuration, but it is definitely a better "fighting gun" (if you can consider a .32 ACP to be such a thing). Accuracy-wise, we can keep rounds in the A-zone at 15 yards with little effort.

In all honesty, I prefer his gun to mine. Were I in your situation, his is the configuration I would purchase.

 

[Mojoski]

Coronado Leather..

Thought you might like this link if you haven't seen these guys yet.

Coronado Leather

They make all sorts of nice leather purses and bags that your wife might like.

Hope that is helpful!

 

[dr_cmg]

Thought you might like this link if you haven't seen these guys yet.

Coronado Leather

They make all sorts of nice leather purses and bags that your wife might like.

Hope that is helpful!

Thanks for the link, but she got her new Coronado Maestro Hobo in last Wednesday. She is carrying her Bersa .380 in that and starting next week will be carrying her Bersa compact 9mm in it instead.

The Tomcat is for tucking somewhere on her person. She is trying to develop the habit of taking her purse with her to the copy machine, the postage machine, etc., but I am not sure she will ever succeed with that and I would like her to have something in her jeans when she works in the yard, etc.

 

[Garg]

There seem to be a relatively small percentage of Tomcats which leave the factory with feeding disorders. I know a friend had a titanium "Cat" which never did get over it's feeding issue. A few others have also come across trouble eaters.

Most I've heard from though have no issues with their Tomcats and feel well protected having it at their side. One friend of mine just bought one a couple of months ago, put it through its paces at the range without issue, and now carries it in a nifty little PDA belt pouch. Perfectly concealed, right out in the open.

For your wife's skirt/dress days, didn't somebody used to make a garter holster for mouse guns? Swear I saw something like that, but couldn't even guess where, or who made it.