Beretta 3032 Tomcat .32 Pistol
The Beretta Tomcat is the newest design in a long series of single action/double action blowback pocket pistols developed by Beretta. Two variants are currently made. The most common is is all-black comprised of a darkened carbon steel slide and a black anodized frame. The second "Inox" version matches a stainless steel slide to a silver anodized frame.
The gun is extremely small, weighing in at only 14 oz. (410 grams) making it easy to conceal and carry. The pistol also features a tip-up barrel that makes it possible for the gun to be loaded without operating the slide. This featured has made the Tomcat a favorite of small frame women shooters who find it difficult to wrack the slide back on larger pistols. The fact that the pistol can be easily carried without a complete overhaul of the traditional female wardrobe is not overlooked by its many fans either.
One of the drawbacks inherent to most pocket pistols is the lack of power associated with the platform. The Beretta 3032 Tomcat takes the high road on this and is chambered for the .32 ACP. This round is known to be a bit more powerful and offer slightly more penetration on average than the also-popular .380.
As with all guns, this one does have some limits though. The current trend toward purchasing "hot" +P ammunition is not a good idea when applied to the Tomcat as a number of cases of the frame cracking under undue stress have been reported.
Features of the 3032 Tomcat include a frame-mounted, thumb activated safety, a 7-round capacity magazine, and a single action/double action trigger mechanism. The Tomcat is often not considered a "true" one-handed pistol due to the fact that it is difficult to manipulate the heel-mounted magazine release with one hand.
Reviews of the Beretta Tomcat pocket pistol can be found below. Newer reviews of this gun can be found further down the page. Please write a review of your own if you've had a chance to use this pistol in the past and can shed some first-hand insight on the good and the bad that comes with owning one.
User Reviews
I bought my first Tomcat in 2006. Within 6 months the slide came off while shooting 3 different times. After the 3rd time the dealer sent it back to Beretta and they said it was unrepairable and sent me a new one. This was in 2007.No mentioning of a cracked frame. I loved the smallness of the gun for concealed carry. It was accurate. I keep records of the #of rounds I fire. After 136 rounds over the next 8 years the frame is cracked. I sent it back to Beretta to be repaired or send me an Inox Tomcat and I would pay them the cost over my black tomcat. I sent all my shooting records..kind of ammo,etc. They sent it back with a red tag on saying it was unsafe to fire and that they wouldn't repair it. I will call them and also write a letter to their CEO. On many gun blogs I found the same crack problem k,in the frame as my two. The dealer said the Beretta rep even told them where to look. It is a very evident crack you can easily see. I am appaled Beretta doesn't stand by their product and make the black Tomcat like the Inox version. I will not ever buy another Beretta. I guess it will go to the bottpm of my pond. Read More
[...] Beretta Tomcat Pocket Pistol Reviews | Gun Reviews Learn what other shooters think of the Beretta 3032 Tomcat pocket pistol. Reviews of the Tomcat can be found here, read some before you make a purchase…. [...] Read More
I bought a Tomcat for my wife, but before I gave it to her I took it out for a good workout at the range. I shot both round ball and hollow point and did not have a problem, the pistol performed perfectly.I will go along with Tom H. and say that the stove piping etc. is probably caused by limp wristing, the pistol must be held firmly. All in all I really like the pistol and think that it will make a fine defensive firearm for my wife. If you buy one when you first take it out remember to clean the barrel after every 10 or 15 rounds to keep it clean during the break in period. That will help the performance of your new pistol. Read More
I have owned a 3032 tomcat for about 8 months now. It has replaced my other handguns for concealed carry and for basic home defense purposes. As far as 'stovepipes' go, I will ask the reviewers if this occurred on the first round fired. I find that since it is such a small firearm and uses a 'light' caliber round, that folks often underestimate it and fail to grip it tight enough. Since it is a blowback design, and lacks a mechanical extractor, 'limpwristing' will almost always result in a fail to extract (FTE) or fail to feed (FTF) situation. I often fail to grip it tight enough on the first round I fire at the range and get a FTE/FTF situation. It is ALWAYS remedied when I grip it tighter during subsequent rounds. I have been a 'bad boy' and fired fiocchi ammunition that produces 168 lbs/ft muzzle energy (similar to 380 energy levels) in mine. After a couple boxes of this "over-powered" or +P ammo, I still do not have any frame cracks. I have the standard, older model 3032 tomcat without the inox or wide-slide. In all honesty, I think that out of the tens of thousands of tomcats made, about 20 or 30 have actually had a cracked frame. Similarly, I have heard of the 92FS/M9 suffering from cracked frames - however, I used these extensively during my time in the USMC Infantry and never had any problems, nor did I observe any problems with any of the M9's that were issued to others in my platoon. I honestly think that their reliability and durability is as good or better as compared to other handguns. As far as my 'credentials' go, I am a former Infantry Marine, having served in a Weapons Platoon in an Infantry Company. I have extensive training with 45ACP and 9mm handguns. I currently own handguns in 22LR, 40S&W, and 32ACP and shoot each caliber frequently. With any new auto-loading firearm, you must allow it a 'break-in' period of at least 200 rounds. In addition, polishing the feed-ramp is a necessity. If you haven't polished the feed-ramp, and have shot less than 500 rounds through it, yet complain of FTF of FTE failures, then you haven't properly broken-in the firearm and demonstrate that you are not qualified to discuss the pros and cons of various handgun models. Above statements of "I have shot 100 rounds and it has frequent FTF" should be discounted due to the inherent ignorance of the standard 'break-in' procedures for any auto-loading firearm. Read More
My Tomcat is new. I've only shot 50-100 rounds thru it and its been terrible. A lot of FTF problems. I've tried Fiocci hollow points and it gets jammed and wont feed after1 or 2 shots. Privvi ammo (also hollow points) are better but not much. Its frustrating since I also own a Bobcat (.22 LR) and I absolutly love it. Everything about the Bobcat is fabulous, which is why I eagerly bought the Tomcat (for the larger caliber). I emailed Beretta asking them to recommend a specific type of ammo but have not received a reply. Can anyone out there tell me what works in their Tomcat? HELP !!!! I'll keep trying other ammo and even a new magazine but I think this gun is on my "short" list. Read More
I just bought a used Tomcat 32 and absolutely love it! I am new to handguns and CCW and this fits the bill for everything I wanted in a first CCW. The tip up barrel feature is great in that I can hold a full mag in the gun, without one in the chamber for safer carry...but, simply dropping a round in the barrel allows me to be ready if needed without the worry of forgetting to rack the slide in a sudden situation. Also, when carrying with one in the chamber, the extra protection of the safety feature is great for a first-timer like me. Fits the wallet holsters great and its not seen at all. A friend and I just put 100 rounds thru it at 6-7 yards with no problems with any of the ammo, and the grouping was the diameter of a soda can. And though it has a long pull on the first shot, the remainder of the rounds take little effort against the trigger to get the shot off. And its so incredibly easy to take apart to clean. Absolutely love it! ( its got my Ruger LCP beat hands down! ) Read More
I have owned and carried a Tomcat for two years.It was my gun of choice for many reasons. 1. so concealeable no one knows I carry. 2. small enough so you ALWAYS carry. 3. reliable(after 200 rounds broken in not a single ftf or fte in the next 1000 rounds. ANY ammo. 4.It will hit a dinner plate at 15 yards every time. 5. you can disassemble and clean it in 5 minutes. This gun is no joke! Nice features like tip-up barrel and single/double action make this a superb small ccw. I also own an LC9 but find the tomcat shoots smoother and straighter! Read More
Just bought the Tomcat 2 days ago and put over a 150 rounds thru it. No problems at all. I do agree with an earlier review about the plastic pocket pistols. I have a Taurus TCP and while it has the .380 power, I hated the fact it wasn't easy to grip or shoot with large hands. I like the fact that the Tomcat has a thumb lift safety as well. So far, I'm impressed with this little kicker. At 7 and 10 yards, it stayed tightly grouped in head and heart shots and at 15 yards, torso shots were consistent. It's a good "get off me gun" and thats what its intended use is. Overall, its easy to use, easy to conceal and easy to maintain. Read More
Good gun. I prefer the Inox version to the black. No problems so far in about 400 rounds and the accuracy is acceptable for its intended purposes. What does bother me is that people who can't spell and can barely construct a functional paragraph are allowed to own firearms. Scary... Read More
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