anyone carry a tomcat? thoughts?

[mhurley]

How is this little pistol?  reliable?  semi-accuarate for the size?

thanx
mike

[K.K]

Aren't they the little tip-barrel mouse guns? 

[Mikey]

Seen a couple, fired a couple.  Yep, they are the tip-up barrel style.  Most hit low from what I can recall and there wan't enough of a front sight to work down to get the poi up to poa.  Some did alright, considering their use as a belly gun for close range.  No jams in either of the guns I fired but they were stoked with ball ammo, not the soft pointed stuff.  HTH.  Mikey.

[S.S.]

They are pretty expensive for a .32
but I am probably going to get one eventually.
I am one of the few fans left of the .32 I think.
My current .32 auto is a J.P. Sauer model 1930 !
About time for an upgrade I guess.
My .32 is almost always a Backup to something larger though.

[Mikey]

I dunno S. Sumner - I don't pack around my old 1910 Mauser but I have slid it into my jeans pocket on occasion.  I know it's there, know how it works, know how it shoots and know the limitaitons of the 32acp.  Most often it's a box or so every couple of years. 

I would however love to find a nice PP in 32 - 380 would be nicer but I would take a PP in 32.  Mikey.

[Win 73]

I have a Tomcat.  It was my carry gun until I got my S & W Model 637 Airweight .38 snubby.  I have had no problems with my current Tomcat.  I say current because it is the second one I have had.  I had a problem with the first one.  I sent it back to Beretta and instead of repairing it, they sent me a new gun.  With both of the Tomcats, the safety was stiff when I first got them.  However after a few hundred times of flicking the safety on and off while watching television (with the gun unloaded of course), the operation of the safety smoothed out nicely.  Both of my Tomcats functioned satisfactorily with whatever ammo I fed them.

[S.S.]

I am looking more at the Value of the Model 1930.
Prices have Sky-rocketed on these vintage pocket pistols.
I don't really want to put the wear and tear on it.
I'll wager your 1910 would surprise you what it would bring
at a gun show or auction too. It is crazy what some of these
things are selling for?

[Arc Angel]

  Hee, hee, this is funny!  I actually agonized - yes, I said, 'agonized' - over which mouse gun I wanted to carry in my front left pocket.  It actually took me almost 2 years to make up my mind.  During that time I got to fire them all.  I just couldn't warm up to my buddy's Kel-Tec P32; I was impressed by the obvious prestige attached to the Seecamp LWS 32; but, at the time, they were selling for a premium; and I had questions about this little pistol's life cycle. 

Based on how well it fit my hand, and how straight I was able to shoot it inside 15 yards, I finally decided to purchase a Beretta, 'Alley Cat'.  (That's a Tom Cat with XS Sight Systems, 'Big Dot' night sights.)  I'm glad that I did, too.  Over the past 4 years this little pistol has been utterly reliable; I've presently got something like a thousand rounds through it without a hiccup! 

I've installed Pearce wrap-around rubber grips on it; and, I always carry it with the safety in the OFF position.  (Yes, I know!  I read the manual that came with it.)  The tip up barrel is a very nice feature, too.  The pistol is small enough to fit inside a dungaree pants pocket, or an outside overcoat pocket; and, because the grip is able to fill my hand, I can shoot it just as accurately as a full-sized pistol. 

You've got to cock the hammer for the first ACCURATE shot; but, at 25 yards, it'll put every slow-fire shot inside a 6" circle.  Someone said the Tom Cat shoots low; well, actually it doesn't shoot low; a person who's unfamiliar with the Tom Cat may tend to drop the muzzle as the sear releases.  If you keep strong pressure on the backstrap, this little pistol will shoot to point-of-aim.  There is, really, only one bullet to shoot in the Tom Cat:  FMJ ball ammo!  The pistol WILL shoot HP's; however, these shorter OAL cartridges have a tendency to rim lock; and' they may FTF on you.  Because the 32 acp is, at best, a marginal performance cartridge, the added penetration of FMJ ammunition actually turns out to be an advantage. 

Next time I have a little free money (like 5 bills!) I'm going to pick up a new titanium model.   

[jpsmith1]

What can I say about my little kitty.  I love it!!  The stock sights are pretty ugly, but serviceable, especially for the intended 'last-ditch' type of gun.  With young eyes, a firm grip and ball ammo, we were shooting and hitting a stove-length of firewood at nearly 40 yards often enough to make me a believer.

I've ran mostly ball through it, but have run Federal Hydra-Shoks and have had ZERO problems.

Now, with all that out, I did have one problem with it.  I've been told a lot that dry fire practice is the best practice when you can't get to the range.  DO NOT DRY FIRE A TOMCAT!!!  There is a small roll pin that sits vertically in the slide.  Dry firing the gun can cause the roll pin to break and you will lose your firing pin and spring. Beretta sent replacement parts free of charge and the repair took about 5 minutes, but save yourself the hassle and get snap caps if you're going to dry fire.

[RollTide]

I don't carry a Tomcat mainly because there are smaller guns that are just as good if not better.  I have carried a 32, a NAA Guardian, for years as a primary gun (although I usually carry an AMT Backup in 40SW these days.)  The 32 is really close enough in real world fight stopping that there is no practical difference in effectivenes between a snub nose 38sp, a 380, and a 32.  The NAA and Seecamp have the proper mag angle to make rimlock a non issue, I don't know about the Tomcat.  While ball ammo penetrates more, the HP seems to stop real world fights MUCH faster.  The resaon I carry a 32 instead of a 38 or 380 is:

1.All three will usually require multiple shots to stop an attack and I can fire the 32 on target faster than the 38's (which are in reality only 35's).

2.The 32 is smaller and easier and more comfortable to conceal and carry.

3. I can carry more than twice as much spare ammo in the same pocket with the 32 as I can with the 38 or the 380, which is important with a gun that is going to require multiple shots to put an attacker down.

  Due to the rimlock issue, I would recommend a Seecamp or a NAA Guardian which are made to shoot HP ammo reliably if you are going to carry it for defense.  If you LIKE a bigger grip for the 32, a NAA Guardian with a 10 round grip extension is bigger and much better than the grip on the Tomcat, but then you are back to using FMJ only.  I usually carry my 32 in my right front pocket and a 6 and a 10 round spare mag in my left rear pocket.  The wonderful thing about the little 32 is that I can (and have) carried 4, 10 round, spare mags in my back pocket all day without anyone ever noticing.  I don't know of any way to carry any 38 with 6 in the gun and 40 in the back pocket.  If you want to use FMJ only and having a 38 size gun in your pocket doesn't bother you (actually there are smaller 380's), the Tomcat is probably a fine choice.   For just a little more size than the Tomcat, you can get a Kahr or an AMT in a much better caliber for defense.

See this file for a size comparison.

http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.jpg

[Dee]

I had a tomcat but, my jack russells killed and ate it.

[R. Tillery]

I bought one for my wife a year ago. Her's is the ALLEY CAT variant w/Ashly Express nite sights. It's for when she can't carry her full-sized Beretta 92FS.

[6Shooter]

I have one. I've had it over a year now and it's been a reliable gun. I use hydroshock JHP's. Shoots everything I've fed it.

[Savage]

I had a tomcat but, my jack russells killed and ate it.

Bout time someone said that!!

My bulldog, (Charter, of coure!) ate mine--------------

The Tomcat is pretty big and heavy for a .32. My Kel Tec 380s are much smaller and lighter. I don't put grip extensions or "Handalls" and such on a pocket pistol. I bought them small and like to keep them that way. I have seen some mouse guns that were as bulky as a larger caliber gun due to the add ons. For me, anything larger than the Kel Tecs are not pocket guns. On the other hand, I have a friend that pocket carrys a Glock 29. Guess it depends on the size of your pockets--------------
Savage

[Dee]

I am over 6' and weigh about 245. Hiding a gun is not a big issue, so I carry a full size 1911, and have been for over 30 years. Before I retired from L.E. I sometimes used a holster. Now I seldom use one. However, I have also carried a Smith 60. I may buy another. They fit in a jeans hip pocket pretty well, and have more power than a bean shooter. I have always been afraid that if I shot someone with a 32, they might get mad, and not like me anymore.