new gun

[357kevin]

I'm thinking about buying a small pocket gun. i've been looking at the barretta tomcat 32 auto and also the NAA 22 mag. mini revolver. Has anyone had any experiences good or bad with either one? I am also interested in any other recommendations. I like the size of the Tomcat
Thanks!!

[Kurgan]

If you want a mousegun and are happy with the size of the Tomcat you might be better off with a North American Arms chambered for 32NAA...their baby wildcat cartridge. Better performance than a 380 supposedly.

[ANIMAL]

better find one to shoot first. I tried shooting that tiny.22 and had to use both hands. held it between a finger and the thumb and fired it with a finger from the other hand.
hands are too big I guess. plus the darn thing would't hit the target from25 feet had to get to about 7 feet to see it on paper.

[M1911A1]

My wife has a Tomcat. She likes it a lot but she has had some issues with it. There have been stories (unconfirmed) that the .32 is just too much for that frame. The Bobcat in .25 acp would be just as reliable but with less stress to that tiny frame. I would skip the bobcat in .22LR just because proper primer ignition is less reliable than a centerfire.

Just my :twocents:

[Fiddler]

I love my Tomcat and have enjoyed shooting it. It shoots very accurately for me and size is not an issue but I do have small hands. For the first 6 months that I owned the gun, it performed well for me, but I did have some issues with it during the summer. I am actually on my second Tomcat now. I posted about the trouble I had with the first one a few months back. Basically, I had a lot of trouble with misfeeds. Apparently at some point, the slide had cracked without my knowing it, then one day I was practicing with it at TFL and the slide support cracked and it failed to go into battery. Tommy at The Line and my local FFL, Hal at Marksman's Mart in Hamburg both said they had never seen anything like it. Hal sent it back to Beretta and they sent me a new one - no questions asked.

I've taken the new Tomcat out four times now. The first time it fired perfectly, but during subsequent visits to the range I have had more issues with misfeeds, so I'm still trying to work out the problems with it, but at this point I don't depend on it. With deputy's help, I did identify one bad mag, and have experimented with using a few different mags and that offered some relief to the problem.

Another thing I have noticed is that the Tomcat is more reliable when I don't use the tilt barrel to load an extra round in the chamber. This is probably more of an issue with my hand size or strength as the barrel has to be fully locked in place and I sometimes have trouble with that.

I also noticed while firing the first Tomcat that it had significantly more problems with Federal American Eagle ammo. The Tomcat performs better with Federal Classic. From what I recall, Beretta recommends that you not fire any ammo with a bullet weight heavier than 70 grains, (Federal Classics are 71 grains) and that you only use jacketed bullets. Since hydra shocks are only 65 grains, the Tomcat may function better with those, and I will be trying a box out just to see how it performs.

I'm still working with the Tomcat, and I'm hoping to solve the problem with it as it is nice as a small, lightweight bug or summer pocket carry gun.

[357kevin]

I love my Tomcat and have enjoyed shooting it. It shoots very accurately for me and size is not an issue but I do have small hands. For the first 6 months that I owned the gun, it performed well for me, but I did have some issues with it during the summer. I am actually on my second Tomcat now. I posted about the trouble I had with the first one a few months back. Basically, I had a lot of trouble with misfeeds. Apparently at some point, the slide had cracked without my knowing it, then one day I was practicing with it at TFL and the and the slide support cracked and it failed to go into battery. Tommy at The Line and my local FFL, Hal at Marksman's Mart in Hamburg both said they had never seen anything like it. Hal sent it back to Beretta and they sent me a new one - no questions asked.

I've taken the new Tomcat out four times now. The first time it fired perfectly, but during subsequent visits to the range I have had more issues with misfeeds, so I'm still trying to work out the problems with it, but at this point I don't depend on it. With deputy's help, I did identify one bad mag, and have experimented with using a few different mags and that offered some relief to the problem.

Another thing I have noticed is that the Tomcat is more reliable when I don't use the tilt barrel to load an extra round in the chamber. This is probably more of an issue with my hand size or strength as the barrel has to be fully locked in place and I sometimes have trouble with that.

I have also noticed that the first Tomcat had significantly more problems with Federal American Eagle ammo. The Tomcat performs better with Federal Classic. From what I recall, Beretta recommends that you not fire any ammo with a bullet weight heavier than 70 grains, (Federal Classics are 71 grains) and that you only use jacketed bullets. Since hydra shocks are only 65 grains, the Tomcat may function better with those, and I will be trying a box out just to see how it performs.

I'm still working with the Tomcat, and I'm hoping to solve the problem with it as it is nice as a small, lightweight bug or summer pocket carry gun.

Wow! sounds like you have had several problems with it. I'm going to take a look at the NAA 32 Guardian. Do you have the titanium Tomcat or the standard Tomcat?

[Fiddler]

It's the standard Tomcat in .32.

[357kevin]

I was just reading on the NAA website message board about all sorts of feeding and jamming problems with the 32 guardian, now i'm thinking Tomcat again. Thanks for your help Fiddler.

[wingman]

Kel-Tec now makes their little pocket gun in a 380. I picked one up and have been very happy with it. It is very close in size to their P-32, and just as reliable.

As a devoted Beretta fan it pains me to admit that I returned a Titanium Tomcat after Beretta was unable to fix a jamming problem.

[enfield]

I carry either my NAA .22 mag revolver or my .380 NAA Guardian as backup. In my opinion, my .22 is strictly a 'belly gun'. It shoots way low and right at 7 yards, and you can forget hitting the paper at any longer range. The sights are so poor, the grips so poor and the sight radius so short that it's strictly a point-and-shoot gun. The .380 on the other hand is quite another story. It's not as unpleasant to shoot as a .38 alloy snubbie, and it's not as accurate (and I blame the 'sights' for that), but I can keep 7 shots on the paper at 7 yards. With the snubbie I can keep 5 shots in the black at 7.

I have to risk my marriage to get my wife to carry her PPK instead of her .22 mag NAA, but I risk it nearly everyday. It's a good deep backup pistol, but I won't carry it if I can carry the .380 or .38 snubbie. It's too darn small and practically uncontrollable. YMMV.

[goldwing2000]

I agree with enfield.
I carry the NAA .22 mag daily but only because it's the only thing that won't print too badly in my pocket.
I've installed the larger rubber grip, so it's easier to get a hold of and shoot but it's still a "get off me!" gun. Anything more than 15-20 feet away and you're really taking a big chance on a hit. ANY hit. :shock:

It's better than nothing but I strap on my G26, ASAP.

[357kevin]

Kel-Tec now makes their little pocket gun in a 380. I picked one up and have been very happy with it. It is very close in size to their P-32, and just as reliable. .

Wingman, Have you had any trouble with jamming or feeding on your 380? My brother has a Kel-Tec in 40 and he has had nothing but trouble with it. That kind of turned me off to Kel-tec but i have talked to other people with smaller caliber Kel-tecs and they have no trouble.

[wingman]

300 rounds of ball ammo with the p-32 without any problems. Only 50 rounds of ball with the 380 but no problems so far except a slightly sore hand. The 380 jumps a bit when you fire it. At first you may notice the gun slip barrel up after the shot and will want to grip it tighter. The grip is to thin to just squeeze it from the sides so you tend to try and use the fingers to hold it tighter into the palm. This seems to make my hand a bit sore after 50 rounds but nothing to worry about.

This is a great little pocket gun. Slip it in a $10 Uncle Mikes number 1 pocket holster and you are ready for uptown Saturday night. ( as long as the primary 45 is on your hip that is )

[Jim]

I carry my Tomcat whenever I cannot carry my Sig 239. I much prefer the larger gun but the Tomcat has its place. I have found it quite accurate considering the size. I looked at the NAA but thought they would be too heavy. In a pair of baggy shorts/pants they were quite noticipal. When loading into the barrel you must make sure the lever returns to its resting position. At first mine didn't always do this but it has gotten better as time goes on.

[spanky]

I have the 32 Tomcat. It took some time to get used to it. I have had it now for 2 years and consider it my "summer carry" gun. I have gone through hundreds of rounds with not one jam! It took a while to get accurate with it. I agree - hydra shock loads seem to work the best with my Tomcat. It's light, small, and easy to conceal. So far, I am pleased with it! (Knock on wood!)

[grumpy]

Kel-Tec now makes their little pocket gun in a 380. I picked one up and have been very happy with it. It is very close in size to their P-32, and just as reliable. .

Wingman, Have you had any trouble with jamming or feeding on your 380? My brother has a Kel-Tec in 40 and he has had nothing but trouble with it. That kind of turned me off to Kel-tec but i have talked to other people with smaller caliber Kel-tecs and they have no trouble.

I have heard that most of the problems with the Kel-Tec P40 were caused by "limp wristing". Many guns were returned to KT for repair that were OK. That gun requires a very firm grip & firm wrist to avoid feeding problems. I have a Kel-Tec P11 (9mm) and have fired over 800 rounds with no problems. I like it.

[joen]

I like the NAA .22LR...it's cute...and the ladies at Oakland County Records thought it was, too! What can I say...I'm a sucker for miniature things.

Don't count on hitting anything beyond 10 feet, though.

[357kevin]

I want to thank all of you for your help. I finally made a purchace on Saturday.I bought the Beretta Tomcat .32 stainless for $350.00. Nice little gun however i havn't fired it yet, i'm curious to see how it performs. I have a scrap piece of burl cherry wood that i'm going to use to make some custom grips, should look pretty cool.
Thanks!