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Beretta "Cat" advice, help me choose!
- Thread starter JJ45
- Start date
Schlitz 45
New member
I have both of the old style. I don’t like the improved Tomcat, makes the gun so wide & bulky that there are better options in 380. 32’s are are fun but I have a hard time finding the casings for reloading. The Bobcat is very reliable using CI Stingers. For fun I’d take the 22.For pocket carry, like going to the mailbox I’d take the Tomcat-neither one are very good personal defense guns but they can have their place.
I have a Bobcat in .22lr and a Jetfire in .22 short. Both need high velocity ammunition to function 100%. I used to carry either one occasionally in a Desantis Nemesis. My LCP is what rides in my pocket as it has better reliability and .380 chambering. I do love the beretta mouse guns though, so buy either and enjoy them. They're not match pistols, but they’ll do in a pinch for self defense.
Bill DeShivs
New member
I had a Beretta Minx M4 that would shoot 2" groups at 25 yards.
I would say they are pretty accurate at further than a few yards.
I would say they are pretty accurate at further than a few yards.
The Tomcat gets the nod here as I have two.
The .32 ACP is a larger and more potent (yes, not the Hammer of Thor) than the .22lrf.
However for a number of years I carried the Tomcat as a main gun (it's hard for me to carry a larger caliber....usually) and a Taurus PT22 as the backup gun. One gun in a Bulldog pouch and the backup in a pocket holster.
With the appropriation of other .32 ACP pistols I went with carrying two for every day carry.
The change is that I now carry a Taurus G2C single stack as the main gun and a Tomcat as the backup.
Both Beretta 3032 and the 21A are fine guns. The Beretta 21A could be your cup of tea. Try them both out if you can and use the one that works out for you.
The .32 ACP is a larger and more potent (yes, not the Hammer of Thor) than the .22lrf.
However for a number of years I carried the Tomcat as a main gun (it's hard for me to carry a larger caliber....usually) and a Taurus PT22 as the backup gun. One gun in a Bulldog pouch and the backup in a pocket holster.
With the appropriation of other .32 ACP pistols I went with carrying two for every day carry.
The change is that I now carry a Taurus G2C single stack as the main gun and a Tomcat as the backup.
Both Beretta 3032 and the 21A are fine guns. The Beretta 21A could be your cup of tea. Try them both out if you can and use the one that works out for you.
First time out with a Beretta 81 I lost half my brass.I have both of the old style. I don’t like the improved Tomcat, makes the gun so wide & bulky that there are better options in 380. 32’s are are fun but I have a hard time finding the casings for reloading. The Bobcat is very reliable using CI Stingers. For fun I’d take the 22.For pocket carry, like going to the mailbox I’d take the Tomcat-neither one are very good personal defense guns but they can have their place.
Now I roll loaded rounds in a pan with some Dykem in it. The blue is hard to miss.
unclenunzie
New member
Both are nice. The tomcat will develop a crack in the frame in the thin strip of metal directly above the trigger. Some folks will remove the remaining strip of metal (I did) to eliminate possible interference with slide action. This tends to occur more often in the original non-wide version of tomcat, but there still are reports of it happening to the wide ones. I no longer concern myself with it but it's a unique quirk (or defect) of the tomcat. The bobcat has no such quirk. I like them both but know what you are getting. They are fun.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Either. I own a Bob and have shot a Tom. The Tom is pretty slightly better for SD but at up close and personal distance, does it matter?
My Bob is accurate and reliable to a point. Ammo is easier to find and cheaper than .32. No to the reliable point, my Bob is 100% reliable when clean. At around 200 rounds, the chamber gets dirty and starts to fail to extract.
Seems like a fairly common issue with the Bobs. Great gun, highly recommend, just know that going in and clean it after a range trip.
My Bob is accurate and reliable to a point. Ammo is easier to find and cheaper than .32. No to the reliable point, my Bob is 100% reliable when clean. At around 200 rounds, the chamber gets dirty and starts to fail to extract.
Seems like a fairly common issue with the Bobs. Great gun, highly recommend, just know that going in and clean it after a range trip.
You never said what purpose you intend to use the gun for. If you're going to use it for self-defense, I'd certainly recommend the Tomcat if for no other reason the increased ignition reliability of the centerfire .32 ACP over the rimfire .22 LR. The Bobcat, however, does seem to be the easier to find and less expensive gun. .22 LR ammunition is substantially cheaper than .32 ACP and has substantially less recoil (particularly in such small guns). I could see the Bobcat being useful as a fun plinker or something small and unobtrusive to be carried for dealing with snakes, rats, and other pests.
If you want a self-defense gun that's as small as possible but don't want the reliability issues inherent to the .22 LR, the Bobcat is also available in .25 ACP as are its older cousins the Model 20 and 950 Jetfire. A .25 ACP gives you similar ballistics and recoil as a .22 LR (remember published .22 LR ballistics are usually from a rifle length barrel) but has the advantage of more reliable centerfire priming (albeit at a higher price for ammo though .25 ACP is reloadable).
If you want a self-defense gun that's as small as possible but don't want the reliability issues inherent to the .22 LR, the Bobcat is also available in .25 ACP as are its older cousins the Model 20 and 950 Jetfire. A .25 ACP gives you similar ballistics and recoil as a .22 LR (remember published .22 LR ballistics are usually from a rifle length barrel) but has the advantage of more reliable centerfire priming (albeit at a higher price for ammo though .25 ACP is reloadable).