Beretta Tomcat issues

C

coz

New member
My bride just purchased a Beretta Tomcat .32 as she was discouraged from the Keltec p-32 by some guys at the Gun Show.

Well, when we shot it we were summarily unimpressed with the first few magazines.

After 4 magazines with one jam of some sort with each, then a half magazine that jammed, we were very dissapointed.

We went through 50 FMJ's and the last three mags (not necessarily full) including some hydrashoks fed fine and worked ok.

This was new weapon stainless and black, and I had not cleaned it as it seemed ok.

I am wondering if anyone has experience with the Tomcat and if this is typical. Also, was the fact that it was getting "broken in" a factor.

She is about to trade it in for the Keltec. She wants this for concealed carry and wants to rely on it.

Any opinions? Experience?

Thanx
 
Short answer: The gun sucks.

Long Answer: Tomcat horror stories abound. Many people, some on this board, seem to be blessed with luck in life and have purchased models that were flawless. Tamara, a moderator here, will defend this gun tooth and nail. I suppose if I had a flawless model I would, too. However, every Tomcat I have ever seen fired was an abysmal little jam monkey, and is worth more as a paperweight than as a defensive pistol.

The PD to which I belong allowed the Tomcat as an off-duty weapon until the ordnance staff noted the alarmingly high number of failures during qualifications, and could not isolate the problem to technique or maintenance. They decided that the officers were, in fact, shooting the little beasts correctly, feeding them correctly, and caring for them properly- and they still were jamming regularly. So they took them off the approved list and officers who still had them (not many, I assure you) were required to obtain more suitable weapons for off-duty and backup use.

YMMV,
Mike
 
Hey, if it's a lemon, bail on it.

Mine works fine, but it's definitely in the minority for the early model ones.

The later "widebody" guns tend to be, on the whole, better, but they still have their share of defective ones.

If you get one that works, they have their advantages (easier to fire accurately than the other micro-.32's, the tip-up barrel) and disadvantages (they break when dry-fired and the aluminum frame won't stand up to hot euro .32 ball).

The P-32 is a fine gun, although be aware that they sometimes require a "fluff-n-buff" to work reliably out of the box.
 
First off, I'd hold off judgment on any gun until several hundred rounds are fired. After that, if you're still experiencing failures, I'd start thinking about addressing the problem. IMO, the Keltec or the Tomcat is probably as likely to be a problem or a good shooting gun. Since I like the attributes of the Keltec better as a deep concealment gun, the choice was simple for me. I just think it's a much easier gun to live with, once you accomplish reliable operation.
 
Tomcat

I had a Tomcat with the Ashley sights (Alley Cat). I didn't have any problems with it jamming, but the barrel developed a symmetrical bulge that was alarming. I sent the gun back to Beretta. They repaired it and returned it with no further explanation. I also had a stainless steel (Inox, wide body) Tomcat for a while. It was very difficult to shoot, seemed to be much more difficult to control than my other Tomcat. I've since used both guns as trade in the purchase of other pistols.

The Tomcat that I currently have seems to jam quite a bit but it's still pretty new. I've probably put about 200 rounds through it to break it in, and have kept up with cleaning and maintenance. There's a lot about the Tomcat that I like, which is why I'm giving it one last try. If it continues to perform erratically I'll probably sell it.

I recently purchase a Kel-Tec P32. I wasn't expecting a lot from it but I have to say I'm impressed. The recoil is not as harsh as the Tomcat and it's surprisingly accurate once you figure out the sights. I bought the plain blued model. If I were to do it again I'd possibly go for the stainless (chrome?) model. I did follow the Fluff & Buff instructions that I'd read about here on the forum and it seems to help a lot, especially polishing the feed ramp. If you do the Fluff & Buff just be sure to follow the directions closely and take your time, so you don't end up sanding and polishihng your P32 down to a nub.

Hope this helps!
 
marca,

You do know that you can send your slide to Keltec and for $20 they'll swap it for the hard chromed one, right?
 
Thanx for the replies y'all!

I think we'll give it another try at the range. I've cleaned it up and stuff....

If it jams even once. It's gone.

I have a Keltec P-11. Heard all the horror stories. First 400 rounds and I've not had a single jam........

So, I want her to feel safer and more confident in her weapon.

Thanx again
 
Coz,
I recently bought the "Alleycat" version of the Tomcat. I put 200 rounds of PMC ball ammo through it in the first session at the range. I got some jams. My second time out I used Winchester ball without a single jam. Others have said the gun isn't particular about its diet except it doesn't like Fiocci.

I'm surprised you didn't complain about the trigger. They're very tight when new and have to be broken in.

I'm disappointed in Beretta. They boast about how they've been around since the 1500s, and yet they can still release a half-baked product like this on a trusting public. But I'm with you in that I like a lot about the gun and will try to work through the bugs before trading it in.

Dwight M S :(
 
Tomcat break-in

Mine got one malfunction each with the first four mags through it. After that, it functioned without flaw through several hundred rounds. The only malf i had with it after the initial shooting was with a Frag-safe Defecator round that swelled tight into the chamber and caused the slide to bounce enough to cause a double feed .
Before shooting the gun, I cleaned and lubed it carefully and kept it in that condition from then on.
Wrote it up in GUNS magazine as "Building a Better Mousegun" complete with pictures of the Incredible Hulk holding it.

A local guy shot one several thousand rounds until he perceived he had worn it out. More likely it was only his magazine that went south.

Pretty quickly after they came out, the company warned against dry firing. All-in all , it seemed a very well made product.
 
Not sure what kind of "jams" you had, but one thing Tomcats and (I've heard) other .32's are prone to is rimlock.

The only times I've had trouble with my Tomcat are when I haven't tapped the mags after loading them. Since it became SOP for me to do this and to use FMJ ammunition, it hasn't bobbled once.
 
I bought a NIB Tomcat about a year ago and I love it! I've put about 300 rounds though it (FMJ and HP) and the only problem I've had was a failure to feed which was caused by the slide biting my weak hand index finger as it closed. I diagnosed the cause by observing the blood dripping off the end of it! My own fault...I don't blame the pistol. Make sure you are holding that baby tight to avoid any limp-wristing effect.
 
My very first post here.

We were just talking about the Tomcats at www.1911forum.com this morning.

I bought one in August and had no problems reliability wise, but I've only put 100rds through it. One box of Remington FMJ and a box of Winchester Hollowpoints.

It was quite accurate compared to some of my other minis(SW380, 342PD, POS Jennings). One warning I have is to only use the tip of your finger during the DA cycle. If you use the 1st & 2nd digit joint, the flesh sometimes gets caught behind the trigger, stopping it's travel.

Also, be real carefull if you take off the left side grip-panel. The safety's spring and plunger will go flying. I had to use a large magnet to comb the carpeted floor a few nights ago. It is also a bit of a trick re-insalling the panel.

I hadn't really touched it since it was purchased. I just found it the other night and started tinkering. I thought about replacing the plastic grips with rubber. I then started searching for grip information in the BERETTA section at www.pistlsmith.com and heard of all the horror stories about the Tomcat.

Several examples of frame and slide breakage. And an email to a poster from the factory stating the gun was designed to be loaded and carried but not fired(???).

My visual inspection places it well above some of the firearms I've owned in terms of engineering, and those guns have lasted thousands of rounds. Perhaps the problems are alloy related.

I was pleased with it when I test-fired. It seems very easy to carry if you like little guns. I just dedicate all CCW to my steel-framed 1911s and wouldn't consider anything smaller than .45 anymore. Concealed carry should be comforting, not comfortable. Tiny .32 caliber slugs don't comfort me.

I paid $249 for mine new. I would recomend it to anyone who NEEDS to carry a gun this size and is on a budget. But now they are making 12 ounce .357 magnums(S&W's TiSc line) which GREATLY exceed the energy levels produced by the .32 Tomcat, while still weighing less.

Just had to share some thoughts.
 
The gun is disposable for one thing its desgined around a 1000 round service life. Mine broke its firing pin at about 900 rounds and they sent me a new gun. Also it jammed every 4 or 5 times per 100 rounds. It was not reliable enough for my tastes. I like 0 jams per 10000 rounds. I will say it was an accurate little pistol. IT was more reliable than a NAA Guardian auto I tried.
PAT
 
the factory got really upset

when somebody put out a letter saying that the TC was a 900 round platform. They came back and denied it. The only one I've seen that was screwed up was a local example where the guy had bent or broken that spring under the grip trying to install some ill-fiting rubber grips.
 
I sold my Tomcat as I considered it to be less-than-reliable. I do have the Tomcat's baby brother: Bobcat in .22LR. This is a good little mouse gun but it is very picky about the ammo it gets.

I sold my Tomcat and bought a Kahr MK9. There is NO comparison. The Kahr is light-years ahead of the Tomcat. 9MM is a damn sight better than .380 also.

I have had very marginal success with Beretta semi autos and I have sold them all, with the exception of the Bobcat.

PG
 
Wow, I'm glad I've got one of the good ones! I bought one of the Widebody Inox models last year...have probably put 400-500 rounds through it (all FMJ, various brands). I've had ZERO failures of any type. The only problem was the slide biting my relatively meaty hand...I modified my grasp and eliminated that.

I've heard so many horror stories about these things...but mine works, all the time.
 
Bye bye Tomcat

Well, I finally gave up on my Tomcat and sold it today. As I said in a previous post, I really want to like the Tomcat. It's small, it's easy to grip, I like the tip-up barrel and I like the safety mechanism. And, it just looks cool! But, after cleaning, lubing, shooting, and a decent break-in period, I still had a lot of misfeeds with various ammo. I've already been through the expense of shipping my last defective Tomcat to Beretta and didn't really want to go through the expense and wait with this one. I know there are some good Tomcats out there somewhere, because a lot of people have posted great feedback. But, I've had 2 different Alley Cats and they've both had too many problems. This isn't a blanket condemnation of Tomcats, just my unfortunate luck with the ones I've had.:(
 
Oh boy, I must live on another planet. I do not own a Tomcat, but everyone who I know owns one loves theirs. Until this thread I really didn't know about these problems that people are having.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top