Kel-Tec P-32 vs. Tomcat?
- Thread starter ReserveCop
- Start date
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I've never had any experience with the Tomcat, so I can't say anything good or bad about them.
I CAN say that I love my little P32. It's gone EVERYWHERE with me from the day I got it. Going out on the weekend? Sure, stick it in the oversized watch pocket on carpenter-sytyle jeans. Business meetings? No prob, slips right in the front pocket on all my slacks and dockers. Shorts? Use the front pocket or behind your wallet.
The little spitwad is, IMHO, the best combination of minimum size/maximum firepower. Compare it to a Jennings 22, a Raven 25, Davis/Lorcin 32, NAA Guardians, Seecamps, Autaugas. The P-32 is lighter, thinner, and holds more rounds of a more potent caliber. The locked breech "may" cut down on recoil, but I will admit that my P-32 can be pretty snappy with hot loads and a one-handed grip.
However, the most important thing to me is reliability, and I've put almost 700 rounds of Fiochhi through it, along with 50+ rounds of various self-defense hollowpoints and it hasn't jammed or failed to fire ONCE. Not even with Cor-Bon stuff, which is supposed to be a regular jammer in P-32s.
I have mine in hard chrome, which seems to be the best choice for everyday carry. In all honesty, it's some of the best money I've ever spent for a gun, and it's a great deep-cover piece by itself or backing up my Glock 19.
NOW, WHAT I DON'T LIKE
*No, not even with the innovative design, I don't think it's worth 250-300$. 200$ max seems like a good price - heck, the new "super duper" HS2000 cost just as much, and is three times the gun the P-32 is, material wise.
*The trigger is light, but loooong and inconsistent from gun to gun. There's definitely room for improvement.
*The sights SUCK SUCK SUCK! I don't even bother trying to use them anymore. I've gotten much better results by just covering the target with the back of the slide, or point shooting. However, once you get the hang of it, you can group pretty well if you use both hands in a modified Weaver.
*Why in the name of God they made the recoil spring/guide rod retainer a separate piece of the slide I'll never know. If you lose that piece, good night Irene.
Those are my thought on the P-32.
AL
I CAN say that I love my little P32. It's gone EVERYWHERE with me from the day I got it. Going out on the weekend? Sure, stick it in the oversized watch pocket on carpenter-sytyle jeans. Business meetings? No prob, slips right in the front pocket on all my slacks and dockers. Shorts? Use the front pocket or behind your wallet.
The little spitwad is, IMHO, the best combination of minimum size/maximum firepower. Compare it to a Jennings 22, a Raven 25, Davis/Lorcin 32, NAA Guardians, Seecamps, Autaugas. The P-32 is lighter, thinner, and holds more rounds of a more potent caliber. The locked breech "may" cut down on recoil, but I will admit that my P-32 can be pretty snappy with hot loads and a one-handed grip.
However, the most important thing to me is reliability, and I've put almost 700 rounds of Fiochhi through it, along with 50+ rounds of various self-defense hollowpoints and it hasn't jammed or failed to fire ONCE. Not even with Cor-Bon stuff, which is supposed to be a regular jammer in P-32s.
I have mine in hard chrome, which seems to be the best choice for everyday carry. In all honesty, it's some of the best money I've ever spent for a gun, and it's a great deep-cover piece by itself or backing up my Glock 19.
NOW, WHAT I DON'T LIKE
*No, not even with the innovative design, I don't think it's worth 250-300$. 200$ max seems like a good price - heck, the new "super duper" HS2000 cost just as much, and is three times the gun the P-32 is, material wise.
*The trigger is light, but loooong and inconsistent from gun to gun. There's definitely room for improvement.
*The sights SUCK SUCK SUCK! I don't even bother trying to use them anymore. I've gotten much better results by just covering the target with the back of the slide, or point shooting. However, once you get the hang of it, you can group pretty well if you use both hands in a modified Weaver.
*Why in the name of God they made the recoil spring/guide rod retainer a separate piece of the slide I'll never know. If you lose that piece, good night Irene.
Those are my thought on the P-32.
AL
RazorsEdge
New member
To put any break-in problems with P-32 into perspective, there are at least a dozen modifications recommended for the famous Colt .45 ACP.
Over the years, I have bought three Colt .45 ACP M1911 type that malfunctioned right out of box.
Let he who is without sin...
Over the years, I have bought three Colt .45 ACP M1911 type that malfunctioned right out of box.
Let he who is without sin...
I'm less than 50 rounds short of 1100 through my Tomcat, and that's not counting how much (if at all) the previous owner(s) shot it. Still only two malfunctions on my watch, both during the same range session that consisted of 125 rounds (100 ball, 25 JHP) and both occurred near the end of the session when the gun was filthy.
I've fired the P-32 on multiple occasions and like it, and it's definitely easier to conceal, but my Tomcat is easier for me to shoot accurately. This is like discussing the Kahr MK9 and the HK P7M8; two good CCW pistols in my experience, both single-stack 9mm's, but they both make tradeoffs.
In my little experience with a Kel-Tec (P-11) and my longer experience with a Beretta (SB-92 and Jetfire), I'm going to choose Beretta. I, too, am having a hard time warming up to the Kel-Tec. I need to just send it in. In my opinion, these things need to work the first time around... otherwise, what's the point? I know there are more stories about probs with the Tomcat than with the P-32, but I'd take a Tomcat over a P-32 any day of the week.
Ben
Ben
Update:
Good points, folks. I did consider that the problem might have to do with limpwristing, so I made a concerted effort to counteract this and coached my girlfriend on how to avoid it, even though I didn't think that was the cause. Unfortunately, it didn't help any. Today at our second shooting session, the P32 couldn't make it through one magazine without one and sometimes two malfunctions.
Most of them seemed to revolve around the gun not wanting to eject a fired casing. The gun would lock open with a round still in the mag and an empty in the chamber. I thought maybe something was wrong with my ammo, but it did this with UMC, Blazer, and Federal ball, so I don't think so. Anyway, the fired casing will slide out of the chamber when the gun is tilted upward, so I don't think it's a chambering problem. Given that the gun worked ok for the first few mags yesterday and has become an inveterate jammer now, I'm thinking something must've broke.
Despite these problems, my girlfriend still loves the P32 as much as I love my Tomcat, and is ok with sending the gun back so long as it becomes functional in the future. I don't think I'll ever like it though, since my palm is still red from shooting it (must be the sharp checkering abrading my hand). But I can appreciate it's unbelievable smallness.
Good points, folks. I did consider that the problem might have to do with limpwristing, so I made a concerted effort to counteract this and coached my girlfriend on how to avoid it, even though I didn't think that was the cause. Unfortunately, it didn't help any. Today at our second shooting session, the P32 couldn't make it through one magazine without one and sometimes two malfunctions.
Most of them seemed to revolve around the gun not wanting to eject a fired casing. The gun would lock open with a round still in the mag and an empty in the chamber. I thought maybe something was wrong with my ammo, but it did this with UMC, Blazer, and Federal ball, so I don't think so. Anyway, the fired casing will slide out of the chamber when the gun is tilted upward, so I don't think it's a chambering problem. Given that the gun worked ok for the first few mags yesterday and has become an inveterate jammer now, I'm thinking something must've broke.
Despite these problems, my girlfriend still loves the P32 as much as I love my Tomcat, and is ok with sending the gun back so long as it becomes functional in the future. I don't think I'll ever like it though, since my palm is still red from shooting it (must be the sharp checkering abrading my hand). But I can appreciate it's unbelievable smallness.
Had A Tomcat for about two weeks,hard trigger pull(over ten pounds) and it hurt my finger,expensive junk!!!.
Got a KT P-32 and love it.
Put an Agrip on it , it will make the grip about 1/16" thicker and wont bite your hand, I also have big hands, also get the + 1 extension for the magazine.
Also It is american made!!!
The problem sounds like a bad extractor, you can call kel-tec and talk to the gunsmith they will send you one for free if that is the problem.
Great service.
BTW I traded the Tomcat for a small frame revolver.
Got a KT P-32 and love it.
Put an Agrip on it , it will make the grip about 1/16" thicker and wont bite your hand, I also have big hands, also get the + 1 extension for the magazine.
Also It is american made!!!
The problem sounds like a bad extractor, you can call kel-tec and talk to the gunsmith they will send you one for free if that is the problem.
Great service.
BTW I traded the Tomcat for a small frame revolver.
Kentucky Rifle
New member
Grapeshot/Runner
First of all, I think we've been a little quick to judge Grapeshot's experience. My chrome P-32 is a soft shooter, as most of them are. However I have heard of his problem before. For some reason, every once in a while, a P-32 comes out of the factory that doesn't act lke the vast majority. I think something is wrong with it. Almost anyone will agree that the P-32 is a pussycat to shoot. Grapeshot, I think you need to discuss your problem with Kel-Tec. I bet there is an easy "factory" fix for the recoil problem. If all of our P-32's are soft shooters, and yours is not, yours is malfunctioning. Send it back to Kel-Tec, get it fixed, and you'll feel the same way about yours as we feel about ours. Kel-Tec is pretty fast regarding repair time. Ya gotta send it back, I know you don't want to, but ya gotta.
Runner: I was going to purchase a gray grip for my hard chrome top end. However, after seeing your great picture, well...as you say, OD Green is the only way to go. Good memories..bad memories-the OD Green (and the red) was always there. Thanks buddy.
Kentucky Rifle
First of all, I think we've been a little quick to judge Grapeshot's experience. My chrome P-32 is a soft shooter, as most of them are. However I have heard of his problem before. For some reason, every once in a while, a P-32 comes out of the factory that doesn't act lke the vast majority. I think something is wrong with it. Almost anyone will agree that the P-32 is a pussycat to shoot. Grapeshot, I think you need to discuss your problem with Kel-Tec. I bet there is an easy "factory" fix for the recoil problem. If all of our P-32's are soft shooters, and yours is not, yours is malfunctioning. Send it back to Kel-Tec, get it fixed, and you'll feel the same way about yours as we feel about ours. Kel-Tec is pretty fast regarding repair time. Ya gotta send it back, I know you don't want to, but ya gotta.
Runner: I was going to purchase a gray grip for my hard chrome top end. However, after seeing your great picture, well...as you say, OD Green is the only way to go. Good memories..bad memories-the OD Green (and the red) was always there. Thanks buddy.
Kentucky Rifle
I've posted previously regarding my shooting experience with a P32, so I won't bore everyone with it again. My question is, would it not be better (and perhaps more cost-effective) for Kel-Tec to make the P32 work right in the first place rather than to offer such wonderful customer service after the fact? With the cost of shipping a handgun at present, the P32 sounds like increasingly less of a bargain if one is going to have to ship the gun back and forth. Kel-Tec does make guns that work. A good friend and shooting partner has one of their .40 caliber models and has never had a problem with it. Whether it was because the P32 was rushed into production, or they are turning them out too fast for effective QC, the P32 does not enjoy a sterling reputation as yet. It is still one of those guns that everybody says "get one even if they are of variable quality...if it works it's a good one...if it's one of the bad ones they can probably fix it." There are still too many references to customer service and fluff n' buff for me to jump on the "P32 is the greatest thing since smokeless powder" bandwagon. I'd rather they raised the price and had consistent quality than save a few dollars and get into all that other mess.
Well, I really do think there is something wrong ...
Believe me, it DOES have recoil. Having shot a lot of different types of handguns over the years, I, like a previous poster said, think that there may just be something wrong with my recoil springs if your p32's are "soft-shooting".
I am sending the gun back, and I think once functional again I will enjoy it ALMOST as much as you guys do, especially after I look into one of those A-Grips someone mentioned.
But keep in mind that I have $250 in the gun, and now I'll have to spend around $20 (?) to send it back. Well, I've only got $285 in my STAINLESS Tomcat which worked fine out of the box.
IMHO the Keltec is a good gun, just a little pricey for what you get.
$175 RETAIL would be about right.
BTW, Thanks everybody for the helpful comments!
Believe me, it DOES have recoil. Having shot a lot of different types of handguns over the years, I, like a previous poster said, think that there may just be something wrong with my recoil springs if your p32's are "soft-shooting".
I am sending the gun back, and I think once functional again I will enjoy it ALMOST as much as you guys do, especially after I look into one of those A-Grips someone mentioned.
But keep in mind that I have $250 in the gun, and now I'll have to spend around $20 (?) to send it back. Well, I've only got $285 in my STAINLESS Tomcat which worked fine out of the box.
IMHO the Keltec is a good gun, just a little pricey for what you get.
$175 RETAIL would be about right.
BTW, Thanks everybody for the helpful comments!
Clark Kent
New member
Tamara - Your P.J. O'Rourke quote is one of the best I've seen in a long time. He's crystalized into one fine gem the eloquent argument of Snyder's essay, "A Nation of Cowards." Thanx for sharing that with us.
LightningLink
New member
Grapeshot,
During my first range trip with my new, late model P32, I was too was amazed at the excessive recoil. It easily felt as bad, if not worse than my Tomcat. Little bugger dug a hole in the web of my hand after just over 100 rounds. Even my Hello Kitty pistol wasn't that vicious.
I also had other problems with it too (light primer strikes, trigger wouldn't reset, failure to extract a couple spent cases). So, off to Kel-Tec it went. Within just a few days it was back in my hands. The action was noticibly better. During it's vacation, they replaced the slide assembly, trigger bar and hammer spring.
I took it back to the range for another 100 rounds. This time, the recoil was MUCH MUCH less than the first trip. Not only did it not dig a hole in my hand, but it didn't phase the previous hole that was healing. With the exception of a few rimlocks, it was otherwise flawless. (Note: The only time I had rimlocks was when I mixed FMJ and JHP rounds in the same magazine)
I can sympithize with you regarding that for some it takes more than just the initial cost for a functioning pistol. In my case it's: P32 ($230) + Repair shipping ($15) + A-Grip ($20) + Wolff mag spring ($10) = $275. But in the end, it's what you feel more comfortable carrying. My Tomcat is an okay gun, but as mouseguns go, it's one of the biggest which precluded rear pocket carry.
LL
During my first range trip with my new, late model P32, I was too was amazed at the excessive recoil. It easily felt as bad, if not worse than my Tomcat. Little bugger dug a hole in the web of my hand after just over 100 rounds. Even my Hello Kitty pistol wasn't that vicious.
I also had other problems with it too (light primer strikes, trigger wouldn't reset, failure to extract a couple spent cases). So, off to Kel-Tec it went. Within just a few days it was back in my hands. The action was noticibly better. During it's vacation, they replaced the slide assembly, trigger bar and hammer spring.
I took it back to the range for another 100 rounds. This time, the recoil was MUCH MUCH less than the first trip. Not only did it not dig a hole in my hand, but it didn't phase the previous hole that was healing. With the exception of a few rimlocks, it was otherwise flawless. (Note: The only time I had rimlocks was when I mixed FMJ and JHP rounds in the same magazine)
I can sympithize with you regarding that for some it takes more than just the initial cost for a functioning pistol. In my case it's: P32 ($230) + Repair shipping ($15) + A-Grip ($20) + Wolff mag spring ($10) = $275. But in the end, it's what you feel more comfortable carrying. My Tomcat is an okay gun, but as mouseguns go, it's one of the biggest which precluded rear pocket carry.
LL
Hi yall
I had to send My P-32 back after just one trip to the range
I called the and they told me to send a copy of the shipping charges, and they reimbursed me with a check.It has worked flawlessly after that.I was having problems with the mags and replaced the springs with woolf's + 10%
and that was the end of my mag problems.
On the Tomcat I had to return it to Beretta for a firing pin replacement and they did not offer to pay me for the shipping, anyway it was to big,heavy and complex, compared to the p-32. And of course they are made in the republik of Maryland,USA.
Mixin ammo in the mag is a mistake and shall be avoided to prevent malfuntions.
I had to send My P-32 back after just one trip to the range
I called the and they told me to send a copy of the shipping charges, and they reimbursed me with a check.It has worked flawlessly after that.I was having problems with the mags and replaced the springs with woolf's + 10%
and that was the end of my mag problems.
On the Tomcat I had to return it to Beretta for a firing pin replacement and they did not offer to pay me for the shipping, anyway it was to big,heavy and complex, compared to the p-32. And of course they are made in the republik of Maryland,USA.
Mixin ammo in the mag is a mistake and shall be avoided to prevent malfuntions.