{"id":402145,"date":"2023-07-20T17:00:10","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T22:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=402145"},"modified":"2025-12-30T11:11:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T17:11:24","slug":"the-beretta-tomcat-the-worst-gun-i-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/the-beretta-tomcat-the-worst-gun-i-love\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beretta Tomcat: The Worst Gun I Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Establishing a love\/hate relationship with a gun is odd. Typically we like guns that perform well, and that often influences our overall attitudes towards the gun. Maybe I\u2019m a weirdo, and maybe it’s just my need to be a tactical hipster but one of my favorite guns is objectively one I\u2019d never suggest to anyone else: the Beretta <\/span>Tomcat<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

I love it, but if you were to ask me if you should buy one, I\u2019d probably say no. Today I\u2019m going to break down both the reasons why I love the gun and why it\u2019s not a good choice for most shooters. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why I Love the Tomcat<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n

The Beretta Tomcat<\/a> is just a cool gun. Beretta\u2019s open slide style is eye-catching and very functional. The weapon also has the famed tip-up barrel design that I\u2019ve always loved. I\u2019m not sure why, but I\u2019ve always been of the opinion that tip-up barrels are cool. This allows you to easily load a plus one and means you never have to manipulate the rather stiff slide to operate the gun. <\/span><\/p>\n

Loading and clearing are very simple. The gun is also micro-sized. Its small size makes it look like someone shrunk it. I expect Rick Moranis to come around the corner and explain, \u201cHoney, I shrunk the Beretta 92.\u201d Like the <\/span>Beretta 92<\/span><\/a>, the Tomcat is a hammer-fired DA\/SA gun, which is my favorite type of operating system. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Beretta
The Tomcat does have some real style to it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The gun fires the little .32 ACP<\/a> round, which in my opinion, is the best subcaliber choice. It\u2019s better than .380, .25, .22LR, and .22 Magnum. It\u2019s always fairly accurate. I can land a magazine\u2019s worth of ammo in the chest portion of a man-sized target at 25-five yards. The gun is also reliable and goes bang when the trigger is pressed. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is just a lot of cool factor with the Beretta Tomcat and even the Beretta Bobcat, but I wouldn\u2019t suggest them for most shooters. For the average shooter, they aren\u2019t a great option. For gun nerds like me, they are a blast. <\/span><\/p>\n

The big question is why. Why wouldn\u2019t I suggest this gun for the average shooter? <\/span><\/p>\n

Why the Tomcat Isn\u2019t for Everyone<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n

First, most people won\u2019t care for the recoil. The little .32 ACP isn\u2019t bad, but this is a straight blowback gun, and it\u2019s rather lightweight. You certainly feel the recoil, and it\u2019s a bit snappy for a little gun. There are other .32 ACP guns that use locked breaches which result in much less recoil than the Tomcat. <\/span><\/p>\n

While the gun is pretty accurate, the trigger is quite bad. Especially the double-action design. It\u2019s remarkably heavy, which is surprising for Beretta, who makes fantastic triggers in most of their guns. One of the selling points of tip-up barrels is that people with weak hands do not have to rack the slide. That heavy double-action trigger is not going to be a great option for those with poor hand strength. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"tomcat
The trigger is abysmal and quite long.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Poor trigger pull can affect accuracy, but that really only occurs with new shooters. Handgun accuracy is a bit more about grip than the trigger pull. The single action isn\u2019t bad, but it’s not impressive. It\u2019s a heavy single action. I will say you could manually cock the hammer, turn the safety on, and carry it locked and cocked like a 1911. <\/span><\/p>\n

Also, this is a thick gun. Sure, it\u2019s small and technically could be pocket carried, but the Tomcat is 1.1 inches wide, making it wider than the P365, which holds 10 rounds of 9mm. The gun itself weighs 14 ounces. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"gun
A cardboard box is all we get for a $650 gun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s almost a pound, and for reference, the aforementioned P365 weighs only 17.8 ounces. A little pocket pistol that thick and weighty needs to go on a diet. The Keltec P32 weighs 6.6 ounces and is .75 inches thick, and holds the same amount of ammo. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Number One Reason<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

The main reason I wouldn’t recommend the Tomcat to average shooters is pain \u2014 real pain from slide bite. Holy crap, does it take a chunk of me with each shot. Within one magazine, I\u2019m bleeding. I rarely shoot more than a magazine through the Tomcat. Slide bite sucks, and it eventually affects accuracy. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Beretta
One mag is all we get with the Tomcat.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You develop a flinch, and it’s rightly deserved. A flinch affects accuracy, and it makes this gun tough to train with. If you don\u2019t train with a gun, you likely won\u2019t be very good with it when it comes time to use the gun defensively. If you\u2019re shooting a Tomcat and haven\u2019t practiced working with that heavy double-action pull, you\u2019ll be in for a surprise. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why I Still Love It<\/strong> <\/span><\/h2>\n

The Tomcat is just cool. I can nitpick a few more small things like the price and all you get for $600 is a single mag and a cardboard box, but I won\u2019t. Well, I guess I already did. Anyway, I still love the Tomcat. <\/span><\/p>\n

This specific model is suppressor ready and does suppress well. <\/span>It\u2019s ultra-small and checks the boxes for some of my favorite carry guns. It’s an all-metal, DA\/SA, hammer-fired gun, and I love all those things. However, the overall execution does not make it a gun for everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"beretta
The tip-up barrel design makes it easy to load one in the pipe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you wanted a small, pocket-sized <\/span>.32 ACP<\/span>, I\u2019d point you to the <\/span>Keltec P32,<\/span><\/a> which is about a third of the price. If that\u2019s not for you, then the Seecamp offers the smallest experience in automatic handguns. If that still doesn\u2019t work, the LCP 2 in 22LR is a great gun in .22LR that\u2019s also lightweight and pocket-sized. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you are a gun nerd like me, you\u2019ll probably like the tomcat. It is just cool and unique in design. You might also wonder what the heck you\u2019ll do with it. There are better guns for carry and better guns for shooting, but the Tomcat still shines as something unique and neat. <\/span><\/p>\n

Even if it’s not so great to shoot. <\/span>
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