Finally found a Beretta Tomcat .32 for the wife!

[larry0071]

I have been hitting local shops looking for a Beretta Model 21 in .22L or .32 for a few months and I keep hearing that this small pocket pistol is very tough to order for the dealers right now. Finally, I walked into one of my shops I frequent on Tuesday to bullshit and Tim (the shop owner) says to me "Larry, I think I might have something here that is yours.... or will be soon..." and he lays a bright blue box on the counter! He opened it up and handed me my prize, a nice black Beretta .32 that I have been wanting for my wife! Yes! I got it! And even better, it is the Tomcat .32 and not the .22L version! Sweet! So $390 gets'er done! Now, all I need to do is find freaking AMMO for the .32!!! No one has .32 ammo around this area! WTF!!!??? I thought being a .32, it would be an uncommon round that should still be in stock..... I mean... come on, not many folks carry this small of a pistol caliber! I have been proven wrong. So soon, I will get some .32 via mail order and I will take her out to try it out. She is so happy, this evening she took it for a ride to her dad's house to show him...lol.... she likes it.

Picture also has my 1990 Glock model 17 9mm

I did good!

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/Glock9mmandBerettaTomcat32.jpg

[SoulStealer]

Nice Beretta.

I feel your pain on finding .32 ammo. I have a P32 and have been having a hard time finding local ammo for it myself.

[Kilroy]

Make sure the intended user fully understands the manual of arms for this pistol. It is a great gun, but very demanding when it comes to loading, firing, unloading and general carry.

A lot of dry firing may cause the firing pin to break, so use snap caps made for that purpose.

[ThirdWatcher]

Inspect the frame regularly for cracks in the area of the trigger assembly. There's a lot of info about this over at www.BerettaForum.net

[larry0071]

I looked at that forum your talking about, are those pictures they show of the area that the trigger come through, or is that what is exposed when you pull the upper slide back to charge the pistol?

I also caught wind in that thread about a possable updated design that can be recognized by the longer safety lever, this Beretta 3032 has the longer safety lever, so maybe there is a chance that I won't have that crack issue. I still have not ordered any ammo and I can not find any local, so it may be a couple weeks before I get it out and hammer some rounds through it. My brother in law has a .32ACP and he had 8 spare rounds plus what is in his pistol, he gave me those 8 rounds, and I loaded her mag with 7 of them and she has the pistol in her purse... I don't want to fire the few rounds I have until I can buy a box or 3 to replace what we shoot.

I took better pictures today, the first one I posted was not too clear.

The Glock is there for size comparison, as EVERYONE knows the size of a Glock.

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_2511.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_2512.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_2516.jpg

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http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_2519.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_2521.jpg

[larry0071]

Also, I noticed in that thread that they (Beretta) are often times replacing the 3032 blued steel pistol with the full stainless version. If this one happens to develop that same defect/crack, I would be sad to take the stainless version in place of the black. Part of what I enjoy with the black is how "invisible" it is on your hip, in her purse, or where ever you carry it. The stainless is pretty, but it is also more flashy and is more likely to draw an eye to it that would have otherwise never took notice of a black object.

I open carry my Glock when it is hot out and most of the time very few folks notice it. Of those that do, I feel that most of them assume I am an off-duty police officer and don't pay much attention. Very few folks stare and act like they are overly interested in me. If I had a bright stainless steel weapon, I feel that the numbers in each group would shift towards few not seeing it, and most folks seeing it as thier eyes would naturally seek out the shiny and unusual things in thier surroundings. Stealthy is good.

[ThirdWatcher]

I like my pistols dark, too. Hopefully, Beretta has corrected the frame cracking problem. If you do have a problem with the pistol, they'll correct it.

[larry0071]

I know that most of you do not care for my choice in my wife's pocket pistol, but I thought I would show ya all why I personally like the Beretta mini auto pistols. I have had the model 21 in .22L for a long while. My wife and I were discussing it and she feels I purchased it new some time about 1983. I could be off by 2 years +/-, but the point being is that I had gained some amount of affection for this little thing and have spent many hourss and days with it silently in my front jeans pocket or in my cargo pants at a time that my larger pistol would not have been allowed or accepted depending on the situation. As many of you that carry concealed know, concealment is something you have to think about as you choose your clothing when you carry something like my Model 17. There are times and clothing that warrant the Glock stays at home. On those days, I do everything I can to make sure I have my little Beretta.

I have no clue how many rounds have went through the Beretta .22L pistol you see in the picture, but I know that saying 1,000 rounds is no where near close. When I was younger, this was my first pistol I had ever shot/bought/carried. I know that the first couple years would see me taking this thing out with some paper plates and putting a couple hundred rounds down its throat each time it went out. I have always cleaned my guns (pistols and rifles) after each time I fired them, so I can not say what happens with the non-extractor Beretta after 500 or 1,000 rounds are fed to them. Mine has never had near that put through it without a scrubbing and oiling.

I do love the wood grips on the old Model 21, I wish I could have another set of them for the new 3032, but it appears Beretta does not make them like this any longer. I have seen a couple aftermarket options for wood grips, I may give that a try.

So with no futher blah-blah-blah from me, I present to you my old pal and his new room mate!

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_3039.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_3040.jpg

http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_3041.jpg

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http://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp174/larry0071/Pistols/100_3044.jpg

[decodeddiesel]

I always thought the little Beretta pocket pistols were sweet. Nice little BUG you got there, let us know how it shoots.

[larry0071]

The tracking from Midway came in today, it is scheduled for delivery tomorrow... 150 rounds of FMJ ball. So this coming weekend we will head into the yard to try it out. I'll try to take pics of the wife shooting it.... if she will let me.