The Beretta 3032 Tomcat and Beretta 3032 Tomcat Inox are semi-automatic
pocket pistol
In American English, a pocket pistol is any small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol (or less commonly referencing either derringers, or small revolvers), and is suitable for concealed carry in either a coat, jacket, or trouser pocket.
Pocket ...
s designed and manufactured by
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapon Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and militar ...
. They are chambered in
.32 ACP
.32 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol, also known as .32 Automatic) is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pi ...
(a.k.a. 7.65 mm Browning) and are small pistols, designed for concealed-carry and use as backup weapons. The Beretta 3032 Tomcat builds on a long line of small and compact pocket pistols for
self defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...
manufactured by Beretta. The allure and popularity is commonly attributed to the loading procedure, which does not require the user to "rack" the slide to chamber a round, but rather place a round in the
tip-up barrel
A tip-up barrel is a type of semi-automatic pistol design in which the barrel can be swung up and away from the firing pin, pivoting around a hinge set into the frame near the muzzle. Such a design allows a round to be inserted directly into th ...
before the
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
is inserted. This is especially popular for those with weaker or smaller hands.
Specifications
The Beretta 3032 Tomcat is a simple
blowback pistol with a single- and double-action
trigger
Trigger may refer to:
Notable animals and people
;Mononym
* Trigger (horse), owned by cowboy star Roy Rogers
;Nickname
* Trigger Alpert (1916–2013), American jazz bassist
* "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), American gangster
;Surname
* Bru ...
mechanism.
It also features a
tip-up barrel
A tip-up barrel is a type of semi-automatic pistol design in which the barrel can be swung up and away from the firing pin, pivoting around a hinge set into the frame near the muzzle. Such a design allows a round to be inserted directly into th ...
.
It is fitted with a
frame
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
-mounted thumb
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
. This safety acts as a slide stop when engaged. The frame is made of
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
alloy
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...
while the
slide
Slide or Slides may refer to:
Places
* Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998
* ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018
*''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...
and
barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...
are
carbon steel
Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states:
* no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...
in the standard version and
stainless steel
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
in the "Inox" variant.
A document included with all Model 3032 Tomcat pistols warns that the owner should never use ammunition that exceeds of muzzle energy. Notably, even normal factory .32 ACP cartridges have become significantly more powerful in recent decades, and can well exceed the 130 ft-lb limit of the pistol's initial design, one that Beretta continues to use to this day. Representatives of Beretta USA have often recommended that owners purchase their .32 ACP ammunition online, so that the muzzle energy is properly verified in specification charts. Use of any ammunition that exceeds this rating may cause irreparable or prohibitively expensive damage to the firearm, most commonly manifesting as a crack on the frame.
Notably, the design omits an extractor mechanism, thus, the firearm relies solely on the blowback energy of the cartridge to extract and eject spent casings.
Beretta recommends caution when removing grip panels, as the safety mechanism is retained underneath with spring tension. Parts can be lost during improper removal, making the firearm inoperable until repaired. The barrel should also not be completely removed from the assembly, which may cause frame damage.
Variants
The model 3032 Tomcat is available in an "Inox" variant, with stainless steel barrel and slide and the frame anodized for a similar aesthetic.
For a short time, a titanium-framed model was also available.
Previously, Beretta offered a variant of the Tomcat possessing
tritium
Tritium ( or , ) or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with half-life about 12 years. The nucleus of tritium (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus o ...
night sights referred to as the "Alley Cat," which was discontinued in the late 2000s.
In 2020, Beretta began offering a "Covert" model with wooden grip panels and a factory threaded barrel.
[Wood, Keith.]
Beretta 21A Bobcat and 3032 Tomcat Pistols: Two Cool Cats
" ''Handguns Magazine''. March 4, 2021.
See also
*
Beretta Mini Pistols This page is a listing of major Beretta Mini Pistols variants from around the world.
Below is the list of Beretta Mini Pistols.
Table of Beretta Mini Pistols
{,
, - bgcolor=#ddeeff
, Model number, , Round , , Total Length(mm), , Barrel Length ...
*
List of firearms
This is an extensive list of small arms—including pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, personal defense weapons, carbines, designated marksman rifles, flamethrowers, multipl ...
*
Taurus PT-22
The PT22 is a .22 LR semi-automatic pistol produced by Taurus and features an 8+1 round capacity magazine. The PT22 is often viewed as a Taurus copy of the Beretta 21 Bobcat due to having a similar " tip up" barrel. In fact this small pistol is ...
References
External links
BerettaUSA Pocket GunsManual
{{Beretta firearms
Beretta firearms
3032
.32 ACP semi-automatic pistols