I'm contemplating getting one of the above, a 3032 Tomcat 32ACP or 21 Bobcat Inox 22LR. Any thoughts on reliability and usefulness of one over the other?

For me it's mostly the design that interests me and likely I'd never carry either as a back up, but who knows.

Centerfire is inherently more reliable ammunition.

Rimfire pistols are notoriously finicky.

.32 ACP, though no barn burner, is ballistically superior to .22 LR (out of a handgun).

The choice is clear.

Thanks for that, para!

Plus the Bobcats, while very fun are even more finicky than other 22’s. I once spent a couple months trying to figure one of my Bobcats, break the code so to speak. I ran at least a case through it trying to figure it out. I ended up fiddling with the mags to cure nose high feeds. I figured out I had to boresnake it every 50 rounds. Mine liked Min mags. It would choke something fierce with anything else. Poor sights. No extractor. The no extractor made malfunction drills a chore at times. All that said I still kinda love the gun. Horrible for SD though.

The Tomcats have their own issues but follow Berettas rules and keep the round count low and it will do what you ask.

Thanks, pedro. I guess it is a crappy design, but it has a unique operation for sure. It all makes it intriguing.

Also read the manual. The Tomcat needs rounds that produce under 130 foot pounds, or standard velocity ammo. I say read the manual because my memory is horrible and I no longer have one. DO NOT go for the hot self defense ammo.

Good info. Thanks, Fred.

For a defensive pistol, I'd much rather have a .32 (or almost anything center-fire for that matter) over a .22LR. That said, with Berettas there are some caveats.

The Tomcats at one time had some issues with cracked frames. I'm not sure if they fixed that or not via design updates over the years, but at least at one point it was an issue. A shooting buddy told me a story about him and another cop on his department each picking up a Tomcat from an LGS on the same day. They were excited to shoot them and went straight to the department range, where they broke both guns in the first hundred rounds. I doubt they were all that bad, but he's never had anything good to say about the baby Berettas since.

For a range gun, .22 is also nicer than .32. It's way cheaper to shoot, and if you reload you don't have to worry about losing your brass, because you can't reload it anyway. I enjoy shooting .32s, but I find that my Smith 31 goes to the range a lot more than my Beretta 81 because I don't have to chase the brass.

I had a Bobcat (the older model 20, not the 21) at one point, but it was in .25 ACP. It had a few reliability issues, but overall was a decent little gun. I hardly ever shot it, though, because ammo was expensive to just plink with at the range, and it wasn't really a viable defensive tool with the useless sights a diminutive caliber. I ended up selling it, but if it had been in .22LR I'd probably still have it.

I have a Tomcat that's pushing 1200 rds. They did have an issue with a hairline crack in the frames many years ago (the gun was still safely functional). Beretta beefed up the slide & the issue has seemed to disappear. You can shoot the "hotter" ammo in them but don't make a habit of it. They aren't built for it.
The European ammo is hotter than US made but perfectly safe to fire.

For me, it's a great little pocket sized gun & makes a great BUG. Also due to being .32 acp (which is no slouch defensively) there is low recoil & given it's 7+1 capacity makes it worthwhile for my purposes. It might be for yours too.

I want to add that you should stick with either FMJ or Underwood ammo with the Lehigh defense bullet. Some Tomcats are finicky with hollow points.

the 3032 Tomcat is my preferred choice.

I have had both, a couple of points:

The size difference is bigger than one might think from looking at pictures.

The 3032 has a reputation for frame cracking, hotter ammmo should be avoided.

I guess if I could only have one, and it was just to be an example for "appreciating the design" I would have to go for the 21A. It's the more "elegant" interpretation of the design. If possible I would try to find an older example though. It would be hard for me to "appreciate" the warning billboard on the slide.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: lechiffre,

I really wanted a .32 Tomcat at one point but picked one up at a gun show and it was a fat little thing and not anything you could pocket carry without having a big lump in your pants.

IMO there are so many better choices in pocket pistols these days and not these two.

If you really want to go Beretta and pocket pistol, a guy I work with has a Pico and really likes it:

Got an email that PSA has the Tomcat for $399 and there is a rebate making the net price $249. Of course you can use the rebate with any Beretta dealer....

Link PSA


Link Rebate Beretta

It's the PSA email that got me thinking about these. There is a PSA location not very far from me.

As I said, I doubt I'd ever carry either of these; it's more the look/design that intrigues me.

I have a Kahr PM9, S&W 642 and a SIG 365...so this purchase would be more for fun than duty.

Thanks for the additional comments.