Beretta Tomcat 3032 - firing mechanism problem

TheWhiteRabbit

TheWhiteRabbit

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This is my first pistol, bought it brand new and after putting just three magazines through it the firing mechanism intermittently fails. This happens if I rack the slide with the hammer down - the hammer cocks, the slide resets, but the trigger has to be pulled about a dozen times before it finally releases the hammer (this happens with the gun empty - haven't tried it loaded). If I manually cock the hammer all the way, it seems to release ok.

I sent it in for warranty repair but am now concerned about reliability. Haven't read about this particular problem with the Tomcat online though. Most of its issues seem to involve cracking frames with hot ammo, but I was firing PMC Bronze, which meets the 130ft-lbs limit recommended by Beretta.

Has anyone experienced something like this? Once this is fixed, can I depend on this Tomcat for self-defense? (I realize there are folks who might say no due to caliber or magazine capacity)
 
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Not the same issue, but as a fellow Tomcat owner I will share that 3 or 4 magazines is about all I can run without it getting dirty enough to cause problems. My particular problem is that the tip-up barrel will not lock back down when dirty, but cleaning is a fix that works 100% of the time.

Good on you for having the finger strength to rack the slide with the hammer down. I would never discover this problem if I have it because I only load using the tip-up barrel...which is how I discovered the problem I DO have.

All that said, I use it as my pocket gun all the time, and I have never had a misfire from a starting "loaded clean" condition so I trust it will work when I need it to.
 
I don't have the .32 version, but have 2 of the .22 version and have never had any issue like you describe.

When you rack the slide, is it fully cocking the hammer? I can't remember, does the pistol have a magazine safety, where it will not fire without the magazine being in the pistol?
 
beamernc said:
When you rack the slide, is it fully cocking the hammer? I can't remember, does the pistol have a magazine safety, where it will not fire without the magazine being in the pistol?
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It's supposed to, and it looks fully cocked, but apparently it's only 99% of the way there. If I nudge it down all the way it seems to fire normally. No mag safety.
 
I checked on my model 21A's and they do not do what you describe.

Have you shot the pistol by placing a round in the barrel, tipped up and then shooting it double action? Does it fire correctly this way?

My wife always had trouble racking the slide, so she just tipped the barrel up to load it and they shot it either single or double action.
 
beamernc said:
Have you shot the pistol by placing a round in the barrel, tipped up and then shooting it double action? Does it fire correctly this way?

My wife always had trouble racking the slide, so she just tipped the barrel up to load it and they shot it either single or double action.
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Double action works fine, it's just the single-action pull that has problems. The slide is definitely tough to rack with the hammer down, manageable if it's cocked. The tip-up barrel is this pistol's best feature.
 
If you sent it back and Beretta fixes it, you should then test it. If it functions to your satisfaction, then what’s the problem?

Give Beretta a chance to fix it.
 
Also, there are very few scenarios where you should be racking the slide on a tip up Beretta. There is no extractor so you can’t remove a live round or a stuck case this way.

You could rack slide to load, but why? Now you have to lower the hammer on a loaded chamber to carry. Then you have to top off the mag. Just put in a full mag and load one in the tipped up barrel.

Lastly, I’ve found the mouse gun Berettas to run well only if clean. Again, there is no extractor so the only thing getting that case out is gas pressure. If the chamber is dirty, that ain’t gonna happen.
 
I do hope Beretta fixes it, I really like the Tomcat - there's no other pocket pistol I'd rather carry. And I agree that racking the slide is not necessary for operation, but it should work properly regardless. I want to be able to trust this pistol with my life.
 
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beamernc said:
Have you shot the pistol by placing a round in the barrel, tipped up and then shooting it double action? Does it fire correctly this way?

My wife always had trouble racking the slide, so she just tipped the barrel up to load it and they shot it either single or double action.
Click to expand...
This is the way they were meant to be used. We have them here in .22 Short, .22LR, 25acp and 32 auto. Nary a problem, ever.
 
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