We truly live in the golden age of carry pistols. Options abound, from tiny pocket pistols to large revolvers, with holsters to boot. One wonders what the gun industry will come up with next. But sometimes, all we need is an update.
To that end, Beretta has reintroduced the tilt-barrel 30X Tomcat pocket pistol in three models: the Get Home Bag; the Just-in-Case; and the Do-It-Yourself.
These new Tomcats are based on the old 3032 Tomcat, with upgraded features, better ergonomics, and updated controls for today’s shooters. The model names imply the pistols’ protective application, with a nod to their likely roles as backup guns.
I recently got my hands on a 30X Tomcat Get Home Bag and ran it through its paces. Here’s what I found. Beretta provided this gun for testing and review. I do not get to keep it. We’ll start with basic specifications.
Beretta 30X Tomcat Get Home Bag Specifications
- Caliber: .32 ACP
- Capacity: 8+1
- Blowback-operated Semi-automatic
- Hammer-fired
- Barrel Length: 2.8 inches
- Overall Length: 5.3 inches
- Sight Radius: 3.4 inches
- Frame Width: 1.3 inches
- Grip Width: 1.36 inches
- Height: 4.6 inches (with mag) – 4 inches (without mag)
- Weight (Unloaded): 16.29 ounces (with mag) – 14.88 ounces (without mag)
Beretta 30X Tomcat Get Home Bag Features
The Tilt Barrel
Like the old 3032, the 30X Tomcat’s salient feature, apart from its small size, is the tilt barrel. Beretta markets this feature as the “Effortless Loading System” (ELS).
I see three primary advantages to the tilt barrel. First, the Tomcat’s short slide has very little space for a firm grip with which to rack it. The rear slide serrations help, as does a little practice, but it’s still a bit awkward, especially for someone with larger hands. Folks with weaker hands may also have issues. But the button-operated tilt barrel allows the shooter to insert a full magazine, load a round in the chamber via the breech, and snap the barrel back in place. It’s very simple and I like it.
Second, not racking the slide eliminates the need to decock the pistol once it’s loaded. The hammer stays in place throughout the loading process. The frame-mounted thumb safety technically allows the shooter to carry the Tomcat “cocked and locked” with the hammer back, though I don’t care for that technique, especially for the type of carry I envision for this gun. I much prefer the 9-lb. double action trigger to cocked and locked. You can choose to engage the easily reached and operated safety lever or not.
The third advantage to the ELS is that the gun can be easily, and quietly, topped off without ejecting the magazine or racking the slide. It’s quick and quiet. I like that option.
Controls
The 30X Tomcats have two primary updates to their controls. The 3032 Tomcat’s magazine release was a push button on the bottom of the left grip panel. It was best activated by the offhand thumb. The 30X models have gone to the American style push button at the bottom of the trigger guard. That’s a big improvement.
Second, the tilt barrel is now released by the push button just below the slide, approximately where a slide catch would be on larger handguns. The 3032 had a thumb lever in the same place. I don’t think that one is necessarily better than the other, but the button requires a slightly different operation. The tilt barrel precludes the need for a slide catch.
The hammer is very heavy when cocking the pistol manually. Personally, I only did that to test the single action trigger. If you carry cocked and locked, you can use your thumb or rack the slide. But, as noted, I prefer carrying this gun in double action mode.
The new Trident Trigger System has also been updated from the curved 3032 trigger. This skeletonized trigger’s pull is 35 percent lighter than the 3032, with a 9 lb. double action pull and a light 4 lb., 8 oz. single action pull. The DA pull is long, as you’d expect, but it’s consistent throughout, with very little slop. The break is surprisingly crisp, and I found it easy to shoot well in that mode. The reset is very short as is the resulting SA pull. The break is clean and I really like it.
The blacked-out suppressor-height sights are tall indeed, precluding a point-of-aim point-of-impact sight picture. The tall rear sight can also be used to rack the slide on a suitable surface if necessary.
Ergonomics
Pocket pistols are what they are. The small frame often makes a full grip difficult or impossible. Not so with the 30X Tomcat. Despite being a single stack .32 ACP, the Tomcat’s grip fills my hand, and the magazine’s pinky extension means I can indeed get that full grip.
The wood grip panels are nicely contoured, with Beretta’s new Helica checkering to prevent any slipping. The front and back straps are serrated as well. The beavertail is adequate to prevent slide bite, though the magazine’s pinky extension helps too, since I didn’t feel the need to force my pinky finger onto the grip itself.
Construction
The 30X Tomcats feature an aluminum frame with a carbon steel slide, trigger, and hammer. Beretta says the new Tomcats have twice the durability of the old 3032 Tomcat. The metal injection molded barrel has an aluminum exterior with an inner steel sleeve.
The Get Home Bag has wooden grip panels, with available plastic panels if you want to change them.
Running the 30X Tomcat Get Home Bag
We ran the Tomcat on the range, and we carried it. We fired the following .32 ACP test ammo, provided by our friends at Ammo-to-Go:
- 71-grain Magtech FMJ (100 rounds)
- 71-grain PMC Bronze FMJ (100 rounds)
- 71-grain PPU FMJ (50 rounds)
- 71-grain PPU JHP (18 rounds)
On the Range
Pocket pistols are always a bit suspect when it comes to shootability. The small size almost always comes at the expense of a solid grip. Almost.
I can safely say that the 30X is the most comfortable pocket pistol I’ve ever fired. The grip fills my shooting hand, and I can easily gain full purchase with all three fingers. My support hand is a bit of a challenge, as with any small handgun, but it wasn’t that bad. I used both a modified two-handed grip and a teacup style. Were I to keep this gun, I would refine it further and settle on one or the other. I also shot one-handed quite a bit.
The grip is helped by the .32 ACP round’s pleasant recoil. The Tomcat’s short barrel creates some muzzle flip, but it’s not bad, and my co-tester and I easily kept the gun on target. The gun is accurate once we learned the holds for the tall suppressor-height sights. Holding over with iron sights is less than ideal, but it can be done, and those tall sights are necessary for firing suppressed, which we did.
I had a SilencerCo Spectre 9 suppressor available, so why not? The threaded barrel beckoned.
The Spectre 9-equipped Tomcat made for delightful shooting, which I never thought I’d say about a pocket pistol. The subsonic .32 ACP, combined with the Spectre 9, made the Tomcat sound about like my unsuppressed Ruger 10/22. The already light recoil was tamed even further, and we both enjoyed that combination.
Reliability
We fired 268 rounds through the Tomcat, including 18 defensive rounds. We experienced two failures to eject with the PMC Bronze ammo, one while the gun was suppressed. The Magtech ammo yielded one failure to load. That FTL happened without the suppressor. All three malfunctions were easily cleared, and the tests continued unabated.
The Tomcat cycled the PPU jacketed hollow points with no problems. Those were all fired unsuppressed since I don’t see anyone carrying the 30X suppressed. It defeats the gun’s entire purpose.
268 rounds aren’t a lot, but this Tomcat was broken in when I received it, obviously being a test gun. Three malfunctions in 268 rounds is high for a primary defensive weapon and gives me some pause for a backup.
On the other hand, I almost never carry a backup, so the 265 successful shots perhaps weigh more favorably for the gun in that role. I would need more extensive testing to establish that for sure.
Carrying the 30X Tomcat
I don’t have a dedicated holster for the Tomcat, so I used a generic sleeve holster with a loop attachment panel. The Tomcat is light compared to normal carry pistols but gets hefty very quickly in the pocket. The hand-filling grip means it doesn’t ride unobtrusively in a trouser pocket, and the 16.29-ounce weight, not counting the ammo, is not comfortable there anyway.
I carried it in my coat pocket. The weather here has obliged, with below-freezing temperatures for the last couple of weeks.
I’m currently wearing a Viktos Blodjeger jacket with multiple pocket concealment possibilities and the Tomcat worked well in tandem. The jacket’s primary pockets are lined with a soft loop material to which I attached my holster. I felt the weight just a bit, but the Tomcat rode there just fine, and I could grip and draw it positively. The nice grip shined in that role.
The jacket also has a hidden zippered breast pocket into which the Tomcat fit almost perfectly, albeit without the holster. The gun was invisible to others, but the weight was very noticeable to me, and I didn’t care for it there.
Given the width and weight, I think the 30X is best employed in a large coat pocket or in an off-body capacity. I don’t usually like off-body carry, but it’s sometimes desirable or even necessary. The Tomcat provides a low-profile option there.
Beretta offers an optic plate for the Tomcat, but I didn’t have it. I think an optic would inhibit the gun’s concealability, all but eliminating its backup role, but maybe that’s just me. I like that Beretta gives its customers the option.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I like the 30X Tomcat quite a bit. It’s a cool little gun, not least because of the threaded barrel. I’m a big fan of the .32 ACP chambering, and I like Beretta’s choice here. It’s pleasant to shoot, while still offering a viable self-defense capability. It’s not 9mm, nor even .380, but it can work if you can shoot straight. It wouldn’t be my primary, but for a backup gun? Yeah, I like it. I also like that it makes a small gun like the Tomcat easy to practice with, while not punishing the shooter’s hand.
I think calling the 30X a “pocket pistol” is subjective. The gun’s compactness certainly fits that term, but the gun’s width and weight would keep me from dropping it in my pants pocket. A coat or jacket pocket is much better in my opinion. Your mileage may vary.
I like the Tomcat’s features, especially the tilt barrel. I think it offers a distinct advantage over other ultra-compact handguns. The controls are well-thought-out and easy to use. I still have some small reliability concerns, but I’d require more extensive testing to reach an informed conclusion there. It may well have been ammo selection, but I went with what I had.
Were I in the market for a very small handgun, I’d give the 30X Tomcat a hard look, not least because of the tilt barrel and the .32 ACP chambering. But also because of the cool factor. I know “cool” makes not a lick of difference in a gun’s effectiveness and reliability. But most of us don’t mind when it lines up that way.
Take a look at the 30X Tomcat, in whichever configuration you like best. It may work in a sometimes hard-to-fill role in your system.
