# New Beretta 3032 owner needs HELP!



## ken2925 (Jan 21, 2010)

Hello folks, I bought my first ever Beretta, a .32ACP Tomcat. My problem is this, how accurate should this pistol be? At 3 yards it shoots about 6 to 8 inches low. My 3032 Has the big dot front sight and to hit the torso area I have to aim at the belt buckle area or below to hit center of mass on a target. Is this as good as it gets? Also, if I have to send this week old pistol back for repair, do I have to pay for the shipping costs? Any help and advice from you folks will be greatly appreciated, KC.


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## Ric70506 (Aug 27, 2011)

Why would you think that you might need to send your Tomcat back to Beretta for repair? What do you think they are going to be able to "fix"? With the the 24/7 "Big Dot" sights, the "AlleyCat" is what it is. It is not a target pistol. As long as you know the gun shoots consistently 6 to 8 inches low at 3 yards and you can get consistant groups, that is all you need to know. Adjust your point of aim to place the point of impact where you want it to be. The regular sights on a Tomcat are small and hard to see. It is more of a point and shoot type weapon. It sounds like you have figured out where to point it and that is half the battle. Good luck.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

It should shoot much better than that. I'd try different sight pictures and backing up a bit to see if you can get the groups up. Try shooting off a bench as well. Being it's a new pistol and your new to the gun I'd give it a couple more range trips. It's a mouse gun so you may have to get used to shooting it.


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## Cat (Apr 12, 2011)

.32ACP Tomcat are nice pistols. You will get the hang of it,The BG380 was fun for me to get to know the pistol. Small pistols are all the same.Takes a little time to get to know them. Like that first kiss. :smt033


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

1. Hold the pistol tighter.
2. Press the trigger straight back, using the tip-joint of your finger.

Your pistol shoots low because you are using poor trigger control. It is possible that you are "jerking" the trigger, maybe as part of a "flinch" reaction.
Shooting a tiny pistol accurately, effectively, and well is _very_ difficult. Even using a "lightweight" cartridge like the .32 ACP, you will notice a tendency to flinch against anticipated recoil.

Here's the fix: Buy a set of snap-caps (dummy cartridges made specially for trigger practice). Next time you shoot, have someone else load your magazine, secreting one snap-cap in it somewhere (but not as the first shot). Ask that person to observe your technique, as you shoot through the magazine-full. I bet that he (or she) will see you jerk the pistol downwards, as you "fire" that one inert cartridge.
When you get home, empty your pistol and magazine(s), and place *all* of your live ammunition in another room. Load the pistol with your snap-caps, and use them for trigger practice. Get the pistol's muzzle within three or four inches of a blank wall (with no definite aiming point) and fire a "shot" while paying close attention to keeping the pistol's muzzle in the same place through the entire trigger press. Do that some more (maybe 10 minutes-worth). Then put the pistol away.
Next day, do another 10 minutes-worth, and so on for the rest of the week. Then go to the range and fire some live ammunition. You will see a marked improvement, and your bullets will hit where you want them to.

Practice every day.
Have a friend put a snap-cap randomly into your magazines at the range, once a week, and have him/her watch for jerking.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> 1. Hold the pistol tighter.
> 2. Press the trigger straight back, using the tip-joint of your finger.
> 
> Your pistol shoots low because you are using poor trigger control. It is possible that you are "jerking" the trigger, maybe as part of a "flinch" reaction.
> ...


Excellent advice! The Beretta Tomcat I believe is the Cadillac of the 32's, more than likely it's your shooting form as opposed to the fixed sights. The .32 does have some snap to it and it does bark, so make sure you're wearing hearing protection as you practice. I agree with Steve you should see improvement if you follow his advice. Pistols are the most challenging of all firearms to master and pocket pistols compound that by 2. If you go to a range, or if you know anyone proficient at shooting small pistols you should let them give it a try and you should see it's not the pistol.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

ken2925 said:


> Hello folks, I bought my first ever Beretta, a .32ACP Tomcat. My problem is this, how accurate should this pistol be? At 3 yards it shoots about 6 to 8 inches low. My 3032 Has the big dot front sight and to hit the torso area I have to aim at the belt buckle area or below to hit center of mass on a target. Is this as good as it gets? Also, if I have to send this week old pistol back for repair, do I have to pay for the shipping costs? Any help and advice from you folks will be greatly appreciated, KC.


ken, reading your results a little closer you say the pistol shoots 6-8 inches low, but in order to hit center mass you need to aim at the belt buckle or below? Whats your center of mass?


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## DanP_from_AZ (May 8, 2009)

denner said:


> ken, reading your results a little closer you say the pistol shoots 6-8 inches low, but in order to hit center mass you need to aim at the belt buckle or below? Whats your center of mass?


That didn't make sense to me either. "We've" got something backwards here.

But, Steve has the proven solution.

I've had a Tomcat for about 10 years. Little sights, of course. Just a $200 NIB whim when a shop was going out of business.
I LIKE it. Just for fun. It's a both eyes open, kinda look at the sights as you point and shoot gun. Hits close enough to where I'm looking for me.
And I think the tip barrel is a very "elegant" solution to the nasty heavy "blowback spring" problem in a tiny semi-auto.
And yep, my 'cat has a bark that surprised me at first. Let's see, "cat", "bark", well you get the idea.

It's not at the bottom of my CCW guns to carry. It is not even ON my list. YMMV.


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## DanP_from_AZ (May 8, 2009)

denner said:


> Excellent advice! The Beretta Tomcat I believe is the Cadillac of the 32's, . . .


OH MAN ! ! !

I hope there are no Seecamp owners who know where you live ! :anim_lol:


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## ken2925 (Jan 21, 2010)

My bad on explaining where pistol is hitting. If I want to hit center mass, chest area, I have to hold at target head level or 6 to 8 inches high. My main grip is that the only other semi-auto that shot that far off out of box was a Taurus 24/7, which I tried every thing and finally traded off. I went this past weekend to an indoor range with my wife, and off a rest the pistol shot that low for me, my wife( who can really shoot!) and the shop owner. All of us shot low and simply all shots kinda stayed within about a 5 inches of each other. At the same distance and out to five yards, we have a NAA Black Widow .22 magnum( short barrel version ) which will fill your shirt pocket with 5 rounds of .22 longs or .22 Mags. I did not buy this gun to be a target pistol or my main carry piece, I have a Sig P239 that has that job. I bought it to be a slip in pocket on store run pistol. I have no other complaints about the pistol, well built, right size, has not refused to shot any of the ammo I have ran thru it. I just hoped it would be a little more accurate. Thanks for all the input folks, KC.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

OK, *Ken*, then just file the front sight down a little.
No need to send it to Beretta.

Lowering the front sight will raise the point of impact.


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## TedDeBearFrmHell (Jul 1, 2011)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> OK, *Ken*, then just file the front sight down a little.
> No need to send it to Beretta.
> 
> Lowering the front sight will raise the point of impact.


lol.... the original adjustable sight...... front sight filing has become a lost art along with the colt saa


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

TedDeBearFrmHell said:


> ...front sight filing has become a lost art along with the colt saa


Myself, I don't file 'em down. I bite 'em off. It's much quicker.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

I used to have a Model 3032, and it was actually a pretty accurate gun for the size. With these small guns, as said above, trigger squeeze is very important. It is easy to pull them off target. Good luck with your Tomcat - I love Beretta.:mrgreen:


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## ken2925 (Jan 21, 2010)

My Tomcat has the Big Dot front night site. I know every front sight can be filed down to raise POI but is that a good idea to file the Big Dot sight? This would be something a Beretta gunsmith would have to do, I would not touch it. I appreciate all of your ideas, KC.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

I have the inox with fixed sights that are low profile steel that are practically flush w/ the slide and barrel, no big dot. It shoots where you aim. Evidently you have the Tomcat Alleycat with the big dot front sight or night sights. I'd call Beretta to see if they have a solution for you, they should fix the issue under warranty. Perhaps a higher rear sight would fix the issue as well.


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## ken2925 (Jan 21, 2010)

denner, my Beretta is the Alleycat version with the Big Dot front Night sight. I went to Beretta's web sight and they said that proper aiming was the 6:00 o'clock method. I can not do that for chest or what I call center mass hits. I have to aim at the head/chin area to hit the mid-chest area. I'm sorry if I have confused folks here, like I said, this is my first Beretta pistol.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

I understand, no confusion now.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

I'd call Beretta. Perhaps a higher rear sight may be in order if possible.


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## ken2925 (Jan 21, 2010)

I have called a Beretta service center and the pistol will be picked up next Monday. When I get her back, I'll post how she shoots and what they did to fix the problem. I appreciate all the help you folks have given me, KC.


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## DemonDeacon (Nov 11, 2011)

After about 500 rounds, my Tomcat FTF'd at the range. Laid it down on the bench pointed down range and summoned staff. After the cooking period passed, popped the barrel, saw round in the breach and noticed a piece of metal about 1/16" long floating around in the chamber. Field stripped for closer inspection. The piece of metal turned out to be a piece of the frame. It broke off, lodged between the firing pin and the primer. Sent it back to Beretta, (out of warranty). Paid shipping, insurance totaling $35. Beretta replaced the pistol and paid for return shipping. Just follow their directions on their website.


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## ken2925 (Jan 21, 2010)

I called one of the Beretta Service Centers they list on their site, the man sent me a pre-paid UPS label and I boxed it up with a note and sent her off. Just out of curiosity I called this Thursday and they had not gotten to my pistol yet, but it was there. The gunsmith told me that they may just replace the rear sight and get it back up to snuff. Thanks for the help folks, KC.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Yes, it's a quality pistol, mine has never failed to fire. Once you get the new rear sight I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I installed a Hogue slip on Jr which helps to get a better grip while firing and should help with accuracy as well.


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