What to pocket carry if I already have P938?

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Limnophile

New member
Radny,

I'm browsing for a pocket pistol, and the Tomcat is on top of my list. I can't find a new one in my area, or one online for a reasonable price. I want it for its DA/SA-with-thumb safety manual of arms, as well as its diminuitive size.

I shoot Sellier & Bellot in my CZ 83 chambered in .32, and I noticed that load is too hot for the Beretta when I was researching the Tomcat.

I'd want to have two spare mags, and put a minimum of 50 rounds per mag to prove everything is functioning well. No pocket pistol will be a range gun for me, but I'd want to occasionally empty a magazine at the range to prove to myself that I can still hit the broad side of a bad guy with it.

Thus, I would not want to be pumping warranty voiding ammo thru it. Besides, FMJ in that caliber should provide adequate penetration, unfortunately with a relatively small hole.

Bill of the Knife,

You got me to check out the P-32 on paper. My concern, given the lack of a thumb safety, is the light, Glockish trigger pull, about 5 lb. Is the length of that pull short or long?

If I get impatient in my search for a Tomcat, I might very well grab an LCP-Custom if I see one. I understand it has a long trigger pull to offset a brain fart.

Another option I'm considering is the North American Arms Guardian in .32 Auto. But, I haven't seen one yet.

With the Democrats talking gun control again, are prices on their way up and supply on its way down?
 
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Bill DeShivs

New member
I have a Tomcat, a NAA.32 Guardian, and 5 P32s.
The Tomcat is a cool gun, but it's big and heavy. Mine is reliable.
The NAA is tiny-and heavy as a brick. Reliable.
The P32 is the flattest, but it's a little longer than the NAA. It's much lighter than the others. The trigger is not like a Glock, it's a fairly long, light DA. I carry one in my pocket-no holster.

One December, I broke the mainspring on my P32 (my fault.) Keltec was closed until sometime in Jan. I decided to just carry my NAA until I could get parts. After I put the NAA in my pocket, I headed to my buddy's shop and bought another P32!
 
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michael t

New member
Bobcat still having crack problems Its heavy and like said can't shoot hotter 32 that will help it break faster:rolleyes:

Hate the Ket Tec 32 Mine is 10 years old same as my KT 380 . They both been shot way over 500 rounds with out a problem. And still going strong I carry and shoot Corbon in both Wife and 2 of my daughter's own and carry P-32 's All total 6 Reliable KelTecs in house PF-9 IWB at present

I have 2 950Beretta in 25 acp 1 Beretta model 20 in 25 acp and 2 of the 21 in 22LR. Couldn't run fast enough to give me that 32 cat.

Lots of KelTec pass 6000 rounds If doesn't and all worn out . Send it in and they will send you another Lifetime warranty
 
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Koda94

New member
When I think about buying a P238, people say, "Its practically the same size!"
Click to expand...
a small percentage of change in size/weight is much more noticeable the smaller the gun gets but I'd have to agree the two Sig options are too close to each other. Have you looked at the new Colt Mustang XSP?
 
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weblance

New member
The keltec p32s are VERY light but only have about 500 rounds of life in them.
Click to expand...

Well... mine must be on its second life then. I have 1,000 rounds through mine, and it certainly wasn't wore out at 500. What a ridiculous statement... 500 rounds :rolleyes:
 
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Limnophile

New member
Bill of the Knives,

Thanks for the info. Just to see if the specs on your three pocket .32s match your perception:

- Beretta Tomcat -- 4.9-in long, 3.7-in high, 1.1-in wide; about 10-in^3 volume (estimated as LHW/2); 14.5 oz empty; 7+1 rounds.

- NAA Guardian -- 4.4-in long, 3.3-in high, 0.85-in wide; 6.2-in^3 volume; 13.5 oz; 6+1 rounds.

- Kel-Tec P-32 -- 5.1-in long, 3.5-in high, 0.75-in wide; 6.7-in^3 volume; 6.6 oz; 7+1 rounds.

The Guardian wins on size, but not by much. The Tomcat and P-32 tie on capacity, by I think Kel-Tec sells 10-round mags for the P-32. And, the P-32 wins on weight by far.

It's good to hear that the pull of the light P-32 trigger is long.
 
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Ibmikey

New member
I have both the 938 and 238, the .380 is appreciably smaller in size and thickness, and is easily carried in a pocket although I choose to use a kydex IWB holster for both.
 
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baddarryl

New member
I really like my CM9. About as light, compact as you can get in a 9mm while still being a good shooting platform. The CM9 is noticeably smaller than the shield.

^^^^^ This! The CM9 feels like a quality pistol in the hand, is fairly accurate, and works well in front and rear pockets. It was my choice after a long search to compliment my G19.
 
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springer99

New member
I'm surprised that no-one else has offered this suggestion. Why not give a S&W Centennial, aka 642, a try. I also carried my 938 for some time but found it a bit too "angular" for comfortable pocket carry. The weight of my 938 vs. a 642 is just about the same, but for some reason I find the S&W revolver sits in my pocket much easier, and certainly draws much more smoothly.

Comparing the 9mm vs. 38Spl, you also won't be giving anything up in terms of punch either.
YMMV
 
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ddc

New member
At one time, a while back, I was interested in the 32 Tomcat.
During a bunch of googling and forum crawling I read way to many references to the frame cracking problem and crossed it off of my list.

I've since picked up a Rohrbaugh R9 to fill that niche.

You might want to consider the "new" Remington R380 which is a redesign of the Rohrbaugh 380. Surprising inexpensive when compared to what the Rohrbaughs sold for.
ETA: I see I missed cc-hangfire making the same recommendation. :)
 
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Northslope Nimrod

New member
Perhaps it was a mistake to sell the LCP. That new custom looks interesting. I never really feel "under-gunned" with a .380, but I didn't feel that confident with the LCP as my primary weapon. Great as a back-up. I want to be confident (with my primary) that I could hit bad guys at a distance.
Given my work attire, I can't always carry IWB. I usually ankle or pocket carry, thus it become my primary weapon.
To answer another question, I consider the Sig and the Colt very much the same. I like the sights on the Sig and reviews seem to be better on the Sig. ??

I will have to go look at the CM9. I pocket carried a P238 today (my boss's) and it is thinner and lighter.
 
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Radny97

New member
So I've taken some heat for making the '500 rounds from a p32' comment. Looks like a lot of people on here have had better experiences with it. I'm not so bullheaded to not change my mind or not admit when I'm wrong. So consider that comment retracted. :)
I'm not a fan of striker fired guns with no safety for pocket carry. Too many things can happen for my personal comfort zone. That's why for pocket carry I like the tomcat. It's da/sa with a frame mounted (not slide mounted) safety. I like the ability to tip the barrel to load one in the chamber without having to lower the hammer on a live round and I can carry with the safety engaged and a long da pull for the first shot. That's my preference. No other viable pocket carry (for size) fits that bill that I'm aware of. I would love for someone to show me another viable option that fits those requirements.
 
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Bill DeShivs

New member
The Tomcat is not a bad gun-it certainly has it's attributes.
But: it's big, it's bulky, it's heavy, it is known to have problems.
The Keltecs are not striker fired, they have a hammer. No safety is needed, as they have a long DA trigger pull.
I would expect the Keltec to hold up better than the Tomcat. (I have both.)
 
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Laz

New member
I think Bill DeShivs has made a compelling argument for the Kel-Tec. I used to have a p32 an p3at and liked them both. However, I have settled on the little LCP for my own use. Recently, the base model, 3701, has bee on sale for in the neighborhood of 200 bucks, more or less. Grab one if you can. If you want a bit more to hold on to without adding too much size, Ruger makes 7 round magazines for the LCP which aid greatly in gripping the little pistol.
 
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Dave1911

New member
I'm surprised that no-one else has offered this suggestion. Why not give a S&W Centennial, aka 642, a try. I also carried my 938 for some time but found it a bit too "angular" for comfortable pocket carry. The weight of my 938 vs. a 642 is just about the same, but for some reason I find the S&W revolver sits in my pocket much easier, and certainly draws much more smoothly.
Click to expand...

I was going to recommend a 642 until I saw the dimensions and weight were similar. But I find a 642 goes well in dress pants and jeans.
 
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Technosavant

New member
I have owned and pocket carried the Beretta Tomcat, P238, and P938. The P238 is noticeably lighter than the P938... while the general size is very similar, the P938 has a longer and thicker slide and a thicker grip. The P238 just feels MUCH smaller even though the measurements are not far off. If you like the P938, the P238 would be a good downsize and likely would be exactly what the doctor ordered. The Tomcat isn't all that much smaller and lighter than the P238 and shoots a rather less powerful round. IMO, going from one of the Sigs to that Beretta would be a pretty significant step back.

That said, each of the guns I listed has been replaced by the next one listed. When I bought the P238 I quit carrying the Tomcat. When I bought the P938 I quit carrying the P238. IMO, the 9mm P938 is sufficiently more powerful that it's worth the extra size and weight over the .380 P238.
 
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