What pocket pistol?

What pocket pistol?

  • Beretta Tomcat .32ACP

    Votes: 19 18.6%

  • Walther PPK .380

    Votes: 83 81.4%
  • Total voters
    102
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glockman19

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What woud you choose between the two?

Beretta Tomcat .32ACP
or
Walther PPK .380

I'm in CA and am limited to what's on the CA "Approved List" so please don't offer other models, we already have j-frames and other autoloaders in .38 and 9mm.

Thanks
 
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Look at the Sig P232 as well. Probably the most reliable and accurate of the .380acp blow back autos.
 
They are both good guns but both are kind of large for pocket carry. While you do have some limiting factors in CA, other guns can be had pretty easily. I'm in CA too and in the last couple of months I've gotten a Ruger LCP and a Kel-Tec P32 completely legally. The used market is pretty good here as Police Officers can buy and sell without regard to the list and anybody can buy the guns once they are here. You just have to do some legwork to find the deals.
 
Take a look at Sig 232, NAA380, Ruger LCP, Kahr PM9, and Seecamp LWS380.

I bought a PPK on impulse, and couldn't wait to sell it. Talk about a snappy recoil tough on the web of your hand. Great looking gun, but just never warmed up to shooting it.

Good luck!
 
If you can do as Sarvislan said and legally get one the little Kel-Tec is the best ever. I like 380 much better but for a beginner or somebody recoil sensitive the 32 might be necessary. The're the size and weight of 25s but much more effective in the case of the 380 and, at least, some better in 32.
These guns are favorites with women because anything bigger is hard to hide in women's clothes. Get the side clips attached.
The Walther is too big to conceal easily and the Tomcat design is not very reliable for self defense.
 
Take a look at:

Sig 232 - Not available in CA
NAA380 - Not available in CA
Ruger LCP - Not available in CA
Kahr PM9 - Not available in CA
Seecamp LWS380 - Not available in CA
 
The chambering solved it for me. While .32ACP is better than nothing, if you have the choice between that and .380, it almost doesn't really matter about the platform difference.
 
You guys must have some sort of clown pants or something with giant pockets.

The PPK has got to be the heaviest gun for it's size out there.

I carry a Rohrbaugh R9, they are probably not allowed in CA. They are not for everyone, are expensive and there are some that have issues. But if you are willing to shoot enough and care for it so that you know that YOURS is reliable...there really isn't a much better choice in pocket guns. 7 rounds of 9mm in a 15 ounce gun.
 
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I have pocket carried a PPK/S before with no problem, but it was with shorts with nice deep pockets.
 
Haha I like how people offered other models anyway. The Walther and the Tomcat are kind of different. The Tomcat can be stowed away in a pocket with a holster (or without because it has a safety). I like being able to put my Kel-Tec P32 in my pocket without much thought to my wardrobe. As far as the Tomcat's slide cracking, they had some incidences but I think they worked them out. I think they remedied the situation by sending people back an Inox model of the Tomcat. You'll probably have to wear the Walther around your waist. Also I hear cheaper Walther-like guns (i.e. Bersa Thunder 380) shoot better than the more expensive James Bond model. My vote would be for the Tomcat.

P.S.- The flip-up barrel on the Tomcat is a pretty sweet feature!
 
I have a Tomcat in .32, my old lady has a PPK/S in .380, and a PP in .32.

Any .380 PPK/S weighs a ton for a pocket pistol. You're looking at heavier than single stack 9mms generally.

In .32, the PP/PPK design is well-balanced, light, and shoots damn well. In .380, recoil is excessive and the weapon weighs too much.

So, given a choice between the .380 and the .32, I'd go with the .32 here for suitability for intended role.

The little Tomcat is accurate, decent, and once you get used to the trigger, more than passable.

My only complaint is the magazine release - eventually you'll find the mag popped out partially or otherwise in your pocket due to the pisspoor placement of the magazine release on the side of the grip.
 
Oh! I thought you were talking about a different country!

You're right, there isn't much you can't own or carry in Arizona.

I love hearing the sweet sound of fully automatic AKs at the range.
 
I agree that the PPK is large and heavy for a modern pocket pistol when compared with the likes of a Ruger LCP or a Seecamp. But it is a proven design that received praise on reliability and accuracy from the late Jeff Cooper, who was no friend of .380s or .32 ACPs. So, if given a choice between the two pistols mentioned by the OP, my vote would be for the PPK in .380. Again, I am confining myself strictly to the question asked. Boy, is that a change for me.:D Good luck with your selection.


Timthinker
 
This thread is about pocket pistols, right?

I don't how the PPK or Bersa can be considered pocket pistols I had a PPK and have a Bersa and yes I can jam them into a couple of my pockets, but neither will fit in most of my pockets!
 
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