I’m a fairly big guy; at six-foot-five, I’m well outside the average. Most of my body is proportional to my height. Most things, anyway. I do, however, have an inverse relationship with the rest of the world: my wife is petite, my dog is a Chihuahua, and my favorite genre of firearms is pocket-sized .32 ACPs. It’s no surprise I quickly snatched up a Beretta 30X.
A Legacy Reborn: The Beretta 30X
I love pocket .32s, and if I ever develop a reputation, I’d love to be “the .32 ACP guy.” It’s the “One True Caliber,” and the best cartridge John Browning ever created. As a fan of the platform, I own the Beretta 3032 Tomcat. Not only do I love pocket pistols, but I really love tip-up barrels, and I love DA/SA guns as a whole.
In late 2023, a wave of melancholy hit me. Beretta was sunsetting their tip-up legends: the 21A Bobcat and the 3032 Tomcat. As a tip-up fanboy who is only missing the elusive Model 20, it felt like the end of an era.
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But at SHOT Show 2024, Beretta dropped the cure: the 30X. It’s stronger and is apparently 100% more durable. The old Tomcat came with a piece of paper telling you specifically not to use any ammo that exceeds 129 foot-pounds of energy. That warning is no longer included with the 30X.
The elephant in the room is the frame. The old Tomcat’s limitation eliminated the better “Euro-flavored” 71-grain and 73-grain rounds, which are preferred for defensive use. If you crossed that 129 foot-pound line with hot ammo, your frame would eventually crack. The 30X is Beretta’s fix. It’s 100% stronger and two ounces heavier, meaning it takes those spicy European loads without a flinch.
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Beyond the Frame
Beretta made significant ergonomic changes to this gun. They updated the magazine release, the sights, and the tip-up lever. We now have a button release for the barrel and a mag release behind the trigger where it belongs. The front sight is now removable and swappable. We also get a flat-faced trigger that is night-and-day better than the original.
The pull is lighter and smoother, and the flat-faced design makes it easy to reach for smaller hands. It’s a nice touch. My issue with the original Tomcat was the irony of someone purchasing it for its easy-to-load tip-up barrel due to weak hand strength, only to be confronted by a ridiculous double-action trigger pull.
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However, I find myself asking: has this Tomcat grown too big for its own good? My specific model is the “Get Home Bag” version with suppressor-height sights and a threaded barrel. Is it still a pocket pistol? The 30X is 1.3 inches wide due to the larger frame and gorgeous wood grips; it’s taller thanks to the extended 8-round magazine and notably heavier. It’s a bit big for pants pocket carry.
A quick fix would be slimmer grips and a 7-round flush-fitting magazine. Interestingly, the 30X magazines work in the old Tomcats, but not vice versa. There is a plainer “In Case of Emergency” model, but it’s just as thick and heavy; it simply lacks the threaded barrel and tall sights.
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The 30X has outgrown the pocket. It’s a “small gun” that feels like a “big gun.” For deep concealment, it’s a step back from the 3032. The size and weight make it tougher to pocket carry efficiently and, more importantly, tougher to hide.
As a Shooter…
But as a shooter? That extra width disperses the blowback recoil beautifully. It’s fast, flat, and doesn’t beat your hand up. It’s a lot of fun to shoot, and you can cycle it quickly with decent accuracy. For defensive purposes, it takes full advantage of the .32 ACP’s low recoil.
Fair warning: if you have caveman hands like me, this slide will bite you if you choke up too high. Press up to the beavertail, not against it.
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On the range, I hit a snag: the accuracy conundrum. This “Get Home Bag” version has suppressor-height sights. On a gun this short, the height-over-bore offset is massive. At close range, I was hitting three inches low. At 25 yards, I had to aim at the head to hit the chest. The groups are tight, and mechanically, it’s a tack-driver, but you’re going to be playing the offset game.
Beretta has been teasing an optic plate that removes the rear sight, yet it’s been years and hasn’t premiered. Fed up with waiting, I ordered a plate for the Beretta Nano from Galloway Precision. What do you know? It fits. It was tight, and it doesn’t sit as low as the plate Beretta has been showing off, and it’s too high to co-witness with the front sight, but it works. Just be cautious with your optics selection.
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A Word on Optics and Suppressors
If you’ve ever put an optic on a revolver, you know they sit high; that’s the case here. As such, you might need a shim or a lot of elevation adjustment. I used a Shield RMSc, and while it makes the gun even bigger, I didn’t mind since this is already a “big” pocket pistol.
The red dot greatly increased my range and fixed the point-of-aim/point-of-impact issues. I produced tighter groups, roughly three to four inches at 15 yards. At 25 yards, I could land hits consistently on an IPSC target. At 50 yards, I wasn’t 100% accurate, but I hit more than I missed. For a tiny pistol, I’ll take that.
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If you get a 30X with a threaded barrel, please, for the love of all things holy, suppress it. I’ve been running a Spectre 9, and the word I keep coming back to is “charming.” The .32 ACP is naturally subsonic and suppresses well. Because it’s a fixed barrel, you don’t need a booster, though you will need a fixed spacer. It’s quiet, low-recoiling, and just plain fun.
In several hundred rounds over a couple of years, I only had one malfunction where a round nosedived in the magazine. I shot a good bit of 60-grain JHPs and never ran into rimlock. I also shot plain lead Magtech ammo without a problem, along with plenty of Fiocchi 73-grain FMJs, which is what I’d carry for self-defense.
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The New Tomcat
The 30X isn’t perfect, but it’s a shooter. Beretta clearly wasn’t aiming for the smallest pocket pistol possible; they built the 30X for people who enjoy the .32 ACP and the tip-up barrel mechanism. It’s certainly carryable, so toss it in an IWB rig and go, but it has escaped the realm of deep-concealment pocket carry.
Don’t buy it just for deep concealment; buy it because it’s fun. If you want a pure .32 ACP pocket pistol, get the KelTec P32. If you want a fun, reliable, and beautiful .32, get the 30X. It’s a love letter to the caliber. If you’re a tip-up nerd like me, you’re going to want one.