Taurus version of the Beretta Tomcat .32 auto

[JodyH]

Small does not equal easy to shoot.
Too many women get steered into "petite" guns that are miserable to shoot by well meaning but ignorant men or by their own ignorance.
S&W J-frame or a Glock 26 size gun are the smallest shootable guns.
.32, .380 both sound like good ideas right up until the reality of the guns they come chambered in sets in.
Light weight. straight blowback pistols with crappy sights, two finger grips and 12# triggers are not conducive to good shooting (especially for new shooters).

I've seen this scenario play out literally hundreds of times in my CCW classes.
Woman (or man) can't shoot for $h!t with their pocket gun, immediate improvement as soon as they pick up a nice J-frame or Glock.
The improvement comes in both their results on paper and their enjoyment in shooting.

[jetfire]

I'd warn the OP that the Beretta's slide will crack after about 1,000 rounds (ask me how I know) but I seriously doubt the gun will get that many bullets shot through it.

For what it's worth, I think the Tomcats are great little hold out pistols. The flip up barrel is a nice feature for pocket gun because it makes the manual of arms absurdly simple.

[Simon]

Just a little background. I'm looking for a carry gun for my wife. She has severe arthritis and has trouble pulling a double action trigger and wracking a slide. We've looked at quite a few pistols over the last few weeks. The Sig Sauer P238 looked promising, but again, wracking the slide was the issue. It's just too small for her to get a grip on. The sales guy a Gander Mountain showed us the Taurus single/double auto. It's a strong candidate. I figured the Taurus would be less expensive. But the reviews I've read give me concerns about reliability. I think if we go with a single/double, we'll stick with the Beretta TomCat 3032.
A local CHL instructor has allowed us to try some of his pistols, even allowing us to take a couple to the range. Surprisingly, she really likes the Kel Tec .380. I say surprisingly because she can't shoot my Ruger LCP .380. But the Kel Tec has a lighter trigger pull, and she can just barely wrack the slide. We also borrowed a Glock 19. She'll probably use that to qualify, but I don't think she'll try it as a carry gun. Just too big and heavy. We might take a look at a Glock 26.
The search continues.

My wife had the same problem. She couldn't run the slide or easily pull the double action autos triggers. We went to an indoor range that has a lot of different rental guns and after trying several she picked the Ruger LCR. I think the most important thing is that She picked it. Don't try to sell her on what you think she should have.

[Jpg366]

Taurus 732 is light and easy to handle. Cz70 is heavier and handles well.

[Bigguy]

Finally found the gun we were looking for. It's a Walther PK380.

It's an interesting gun. I believe it's gas operated rather than blowback. (Gas diversion powers a piston which actuates the slide rather than having the casing kick it back. Not completely sure on this and welcome any knowledgable input.) Reviews I read say it doesn't kick very hard and doesn't climb, making target reacquisition easier. I'll know this weekend.
The issue for my wife was a semi-auto she could operate with her severe arthritis. This has a light single action trigger, and the slide racks very easily. It can be fired double action with the hammer down, or single action with the hammer cocked. It has an ambidextrous safety and magazine ejector. It's slightly larger than my LCP, but the grip is small enough that she can comfortably get her finger on the trigger.
We'll start burning rounds with it until she feel comfortable that she can qualify for a CHL. Maybe in a month or two.

[Tamara]

It's an interesting gun. I believe it's gas operated rather than blowback. (Gas diversion powers a piston which actuates the slide rather than having the casing kick it back. Not completely sure on this and welcome any knowledgable input.)

It uses the conventional "modified Browning" (or "Browning-Petter") short-recoil system, which replaces machined barrel lugs engaging recesses in the slide with a blocky shoulder over the chamber that mates to the leading edge of the ejection port.

Given that it's a locked-breech, recoil-operated .380 it doesn't take much of a recoil spring to function, which makes the slide easy to run. I have no real first-hand experience with the pistol. I will say that most of what I heard has been negative, but it has all been hearsay.

[Bigguy]

Tamara:
Thanks for the input. I'll google up short-recoil and see if I can understand the differences. I know it has to do with the barrel not being locked with the slide as long, but I still don't have a good mental image of it.
What was the nature of the negative impressions you've heard on the PK380? Are they just the way the gun feels, or are there reports of malfunctions? There were a lot of negative comments on it in the stores where we were checking them out. Mostly about things like where the safety and magazine ejector is located. If fact, some of the most uncharitable remarks came from guys who obviously knew guns, as they tried unsuccessfully to eject the magazine.
I understand why a lot of shooters wouldn't like the pistol because of the way it feels in your hand. Also, there is a definitely hard spot as you pull the trigger in DA. I don't really see how you're going to get much accuracy on that first shot if you go DA, rather than cocking it.
Those are known issues we can live with. I'll be really disappointed if the gun proves to not be reliable though.

[Tamara]

I'll google up short-recoil and see if I can understand the differences. I know it has to do with the barrel not being locked with the slide as long, but I still don't have a good mental image of it.

Most modern pistols 9mm and larger are short-recoil operated. ("Short-recoil" just signifies that the barrel travel is less than the length of the cartridge, as opposed to "long-recoil" like in the Browning A5 shotgun or Frommer Stop pistol, where the barrel travels a distance equal to or greater than the length of the cartridge.)

What was the nature of the negative impressions you've heard on the PK380? Are they just the way the gun feels, or are there reports of malfunctions?

Mostly negative comments about durability and reliability, the general feeling seeming to be that the gun's design, like the P22, owes more to Walther's parent company, Umarex, than it does to Walther proper, and that it seems built to a price point. Like I said, though, I have no extensive hands-on experience with the gun, although these opinions come from people whose opinions on them I trust and match my casual impressions gleaned from handling display pieces.