Beretta 3032 Vs. The 30X: Tip-Up Slug Fest

In December, Beretta discontinued the 3032 Tomcat, a .32 ACP, blowback-operated tip-up handgun that’s been a stellar pocket pistol for over 20 years. They killed it in December, but by January at SHOT 2024, they released the new and improved Beretta 30X, which took the throne as the next King of tip-up pocket pistols.

We are a few months removed from the death, dip in the Lazarus pit, and reincarnation of the Beretta, and both are still on the market. Sure, the 3032 isn’t being made anymore, but plenty are still available on the new and used market.

The 3032s are cheaper than ever, and you might wonder if you should fork over the extra money for the 30X. If you are asking that question, you are in the right place. I’m a big fan of the Beretta tip-up guns, and I have nearly all of them. I have more than one 3032, and Beretta was kind enough to send me a 30X. Today, we’ll dive deeply into the two guns and catalog their differences.

The Price Difference

The price difference is surprising. There are a few models of the 3032 and two models of the 30X. It depends on where you shop, but the 3032s can be found for $400 or so online. However, some models with various color options, threaded barrels, and other upgrades will cost more. The 30X comes in at $549, and that’s for the model with the threaded barrel and suppressor height sights. Some of the 3032 models cost more than the new 30X.

The 3032 comes with one seven-round magazine, and the 30X comes with two eight-round magazines. Sadly, magazines are not interchangeable, but that’s more or less due to major ergonomic differences between the guns. At $549, the 30X does seem to be the better-priced pistol when you factor in its new features and overall design.

Ergonomics

The tip-up ergonomics haven’t changed much since the original 950 series that was released in the 1950s, and the 3032 keeps with the classics. The magazine release is placed on the side of the grip but at the bottom of the grip and almost behind the magazine. It looks awkward, but when you reload the Tomcat, it puts your hand in place to pull out the empty magazine. The magazines don’t drop free from this gun.

The tip-up barrel release is also a small lever that, when pressed, raises the barrel spout, allowing it to be loaded or unloaded. Beretta opted for a frame-mounted safety and included the world’s smallest cocking serrations to work the slide. The grips are thin plastic, but they do their job.

A Small Upgrade

The 30X got a facelift, and ergonomics were a sticking point for Beretta. They moved the magazine release to right behind the trigger, where 99% of guns have their magazine release. The magazines do drop free from these guns, which is a nice change. The tip-up release is a press-button design. I’m not sure if the lever or button is better, but it’s different.

Beretta went with much thicker wood grips for the 30X. This fills the hand better and tends to help manage recoil. The extra width seems to disperse recoil and make the gun a bit more pleasant to shoot. The wood grips look good but present their concerns, which we’ll address later. The 8-round magazine features a pinky extension, which makes the gun easier to hold and also helps with recoil.

The 30X features a flat-faced trigger. It sets seemingly more forward than the 3032’s trigger, so the gap between the trigger guard and trigger is much smaller. If you’re wearing gloves, it will be a tight fit.

Like the Beretta 3032, the 30X has this hilarious-looking mock-up of slide serrations. They are there, but what’s the point of working the slide when you have a tip-up barrel? Both guns will give you a nice bite to the hand if you hold the gun too high.

What About Accuracy?

The guns are very similar in accuracy, with caveats on both sides. The 3032 features a longer, heavier trigger. The double action makes me wonder how this gun was made for people with weaker hands. The single action isn’t bad, but it’s not impressive. The 30X reduced the double-action pull significantly and created a much smoother trigger. The single action is cleaned up quite nicely as well.

The 30X offers a bigger, more comfortable grip, and a grip plays a significant role in accurate shooting. I have the Get Home Bag version of the 30X with suppressor height sights. These sights, combined with the very short sight radius, create an exciting issue with offset. I tried shooting the gun at ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five yards and consistently had to apply Kentucky windage and aim high to hit my target.

The gun produced tight groups, but the sights were an issue. I’m hoping to replace the sights with a red dot, which will help clean that up. The 3032 shoots fine, the double action trigger sucks, but the sights will put the shot where you need it.

With its standard sights, the Just In Case 30X is probably the most accurate of the tip-up guns. It has a better trigger with standard sights.

Going Fast

These are straight blowback guns, so they have some degree of recoil. Luckily, the .32 ACP keeps it pretty tame. I practiced some basic shooting drills, including the Bill Drill, the Mozambique, and things like double taps and reloads.

The 30X has an edge over the 3032 in this department. There seems to be less felt recoil, which is likely due to the grips and magazine extension. The 30X weighs 1.5 ounces more than the 3032, but I’m not sure if that bit of weight would translate into much recoil reduction. My Bill drills were consistently faster, and my double taps were more precise. Less accurate due to the sights but they grouped tighter.

Reloading is also predictably faster with the drop-free magazine and properly placed magazine release. The big suppressor height sights translate to a faster sight picture, which helps with that first round on target from the draw or low ready.

Concealment

The 30X is the harder gun to conceal. Those grips, which are oh-so-nice for recoil and control, translate to a thicker gun. It’s 1.36 inches wide versus the 3032’s 1.1-inch wide design. The gun is also considerably taller at 4.6 inches versus the 3032’s height of 3.7 inches. You pay for that pinky extension. We’ve mentioned the 1.5-ounce difference in weight, which is also a factor.

They rebuilt, repurposed, and redesigned the 30X but have seemingly made it the biggest pocket pistol possible. It can be carried in your pocket, but it’s much more pants-dependent now. It might be a better choice for an IWB or OWB holster, but to me, that defeats the purpose of the .32 ACP in a micro-sized gun.

Of course, this is an easy fix. Beretta just needs to release thinner plastic grips and a flush-fitting seven-round magazine, and we’ll have a much easier gun to pocket. Due to the magazine release redesign, you can’t swap grips or mags from the 3032.

Durability

I love the 3032, but you’d be hard-pressed to have me suggest it to anyone who isn’t a die-hard gun nerd. If you were a casual concealed carrier, I’d point you to the Kel-Tec P32 or even the Seecamp. The big flaw with the 3032 was its durability. The gun even comes with a paper telling you that using any ammo that exceeds 129-foot pounds could crack the frame. It’s not a big surprise that the best defensive ammo exceeds 129-foot pounds.

The Beretta 30X came with no such paper, and according to Beretta, it’s 100% stronger than the old 3032. That’s a massive improvement to me and one worth noting. You are much less likely to crack your frame should you forget to do the math and load some 71-grain ammo.

Style and Class

The Beretta 30X is a welcome improvement to the 3032 in some ways and an exciting step back in others. It’s bigger, which makes it comfier to shoot but tougher to conceal. The durability factor delivers a significant improvement to the gun. Which is better? I’d suggest the 30X, hoping Beretta or someone else will release seven-round mags and thin grips. I still like the 3032, but it might not be for you if you’re unwilling to pay attention to your ammo selection.

You could also be like me and buy both because Tip-Up guns have unbeatable charm.

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