Anyone familiar with Beretta Minx .22 short?

[digi-shots]

Is anyone familiar with the Beretta Minx .22 short, tip up barrel?

I saw one today that I thought was a little unusual... it had an extended barrel that measured a little bit over 3 1/2".

The serial number had a C prefix... C52,xxx

Any idea on year of manufacturer? Also had the Roman numerals XVI

Thanks so much!

 

[Onmilo]

I had an extended barrel 950 .22 short several years ago.
Really decent little handgun and I regret letting it go.
The extended barrel versions were offered in some European countries that have laws prohibiting short barrel pocket pistols and these laws require the barrel to extend at least one inch from the front of the slide.
Goofy law I know but that is the reason these pistols came to be.
I liked mine because there was no muzzle filp and it was much quieter than a standard barrel 950.
Other folks have found these guns to be just the ticket for the easy mounting of a sound suppressor and with a good one in place on a .22 short the only noise you will hear is the reciprocation of the slide assembly and the whack of the bullet hitting the target.
The actual sound of the discharge will be masked by the clatter of the slide, they are that quiet when suppressed.
Sort of tough to specifically date a Model 950 but an easy way to figure the age is if the gun has a manual thumb safety something similar to a Model 1911Colt the gun was made after, I believe,1980.
1980 is when Beretta got their U.S. Plant up and running and the pocket pistols were the first guns they began making there.
If the gun does not have a thumb safety it was made sometime prior to 1968.
The '68 Gun Control Act eliminated importation of small pocket pistols from everywhere, including Italy.
There were some of the Italian made guns brought in by returning Servicemen after 1968 but the numbers are very small and the guns were more or less smuggled back.

Spare magazines are still available from Beretta USA as are parts and they will still service the guns too.HTH

 

[lugerdawg]

I have a minx and was wondering if anyone knows the weight of it loaded. thanks

 

[bannockburn]

digi-shots

According to Beretta literature, if the plastic grips feature the BERETTA name across the top with the initials PB inside a circle near the bottom, then it was made from 1956 to 1962. In 1962, the grip was changed to the modern trident symbol. The longer barrel is listed as being 5.9" overall.

lugerdawg

The weight of the Minx is listed as being 10 oz. (290 gr.), with the magazine weighing another 30 gr. I can't imagine 6 rounds of .22 Short adding a whole lot more weight to that.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've had one for some years. I like the little gun.
My grips are cracked. I've been thinking about calling Beretta to see if new ones are available but haven't got around to it.


Something interesting.
Some months back on another gun site, a poster was getting grief because he said at 100 yards he was getting close to a bowling pin with his Beretta .25 cal Minx.

So for the heck of it I shot my Minx 22 Short at 100 yards.
My gun shoots left and low, so I had to aim over the silhouettes right shoulder.
The white pasters are the 22 Minx.
All but a few 22 bullets from that little gun hit the silhouette. Surprised me.(all the 38 Special hit the silhouette)

 

[VA27]

If it has no safety, the year date should be stamped on the left side of the frame-tang, about where the safety would be, if there was one.

Mine is Sn# 57,XXX CC, mfg in 1954.

I like 'em, too!

 

[Moonclip]

I have 2 of them. I have never seen the extended barel one in person. I have hit empty scrapped aluminum 5lb co2 cylinders at 70 yards or so with mine.