Beretta 21 Bobcat 22LR opinions?

[Elkins45]

A local shop has them for $399 so with the current $150 rebate that would bring the price to $249. I have been looking for a decent pocket 22 for a while now but I’m not sure anything is attractive about it except the price. It has terrible sights and a horrible trigger pull, or at least the one I handled did. I really wasn’t impressed.

Am I missing something here? Are they super accurate or otherwise have an appeal I can’t see?

 

[jar]

They are DA/SA so the long heavy initial trigger pull is a safety feature. The SA is generally light and crisp. But it's still wide and with no extractor not failure drill friendly.

 

[actionexpress]

Nice little guns but when the LCP .22 came out I swapped and have no regrets. Why I owned either, I still don't know, but the little LCP is a fun mini .22 to shoot.

 

[tubeshooter]

Well - 30 or 40 years ago, if you wanted a mouse .22 it was either this, maybe a Taurus equivalent or a "ring-of-fire"* gun.

The Beretta was considered the cream of the crop. $249 isn't a bad price for nowadays. Much better than $350...


It is kind of like when people see a Makarov today and say "Why would anybody want that?", not considering the pricing in their heyday when they were popular. LCP 22 is a relative newcomer, along with the Glock 44. And quite a few other lighter/small .380 options.


* The Phoenix guns seem to do better than expected and have a loyal following. I feel that should be noted over the others.

 

[crestoncowboy]

I carried one at the coast in my trunks for years. Good little guns. The trigger is garbage. The trigger guard/ barrel spring is a poor design IMO. The safety is junk too. Cock it and turn the safety on and pull the trigger pretty hard (but not magnus ver Magnusson hard) and it will fire. Same for DA. Turn on the safety and give it a squeeze and it will fire. Takes more pressure but of all my 21A will. My older SAO tip up Beretta don't do it.

Years ago we were shooting hunting guns (44 mostly im sure) at 50 and 100 yards and I drug out a then-new 04ish Beretta 21A. I could occasionally get a bad hit at 50. Lol. We never found a washing machine box at 100 though .

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I like them, but got mine years ago when there were few other small back up options. Now, many/better options. While a Beretta fan, I have to admit that I'm not sure I would buy one today. If it had better sights and would be a fun plinker then it could make more sense, or if you're one who likes/needs the tip up barrel design then maybe that bumps it up on the buy list.

So, comes down to how much it appeals to you. Not the most practical option these days.

 

[chicharrones]

Are they super accurate or otherwise have an appeal I can’t see?

What? No. They are not super accurate. For one thing, the sights are virtually invisible to middle aged eyes.

They are classic metal framed pocket sized shooters. Worth owning new at that price for the fact it’s an old school Beretta and it feels good in the hand due to its wide grip.

Otherwise, it’s just a cool noise maker and ammo waster.

 

[crestoncowboy]

What? No. They are not super accurate. For one thing, the sights are virtually invisible to middle aged eyes.

They are classic metal framed pocket sized shooters. Worth owning new at that price for the fact it’s an old school Beretta and it feels good in the hand due to its wide grip.

Otherwise, it’s just a cool noise maker and ammo waster.

I got my first one in my early 20s and had 20/20 vision and unless you paint them....the sights sucked then too. Lol

 

[TTv2]

OMG, I cannot believe that Beretta is giving away the 21A and 3032 for $250 or less. I had the metal framed Taurus PT22 but sold it last year as the DAO trigger limited its potential, so for a DA/SA Beretta at a Taurus price to replace it is a steal.

Just buy it, there aren't many pocket .22 autos out there worth a darn and in 5 years will be worth more than you paid for it.

Now I'm having to think about the 3032. I've considered it the worst pistol Beretta makes, but until Kel Tec gets their act together on making enough P32's to meet demand, this is the next best option for a .32

 

[chicharrones]

I got my first one in my early 20s and had 20/20 vision and unless you paint them....the sights sucked then too. Lol

Yessir! I bought my Bobcat from a pawn shop in the early '90s. I was probably 29 or 30 at the time. I could see the sights and walk in my shots from quite some distance back then.

Nowadays, I'd need to put a red dot on it.

 

[rperyam]

I really wasn’t impressed.

If you’re not impressed, why would you consider buying one? Find something that does impress you and buy it. You are the one that needs to be impressed, not us.

 

[Elkins45]

If you’re not impressed, why would you consider buying one? Find something that does impress you and buy it. You are the one that needs to be impressed, not us.

I asked in case I was missing something. Which I was…they make one with a threaded barrel for a silencer. I can pretend to be James Bond LOL.

 

[Elkins45]

Yessir! I bought my Bobcat from a pawn shop in the early '90s. I was probably 29 or 30 at the time. I could see the sights and walk in my shots from quite some distance back then.

Nowadays, I'd need to put a red dot on it.

The mind boggles.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I had a .22 LR Beretta 21.

For me it was too girthy to comfortably pocket carry.

It has no extractor. If you have to clear a misfire, then you need a tool to pry the misfired case from the chamber because the firing pin swages the rim to the breech.

I sold it and replaced it with a Seecamp LWS32.

I recently replaced the Seecamp with a Ruger LCP II .22 LR, which is a really solid little pistol. I pocket carry it as a backup.

 

[TTv2]

I had a .22 LR Beretta 21.

For me it was too girthy to comfortably pocket carry.

It has no extractor. If you have to clear a misfire, then you need a tool to pry the misfired case from the chamber because the firing pin swages the rim to the breech.

When I had the Taurus I would shoot .22 Short by single loading into the chamber each time and after firing I'd hit the lever to release the tip up barrel, which would flip up and most times fling the case out as a sort of ejector.

When I had a dud .22 LR, same thing as the case hadn't expanded.

It may have just been your Beretta with that issue.

 

[chicharrones]

When I had the Taurus I would shoot .22 Short by single loading into the chamber each time and after firing I'd hit the lever to release the tip up barrel, which would flip up and most times fling the case out as a sort of ejector.

When I had a dud .22 LR, same thing as the case hadn't expanded.

It may have just been your Beretta with that issue.

My Bobcat did the same thing as @Shawn Dodson's Bobcat. A royal PITA when it happened.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Yessir! I bought my Bobcat from a pawn shop in the early '90s. I was probably 29 or 30 at the time. I could see the sights and walk in my shots from quite some distance back then.

Nowadays, I'd need to put a red dot on it.

With some nail polish my first one was pretty easy to shoot.

On the sights, not my nails. All 9 fingers I have left are completly untouched by polish lol

I asked in case I was missing something. Which I was…they make one with a threaded barrel for a silencer. I can pretend to be James Bond LOL.

That was a Walther . Gsg makes a ppk 22. Ive thought about picking one up. Lol.

The bobcat was by far the most reliable back then. The hp22 was an annoying bastard with 15 safety and the Jennings and bryco were garbage. The 22a did at least work most of the time.

I had a .22 LR Beretta 21.

For me it was too girthy to comfortably pocket carry.

It has no extractor. If you have to clear a misfire, then you need a tool to pry the misfired case from the chamber because the firing pin swages the rim to the breech.

I sold it and replaced it with a Seecamp LWS32.

I recently replaced the Seecamp with a Ruger LCP II .22 LR, which is a really solid little pistol. I pocket carry it as a backup.

The older sao tip up Beretta were a good bit more narrow. Dad carries one of my old 950 still today in his pocket.

 

[WYO]

What? No. They are not super accurate. For one thing, the sights are virtually invisible to middle aged eyes.

I had a .22 LR Beretta 21.

For me it was too girthy to comfortably pocket carry.

It has no extractor. If you have to clear a misfire, then you need a tool to pry the misfired case from the chamber because the firing pin swages the rim to the breech.

I sold it and replaced it with a Seecamp LWS32.

I recently replaced the Seecamp with a Ruger LCP II .22 LR, which is a really solid little pistol. I pocket carry it as a backup.

I go the other way on that. I bought a 21A when I was wait-listed for a Seecamp .32 in the late 1980s. By the time I got the Seecamp, I had no use for the Seecamp. For its size, and notwithstanding its small front sight, I was very impressed with the Beretta. It was head shot accurate at 50 feet and could sling out rounds (CCI Stingers) at a good rate of fire, neither of which was posssible with the Seecamp. I carried the Beretta in my front pocket without a holster and shot a LOT of ammo out of it until the S&W 640 arrived on the scene. The only malfunction I can recall was one misfire with a Stinger manufactured during the Obama era of shortages.

 

[Tallball]

I have one. It's cute and has been dependable, but I can't see the sights well or hit anything with it.

I have the Phoenix. They're not really comparable, IMHO, because the Phoenix is so much larger.

Had the Taurus clone of the Beretta, too. The DAO trigger was so stiff that I got rid of it quickly.

Beretta 21A 22lr

• Tallball
• Aug 30, 2020

 

[TTv2]

I have one. It's cute and has been dependable, but I can't see the sights well or hit anything with it.

I have the Phoenix. They're not really comparable, IMHO, because the Phoenix is so much larger.

Had the Taurus clone of the beretta, too. The trigger was so stiff that I got rid of it quickly.

Beretta 21A 22lr

• Tallball
• Aug 30, 2020

The Phoenix is heavier, so it's not really conducive for pocket carry, but I think it's the best shooting small frame .22 auto. That's without me having any experience with the LCP, but the LCP lacks the feature I desire most which is a hammer, not just because I feel it helps with ignition, but being able to cock the hammer means second strike ability for a light strike.

 

[ExtremeSquared]

I'm sending a recently purchased one back under warranty. Trigger parts busted through the wood grip on trigger reset after the 4th round. Weirdest failure I think I've seen on a handgun. I was shooting suppressed, and you get used to particulates hitting you in the face with suppressed semi-auto. When a piece of wood hit me in the face on trigger reset I was a bit startled.

 

[TTv2]

I'm thinking about getting the Tomcat and I've got the option of a California compliant model that sells for less than the standard model.

Does anyone know what the difference is between CA compliant Beretta Tomcats and Bobcats and standard models?

 

[swoter]

My wife likes her 21A just fine. She bought it mainly for the tip up barrel. I have a 3032 that I slide in my pocket almost every day. I like pocket carry.

 

[GRIZ22]

I have a 21A for about 20-25 years. Be realistic about the trigger on a pocket size sa/da. It's not a target pistol. Yes, sights are tiny. But if you work at it the pistol will deliver. When I was a LEO and the office's primary firearms instructor I could shoot a respectable qualification score with a 21A. I could also do it with a 950 which is even smaller. Reliability? Shooting CCI Mini Mags the gun is 100% reliable up to 100-125 rds. I attribute this to a sensitivity to getting dirty. Clean your gun. A clean gun is a happy gun.

I still carry it in a low threat environment as a "get off of me" gun. It is perfect for this role imo.

 

[JN01]

I'm thinking about getting the Tomcat and I've got the option of a California compliant model that sells for less than the standard model.

Does anyone know what the difference is between CA compliant Beretta Tomcats and Bobcats and standard models?

The CA model has a cancer warning on it.