Beretta 21a Bobcat review

J

Jayls5

Inactive
This is my first handgun, so take that into consideration.

I wanted something tiny and fun to shoot and a 'better than nothing' carry if I needed it. I ended up picking up a Bobcat for $255 + 5 free range passes at my local shop.

Field stripping takes about 5 seconds, and it's super easy to clean. The mag holds 7 rounds of .22 LR, 1 in the chamber. The first 250 rounds were jam/misfire free. After shooting 500 straight rounds after that, it misfired 2 times and failed to completely eject the cartridge about 3-4 times. It was probably because it was dirty by that point. The whole time, I have used bulk Federal 36gr ammunition.

I wish it came with more than one mag, but I suppose I'll pick some up later.

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21 feet:
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10 yards:
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15 yards:
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The gun is extremely fun to shoot. Not accurate like the larger .22's i've shot, but enough to still be entertaining and effective. Not bad for a 2" barrel!
 
Nice review. Glad to see you had a good experience with your 21A. I have one and my experiences mirror yours.

If I carry it for defense, which isn't often, I load it CCI ammo, usually Velocitors. As you probably learned, a misfire swages the cartridge rim to the barrel breech, and it almost always requires a tool to push it out from the muzzle or to pry it from the breech. Your gun is "down" until you clear the misfired cartridge from the chamber.

I've had good experience with CCI ammo in regard to reliability of ignition.

Cheers!
 
hmm, actually, all of my jams were easily fixed by hand.

The only thing I somewhat wish this gun had is a slide lock/release. That way my friends don't accidentally dry fire it after the last shot. That, and if I ever had to swap mags quickly, the slide itself is a bit hard to pull back and feed. It would almost be faster to throw in a spare round in the pop-up barrel.
 
Hmmm...

Perhaps Beretta changed the design since I bought mine?

My 21A doesn't have an extractor and whenever I experience a misfire I have to "pop" the barrel up and pry the cartridge from the chamber.
 
Supernaturally accurate for their size... they have no right to be that accurate... they shouldn't be that accurate. Spooky.
 
The little Berettas are exceptionally accurate. Benchresting them can produce even more amazing results.
I used to outshoot people that were using custom built target .38s, with my .22 short Minx. 3" groups at 25 yards were the norm.
 
I bought a used 21A a while back and it amazed me with the groups it is producing. For CCW with 22lr every expert will advise precise shot placement to make em work and well...the Beretta delivers :) Mine has been 100% reliable with Rem Golden and CCI minimags(solids and HP). I half jokingly tell friends it is my littlest target pistol!
 
just ordered 2 myself
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Just to add a "caveat" about after-market mags. I've been burnt a few times and never again. I say look for original mags, yes it takes a little time, but well worth it...But then again, I never took advice easily and you'll just to have experience it yourself.:)
Thanks SilentHitz for the link below, he's on the right track now....
 
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I love my 21A, it was given to me as a gift along with about 1400 rounds of mixed .22lr ammo. The first weekend I fired her I burned through almost all of that ammo without cleaning and without any jams or misfires. Since then I've experienced the occasional jam with bulk/valuepack stuff but never with Velocitors or Stingers.

Great mouse gun, very reliable and fun to shoot and I never had a problem removing any stuck cartridges as mentioned above in other posts.
 
I too have a Beretta M21 22lr ($174.00 NIB 12 yrs ago). It feeds CCI MiniMags and Stingers with no issues. I tried to shoot a brick of Remington LRN but all I had was jam after jan after jam. I have two extra 7rnd mags and I also have a 9 round mag which I bought thru the internet. Don't ask me where because I can't remember and I could not find any markings on the mag as to who made it either. When I do carry the M21 as a BUG (very seldom) for my P3AT(main BUG) I load up my 9 rnd mag with CCI MiniMags. :)
 
I've never had a jam in mine, but I have a ton of Remington Viper .22lr and it's always gone bang. Bought mine back in the early 90s. Lot's of criticism over this gun, but for me it's always worked as promised and Beretta has sold more than a few over the years.
 
Factory magazines are made by Mec-Gar. Mec-Gar mags under their own trade name are available from Ajax Grips and Midway, and probably a lot of other places. Many dealers have been sold out but a big shipment arrived in the states a month or so ago so they're available again. Mec-Gar mags are the best there are.
 
My 21A doesn't have an extractor and whenever I experience a misfire I have to "pop" the barrel up and pry the cartridge from the chamber.
Click to expand...
Same design, Shawn, but never heard of anyone having to use a tool to get the round out. I've always been able to clear mine with just a fingernail.
 
...never heard of anyone having to use a tool to get the round out.
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I've had use a flat blade "tweaker" screwdriver to pry misfired cartridges from the chamber. Sometimes a fingernail would suffice, sometimes it wouldn't.
 
My new 21 has no issues so far but I have only fired personal defense rounds like the CCI Stingers.

From what I have researched, I am confident it would jam with target rounds but I could care less if it cycles reliably with the hot stuff.

I just want something that I can throw in my pocket in so called 'down times' like mowing the lawn or taking out the trash.

-Happy Holidays to All!
 
I love the 21. My dad's had one nearly as long as I've been alive. Wonderfully functional, but (as with all guns in my opinion) keep it clean, lubed, and maintained or your jam frequency will increase.
 
Had lots of jamming problems originally. Tried a buncha ammo and found that high velocity rounds are the key: CCI Stingers, Velicitors, etc.

It stays in my truck; I probably should shoot it more often just to keep in practice. I only clean it once a year, which could be a problem if I REALLY need to rely on it. (Glad I read this....I'll clean it tomorrow!)
 
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