Beretta 21A "function check"

C

Carmady

New member
This is the .22LR, I read where someone said he loaded a magazine and said the rounds fed AND ejected just fine, WITHOUT FIRING.

I've never shot one, but everything I've read said they have no extractor, and eject fired casings by means of blow by.

Maybe I misunderstood the guy, but can you eject an unfired round from the chamber by manually pulling back the slide?
 
Are you saying the function test would be:

1) rack slide to chamber round

2) flip up barrel to eject unfired round

3) repeat 1 and 2 until magazine and barrel are empty?

I don't think that's what he was saying, but maybe he was.
 
I don't think that's what he was saying, but maybe he was.
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I dont think he was saying that either. I took it he was racking the slide and ejecting a live round, which I dont remember ever happening with the two I had.

I also dont remember the round leaving the chamber when I unlocked the barrel and let it pop up.

I do remember they worked OK, as long as they were spotlessly clean, but got grumpy pretty quick, and werent so great after a box or two. They were also a bit big/bulky for what they are.
 
Consider yourself warned:
  • The slide of a Beretta 950 series is prone to popping partially off the frame and getting stuck on the recoil spring "prongs" if it's operated by hand. I don't know if this applies to the 21A, but it's certainly a pain when it happens in the related 950, so I wouldn't personally want to tempt fate.
  • If you hand-operate the slide of any Beretta tip-up with a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine in the gun, it will cause a REALLY NASTY jam in which the top round, the chambered round, AND the magazine are all firmly jammed together. :(
Frankly, I wouldn't try this "function check" stunt; I don't think it will work and it seems pointless anyway.
AK103K said:
I also dont remember the round leaving the chamber when I unlocked the barrel and let it pop up.
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Whether or not the round pops out by itself may depend on how tightly the bullet engages the rifling, the texture of the case, whether there is oil or burnt powder in the chamber, and possibly the alignment of the moon and the planet Neptune. :)

IOW it's unpredictable and you really shouldn't be concerned whether the round ejects by itself when the barrel tips up.
 
I've never handled a 21A, but what he said didn't jive with other stuff I've read.

He said he bought it used, never fired it, but did load a magazine to make a function check, and the rounds fed and ejected just peachy.

My BS detector pegged to the right because I couldn't imagine how the unfired chambered cartridges would eject while racking the slide since there's no extractor.

I didn't think far enough ahead to imagine the next round in the magazine slamming into the live round still in the chamber. Geez.

I thought he was making it up (to be polite), and you pretty much confirmed that.

Thanks a lot.
 
FWIW, no blowback pistol or rifle needs an extractor - the case is pushed out of the chamber by pressure. The extractor serves only for extracting a unfired round, which the little Beretta deals with by the tipping barrel.

Jim
 
The proper way to "function check" is load it and SHOOT IT !!!! Your not going to rack the slide and watch the 22 rounds fly out.

I have 2 of the 21 22LR. 2 950's and 1 model 20 . Model 20 25acp was the best of both same size as the 950 but a DA/SA trigger. It worked and I see no reason to have made it larger . They tool a nice pistol and keep messing till they created that over size over weight 32 Tom cat . That can't handle hot loads in 32 . Yet the smaller lighter and way cheaper KelTec has no problems with Corbon loads .
 
I don't recall for sure about the Berettas, but some of those tipping barrel pistols have no slide serrations, so it would be very hard to retract the slide even if one wanted to.

Jim
 
The 21A has serrations - at least mine a few decades ago does. Fun to shoot minimal recoil but as mentioned, can get finicky about ammo when it gets dirty.
 
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