Beretta 21 Bobcat Reviews

by **jlowey1** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:30 pm

18....the Bobcat is an extractorless design. Ejection is by blowback only. I have found that reliability is best when using real high velocity 22s....like Stingers. The pistol likes to be clean! Also, the sights are bad but the pistol point shoots nicely at belly gun ranges. It is a natural pointer for me.

by **tigwelder56** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:43 am

18, is your pistol a 22 or a 25 caliber? As was said previously, it is a blow back ejector and anything that delivers less than a strong ejection/blow back cycle the empty case may well not have the needed snap to throw itself clear. I have the 21a and 950, both in 25acp. I experience problems only after I've fired around 30+ rounds. These little pistols absolutely DO NOT like to be dirty. I carry a can of aerosol "SYNTHETIC" Gun Scrubber and give the chamber, barrel release catch and anything else I see with built up crud. If I don't do this, I can guarantee that before I reach the end of a box of 50, I'll start to experience problems. It won't eject, I won't get the barrel to pop open and I end up with an expensive "Rock". Keep these absolutely clean. They are also not made for the ranges you're shooting at. This pistol is a self defense back up gun. They are designed for serious shooting distances of 15 FEET or less. 75 feet is being very unrealistic with this tiny pocket gun. I also have the Nemesis pocket holster and use FMJ ammunition. The hollowpoints hung up entirely too often.

by **PaPaquan** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:45 pm

My Bobcat has given me fits only when the firing pin flattens the rim and wedges the casing in the chamber...

I've learned to carry a cleaning rod or small wood dowel to dislodge the brass...

Trying to pry it out from the back may scar the ramp and present a new list of problems.

This is a sweet little pistol, and has fit the bill for my wife, as she has carpal tunnel wrist and has trouble "racking" .

The sights are almost non-exestant, but then this is a point and shoot at short range weapon.

I suggested to her to forget the sights and immagine the gun an extension of her pointing finger... She went from spraying the target to 5 inch clusters at 20 ft. after only 3 mags of practice.

Keep shooting America!!! - PaPaquan

by **who_dat** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 9:51 am

I've been carrying the .22 Bobcat for about 6 months, and thought it was only a short range weapon, too. One dealer I talked to laughed and said it was very accurate, the only problem was the sights were so close together, any variance would make a huge difference at a distance. With that in mind, I took my 19 year old boy/man to the range for some metal head shots at 25 yards (not feet!). He proceeded to knock down the targets, or at least make noise on the heavier ones, with 100% accuracy. I guess the young eyesight helps some, as well.

This gun has shown absolute reliability with CCI 40 grain copper or CCI 38 grain HP, but has the occasional hangup with 40 grain Federal lead ammo. Fits in pretty much any pocket, easy to clean, but due to the short barrel, is louder than expected. Have fun with this one, we do.

by **tigwelder56** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:59 pm

Take a look at the firing pin. You may be able to take a fine file to it and reduce the width of the pin by a .001 or .002 and reduce the flattening. I have done that with firing pins in the past and it has made a world of difference. If you're not comfortable doing that yourself, take it to a gunsmith. It would be a simple job and shouldn't cost much at all. The gunsmith might offer some additional advice as well.

by **PaPaquan** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:48 pm

Thanks for the suggestion (tigwelder56) about the pin... I'll give it a "shot"

by **TBone837** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:57 am

by **jlowey1** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:38 am

I use high velocity, solid point .22s. With no extractor, the increased blowback of high velocity loads seems to function more reliably in the Bobcat. Lack of sufficient penetration is a major fault of the .22 in a defense role. For that reason, I shoot solid points versus hollowpoints.

by **PaPaquan** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:58 am

Hey there TBone:

No matter what type of ammo, I get an occasional pinched round that hangs up. I use mostly Remington, 40gr. HV gold nose, but have had the same problem with "expensive" rounds. As for the Chinese, what have they sent us that is not crap... buy American when you can... (But just try to go buy something not made in China... good luck!)

As for keeping it cleaned, I am obsessive compulsive about meticulously cleaning and oiling all of my guns and rifles routinely... fired or not, and hot waxing the walnut. I am glad that your Bobcat has served you well for 20 years. However, with your expertise you should know that each gun is individual in characteristics and obviously yours does not have the occasional glitches that this gun does.

When it comes to firing accuracy, you are the master and I will remain your "grasshopper" and perhaps someday I will be able to rapid fire a mag into the black at 25 yards.

To: Tigwelder... Thank you for the constructive advise.

by **MagnumAl** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:51 pm

Good little gun. I bought mine about 4 yrs ago for 100 bucks used. Its the 25 auto. The only weird thing about this gun, other than I am inaccurate past 10 ft with it, is that a pin on the top of the slide works loose, and points up when this thing is fired. I have thought about sending it for repair to beretta, but then again, its a deep cover, backup gun that I almost never carry, so I cant truly be bothered.

I carry it in a bianchi inside the belt holster, or is a pocket, loose. I usually try and carry my ppk or 357 snub instead if at all possible, due to the weak round.

But, hey, for 100 bucks, not a bad option if i feel like wearing shorts.