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By Terril James Hebert
Being in front of and behind many a gun store counter has taught me that pocket pistols sell. Full-sized handguns and long guns simply don’t move quite like today’s pocket polymer .380s, single-stack 9mm’s, and .38 Special snub-nosed revolvers.
The gun industry has consistently striven to put more power into as small a package as possible and they’ve have succeeded. Plus, the prices are about as low as can be for a quality product.
But that doesn’t make them perfect. If anything, I’m alarmed to find so many pocket guns in these calibers walking out of the door in the hands of people who may not be able to deploy them successfully.
The single mom who needs “something” for her purse. The man doing the talking for his disinterested significant other. The elderly woman with hand issues under the guidance of a male relative.
Convenient to have around does not mean convenient to use. Touching off a relatively powerful cartridge from a little, lightweight gun is not a recipe for shooting pleasure.
Further, there is little real estate to hold onto in order to manipulate these little pocket guns. The slides are small, the controls are small, and the grip leaves you hanging, so to speak.
With that said, I’m going to step off my soapbox and say that it is times like these that I lament the loss of truly small caliber pocket pistols that might be more appropriate for some of these people. The vest-pocket .22’s, 25’s, and 32’s that used to be the pocket option before the .380 polymer pistol craze really came on strong.
These guns were small, and made by manufacturers both good and bad. Though compact, they fired relatively low-powered, low recoiling cartridges. That’s probably why we don’t see many of them in current production.
A few pistols are still chambered in .32 ACP and .25 ACP, as well as .22 LR, but availability isn’t anything close to what you’ll find in a .380.
One of these holdouts that’s still in production is a model I wish would make a comeback—the Beretta 21A Bobcat. After six months of looking for an elusive new Inox model, I settled on a moderately-used blued steel version for this review.
The Beretta 21A represented one of the latest and simplest presentations in pocket guns when it debuted in the 1980s. The essential design dates back to the early 1950s with the Beretta 950 Jetfire.
The Jetfire was a single-action hammer-fired pocket pistol chambered in .22 Short and .25 ACP. The slightly larger Bobcat improved on the old Jetfire with a DA/SA action gun that could be carried with the hammer down and safety off for immediate use.
The then-new pistol made the scene around the same time as new developments in .22 LR ammo. Reliable, high powered ammunition like the CCI Mini Mag and Stinger was to push the .22 Short and the .25 ACP out by the wayside. Over the years, the Bobcat has been made in 22LR and .25 ACP with the stainless-steel version in .22 still in Beretta USA’s catalog.
Like all Bobcats, my blued steel model is American-made and has the same general lines as the full-size Beretta 92 service handgun—albeit shrunken and a little stripped down. Mine, and the current models, come with black plastic grips bearing the Beretta logo and housing a flush-fitting magazine release button.
Above the grip is the slide bearing the markings of Beretta USA and abbreviated gripping serrations at the rear. There’s a tiny groove rear sight and the front blade sight is fixed. When I say fixed, I mean the barrel does not tilt or move when the slide is operated, making this pistol a straight blowback design relying on the weight of the slide and the recoil spring to cycle the gun when it’s fired.
This doesn’t work organically with larger calibers like 9mm Luger or .45 ACP, but it does just fine with the low pressure 22 LR. Oddly enough, unlike most blowback guns the Bobcat doesn’t even have an extractor. Instead, the design relies on gas pressure to eject an empty case after firing.
Operationally, the Bobcat is a double-action pistol, meaning a long pull of the trigger can cock the hammer and fire the first round. Each subsequent shot is fired with a cocked hammer and therefore a lighter trigger pull.
The Bobcat has a manual thumb safety on the left side of the pistol under the slide that allows you to carry the pistol “cocked and locked” with the hammer back, if you elect to do so.
The double-action trigger pull is on the heavier side, running about 8 lbs. of pressure on my Lyman trigger scale. Smoother and lighter than say, a double-action revolver, but still heavy enough for safety without throwing rounds off target. The double-action feature also helps if you have a dud round in the chamber. Pulling the trigger again allows the hammer to strike the round again—a handy feature for a 22.
With the hammer cocked, the trigger pull has a little bit of play, but breaks at a clean 2 lbs. 10 oz. With a bit of practice, it wasn’t too hard to lob rounds into my eight-inch steel plate at thirty yards, a somewhat ridiculous distance for a gun meant for bad-breath encounters.
The most interesting feature of the Bobcat, and one borrowed from the Jetfire, is the tilt-up barrel. You can insert the magazine and flick the lever on the left side forward of the grip panel.
This frees the barrel to tip upward, exposing the breech so you can load a round directly into the barrel and close it. There’s no need to rack the slide. That’s a real benefit to those with hand problems.
On The Range
The Beretta Bobcat was one of my “bucket list” guns, but I have no illusions about .22 automatic pistols and their role in self-defense. My run with the Bobcat was not perfect, but it highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of .22 pistols in that role and where the Bobcat stacks up.
One thing to note about .22 pistols is how dirty the ammunition is. I made sure every range session started with a properly cleaned and lubricated pistol. These semi-automatics also tend to be ammunition sensitive, so I brought ten types of ammo to try.
Those include:
CCI Blaser High Velocity 40 grain
CCI Mini Mag 40 grain solid
CCI Stinger 32 grain hollow-point
CCI Velocitor 40 grain hollow-point
Federal Target 40 grain standard velocity
Remington Thunderbolts 40 grain
Remington Viper 36 grain solid
Winchester Western 36 grain hollow-point
CCI No. 12 ratshot (for pattern testing only)
Federal Automatch 40 grain
Loading the Bobcat is an easy proposition. The loaded magazine holds seven rounds. You can get an eighth round in, but you will not be able to work the pistol’s slide. So, keep seven rounds in the magazine.
With the magazine inserted into the grip, you can either rack the slide back or push the barrel release with your thumb. The barrel pops up horizontally and you can load a single round directly into the chamber. Close the barrel and you are ready to shoot.
With relatively their short grips and relatively light weight, pocket pistols don’t tend to be very enjoyable or easy to shoot. But the virtually recoil-less .22 LR chambering makes shooting the Bobcat downright fun.
While the grips are relatively large, the Bobcat still only allows for a three-fingered grip. Even so, it’s easy to fish the pistol from a pocket or holster and get it on target. The minuscule fixed sights take some getting used to, but once I got them on target, dumping my eight rounds into palm-sized groups as far as seven to ten yards out wasn’t a hard proposition.
To put a number on group sizes, I can generally expect to put eight rounds in a 2-3 inch group offhand from at ten yards with most of the ammunition I tried. While some .22 pistols will be most accurate with certain brands and loadings, I found that not be the case for my Bobcat. But while the Bobcat handled whatever I fed it, there’s still the general issues of rimfire inconsistency.
Reliability
Anyone who says they have put a thousand rounds through their 22 without any problems is probably fudging the numbers a bit. The .22 LR is a rifle round that was never meant to be put into handguns. The Bobcat came around as reliable, higher velocity loads in .22 LR were coming to market.
As a result, more pocket guns chambered for the round became available. Viable, yes, perfect no. The .22 LR’s rimfire ignition isn’t always consistent and the round leaves a lot of residue when firing.
In a thousand rounds, I’ve counted fourteen malfunctions. Ten of those were with Federal Target 40 grain target loads. Almost without fail, this standard velocity ammunition would fail to cycle the slide, leaving an empty case still in the chamber.
As mentioned before, there is no extractor to pull the empty case out of the chamber, clearing it for the next round. The Bobcat relies on gas pressure to eject the empty shells. It works, until you deal with underpowered ammo or if you can’t ignite that dud round in the chamber.
The instinct, as with all other pistols, is to then rack the slide to clear the malfunction. Since there’s no extractor, you have now stripped a round from the magazine and that empty case is still stuck.
To clear a case or dud round from the Bobcat, you have to hit the barrel release. The barrel pops forward and the round comes flying out. After about two hundred rounds, in simulated malfunctions, I found that the gun was so dirty that I had to use a fingernail to clear the case.
Caveats aside, the Bobcat was more reliable than I expected. Aside from the underpowered Federal Target loads, I had only two malfunctions—a CCI Stinger and a Winchester Western round that failed to eject once the gun got past the two hundred round mark in a range session.
I also had two Winchester rounds fail to fire, requiring a quick second-strike to set them off. So with high velocity and hyper velocity ammo, the Bobcat will run like a top, more than long enough to get you out of trouble.
The Bottom Line
Aside from the cool factor, it can be hard to justify owning a Beretta Bobcat. It is mechanically interesting and features some of Beretta’s best styling, but is it worth carrying for personal defense in light of the latest generation of pocket .380 pistols that pack more punch? Remember, there are very pocketable alternatives out there like Ruger LCP, which is lighter in weight than this eight-shot 22.
I will still entertain the Bobcat.
The .22 LR might be many things, but punishing to shoot is not it. The hottest .22 caliber solid rounds can penetrate deep enough to stop a threat with decent shot placement, yet the recoil and report would never startle a new or inexperienced shooter. I
have seen pocket .380s sold as the answer for many new gun owners who “just want something” for personal protection. Never mind that those little guns can be miserable to shoot—therefore you aren’t likely to practice.
Even with its flaws, the Bobcat’s tilt-up barrel is still a good design for those with limited hand strength or injuries. Even if you don’t fit into that category, the little Bobcat is infinitely easier than most larger caliber alternatives to shoot and to shoot well.
When negotiation and situational awareness fail, that pocket .22 is going to be better than that “just something” you dread pulling the trigger on.
Specifications: Beretta 21A Bobcat
Caliber: 22LR
Capacity: 7+1
Grips: Black plastic
Front Sight: Fixed blade
Rear Sight: Fixed, milled notch
Barrel Length: 2.4 inches
Construction: Aluminum frame, carbon steel slide
Finish: Enamel black aluminum, blued steel
Weight: 13.1 oz. loaded
Safeties: Half-cock, manual thumb safety
MSRP: $410
Where To Buy
Ratings (out of five stars):
Style and Build Quality: * * * * *
The Bobcat oozes the classic Beretta 92 styling, but in a miniaturized pocket form. While my used gun was worn from previous use, fit was excellent. No burrs or noticeable machine marks.
Reliability: * * * *
You’re going to have problems with 22 rimfire occasionally, especially in a semiautomatic handgun. Outside of underpowered ammunition, though, the Bobcat did quite well and the double-action feature was helpful to set off a round that failed to fire on the first hit.
Accuracy: * * * * *
In the world of pocket guns, the Bobcat is a real shooter. The inherent lack of recoil of 22 LR, the beefiness of the grips, and a light single-action trigger makes the Bobcat easy to shoot.
Overall: * * * *
Though you might run into trouble with some ammunition, the Beretta Bobcat—a thoroughly 1980s design—is still relevant in some situations. At the very least, it’ll make you look cool for those EDC pocket dump photos.
TAURUS made a PT series clone of these guns. Cheap and with a gold color trigger. Someone I know bad the slide break on a .25 cal model.
Winchester .22 has been the worst of the .22 I’ve used. I found deformed rounds and bent bullets in addition to loose heads and duds. I used up the rest in a revolver because it was problematic.
At face to face distance this micro gun would stop an attack especially if you squeezed off 2 or 3. It does not protect against numerous attackers like a high cap 9 does.
This gun doesn’t compete with hi-cap 9s. It competes with micro .380s and possibly .38sp snubbies. It does offer a low recoil alternative the the AirWeight revolver and OLD class .380. Personally, I’d stick with the .38sp of .380, yet I do see a place for the little Beretta. A friend of mine has one, and I like it.
One of the ladies at local pistol club is where I lived back in the mid 1980’s had one of these.
Surprisingly accurate gun even at 25 metres with a bit of practice.
Thinking a. 25 ACP would be better
Everyone thinks the .25 is more reliable due to the centerfire priming, but it is a semi-rimmed cartridge, it can rimlock, .22 can’t. There is no difference in power between the two; they both suck equally, however .22 hyper velocity ammo exists now and some companies are making 45 grain loads for .22 LR, which is not far from 50 grains that FMJ .25 weighs.
So long as you use high quality .22 ammo and you keep the pistol clean and the trigger has a DA function (for second or third strike capability), I think it’s a better choice than .25 is today. IMO, a DA trigger pull is an absolute necessity for any defensive .22 pistol.
I’m not sure who everyone is, but I certainly believe the .25ACP to be far more reliable that the .22LR. My basis for that is years of reading law enforcement incident reports, plus over 50 years of personal experience. I carried a Baby Browning as my fourth backup until the Seecamp .25ACP came out. If you were to survey the hard cases in law enforcement, as I have done informally, I suspect the percentage of those who carry multiple backups, the great majority favor the .25 over the .22LR small autos.
Actually, given the new Seecamp .380, many LEOs have switched to .380s or .32s for their third or fourth backup.
My mother, who was very good with a .45ACP in her younger years gradually worked her way down to a Beretta .25ACP at age 97 and carried it until she died at 103. She did not trust rimfires for self-defense either.
Everyome thinks the 25 is more reliable than a 22 rimfire ….because the 25 is more reliable than 22 rimfire……any 22 rimfire ammo.
.25 is expensive and few choices exist in ammo
A hot loaded .22 with the right bullet and powder are easily just as powerful as the .25 ACP. .25 is for old fudds who can’t get with the new faster and higher capacity .22s.
Just like how a hot loaded .25 ACP, with right bullet and powder combo, is just as effective as .380 ACP. .380 is stupid and pointless and only used by fat overall wearing fudds. .25 acp is just as effective and with higher capacity.
Again, just like how a hot loaded .380 ACP is just as powerful as the all powerful 9mm. With the right bullet and powder, .380 easily steps into 9mm territory, therefore making 9mm obsolete, by doing everything 9 does but in a smaller, lighter package.
Just like how a hot loaded 9 with today’s modern bullets is far superior to the fudd .45 round. .45 is so fat and slow you can easily deflect it and out run it. The new fast 9mm does it all better with higher capacity.
Again, just like how a hot loaded .45 with the right bullet will easily preform to .44 mag levels. Doing everything .44 mag does but in a semi auto, therefore now .44 is obsolete as well.
Now consider this: a hot loaded .44 mag with the right bullet is stepping into .50 cal territory…
Tired of this shit yet? .22 is the new .50.
Well done sir (ma’am?), well done.
I prefer the M109 howitzer over all of them but it’s hardly a pocket carry.
Distance and accuracy are better with the M109 as well.
Ammo for one can be very hard to get tho.
When I was very poor and needed a small “throw away” I traded some work for a new in the box Sterling .22lr. Came w/on mag. I later found another mag. at a gun show.
That little puppy shoots very well, is paper plate accurate to 50′, and as long as its kept clean and has good ammo, shots every time.
It now resides under a kitchen counter on a magnet.
Idea for future .22 review.
ISSC M 22 .22 Pistol
Handled one the other day, it is interesting…and looks like a Glock and made in Austria.
I owned a 21 many moons ago. Sort of backup to a Glock. Liked both. The 21 was a bit more accurate than I expected.
The only mini 22 pistol I own is a Walther TPH. No reason to own any other.
I owned one for several years….beautiful…well made….accurate…a joy to shoot.
But worthless for self defense as it would randomly jam with any 22 ammo I ever
Put through it.
Stingers, yellowjackets, Winchester super X, blasters, eley Tenex. I once put 200 rounds of a brick of Winchester SuperX (some of the most consistent in the 80s).
Thinking I had found “the load”, the very next box of 50 produced a couple of dead rounds and several jams.
It became a very nice plinking pistol.
A 22 for defense should be a revolver or a Ruger Standard 22 auto. Never had a jam with those.
Yea, I seldom carried it as a primary weapon. I have a leather wallet holster designed for the old AMT Backup 380 which fits the TPH like a glove. It was just used as a back up. The 22LR will definitely kill, but the stopping power leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve seen it stop and drop a person with one shot in two separate incidences. Those, when the bullet entered the chest cavity and bounced around from rib to rib. This was just luck on the part of the shooter. No, I would never carry a 22LR as a primary.
Had a Bobcat for several years. It was great for pocket or ankle carry. Never used the safety, D/A seemed adequate. Loaded with CCI Stingers alternating with Rem. Thuderbolt solids, I fancied it a good combo. I even carried a spare magazine. It was accurate and reliable over about 200 rounds. Finally realized I needed something bigger, and replaced with a Colt 1991 Officer’s in .45acp. A friend’s wife needed a purse gun, so I sold it and have regretted it ever since.
Fun little guns.
Waiting for Beretta to make a poly TomCat with a double stack 32 magazine.
I’d buy at least one.
I have 2 Beretta model 950’s in .25acp but they are Italian made and there is a reason for this. Italian models have no manual safety. Normally I would prefer a manual safety for obvious reasons. Some of my friends had the American made junkers and the safety soon wore out and would come to the on position when firing the gun. If you have an American made gun never use the safety unless absolutely necessary. Carry the gun hammer down and you do not need to use the safety at all. I do not know if the American made and much larger model 21 has this defect safety problem so I would like to hear from anyone who has had their safety wear out prematurely.
The tip up barrel is both a love, hate relationship. By using the tip up barrel you will never get a loosening of the bullet in the case when you constantly cycle a round from the magazine into the chamber as on a conventional pistol. This can result in bullet set back on feeding and also it often lets in moisture or gun oil which can and will cause a dud round misfire. Trust me I have had this happen.
On the other hand the tip up barrel can get you killed in a gun fight because if you get a jam good luck on trying to un-jam the damned gun because it has no extractor for a quick clear of the jam and when you try and use the tip up barrel to clear the jam good luck, trust me I have been through this nightmare but fortunately no one was shooting back at me at the time as it was at the range.
If you carry a .22 rimfire for protection do not use junk American made ammo. Its not only noted for numerous misfires but the dimensions of American made rounds are notoriously all over the spectrum in rim size, rim diameter and case body diameter. I was taking measurements only last week because of a problem I had with a high grade target rifle and was shocked at the out of spec crappy American made ammo as compared to the high grade Euro ammo. I would use only high quality .22 rim fire European made ammo from some of the great manufactures like Eley or RWS or Lapua etc. I almost never get a misfire with high quality stuff but be prepared for sticker shock Eley red box can run you as high as $21.00 a box and some of the other ammo is right up there in the $10 to $15.00 range but hey what is your life worth.
Make no mistake about the .25 acp or .22 rimfire they can kill and do despite all the hoopla from the big bore fanatics that claim nothing less than a .700 Nitro express will bring down a viscous marauding barn mouse.
If in good condition the Beretta 950 is a very reliable gun when using good ammo. I would like to here from people who use or have used the model 21 as far as reliability and as far as the safety holding up or not holding up.
Yes, that’s pretty much been my experience as well, Vlad. I began trying to get various .22lr hp ammo to behave reliably with the 21A platform because I felt a DA/SA mechanism was best for ‘front-pocket level’ self-defense. However, in short, nothing worked; although I polished and lubed the hell out of it. Not even one full mag of any brand would either feed, fire, or eject all of its rounds. >And there were a few rimfire hang-fires, which are not fun.
Then I tried the SA-only 950 in .25acp. Bought a Made in USA model because I’d then not heard of the 1950’s/60’s Italian import models *without an external safety. Not that I ever use it. And, yes, it also inadvertently pushes up and engages when shooting, from time to time, due to my large hand. I have to consciously keep my thumb clear of the small safety when shooting. Yet here >not a single ammo FTF/FTE, ever! That includes zero ignition problems.
In short, the 950 in center-fire is quantum leap past the 21A model in rimfire for reliable functioning.
With this mouse-gun rig you still have 8 + 1 = 9 rounds of .25acp, and with virtually no recoil. With this light caliber, the best self-defense strategy is “ammo dump” at the threat .. until the threat stops being a threat.
Nowadays, having had a few encounters with drug-addled felons, I’m thinking of upgrading those ft/lbs of energy with a micro .380 – probably a Kahr DAO, with bar-dot night sights, and a viridian laser [No more front sight nail polish!] – and no damned manual safety.
This reflects my experience with the .22lr vs .25 auto. It seems that St John Moses Browning came up with the .25 auto because of problems with the .22 rimfire in pocket pistols. A pity the .25 isnt used more often, especially in small game rifles with hopped-up loads.
Ive had my 21A for close to 30 years. Its 100% a fun gun and I used to carry it NYC when I lived there.
Yah it has to be cleaned it seems every 20th shot and doesn’t matter what 22 is in it its always dirty.
High Velocity the higher the better it works. So mines never been a big reliability problem. But it does exist.
Leave the barrel dirty and more the 1 round has to be poked out every now and then.
I know its in my will to have it in shirt pocket when I do in the ground. I doubt it will though.
Especially if Im planted in Long Island as the plan is for now.
From the view of having owned one, your article was spot on. FWIW: Neither of my mags popped out when hitting the mag release, always had to pull them.
These little popguns can be fun to play with. I wouldn’t to use anything smaller than a .380 for self defense but for plinking a little .22 pocket gun can be loads of fun.
Of course if a popgun is all you can afford to protect yourself, at least try to get good with it. Keep it clean and well oiled. Try to save up for something better.
Got to shoot one of these once with the owner, his son, and my son. Funny thing about it was that 7 out of 8 rounds would be accurate, but one would be a flyer. No it wasn’t me, we all had the same issue. But it was fun.
I had a 2-tone 21A for a little bit a few years ago. It was a fun gun to shoot at the range and pretty easy to clean up afterward. Ran well with CCI Mini-mags and Stingers, but it didn’t like Velocitors for some reason. I wish it had been a bit smaller and thinner considering it was sized like a modern .380 pocket pistol. I also didn’t like the lack of an extractor and that the slide didn’t lock back after the last shot, leading to the occasional rimfire dry fire… I sold it and put the proceeds towards an LWS32.
Have shot the 21A Bobcat on more than one occasion, really a neat little gun – plenty accurate. If they were still included on California’s Roster of “Safe” handguns, I would own one. Sure I could get a Tomcat, but .32 ACP is just one more caliber I’d have to track down.
bought 1 used.guy bought it for his wife and she wanted a 38 revolver.so he sold it. i shot it .accuracy ok…function perfect. no jams .took it home . my wife liked it. double action trigger was a tad stiff. left it cocked (empty) in my safe for 2 weeks.trigger much better.wife stole it.
Some thoughts on running these cool little Bobcats. First polish what passes for a feed ramp. Next, grease or use dri-slide on the slide. Next load only six rounds in the magazine. Ammo? My LGS who sells everyone of these 21A’s he gets in recommended Aquila Supermaxium HP. I scoffed but tried a box anyway. No failures of any kind. But get this – at the 7 yard line that ammo was punching 32- 35 caliber holes in the paper! Not keyholes but wadcutter like holes. WTF. The bullet was expanding as it left the little tube. Havnt tried it on game yet but theres a porcupine that’s been raiding the deer feeder and chasing my annoying little dog….
I saw and handled one of these recently, fell in love, and am considering the .32 Tomcat version. I have a safety question. With a round in the chamber and the safety off, how sensitive to drop-fire are these guns. Would being placed on half-cock help? My preference in carrying would be chamber loaded, uncocked, and the safety off. Thanks!
Don’t know.
Get an official answer from beretta.com
I bought a bobcat .22 recently. The first magazine full (7 rounds) went through perfectly. The next magazine load had a lot of problems. I seem to have identified that the bullets at the top of the magazine start taking a “nose dive” so they jam against the front of the magazine and cannot slide into the chamber. It seems that the first three rounds loaded into the magazine seem fine, then the additional rounds start “nose diving”. This is making this pistol very unreliable. I need to figure out why this is happening and find the fix. Thank you
I’ve experienced the problem you describe. I found it is possible for the rim of a subsequent cartridge to block that of the round being fed. Taking care to stagger the rims in succession while loading the magazine eliminated the trouble.
I HAVE THE BOBCAT LIMITED EDITION WITH GOLD LETTERING WITH WALNUT GRIP AND IM INTERESTED TO KNOW ITS CURRENT VALUE….
Its me again…got the bobcat when it first came out as an anniversary gift. Im 75 now, keeping it under my pillow as we have bears here but moved up to hollowpoints, needed to do more than just tick its recipient off. its still a beauty!
Have a Beretta Bobcat 21A in blued finish. Bought it at a local gunshow for a very good price. Have put around 3k in rounds through it so far in the last 6 months, and have only had 1 failure to eject or fire, and it was the ammunitions fault. Been shooting CCI Stinger, Velocitors and Federal bulk pack in it, and even some other ammo I had laying around.
Very reliable gun and fits in an Uncle Mikes pocket holster and no one knows its there. Good little back up gun. Great feature of the tip up barrel for people with little hand strength and the DS/SA with thumb safety.
I bought it to show students, but it makes a great small piece to put in your pocket while mowing the yard or doing chores.
Typical fantastic Beretta quality. Not saying the clones are the same, as I know a few with the Taurus copies, that are not impressed with theirs, and loved shooting mine.
I have two Bobcats, one is the Inox, (only comes in 22LR), the other is
25ACP.
My wife let me buy the 22LR Inox as a Birthday gift to myself. Had a
few FTF and FTE with Federal bulk ammo. I have had absolutely NO
problems with CCI Stingers, Velocitors, or Minimags.
I’ve always wanted a 25ACP, but none was to be had at that time. My
local firearms dealer had a 22LR Bobcat (black version) for sale, so I
bought it. At that time, Baretta had thier 25ACP barrels and slides on
sale for half off. To change a 22LR to a 25ACP, all you have to do is
change the barrell, the slide, (with the correct firing pin), and the magazine.
After changing the parts, I drove to my local range to test fire it.
100 rounds later, with no problems whatsoever, I absolutely love my
little Bobcats.
By the way, a nine round magazine is available for the 25ACP, and with
one in the chamber, you have 10 rounds at your disposal.
Hard to find Magazine for Barretta Bobcat 21A.
I have found that there is no better carry gun than the one you have on you. I have carried a Bobcat or Tomcat for over 30 years. Either one easily fits behind my wallet or in a front pocket fairly easily. I use the Aguila 60 g subsonics in the Bobcat, the heavier bullet has not given me any problems other than range problems after going over 200 shots, which is MY issue, not the firearms. It functions well with CCI Minimags also. I don’t hesitate to feel confident and safe while carrying this baby Berreta. My full size carry is a FNP-40, but the baby is always in my pocket.
My father, a WWII vet, had three of these “Mouse Guns” (one .22 Short, one .25, and a .22 Long Rifle): He had one on him ALL THE TIME! The .25 got him out of a jam one early morning when three “gentlemen” thought they might rob him: all he had to do defuse the situation was rack the Beretta and the three brave souls took off like little girls. He also took out a rabid coon, a groundhog, and a stray dog messing with a newborn calf. Daddy was a good shot and he could tear up a target with any of his “Mouse Guns”: he carried one in the chamber with safety off: He said you had to be ready to KILL if you ever pull a gun out: I live by that standard, too.
I just bought a Beretta 21A Bobcat at a local gunshop. Looking to replace my used Taurus 971 revolver (bought from a pawn shop), because the revolver was not reliable… even after a trip to Taurus a couple years ago.
I’m hoping it’s as easy and reliable to shoot as my S&W .22Victory. I absolutely LOVE that gun. If only they made it in a short barreled version…
It’ll be the most “concealed carry” I could imagine. Going to test it out at the range in a day or two.
Gotta say, finally got to try out my Bobcat 21A… yesterday. I absolutely HATE it! I’ve nicknamed it the Bobcrap 21A. Standing no more than 15′-20′ away from a target, I could NOT hit ANYTHING I aimed at! I aimed lower, higher, left of, and right of the thing I was trying to shoot at, and I was lucky if ANY of those shots even came close to where I was aiming. I aimed for the “head” of the target… out of 7 rounds, one grazed the head (would have been a “flesh wound” and the other was about 1″ further in. The other 5? Not even on the paper! Seriously! With my S&W .22 Victory, at the exact same distance, I was able to hit a much smaller target (an orange diamond with a ‘3’ on it) 3x! The Bobcat 21A is reliable… to shoot. It fires when I pull the trigger, every shot. But accuracy? I’d chuck this thing into the nearest dumpster, if I hadn’t spent several hundred on it… NEW!
I sooooo want to be able to carry my S&W .22 Victory as my main gun, but where can I get a proper concealing holster for it? I wish they made a shorter barrel for it… it’s a breeze to use and even easier to load… the cartridge follower is SOOOOO easy to slide down with my thumb, I just drop rounds into it… plink, plink, plink. And it’s FAR more accurate at the same distance. With the Bobcat 21A, I’d have to be so close to the enemy, I might as well carry a knife or a club and stab/beat them to death! Ugh! >:-(
Sounds like you need some more range time.
Are you a new shooter?
Small handguns can be tricky, especially this one.
I guarantee, you are pulling your shot due to the abundant grip size to barrel length ratio.
Go back to 101 basics, and come forward. You’ll find it’s Sweet Spot, and you’ll change your mind.
Also, don’t over rule ammo as being a problem. Try several different types, see if that’s the issue.
Keep in mind it’s designed intent. This gin is not a target gun, but within its designe parameters, it excels over others in its class..
I agree with the comment regarding American made 22 ammo, with the exception of CCI. The Israeli Mossad’s main assasination weapon is a Beretta 71 in 22LR and it has sent many to the happy hunting ground. 22 LR also used by special ops in VietNam conflict. Ammo is the most important factor in 22 rimfires, and even the same model of guns prefer different ammo. I own several 22 pistols, a revolver, and many rifles. Most are suppressed. Next buy will be threaded barrel Beretta Bobcat.
I have to admit, even knowing the limitations of 22lr i have carried this lil popper. Missouri summers are about 10 feet from the sun and athletic shorts are all you can stand to wear. It fits in those shorts nice. If you can find it get some punch ammo for it. Its a game changer. But anyhow the little bobcat is my favorite gun at the range, when you pull it out of your bag all eyes are on you for at least a mag or 2. Its just so retro looking that everyone finds something they like about it. And heck with stingers it shoots fireballs.
I am not able to get the slide to holdback when I rack the Beretta 21 in 22 LR??
There is no slide lock on the Bobcat 21.
Purchased mine in 1992.
Yes, all the good, all the bad said here is true.
The most critical thing about these guns is, keep them clean, lightly lubed, and find the ammo it likes.
She’ll run well if you do this.
These guns just have a Hand Feel that won’t let you put them down. The ergonomics are perfect for whatever you think the gun is good for.
I will never part with mine. It represents a different time, and mindset of thinking that’s long gone compared with today’s thinking.
Barretta recommends replacing the recoil springs every 3000 rounds. Please do this for the sake of the gun.
Love them, or hate them – these guns perform well within their intended purpose.
“Down and dirty little beast”. A magazine dump at belly range will indeed turn the tide for you if ever needed. This is the intent of this little blaster. It’s not “Gun Fight” gun, it’s an Ace in The Hole gun when there are no other options.
Practice like a mad man, and you’ll have the confidence needed to be at peace carrying it.
Cheap to feed, reliable if kept properly serviced, and will save your hide if needed.
This is it’s life story. Love it, and it’ll love you back..
Gear up as your favorite Delsin Rowe Vest. Slim Fit Leather Jackets brings this iconic jacket from animation to reality, especially for all the fans of this video game. Delsin Rowe is the main protagonist and playable character, a young Native-American man who later realizes he’s a Conduit with special powers.
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Make mine Dragunov….. 7.62X54- been there, did that, took the cake…
With a side-order of Kalash….
Had one in 80’s that was stolen and bought an updated 21A despite .32, .380 and diminutive 9mm pistols due to cheap fun shooting despite now high cost of gun and stainless slide (2021). I had to ream out the feed ramp to improve reliability and it now shoots all types of .22 LR as long as you keep the chamber CLEAN and use reliable ammo like CCI high velicity. Double action trigger is heavy but OK, single action promotes “long range” accuracy, loading chamber is easy and safe where thumb safety is nice if you want to safely carry cocked and locked thereby easing trigger pull despite sometimes hard safety release. I’d say good fun pocket gun for hiking in legal carry places with some defense potential when and if needed.
In the early 60’s I bought a new in the box, B21 from a man who need money ‘now’ I offered #35.00 and we settled on $40.00.
Eventfully, I took it a indoor range and ran the target out to the end, I’m not sure of the distance, maybe 25′.
I had a sack of odds and ends ammo that my father had had for years.
To my amazement it feed all the ammo except two, more amazingly was the accuracy at that range, I covered inside the black and many in the bulls eye. I seriously doubt that anyone would pay my going price at $700.00.
Ive got a chance to pick up a nice one @$500… no xtra mag or holster. Wadda ya think?
That’s near the new retail price. If it’s used then I’d pass. I just bought a new one, never shot but pre-owned for $350.00 and it included two extra magazines (also new and never used).
Like a pretty woman, what’s she worth to ya?
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