Beretta double action .22 pocket pistol?

A friend recently bought a small Beretta 21A .22Lr and was showing it to me and at first glance I could think of no good use for the gun, but the more I looked at it, I became intrigued. For defense a tiny polymer .380 would be better, but the little Beretta looked like it might be fun to plink with or use to shoot close range pests if it had decent accuracy. I've never been a big fan of .22 rimfires but ammo is getting so high, they are about the only thing I can afford to shoot in quantity. The trigger wasn't great but I'm pretty successful at slicking them up, and the grip is big enough to hold on to, so if the gun was accurate I might have use for it. Does anyone have any feedback on these guns.

I have had one for years. It is somewhat ammo sensitive so you have to figure out what works. Mine hated some old CCI Stingers I had in the ammo collection. It worked well with some other high velocity CCI loads.

I shot it as far out as 25 yards, but most practiced at around 10 meters.
I have carried it in an ankle holster a few times as a backup to my Smith J frame.

i too have had one for years...a nice little gun that is dependable and for what it is..quite accurate

I have one that I most often keep in my pocket while walking around the farm. It's good for pests and whatnot. The sights are horrible but can be made useful without a lot of trouble by using a small file and bright nail polish. I put CTC laser grips on mine. Mine is reasonably accurate out to 15 yards.

It's ammo sensitive so find out what works well.

Mine is strictly a pest gun. I carry a large revolver for self defense and bears.

I also like the double action first shot capability. I don't worry about it in my pocket as much.

It's a fun little gun to shoot.

I had a Model 21 .22 LR and a Minx, (.22 short). As the gents stated the 21's are very ammo sensitive and the 21 I had jammed like crazy until I found the right ammo, (and a reliable magazine). I sold it off though and kept the Minx.

The little Minx will shoot about anything I load it up with. It's also very accurate for such a tiny pistol.

The 21 is a nice little pocket pistol and all the little Beretta pocket .22's seem to be pretty accurate. They're well built and will serve you well. I also love the tip up barrels.

I carried one in .25acp as a BUG back in the day (which then became a Beretta 3032 in .32acp and then a S&W 642 in .38spl). It was okay, went bang when I pulled the trigger and all. I can think of a lot of guns that would make better plinkers however. And IIRC the price is pretty steep for what you get, something like $290 or so. Taurus also makes one that is very similar but much less expensive. It is one of the few Tauri I don't hear complaints about.

I worked peripherally on both the trial and appeal of a case in which one of these little guns (a Beretta 21a in .22 LR) was used to kill two people. Here are some facts on the episode as set forth in the New Mexico Supreme Court's opinion in State v. Coffin, 1999-NMSC-038, ¶ 8, 128 N.M. 192, 991 P.2d 477:

Doctor Julia Goodin, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies on both Martinezes, testified at trial concerning their gunshot wounds. Chris Martinez, Sr. received two gunshot wounds, one on the left side of the head near the ear, traveling slightly front to back and left to right and lodging at the base of the skull and brain. The second gunshot wound was in the left chest area near the armpit, traveling right to left. Mr. Martinez, Sr. had a blood alcohol level of .269 percent. Chris Martinez, Jr. received four gunshot wounds: one to the left side of the jaw traveling slightly left to right and back to front, exiting through the chin; a second behind the left ear, traveling left to right and back to front, lodging in the base of the skull; a third just below the latter gunshot behind the left ear, with a similar trajectory; and, finally, a fourth in the lower middle of the back, traveling left to right and back to front, hitting the spine. Mr. Martinez, Jr. had a blood alcohol level of .156 percent.

Witnesses reported the Martinez men were behaving aggressively before being shot. Id. at ¶¶ 5, 6. Another witness said both Martinez men dropped to the ground immediately upon being shot. Id. at ¶ 7.



Obviously, some folks will stop when they're shot with anything, anywhere. But to assure a stop with a handgun (based on what I've seen in the cases that I've worked on), a person needs to put a bullet (any size seems to work) into either the brain/spinal cord or the heart/aorta. (Even though heart/aorta shots don't necessarily stop a person from moving around or put him down instantly, I've never yet seen a case where a person shot thusly continued aggressive action - and the heart/aorta shot comes up a lot in these cases.)

Accordingly, my perception and belief is that to effect a stop with a handgun, precise shot placement and adequate penetration are necessary. Bullet diameter is not a necessary, it's gravy. Same with kinetic energy.

The .22 in little guns is not my first choice for defensive use, by any means, though it certainly worked in the Coffin case. I own this 21a and have carried it for defensive purposes a few times - I carry it with 40-grain solids at about 880 fps (I love the Aguila 60-gr SSS rounds for penetration from a longer barrel, but they're just so slow out of my 21a that I have real doubts about their usefulness from this gun). Here's the concern that keeps me from the faster, lighter bullets: from the .22 and .25 killings that I've seen, adequacy of penetration is sort of the iffy bit. Low-mass rounds moving slowly are easily deflected (or even stopped) by all sorts of things. I really prefer a bit more mass in my bullet - and a bit more velocity, too. Because of the fat grip (as you note), the 21a is quite fun to shoot and is decently accurate - I find it to be a bit less accurate than a J-frame for me. It's no tack-driver by any means - my Ruger LCP is notably more accurate.

If one thinks to use one of these for defensive purposes, be one would be wise to sure that he is capable of hitting the vitals accurately (Grey's Anatomy is available online for free study) with adequately penetrative rounds.



Here are some sample velocities from my gun's 2 3/8" pop-up barrel. Range 5950' above sea level, 75% humidity, 69-75° F.

Winchester Super X Super Speed RN 40-gr plated round nose
M 811.3/ES 46.8/SD 20.89

CCI SGB (Small Game Bullet) 40-gr LFP
M 841.2/ES 67.1/SD 22.79

CCI Blazer 40-gr RNL
M 830.1/ES 143.7/SD 51.41

PMC Zapper 40-gr PRNL (red box)
M 797.5/ES 101.2/SD 52.84

PMC Zapper 40-gr PRNL (orange box)
M 847.7/ES 98.76/SD 38.74

CCI Velocitor (new) 40-gr PHP
M 852.2/ES 71.41/SD 28.14

Aguila SSS 60-gr RNL
M 606.0/ES 47.34/SD 21.07

Aguila Super Colibri 20-gr lead truncated cone
M 494.4/ES 19.74/SD 8.18

CCI Stinger 32-gr PHP
M 1004/ES 86.16/SD 38.45

Aguila Interceptor 40-gr PFP
M 931.8/ES 155.2/SD 55.79

CCI Mini-Mag 40-gr PRN
M 879.9/ES 16.60/SD 7.07

Federal Champion bulk 36-gr PHP
M 928.1/ES 105.9/SD 38.96

CCI Mini-Mag 36-gr PHP
M 848.1/ES 71.00/SD 27.87

Aguila .22 Super Extra 40-gr PRN
M 836.1/ES 68.87/SD 29.42




And don't forget about the Beretta 87!

I'm with Erich, I too have carried the 21 A's for many , many years, and had at least 6 of them, ( they always buy them out from under me...) and every one was very accurate,like they say, "once you found the 22 ammo it liked to digest...) at 21 feet ( 7 yards) I could put all 7 shots in the size of a playing card ( about the size of the human heart.......) need I say MORE

Eric, great report! thnx, kalei

Thanks, Kalei. I should note that my accuracy experience is about like dant's - I can certainly put all the shots into a coffee saucer at 10 yards. Better ammo yields better groups. It's not a target gun, though - I've yet to see a functioning Ruger Mk II that won't put ten shots into a single hole with the right ammo.

Erich-

Thanks for the velocity readings. Have you done any for the .25?

I have to ask: what is the wine?

T-Star

Texas Star,

It should be an Italian red.

Is that a mafia cheese board?

yes...and the knife cracked it........

I've got a 21a in stainless. I gotta find some black plastic grips for it.

I bought one for my wife to use because you don't have to pull the slide back to chamber a round. (push a lever and the barrel tips up, put bullet in barrel push barrel down and it is read to shoot) Another advantage for women is that it has very low recoil. At close range, it is easy to place shots in a vital area. Because it is automatic the shooter can get shots off rapidly. A larger caliber would be better, but a 22 in the head or heart will ruin someone day.

T-star, I can't remember what sort of Barolo it was - here's a better pic. Haven't chrono'd .25s out of a 21a and haven't chrono'd them out of a 950 BS since '89, IIRC.

JcMack, there are usually factory black plastic 21a stocks available on GB - the wood ones that you have are more desirable for most folks. There are also aftermarket black plastic stocks you can find by Pearce.

Sip, as a fellow ginzo, you ought to be able to identify what else is on the cutting board:

I have looked at the 21A's, and at the Taurus bobcat - They Sure look identical - Taurus about 40% less. I wonder if they have the same inclination towards ammo?

FWIW, I continually read of functioning issues with the Taurus copies - but have no personal experience with the breed.

I've carried one for years in a pocket holster. Can't add much. They are ammo sensitive, safety with hammer down, tip up barrel makes it safe and quick to load. I practice mostly at 7-10 yds and it will put them pretty close together at that range. Sights are almost nonextistant and up close muscle memory is a better system. Or just look down the top of the slide.
I like it because it is light, good performer with right ammo and although the 22 is not a first rate stopper, I have seen it excel in several cases. One shot stops to the head, 2 shot stop to the heart. And the little pill will penetrate amazingly well. Speaking of the model that shoots shorts, my brother carries one and on a lark I was shooting at his metal silhouettes at 35 yards and ringing them and then shot at a piece of 2x4 about 8 inches long and hit it and ROLLED it at 35 yards. I was impressed. Beretta makes nice stuff but with this model, get the right ammo and shoot the crap out of it to break it in and 100% reliable.