wrong ammo won't cycle new Beretta Bobcat 21A ??

[pharmer]

I had one in the 20th century. The lack of extractor means you need the most powerful cartridge to overcome the springs that keep the slide closed when firing. Try retracting the slide by hand and you see what I'm describing. I owned mine for 1 range trip. They do hold their resale value though. Joe

 

[Breakaway500]

Had a 21A and wanted to like it but it was very fussy about ammo (had to be clean and high velocity)plus the trigger always felt like it was bending when I pulled it. Didn't have any problem selling it so off it went.

 

[samandglove1]

I had a 21A that was the the only true lemon I've ever owned. It initially only reliably fired Mini-Mags & Stingers. Then it regressed and only reliably fired Stingers. Then (you guessed it) it stopped reliably firing anything. I literally threw it into Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. Probably not the most mature thing to do, but every man has his limits....

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

I have one about thirty years old.

It runs with just about anything that I put in it.

 

[Flattop5]

I have had one of these guns since the late 80s. Minimags work ok but if you want it to be as close to 100% reliable as possible you must use CCI Velositors or Stingers (I prefer the Velositors). When I use them never a hiccup. With Minimags I will get an occasional problem. With standard velocity I get nothing but problems.

I AGREE. MOUSE GUNS NEED "HOT" AMMO TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY. GO "NUKE" MODE. My .25 auto only works well with "hot" red box Fiocchi ammo. The cooler the ammo, the worse it performs. Ditto an old mouse .22 I had. Same thing. Hotter is better. Why? Less mass. You need to compensate for the less mass.


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[hardknocks]

CCI

Had a couple beretta 22s
Ran perfect with CCI mini mags.
Just lucky maybe.

 

[VaTom]

I had one years ago and it was most reliable with CCI Stingers.

Stingers are 1640 FPS. Probably about the hottest 22LR out there. Found a couple of boxes at a local Walmart recently. Believe I paid $8 for box of fifty. Had a couple of other boxes on hand. They are hard to find. I ration them to myself. Took some to the range last week and ran some through the M&P 15-22. Most accurate ammo for it.

 

[robvious]

got mine used from a retired LEO.. he said use hot ammo.. but not stingers... mini mags worked great... but hating to be limited I tried my "find what works" mix of ammo... well.. about everything worked... I was happy

 

[Electraclyde]

I had one about 20+ years ago. It started out very reliable with mini mags. After about 5 or 600 rounds it started to be a jam-o-matic with any and all ammo. LGS where I bought it said they could do nothing more than send it back to the mother ship. I traded it in on the spot, on another J-frame. Don" know what the dealer did with it and don"t care. Would not buy another.

 

[jaguargolf]

My .22lr 21a is very big for a small gun. It is not anywhere near as reliable as my .25 950 which is very flat and small.

I am suspect of most .22Lr semi-autos. If I need a small .22LR to work every time, I can get 8 rounds without ejection problems from a S&W 317 that hides as well as a 21A.

 

[NY-1]

I contemplated purchasing a Bobcat, but I liked the way the Tomcat looked better. I ended up getting a Walther PPKs in 22LR instead. A bit bigger, just as stylish, and I've had no issues running CCi MiniMags through it. Now if only you could find extra Walther magazines anywhere...

 

[Jessie]

If it doesn’t run on CCI minimags, it’s probably just not going to run.
Stingers are good too

 

[jpage]

Are the 21 slides constructed of steel ?

 

[VaTom]

Visual follow up to my previous post. Comparing Mini-Mags, Velocitors and Stingers.

For a reliable 22LR pistol, the Ruger SR22 is hard to beat. Will cycle just about anything. I don't think I have ever had a failure with it.

 

[tops]

For a reliable 22LR pistol, the Ruger SR22 is hard to beat. Will cycle just about anything. I don't think I have ever had a failure with it.

That's what I got too replace the 21A. I'm kinda ashamed too be seen with it but it's reliable and as accurate as my M17 and M18. My Ggrandson can go through a box of .22s in just a few minutes with it. If I had too keep them I wouldn't trade it for a dozen 21As. Larry

 

[jdh]

Some 21As don't like the longer case of the Stinger.

I have never had to poke of pry and unfired case from the chamber of a 21A.

Still, they are no less reliable than a Walther TPH.

 

[dsf]

I have a relatively new 21A and an older 950. A notable difference between the 950 using shorts and the 21 using LR is their "recoil springs". The 950 uses simple spring wire loops on either side of the frame while the 21 has struts and a plunger with coil spring inside. They're located under the grips. Might be worthwhile to pop off the grips and put a drop of oil down each plunger.

I use Stingers without any problem. Have always heard that high velocity is what works best.

Just a bit of a guess. I know "limp wristing" comes up when shooting anything with substantial, but am wondering if even in a slight recoiling pistol without an extractor if even a little of it can cause a problem.

 

[Swiftflyer]

I bought one back in the eighties just because it was a pretty little thing with a high gloss blue and walnut grips but it has been a champ. It works with any HV ammo and I don't remember it ever failing, it gets cleaned and oiled every 100 rounds or so.

 

[Dave Lively]

I had a 21a in the 90s and with MiniMags it was reliable enough to be fun at the range but not reliable enough to be a self defense gun. One of the reasons I would not recommend a small 22 as a self defense gun for anyone.

With small guns grip matters. Make sure your DIL is holding on tight.

 

[OLDSTER]

Thanks all for your comments. She really likes the little gun, but admits she was shooting some Federal stuff they had at the range. The problem was it would not cycle reliably, and even loading one cartridge in the tip-up barrel, it often won't eject the brass; under powered ammo. And it ran fine for her when she qualified for her permit ( clean gun and obviously different ammo ). My advice to her is CLEAN chamber often, and CCI Mini-Mags or Stingers only ( if she can find some), and be certain not to "limp wrist". She has been given the same advice from a Bobcat owning friend. This discussion is good for owners of most any pocket/purse size .22 LR pistol.