Super small .22lr, Baby Browning sized or smaller

[spyder1911]

I've been looking at the Baby Browning, Colt 1908, Astra Cub/Colt Jr, etc style gun and I really like them.

The only problem is that they are usually in .25 or .22 short. These tend to be more expensive and harder to find than .22lr.

I've been looking and wondering if there is anything current that is comparable?

Beretta 21a is similar but I think that's bigger than these.

The HP22a might work but it's illegal in my state (zinc frame)

Any suggestions?

 

[luc4158]

The smallest I can think of is one of the little taurus pistols with a tip up barrel, here's a link http://www.taurususa.com/gun-selector-results.cfm?series=SF1&toggle=tp

 

[imsobored]

I see .22 shorts at walmart everytime i go

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy using tapatalk

 

[spyder1911]

The smallest I can think of is one of the little taurus pistols

Those are basically a copy of the Beretta but with a DAO trigger

I see .22 shorts at walmart everytime i go

Yeah I priced them out and they are a bit more than .22lr but that may be the route to go.

It's crazy they can't make something like an exact copy of the Baby Browning in .22lr with modern materials and manufacturing techniques...

 

[toivo]

I have the Taurus, and it isn't smaller than a Beretta 21A -- it might be tad larger. I have a Beretta Jetfire 950, which is noticeably smaller than the Taurus. Beretta also made the Minx, which is basically the same as the Jetfire, except chambered in .22 Short. I would look for one of those. They've been discontinued for a while, but there are still some out there:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Firearms/BI.aspx?Keywords=beretta+minx

.22 Short costs a little more than .22 LR, but much less than .25 ACP.

It's crazy they can't make something like an exact copy of the Baby Browning in .22lr with modern materials and manufacturing techniques...

Somebody is making one, but they are chambering it in .25 like the original:

http://www.precisionsmallarms.com/

I think the theory is that this isn't the kind of gun you spend the afternoon at the range with. You aren't supposed to care how much the ammo costs because you only shoot it enough to know that it's reliable, and then you stick it in your pocket and forget about it. I have no trouble finding .25 ACP for my Jetfire -- I get it in Wal-Mart, Dick's, or even Sports Authority. I just have trouble paying for it: "You want how much for those teeny little cartridges?"

 

[browningguy]

Exactly as toivo stated. There isn't much available as small and thin as the baby browning, and mine works great in .25. I think one of the problems is getting the long skinny rimmed .22lr round to feed reliably with a gun as small as these.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Beretta used to make a .22 short with a tip up barrel. They worked just fine. If I had the choice I'd get the .25 as it's more relaible and holds more rounds.

 

[bannockburn]

spyder1911

I think the Bernardelli VB Baby, about the same size as the Baby Browning, was offered in .22LR. A number of years ago Wilkinson Arms made a very similar .22LR semi-auto called the Auto Nine for FTL Marketing Corporation. I had one when they first came out but it was rather unreliable and I sold it a short time after that. Later Wilkinson Arms turned out their own version called the Sherry and it was made from 2000 through 2005. There is also the Walther TPH though it is slightly larger than a Baby Browning in size.

I also found a link that showed that a few years ago the Turkish manufacturer Sarsilmaz had produced a copy of the Bernardelli Model 60 (similar in size to the Baby model), in .25ACP. I'm unsure if the Sarsilmaz version was available in .22LR. At any rate it could not be imported into the U.S. due to import restrictions imposed by the GCA of '68.

 

[MCgunner]

All I can tell ya is, don't waste your money on a Beretta Minx.

I'd think .22LR might be too much OAL for a baby Browning to be reliable with it, but don't know for sure. They are tiny.

 

[Gordon]

I have almost all the quality mini pistols and one is a Bernadelli in .22lr. Now I take guns apart and tinker as in fitting and polishing. I spent a lot of time digging up a new magazine and springs for the Bernadelli (no it isn't the much smaller VB model that was only available in .22 Long) but it still won't fire two magazines with out a problem. A real turd I ain't massaging anymore! There is a reason that JMB invented the .25 ACP for vest pocket guns! Also the .22 short can be made to work, most Astra Cubs and Beretta Minx's I've run across work well.The smaller Star work very well too and my Beretta 21 seems to work well with certain loads it likes. The Walther TPH is a class act and can be made to run reliably with good ammo, that is about the size limit IMHO for .22LR.

 

[HisSoldier]

Not current, but the Walther TPH, .22 LR. Slightly larger too.

Load your own .25's to 1000 FPS or more and HP bullets, that'll open things up a bit. I get the .25 ACP up to 1200 FPS with the 35 grn Hornady HP, there's a lot of zap there. It's probably hard on the guns, and for me at least a .380 is minimum power for defense.

I wish I could pack my DW 10MM Razorback! Or my FAL! The 1911 is a lot more concealable than most folks assume.

 

[spyder1911]

It looks like the S&W 60 Escort is exactly what I want. Super small .22lr, except they seem to be even more rare and pretty expensive for a .22lr that is out of production/no parts etc

 

[IBEWBULL]

I have had the Jennings and the LLama in .22 LR. Truthfully I do not trust the .22 LR in a pocket defense gun.
I have a Cub in .22 short which has been 99.9 % reliable.
Don't load the extra round in the spout. That was the .1% failure.
If you look into history the old ways worked. I speak of the old back up of a .22 magnum High Standard Derringer. Officers carried these in the late 60 and 70's in Philie.
They work even from inside a pocket. No external hammer no feeding issues simply a great tool.
So It depends on your purpose for the thing.
The Cub is super accurate for a mouse gun. I could pop squirrels with it. It would be a great pot gun on a trip for small game at 15 yards.