Beretta Model 102 Semi-Auto .22LR

I have 4 M70/71s and an M101. Love them all; joys to shoot.

OK, if Google has served me well, a Beretta 102 is a Beretta 76 relabeled under a system that Beretta used briefly after the Gun Control Act of 1968 went through. They went back to calling it a Beretta 76 after a couple of years.

I have had a Beretta 76 for over 15 years, and it is a good gun. Accuracy, reliability with a wide variety of ammunition, sights, balance - all of them are good, IMO. I am not a good enough shot to really wring out a target pistol, so I cannot tell if it is as good an S&W Model 41, or a high grade Ruger.

I like the Beretta because it is nicely muzzle heavy while still being fairly lightweight overall. The frame is aluminum alloy, not steel, which makes it rather light compared to other full-size target pistols.

I also like that it has an external hammer, and a 1911-style safety. This gives me confidence in handling it safely.

What is bad about it? It is hard and expensive to get spare magazines. There are reproductions, but I started out in gun collecting and target shooting a long time ago, when many reproduction magazines seemed to be of poor quality, so I have not tried them. Probably other parts are hard to get too, but I have never needed any. The black plastic grips are well shaped and sturdy, but get scuffed and scraped easily, damaging their appearance (but not their utility).

If you are going to shoot it intensively, the lack of spare mags and other parts are probably going to be a drawback. I have no idea if it is up to the job of competing in high-end target shooting matches nowadays, but my guess would be no. But if you want a good plinker with better accuracy than most, it would be a fine gun.

Couple of notes: The Beretta 76W was the same gun with grips made of walnut instead of plastic. I am pretty sure I have seen left-handed walnut grips for the 76/102, but I can't say the same about plastic grips.

The 76/102 was basically a version of the Beretta Model 70S .22 with a target barrel assembly, extended grips, a 10 round magazine, some alteration to the safety mechanism, and probably a few other changes that I forget. That means there is a very neat pocket-pistol size version of this same gun. I already had a 70S when I got the 76. I considered the 70S a fine shooter, and the 76 was even better. There is a member here with a very handsome hard-chromed 70S, and if we are lucky he will put up a picture of it again.

Monac

I already had a 70S when I got the 76. I considered the 70S a fine shooter, and the 76 was even better. There is a member here with a very handsome hard-chromed 70S, and if we are lucky he will put up a picture of it again.

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Ask and you shall receive!

My all-time favorite .22, the Beretta Model 70S! Super reliable, incredibly durable, and consistently accurate with just about any and all .22 ammunition.

bannockburn said:

Monac



Ask and you shall receive!

My all-time favorite .22, the Beretta Model 70S! Super reliable, incredibly durable, and consistently accurate with just about any and all .22 ammunition.

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I never get tired of that pic!

NIGHTLORD40K

I never get tired of that pic!

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Same here! Never get tired of the gun either! Still take it every trip I make to the range.

Bannockburn, would you recommend a Beretta 70S over a 76/76W? That is, do you think the 76 is worth the extra bulk, price, and reduced availability of magazine? Also, do you have any experience with aftermarket mags in your 70S?

Also, as far as I know, the model number change was strictly for marketing - there was no change in the gun whatsoever. I suppose a Model 102 might be worth a small premium to a dedicated Beretta collector, because it is scarcer.

PS - Bannockburn's hard-chromed 70S has "flat" grips. Most of the 70/71 series pocket autos had grips with a big thumbrest, due to the GCA of '68. I find the flat grips fine for shooting, and they make holstering the gun much easier, but they are quite hard to find nowadays.

.22M.R.F.

That's a Metalife hard chrome finish on my Model 70S. It was done many years ago by Ron Mahovsky and the gun still looks as good as the day I got it back from him!

Monac

I went with the Model 70S mainly because I was looking for something relatively small and compact that would make for a decent trail/kit gun kind of pistol. It's built on what I would consider a medium size frame and I believe that helped contribute to it's overall reliability. I think the smaller you go with a .22, the more problems you have with getting the gun to function properly.

Found the factory flat grips from an ad in a gun magazine many years ago and it took forever to get them as they were being imported from Italy. They also required a bit of effort to get them to fit properly but every thing worked out okay as they are very comfortable to shoot with.

Magazines have been very hard to come by; had trouble finding any even right after I bought the gun. Went back to the gun shop where I got it and all they had was one for a Model 102 which was a bit longer than the factory mag. So I ended up buying another mag, this one was for a Model 100 in .32ACP, just for the plastic spacer so it wouldn't look so out of place.

.22M.R.F.

I would defer to Monac on your question but just off the top of my head I would say "probably yes", as to whether the grips and the magazines will interchange between the two models. I don't believe Beretta fundamentally changed all that many things with the different models, only offered different features like having extra barrels (3.5" or 5.9"), using steel frames on some while there were aluminum alloy frames on others, and had fixed sights on the barrels of some of them or else had an adjustable rear sight on the slide.

.22M.R.F.

As another follow-up to your inquiry: the grips currently on my Beretta Model 70S were made by Beretta and imported here from Italy. They were not a drop-in fit; it took quite a bit of filing and sanding to get them to line up properly on the grip frame. Now my Model 70S was made in Italy too so the regular, non-thumbrest grips, should have been an easy fix right? So while magazines shouldn't be a problem working in other models (like I have one from a Model 102 which works fine in my gun), maybe the grips might be a little off and require some minor fitting to get them on.

It is my understanding that the only difference between the Berettal Model 102 and the Model 76 is the stamping of the model number. Everything ought to be interchangeable. You can check on GunBroker, Ebay, Amazon, and elsewhere for grips, magazines, and other parts.