Beretta Bobcat in .22LR or .25ACP

[tercel89]

I am wanting a "just for the hell of it " gun . I cant decide on the .22LR or the .25ACP cartridge for the Beretta Bobcat .
I am trying to find out opinions on the reliability and feeding of the cartridges . I am not worried about "stopping power" . Just reliability and feeding the ammo correctly .
Also I am not concerned with the price of the 2 different ammo . Just what is reliable in your opinion ?

 

[docnyt]

22 LR is cheaper and easier to find in my neck of the woods, if that helps.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I have 2 of the 22's Beretta's My daughters and I shot them a lot. I have 3 of the 25auto Beretta's their not shot as much because of ammo prices.

Get the 22

 

[tercel89]

Michael T , how is the reliability in the .22LR ?

 

[redbullitt]

25 auto is kinda expensive for what it is IMHO.

If you go with high end 22 LR reliability can be pretty good. For example, I have used the upper end Federal and CCI rounds and had great luck, but the bulk pack stuff can be a good bit dicier.

 

[oblakmd]

I am looking into the .25 just for something unique.

 

[MICHAEL T]

The last brick we fired was CCI standard velocity lead We had 1 dud round that fired 2nd strike. We split the brick between the pistols and they both have gone 250 rounds with out a cleaning or wipe down . Only thing i did to them was by hand polished lightly the feed ramp . Just a few passes. I had heard all these stories about had to clean every 30 or 50 rounds or jams all the time . Sorry I have 2 bought bought in Jan. this year and I haven't had that problem . with the stander or the mini mags . I don't shoot the milk carton bulk . My other 22's rifles had to many problems with it

I live in country so we shoot any time we want . Girls has some friends over on day and I had 5 girls shoot and loading . brick went fast But they had a ball . Not one jam with 5 14 to 17 year old girls shooting .
I think their great pistols . My 25 auto are 2 950BS and 1 model 20.Thats forerunner of the 21 .

 

[Clark]

The 25acp and 22LR are about equal with factory ammo.
But with hot handloads, the 25acp can penetrate many times as deep in newspaper or wood.

I could see how my Beretta 25acp was designed right, so I could start the work up a very high already load.

 

[bigfatdave]

If ammo cost isn't a concern, availability can be. There is a much greater selection of .22lr out there to try compared to .25acp.

 

[Pilot]

My Bobcat in .22LR is 100% reliable with CCI Minimags and Stingers.

 

[Pete D.]

Bobcat

Amazing how we all have different experiences. I gave my .22 Bobcat away because I could never get it to run on any ammo that I tried....and I have to have tried a dozen types.
My little .25 Bernardellli has never malfunctioned but there's no denying that it costs more to feed.
Pete
PS - Interestingly - from the Beretta 21a users guide: "Standard velocity rounds will typically function more efficiently than higher velocity rounds and with less wear to the weapon".

That was not my experience. Most success seems to have been with rounds like Stingers.
P

 

[PRM]

I love my little Beretta Model 21 in .22. Its a great little range gun the won't break the bank. Mine does seem to like the hotter rounds ~ but I've had reliable results with Walmart bulk and usually shoot that when I'm just plinking.

I voted .22 solely based on cost. Some years back I owned a Beretta Jetfire in .25. It also was a good shooter.


Lots of folks are going to weigh in on the center fire VS rim fire reliability debate. I grew up shooting and hunting with .22(s) and will just say I have never experienced any of the issues some people post. I grew up in a rural farming community ~ there were more .22(s) around than any other caliber. Most farmers in the 60s-70s had a gun rack in their pick-up with a 22 rifle on it.


Guess it comes down to what you want.

 

[RidgwayCO]

Years ago I had a little Bobcat in .22LR that was a jam-o-matic. When I sent it to Beretta for them to fix, they polished the chamber and sent it back. After the fix it was a 100% shooter with everything I tried. As I remember, CCI Stingers performed the best, giving the best energy out of that short barrel.

 

[BossHogg]

Lotta love Mini-Mag and 22 Bobcat.

 

[usp9]

If reliability is a main issue then I'd alway choose the centerfire .25acp over .22lr., plus it has more umph than the .22.

 

[VA27]

I've had 3 different Bobcats and none of them would shoot to the sights. I've had way better luck with the 950. I'd go with a 950 in .25. Or look around for a Model 20. It's DA in 25ACP only, but it's the same size as the 950 (considerably smaller than the 21).

 

[makarovnik]

.25 acp.

 

[rklessdriver]

I have 2 of the .22's. One with the blue finish and wood girps and one with the parkerized finish and plastic grips. Both of mine are reliable when they are clean and fed ammo they like. I like both of them and have a blast at the range with them.

I bought both of mine used (with a steep discount) from people who said that they were the most horrible jamming POS gun they have ever owned... After a good cleaning and one trip to the range with a good selection of ammo, I had them both running perfectly.

Both of mine like Federal 550 Bulk for general shooting. The blued one is less finikey about other ammo and does OK on about anything but Remington Golden bullets. The parked one only likes the Federal bulk and CCI mini mags or Stingers.
Will

 

[chicharrones]

I've owned my Bobcat .22LR for nearly two decades. When clean and filled with the right ammo, it will shoot 50 to 70 rounds before the chamber needs to be cleaned due to extraction issues.

So if you get one of these little extractor-less pistols, either make the shooting sessions short or carry a cleaning brush and oil with you.

They are fun pistols when they run well.

 

[jame]

I have the .22, and it runs great when I shoot Stingers. The only problems I've had since I started with the hot ammo have been traced to bad mag springs or lack of cleaning.

Otherwise, mine's great.

 

[heeler]

I voted the .25 ACP because my brother owns the .22 version and it has been a bona fide jamomatic.
On the other hand as expensive as .25 ACP ammo is if I knew the .22 I was looking at was a good as some others have said the ones they own are then the .22 it would be.

 

[gordy]

I have three 25 auto's and can find no reason to have on over a 22.

 

[tercel89]

Does anyone have a pic of what the firing pin looks like on the the Bobcat in .22LR and the breech face ? I sure would appreciate it
I am down to the nitty gritty on getting the Bobcat in .22lr .

 

[Geckgo]

Poll was easy, 22LR if I were going to buy a bobcat, a Pheonix Arms, or any other cheap, tiny plinking pistol, for all of the obvious reasons.

IMHO, .25 is probably a little more reliable, .22 bulk ammo is going to give you some duds and what not that don't go bang on the first strike. But for that little tiny thing, who cares?

I have seen a youtube video of a Bobcat test where a couple of brands of low quality bulk ammo turned the guy's gun into a jam-mo-matic, but if you are ready to pay for .25 ACP ammo, I'm sure you can find reliable .22 feeders that go bang every time and still save vs. the .25. Just my thoughts, If I wanted a "for the hell of it" gun, I would want to put lots of rounds through it.

 

[benEzra]

For a carry gun, .25 ACP is theoretically a bit more reliable than .22LR. For a gun that will be shot a lot, .22LR is vastly cheaper per round and offers a greater variety of loads. I'd probably pick the .22LR myself.