Beretta model 21A Bobcat in 22LR Question

[Milkmaster]

A small pistol that that caught my eye at the gun show today somehow followed me home. That being the case, I figured I might as well clean it up and familiarize myself with it. It is the loved and hated Beretta model 21A Bobcat in 22LR. It was easy to follow the instructions for disassembly etc.

I noticed it did not have an extractor. There was no way I could see to manually eject a shell with the slide. You must flip up the barrel to remove an unfired cartridge from the chamber. Have I missed something? Am I seeing this correctly? I am guessing the blowback ejects the brass during operation?

I plan to put a box of CCI Stingers through it tomorrow and make sure it fires ok. If not then I will be making a trip back to the gun show to see the vendor who sold it to me.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Their is no extractor It works I have 2 of them Both have worked fine I did polish the black of the fed feed ramp on one. Other one was clean. I keep in my computer desk drawer I have been shooting the cci standard velocity ammo thru mine Their the 40gr LRN . For practice round . The stingers are for serious shooting .

I have no trouble from the 2 I bought others complain their jams . I have fired 100 rounds with out cleaning or even a wipe down. I also have 3, 25 auto Beretta using same design . Only time its a pain is if a dud round . That's the ammo not the gun. I can't blame Beretta for the junk bulk ammo from walmart.

 

[VA27]

Correct, no extractor. Blowback ejects the empty case.

Generally just pushing the barrel release and letting the barrel pop up without touching it will sling the loaded round out of the chamber or you can lift it out with a fingernail.

I've had 3. All of them were completely reliable.

 

[9mmepiphany]

As already said, there is no extractor. The only way to extract an unfired round id to flip the barrel up.

I got worried when I got my first one too...but it was because I couldn't fine the recoil spring where I expected it to be (under the barrel). I took me a little bit to find them down the gripframe

 

[OldmanFCSA]

Mine does not eject every time,
BUT MAIN ISSUE is failure to feed properly.
nose of 22LR tips down into magazine and fails to load reliably.
Any suggestions???
Gun is clean, mags are clean, have tried various ammo, need help.

 

[lonewolf5347]

I have a 21A for 22 years now never had a problem : I find CCI stingers or Mini Mags by CCI are the best for this little gun.I did polish the barrel feed ramp other then that the only problem I have with it now is seeing the front sight.
The gun is my go to carry gun I know lots of guys say it is only a 22 cal. but I would hate to get hit with a CCI STINGER BULLET a few times.

 

[Pilot]

I've had my Beretta 21A for several years now and it has been very reliable with CCI Minimags and Stingers which is all I shoot in it. It is my BUG or sometimes primary carry in the summer.

 

[lonewolf5347]

great summer I have to agree on it

 

[Steve 48]

I have a 21A in 22 LR and use stingers with no problems. I found out I like my NAA Mini Pug better in the summer and its a 22 mag.

 

[TheNev]

I have a 21a in .22 and one thing I have noticed is that it is very prone to limpwristing. I have no problems with feeding or extracting (with cheap bulk ammo too) but as soon as my girlfriend tries to shoot it, it becomes a jam-o-matic.

 

[Milkmaster]

I am very happy to report good results with my new to me Beretta 21A today. The serial number indicates a 1999 manufacturer's year. I shot at least 50 rounds through it today without one failure. I tried fast shooting, slow shooting, DA, SA, just every way possible and could not make it fail. The little pistol was actually pretty accurate even though I wasn't target shooting today.

All in all I am pleased with this little $250 pistol. At times when the clothes are tighter or for comfort reasons, I may use it for my CCW over my 642. So far I have not owned one Beretta pistol that jams. Maybe I am just lucky. Thanks for all the comments since my original post.

 

[Mad Magyar]

Take it back quick! Okay, I got a lemon, so I won't condemn the whole lot. Just to let you know there are a lot of "unhappy campers" with that model.

 

[Leathermarshmallow]

I have one that I have put several thousand rounds through. Mine will feed most anything, but after it gets dirty, cases start sticking. I like this little pistol and will get another if I come across a good deal.

 

[harqueb.us]

Yep, you can only shoot it until it gets too dirty. But keep one of those Bore Snakes handy when plinking, and pull it through the barrel occasionally and the fun never needs to end!

 

[Ole Coot]

I also have a 21-A, walnut grips I ordered for myself years ago and it is a very accurate plinker and have had no problems. I like the ability to load or unload breakdown without racking the slide. I have carried it when I couldn't carry one of my usual. It will do what it was designed for with exceptional accuracy.

 

[RidgwayCO]

I had one years ago. New out-of-the-box it was a jam-o-matic, as rounds would not eject reliably. Sent it back to Beretta, they polished the chamber, and it was a 100% gun from then on. As I remember, the best energy numbers were with CCI Stingers, but it functioned just as well with the Federal Bulk Packs.

The Beretta 86 also doesn't have an extractor/ejector, but works perfectly as well. It must be a tip-up barrel thing...