boatdreamer
Member
Greetings Highroaders. I've been lurking here off and on for years, most recently while I was scouring the internet for information on the Berretta Bobcat. I've just purchased a used Bobcat in .22 LR and I'm delighted with it. I thought it would be nice to put some hopefully useful information out on the 'net for other prospective Bobcat owners, and after reading the high road's creedo, I figured this would be an outstanding place to do it.
I think a little background about me will help explain where I'm coming from concerning this pistol. I grew up out in the country, and in my youth I generally had either a gun or a fishing rod in my hand. I still live out in the sticks, and while I don't hunt or fish nearly as much as I used to, I still spend a considerable amount of time outside on our farm, doing chores. For years I've been looking for a small pistol that was so easy to carry there would be little reason not to, yet still accurate enough to be useful if the opportunity arose. Additionally, I enjoy informal target shooting; heck let's face it I just like guns. Finally, after an altercation with a neighbor's great dane, I ended up getting a concealed carry permit, which I make use of.
Money's scarce around our place, so I couldn't afford a pile of guns to serve every niche of my desires. I needed something useful, functional, and most of all versatile. I bought a Walther P22 that I kept for a few years, but I found that it was too big to carry effortlessly, and it wasn't particularly accurate (in its defense, I tended to compare it to my Ruger Single Six where accuracy was concerned, which wasn't a fair fight). I ended up selling it to subsidize a deer rifle.
I've got an NAA mini LR that's super easy to carry, but hard to shoot and very hard to hit with. I looked hard at the Kel-tec P32, which would be a snap to carry, but cost me a fortune to shoot, and it's not known for its accuracy. Then my attention was drawn to Berretta's 21a. People raved about them, and it had a reputation for accuracy in spite of its small size.
What makes the Bobcat different? I think most pocket guns are designed to be dedicated self defense weapons or BUGs. Because of that, most of the offerings in my price range are built with loose tolerances, which makes them function more reliably but hurts accuracy. Most of them are also DAO. In contrast the Bobcat is built with very tight tolerances. It's not superlight, weighing in at 10.8 oz empty. It's made of metal, mostly steel, and the trigger is DA/SA. The 21a also has a tip up barrel; I think many of its strengths and weaknesses eminate from this feature.
When you hold a Bobcat, it feels very solid and comfortable. The grips are thick and easy to hang onto. It points effortlessly and looks fabulous; this gun has style and very good fit and finish (mine's matt black).
About those grips-nowhere could I find a reference to how wide a Bobcat is. I think it's because of its fat grips, which house some of the spring mechanisms, and people don't want it compared unfavorably to the likes of Keltec's P32 at 3/4". Well, my black plastic grips measure 1-1/16" thick, which I think makes the gun easier to hold and control. The rest of the gun is considerably narrower; the slide is about 3/4" wide. Fat or not, I find the gun easy to carry in the front pocket of kakis or the rear pocket of my jeans. I bought a pocket holster for a P32 that works well with it.
I've got a lot more to say about this little rascal, but it's time for bed. I'll be posting pictures once I figure out how to downsize them, range reports, ammo testing, and chronograph testing too.
Have you got things to say about Berretta's 21a? Sound off! I'd like this thread to be a trove of information to anyone who's interested in them.
I think a little background about me will help explain where I'm coming from concerning this pistol. I grew up out in the country, and in my youth I generally had either a gun or a fishing rod in my hand. I still live out in the sticks, and while I don't hunt or fish nearly as much as I used to, I still spend a considerable amount of time outside on our farm, doing chores. For years I've been looking for a small pistol that was so easy to carry there would be little reason not to, yet still accurate enough to be useful if the opportunity arose. Additionally, I enjoy informal target shooting; heck let's face it I just like guns. Finally, after an altercation with a neighbor's great dane, I ended up getting a concealed carry permit, which I make use of.
Money's scarce around our place, so I couldn't afford a pile of guns to serve every niche of my desires. I needed something useful, functional, and most of all versatile. I bought a Walther P22 that I kept for a few years, but I found that it was too big to carry effortlessly, and it wasn't particularly accurate (in its defense, I tended to compare it to my Ruger Single Six where accuracy was concerned, which wasn't a fair fight). I ended up selling it to subsidize a deer rifle.
I've got an NAA mini LR that's super easy to carry, but hard to shoot and very hard to hit with. I looked hard at the Kel-tec P32, which would be a snap to carry, but cost me a fortune to shoot, and it's not known for its accuracy. Then my attention was drawn to Berretta's 21a. People raved about them, and it had a reputation for accuracy in spite of its small size.
What makes the Bobcat different? I think most pocket guns are designed to be dedicated self defense weapons or BUGs. Because of that, most of the offerings in my price range are built with loose tolerances, which makes them function more reliably but hurts accuracy. Most of them are also DAO. In contrast the Bobcat is built with very tight tolerances. It's not superlight, weighing in at 10.8 oz empty. It's made of metal, mostly steel, and the trigger is DA/SA. The 21a also has a tip up barrel; I think many of its strengths and weaknesses eminate from this feature.
When you hold a Bobcat, it feels very solid and comfortable. The grips are thick and easy to hang onto. It points effortlessly and looks fabulous; this gun has style and very good fit and finish (mine's matt black).
About those grips-nowhere could I find a reference to how wide a Bobcat is. I think it's because of its fat grips, which house some of the spring mechanisms, and people don't want it compared unfavorably to the likes of Keltec's P32 at 3/4". Well, my black plastic grips measure 1-1/16" thick, which I think makes the gun easier to hold and control. The rest of the gun is considerably narrower; the slide is about 3/4" wide. Fat or not, I find the gun easy to carry in the front pocket of kakis or the rear pocket of my jeans. I bought a pocket holster for a P32 that works well with it.
I've got a lot more to say about this little rascal, but it's time for bed. I'll be posting pictures once I figure out how to downsize them, range reports, ammo testing, and chronograph testing too.
Have you got things to say about Berretta's 21a? Sound off! I'd like this thread to be a trove of information to anyone who's interested in them.