I think I found the problem with my 21a 22lr. I noticed that when the cartridge is seated in the magazine, everything looks great. But I noticed that when I slowly slide the cartridge forward just using my finger, the rim of the cartridge pushes down on the magazine spring. The farther forward I push the cartridge, the farther down the spring goes meaning the farther down the cartridge goes. Before the rim is clear of the rounded rear support of the magazine, the lead is touching the forward part of the magazine meaning that the forward part of the magazine is causing the lead to rise significantly sooner than the ramp of the barrel. I believe this is what is causing my stove piping. I used my dremel tool to grind a slight radius in the forward part of the magazine the same diameter as the bullet. Now, the first thing the lead will touch is the ramp of the barrel rather than the forward area of the magazine. I'll test it on Wednesday and report back.
Does Anyone Have a Beretta 21A that Works?
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Mad Magyar
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I can hardly wait for your range report....I must admit I had a big grin on my face when I read your post. I'm by nature, a skeptical S.O.B. 
the story went around that J.M Browning came up with the.25 auto because he Could Not build a pistol that was reliable with 22 rimfire. I've had or shot Beretta jet fires, bobcats, walther pk22s. and have not had complete reliability with any of them in rimfire. One Jetfire .22 short would sometimes get thorugh a couple of hundred rounds with a single malfunction. The bobcat in 22 long rifle would sometimes do almost a full box between jams. Both of these in the 25 caliber were completely reliable. A friend had a pretty good post 68 clone of the baby browning. It was chambered for 22 short and would jam with great regularity. the small 22 rimfire walther in 22 long rifle would occasionally get through an entire magazine without jamming- but not often.
OK. I used to have a problem with stove piping. It never jammed. After I ground the front of the magazine down a little so the lead wouldn't touch the magazine, I took it to the range and my first bullet jammed. It was too low and missed the loading ramp. I guess I ground too much off. I shot about 50 rounds through with no stove piping but several jams. I'm now going to order new magazines. If it stove pipes with the new ones but doesn't jam, I'll try my experiment again but this time, I'll bring my dremel to the range so I can incrementally take off material at the front of the magazine. When this gun works, it's one of my favorites but unless I can shoot 200 rounds with no problems, I'll never trust it.
OP
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Confederate
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I've since tried CCI Minimags and my jams ceased. Also tried some Stingers and they worked, too. The other stuff I'd used was the problem.
oneounceload
member
really cheap crap will cause some issues, but otherwise, I have had mine for several decades and it works great
Just back from another frustrating range trip with my 21A. Winchester High velocity, Remington, Federal.....you name it, this POS refuses to eat it. Yes I keep the gun super clean, and don't mind spending the extra $$$ for the high-priced ammo.
I have never made it thru a 7 round mag without jamming several times. I guess a trip back to Beretta or the iron smelter is in order for this jam-o-matic PIA.
My requirements in a mouse gun are not many, but actually functioning IS one of them.
I have never made it thru a 7 round mag without jamming several times. I guess a trip back to Beretta or the iron smelter is in order for this jam-o-matic PIA.
My requirements in a mouse gun are not many, but actually functioning IS one of them.
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JN01
Member
Maybe you are limp wristing it 
But seriously, with the wide variety of experiences listed, it seems to be a QC issue. I've had mine for several years and it has been very reliable, though I still wouldn't use it as a defensive gun. Even the most reliable .22 auto is much more prone to malfunctions than a decent quality centerfire. The problems seem to be amplified in tiny guns like the 21A. The bigger problem with the Beretta is that if you do have a bad round, the lack of an extractor makes removing it much more difficult.
But seriously, with the wide variety of experiences listed, it seems to be a QC issue. I've had mine for several years and it has been very reliable, though I still wouldn't use it as a defensive gun. Even the most reliable .22 auto is much more prone to malfunctions than a decent quality centerfire. The problems seem to be amplified in tiny guns like the 21A. The bigger problem with the Beretta is that if you do have a bad round, the lack of an extractor makes removing it much more difficult.
Update - went to the range for some rimfire fun today and brought along the Beretta Bobcat 21A. First this morning I spent about 1/2 hour with a Dremel buffing point and some polishing compound really shining up the feed ramp on the barrel and cleaning up the chamber as best I could.
Then I spent the extra $$$$ on some CCI mini-mags. Result? every magazine fed without a hiccup! I did stop and clean the feed ramp and barrel every 30 rounds or so. FWIW I also brought along some Winchester hi-velocity....no joy, all jams..... some Remington bulk...also jam city....and finally some Federal copper plated bulk box...a few stovepipes but generally could get thru a magazine full without a jam. Each ammo test was preceded by a thorough barrel/feed ramp cleaning.
I admit my wrongs when they happen, and I wrongly gave the 21A a bad rap when all it needed was some polishing and the one right ammo for its tastes. It remains the only finicky rimfire in my collection but it has earned a reprieve from the iron smelter - lol
Then I spent the extra $$$$ on some CCI mini-mags. Result? every magazine fed without a hiccup! I did stop and clean the feed ramp and barrel every 30 rounds or so. FWIW I also brought along some Winchester hi-velocity....no joy, all jams..... some Remington bulk...also jam city....and finally some Federal copper plated bulk box...a few stovepipes but generally could get thru a magazine full without a jam. Each ammo test was preceded by a thorough barrel/feed ramp cleaning.
I admit my wrongs when they happen, and I wrongly gave the 21A a bad rap when all it needed was some polishing and the one right ammo for its tastes. It remains the only finicky rimfire in my collection but it has earned a reprieve from the iron smelter - lol
I've got a Taurus PT-22, clone of the 21A, and it is pretty good with me. However, pieces of plastic keep falling out of it, and I don't really know how I feel about that. I probably shoot it more than it was meant to be shot, and at greater distances (50 yard clay pigeons are fun and challenging with a tiny gun) too.
JN01
Member
RandyP-
Glad you got your Beretta running. They are fun to plink with.
Glad you got your Beretta running. They are fun to plink with.
FeralAngel
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I had a similar problem. I have remedied the problem by periodically thoroughly cleaning the magazine with a good solvent. I use a very very light oil on the slide. Most importantly, I have found that using CCI Stingers is critical. My 21A get indigestion if I try to feed it anything else. With a clean magazine shaft and CCI Stinger rounds, I have not had a single malfunction in 200 rounds. I love the gun now!
Landric
Member
I've been kicking around the idea of getting a 21 for plinking. However, given the hit and miss quality of the .22 LR version, I'm thinking I'll get the .25 ACP version. Since it seems that the best way to insure reliability with the .22 LR version is to use CCI Stingers, I am sure I can handload .25 auto for less than the Stingers cost. It uses almost no powder (less than 2 grains in all the data I have been able to locate), I got a deal on some brass (~550 pieces for $10), and I have primers available. Now, I just need to locate a mold for 50 grain (or so) .251 bullets. I have also heard that #3 buckshot can be used to make a nice plinking load, so I might give that a try.
396chevy
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Two words, Winchester Wildcat.
PRM
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I have found these guns require a little break in. After about 300 rounds with an random hiccup, mine now shoots everything I put through it reliably. I have owned 2, and both were pretty close to the same as far as consistency. I mainly use it to plink with, so the break in was not an issue ~ It is nice when they start firing like they are supposed to.
Kymasabe
Member
I had the similar Taurus PT-22 and was utterly useless UNTIL I switched to Velocitors. Then, that little gun ran for literally thousands of rounds without a single failure. If you like the Beretta tip-up barrel thing, try my combo, PT-22 with Velocitors. Mine was basic blued with basic wood grips . Pearce makes a cool little wrap-around, screwed on grip for the gun too, very comfortable.
I bought my blue 21A back in 1992 and it would never feed bullets properly. Frustrated, I tossed it into a drawer for 15 years. I found this forum the other day and decided to give the pistol a second chance with some CCI Stingers. But first I gave it a thorough cleaning then used some sandpaper to smooth/polish out the “Dremel Rage” I inflicted on the barrel-feeding ramp back in the ‘90s.
At the range I had a 15-year-old box of Winchester Super X that I tried first. The pistol gobbled them up for perfectly for about 30+ rounds then started to jam. I gave the pistol a quick cleaning then switched over to CCI Stingers. It fired 100 round with zero misfeeds, but would fail to fire at less one or two rounds per clip. The unfired rounds all had a firing pin mark, so later I just used the double action trigger to fire through the unfired rounds. (All the unfired rounds would shoot on the double action pull) But I’m puzzled. Is the ammo or gun that fails to fire?
Overall, it was a huge improvement to not have any jammed bullet, but I need try some Mini-mags or similar to see if I can have 100% firing with at least 50 rounds.
Update: I just got back from the range to test 100 CCI Mini-mags. Total failure! For each magazine I had stovepipes, jammed bullet-tips into barrel, a couple did not fires, and for some reason the last TWO bullet in each clip would flip up and logged in the slide. Finicky little gun!!
If I figure out how to get the CCI Stingers to fire each round I will be happy.
At the range I had a 15-year-old box of Winchester Super X that I tried first. The pistol gobbled them up for perfectly for about 30+ rounds then started to jam. I gave the pistol a quick cleaning then switched over to CCI Stingers. It fired 100 round with zero misfeeds, but would fail to fire at less one or two rounds per clip. The unfired rounds all had a firing pin mark, so later I just used the double action trigger to fire through the unfired rounds. (All the unfired rounds would shoot on the double action pull) But I’m puzzled. Is the ammo or gun that fails to fire?
Overall, it was a huge improvement to not have any jammed bullet, but I need try some Mini-mags or similar to see if I can have 100% firing with at least 50 rounds.
Update: I just got back from the range to test 100 CCI Mini-mags. Total failure! For each magazine I had stovepipes, jammed bullet-tips into barrel, a couple did not fires, and for some reason the last TWO bullet in each clip would flip up and logged in the slide. Finicky little gun!!
If I figure out how to get the CCI Stingers to fire each round I will be happy.
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mustachio
Member
No problem with mine at all. It loves anything from CCI (mini-mags, velocitors, stingers, sillhouette etc), but it will shoot Federal as well, Winchester, too. I guess I got one made not on Monday or Friday.
I have had mine almost 20 years and it is 100% reliable as long as you feed it only CCI Stingers or Velocitors. Once went through two 50 round boxes of this ammo in one range session w/o a problem. Also make sure you only put 7 rounds in the magazine and one up the pipe. 8 will fit in the magazine but it will jam every time the first shot if you try to use it. Finally it is a pocket gun. Clean the pocket lint out of it once in a while. BTW never polished a thing in the gun. Just cleaned and LIGHTLY lubed it with Breakfree CLP once and a while. Too much lube and it will becomes a lint magnet.
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