Beretta 21A Bobcat .22 LR
Model: J212127
Beretta 21A Bobcat .22 LR
Model: J212127
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Beretta 21A Bobcat is a tip-up barrel .22 LR pocket pistol built for carry. It has an MSRP of $649 and weighs 11.8 oz. Press the latch and the barrel swings up at the breech, so a round drops straight into the chamber without racking the slide, and the bore can be checked or a live round lifted out the same way.
The slide is open along the top, which Beretta fits so there is nowhere for a case to stovepipe on the way out. The safety is a frame-mounted thumb lever and the first shot is double action. The sights are small and fixed, nothing is cut for an optic, and the magazine holds seven rounds. Beretta chambers the same pistol in .25 ACP as well.
If you're cross-shopping, the Ruger SR22 holds 10 rounds at 17.5 oz with an MSRP of $559, 5.7 oz heavier, which puts it on a belt instead of in a pocket. The Walther P22Q also holds 10 rounds, at 16.0 oz with an MSRP of $329. Both of them need the slide racked against a spring, where the Bobcat's barrel tips up to load.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The slide is machined from solid steel bar stock and the frame is a forged aluminum alloy, so both of the main parts start as wrought metal and not as castings.
- The open slide leaves the chamber visible from above, so a glance shows whether the gun is loaded.
- The checkered polymer panels are screwed on, so a worn or slippery set comes off with a screwdriver.
- The sights are a small fixed notch and blade, so the pistol's useful precision runs out at a few yards.
- A tip-up barrel adds a latch and a hinge at the breech end, which is one more mechanism to keep clean on a pocket gun that collects lint.
Where to Buy
No prices available at this time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the 21A built?
In the United States. Beretta lists it in the 21 Series, which is the frame size it shares with the company's other small pistols.
What ammunition suits it?
Standard and high-velocity .22 LR. A short slide moving against a recoil spring needs the pressure to cycle, and subsonic target loads are the ones most likely to short-stroke it.
Can it be dry fired?
Not on an empty chamber. A rimfire firing pin strikes the chamber mouth when there is no case in front of it, so dry firing peens the breech over time. Use a spent case or a rimfire snap cap.
