Beretta Mod 21 Bobcat (.22 LR)
Kim du Toit
October 25, 2007
5:00 AM CDT
I’ve never really been a fan of teeny .22 LR pistols like Beretta’s Mod 21A Bobcat:
Sure, it’s handy; but the teeny barrel means so-so accuracy (so not much plinking satisfaction), and the .22 LR is not a serious self-defense cartridge either. So the fine little Bobcat will be forever consigned to the “hideaway/backup” role—at which job it would suffice, barely.
But when I call it “fine”, I mean it. The double-action Mod 21 is reliable, has a tip-up barrel for unloading convenience, weighs a lot less than 12oz, and is about as reliable a semi-auto pistol as you’ll find anywhere.
The Bobcat also comes chambered in .25 ACP, which is, hands down, the worst cartridge ever invented. (As the joke goes: “If you shoot someone with a .25, and he finds out about it, he’s gonna be really pissed off.")
I have a dream… and that dream is that one day, Beretta will see the light, and make the Bobcat available in .22 Magum. Now that would be an interesting little pistol: the .22 Mag is a better cartridge than the silly .25 ACP, is cheaper, and has less recoil. Add just a single inch to the barrel (to make it 3.5” long), and I have a suspicion that Beretta wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand.
I think I’ll write to them and suggest it.
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