Handgun question

Dustin1981

I have a Beretta 21A .25 cal semi-auto pistol. I just cant seem to get a good feel for this gun. I dont know if its because of the guns size or what. Do any of you have one of these or ever shot one and have an opinion of this gun? Its not a carry firearm for me, just something I found myself picking up because the price was really good. I am thinking about getting rid of it but cant seem to make up my mind.

fla-gypsy

Can't help with this one, I still keep a couple of old fashioned .38 specials.

bigjohn125

Winston Churchill said,"Life's too short to shoot guns you don't like!" Ok, I just made that up. If you don't like the gun, find a gun dealer who will trade with you and get a new one!

firetruckguy

"The bigger the better"......... Im pretty sure one of my old girl friends told me that, but I think it applies here also

Jetmech_63

If youre looking to get rid of it drop me a PM. Been lookin for on of those.

Dustin1981

Jetmech_63:

If youre looking to get rid of it drop me a PM. Been lookin for on of those.

If I decide to get rid of it I will let you know

lilwing88

Man, this is like asking: "I just smoked my first Macanudo Hampton Court and it didn't do it for me. What should I smoke next?" LOL!

Like cigars, there are sooooooo many kinds of hand guns. You're gonna have to try a few out before you find one that's perfect for you. I would suggest finding a gun shop with a range that lets you test out a few handguns. If you don't have a few months or years to try everything out and you're just looking for suggestions for something reliable and affordable, then go with either Glock or S&W M&P. Both have lots of sizes though all calibers. They are also the most popular on the market so parts and accessories are abundant and cheap. you also have to factor in ammo when selecting caliber. 9mm is pretty cheap, while 45 and higher calibers start to get pricey.

These Filthy Hands

The size of the gun vs. the size of you hands has a lot to play into comfort while shooting. If you have a small gun and banana hands, it's probably not going to feel that great. When I get the money to buy a gun, I'm going for a Glock 40. It fits in my hands perfectly, comfortable to shoot, blah blah blah...

One2gofst

I have a 21A Bobcat in .22LR. I hate the .25 caliber, but it is a good gun. If YOU don't like it it isn't going to work for YOU, though. I will always have mine as I intend it to be my "Old Man Gun" as it doesn't require any slide manipulations to load and recoil is negligible. One thing to note about these pistols is that they do not have an extractor, so if the case gets stuck in the chamber, you will need a length of rod to poke it out. The .22 version at least needs to be kept clean and prefers quality ammo, like CCI HV stuff. If you put bulk ammo through them they will give you headaches. If it were me, unless I could pick one up for a song, if I wanted a 21a I would go for the .22 version as it is less expensive to shoot and .22 actually has more power than .25, and with high quality .22 ammo, reliability is not an issue

One note about grip size. if the 21a isn't comfortable for you to hold, don't look into any other tiny autos because, while the gun itself is very small in height and width, the grips are wider than most other mouse guns.

BTW, these guns, at least in .22, are way more accurate than they have a right to be. With the tiny sights and short sight radius I can still place a mag into the head of a silhouette in fast fire at 25 yards.

TatuajeVI

Dustin - I've met you - A Beretta 21A in your hands is like Andre the Giant holding my four month old daughters hand. IT'S TOO FRICKIN SMALL FOR YOU! Of course you can't get a good feel for it!!

So, seriously. If it's not for carry, why do you own this one? I cannot for the life of me find any reason to own this pistol, including concealed carry...

JZ

I've never really liked the feel for Beretta's. I've handled several about 10 years ago but now I'm a devoted Glock fan. Carry a .45 for work, and I have 2 9mm. Try one if you get the opportunity.

Dustin1981

TatuajeVI:

Dustin - I've met you - A Beretta 21A in your hands is like Andre the Giant holding my four month old daughters hand. IT'S TOO FRICKIN SMALL FOR YOU! Of course you can't get a good feel for it!!

So, seriously. If it's not for carry, why do you own this one? I cannot for the life of me find any reason to own this pistol, including concealed carry...

I like the Andre the Giant comparison. The only reason I got it was for my wife to shoot. But she doesnt like it either.

Once she didnt want to shoot it I tried to get used to it because its a good shooting gun. I already have my carry gun so I am not looking for something to carry but I wanted something that she can shoot without much of a kick.

I am looking into 22's now for her but she wants something a bit larger in size so I was looking at the Walther P22. I have heard good things about these but never shot the P22. I do like the P99 and its the same gun as the P22 just bigger so I think it will be good for her.

YankeeMan

As everyone else here has said, it doesn't have a good feel because it's too small. I got a small gun like that some years back because we were required to be aremed off duty and I could carry it in an inside the belt holster.

The only thing it was good for was fulfilling the requirement to be armed. Practicing with it, I found it was very easy to get a slide bite!

One2gofst

Dustin1981:

TatuajeVI:

Dustin - I've met you - A Beretta 21A in your hands is like Andre the Giant holding my four month old daughters hand. IT'S TOO FRICKIN SMALL FOR YOU! Of course you can't get a good feel for it!!

So, seriously. If it's not for carry, why do you own this one? I cannot for the life of me find any reason to own this pistol, including concealed carry...

I like the Andre the Giant comparison. The only reason I got it was for my wife to shoot. But she doesnt like it either.

Once she didnt want to shoot it I tried to get used to it because its a good shooting gun. I already have my carry gun so I am not looking for something to carry but I wanted something that she can shoot without much of a kick.

I am looking into 22's now for her but she wants something a bit larger in size so I was looking at the Walther P22. I have heard good things about these but never shot the P22. I do like the P99 and its the same gun as the P22 just bigger so I think it will be good for her.

Try the P22 if you like, but, IMO, they are toys. They are not built to the same standards as the P99.

TatuajeVI

I carry the P99 everyday, and I would say it is my favorite pistol I've ever owned as far as the perfect balance between ergonomics, durability, accuracy, and weight/size for everyday carry. The P22s are not nearly as well made, though they do serve the purpose of a cheap gun to train with if you already own a P99. Though, a typical "every once in a while" shooter will not shoot the P22 enough to make it worth the cost of the additional pistol, I'd guess. 9mm ammo has finally come down in price, and $200 for 1000 rounds is pretty reasonable in my humble opinion.

ediit: +1 to what Steve said. The only I'd choose that over any other .22 is that the mag release, etc. is very similar to my P99. Though, even the ergonomics and features are a bit different.

Dustin1981

TatuajeVI:

I carry the P99 everyday, and I would say it is my favorite pistol I've ever owned as far as the perfect balance between ergonomics, durability, accuracy, and weight/size for everyday carry. The P22s are not nearly as well made, though they do serve the purpose of a cheap gun to train with if you already own a P99. Though, a typical "every once in a while" shooter will not shoot the P22 enough to make it worth the cost of the additional pistol, I'd guess. 9mm ammo has finally come down in price, and $200 for 1000 rounds is pretty reasonable in my humble opinion.

ediit: +1 to what Steve said. The only I'd choose that over any other .22 is that the mag release, etc. is very similar to my P99. Though, even the ergonomics and features are a bit different.

This is why I love this forum. You guys are saving me from wasting money again. A friend of mine has the P99 and I love shooting that gun and when I was reading about the P22 they were all saying it was the little brother and almost identical.

Also I do agree with you about the price on 9mm ammo. They have come down to a fairly reasonable price now. I just picked up a few boxes on friday from fin feather and fur for $10 for a box of 50 rounds. They also had 40cal for $14 per box of 50. That is the cheapest I have seen for those in a long time.

TatuajeVI

Dustin1981:

TatuajeVI:

I carry the P99 everyday, and I would say it is my favorite pistol I've ever owned as far as the perfect balance between ergonomics, durability, accuracy, and weight/size for everyday carry. The P22s are not nearly as well made, though they do serve the purpose of a cheap gun to train with if you already own a P99. Though, a typical "every once in a while" shooter will not shoot the P22 enough to make it worth the cost of the additional pistol, I'd guess. 9mm ammo has finally come down in price, and $200 for 1000 rounds is pretty reasonable in my humble opinion.

ediit: +1 to what Steve said. The only I'd choose that over any other .22 is that the mag release, etc. is very similar to my P99. Though, even the ergonomics and features are a bit different.

This is why I love this forum. You guys are saving me from wasting money again. A friend of mine has the P99 and I love shooting that gun and when I was reading about the P22 they were all saying it was the little brother and almost identical.

Also I do agree with you about the price on 9mm ammo. They have come down to a fairly reasonable price now. I just picked up a few boxes on friday from fin feather and fur for $10 for a box of 50 rounds. They also had 40cal for $14 per box of 50. That is the cheapest I have seen for those in a long time.

Not only that, but it is available regularly as well. 6 months ago if I called around to every gun store, hunting store, and walmart in my area I would not be able to find 9mm or .40. And 5.56 is finally coming down in price, too! Thirty cents a round for brass cased and twenty cents a round for steel cased is so much better than the insane prices not that long ago.

I'll put up a new thread next week for my new TEOTWAWKI gun - MSAR STG-556. She's going to be awesome. Should be all ready to rock by Wednesday or Thursday.

zoom6zoom

The 21a is just too small for some folks. If you need a manual: http://www.mouseguns.com/beretta/bobcat21.pdf