Beretta 21a (First Impressions)...

[@dougr5379]

Nice video. I picked up a 21A Covert and very pleased with its reliability. In all honesty, I only shoot CCI mini-mags and it seems to be 100% reliable as long I load 7 rounds in the mag (you can fit 8 in the mag). I also see some people have been having problems with bullets key holing paper targets. I've not seen this with my copy. Pistol shoots really nice suppressed (Banish 22). The other problem that a number of people are seeing is an issue with the factory wooden grips being machined oversize with the right grip and causing the gun to not fire in double action. I guess I was lucky with my copy. Sorry for all your problems and frustration with a relatively expensive pistol that should be consistently problem free.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Well I’m happy yours was running well man I wish I could say the same. I believe the grips mag have been the culprit for mine.

[@GBGuns]

I hear ya on the rage fail days. That's how it seems to go for us too. We always bring out multiple things to work on, and when one goes bad somehow the rest end up being bad too.

[@FirearmFreedom]

It’s like they all catch the same thing 🤣 gotta love the influencer struggle.

[@stinkybillygoat6873]

Posted a video of mine, i pulled it out of the safe from the last time I shot hasn’t been cleaned or greased and runs through 4 mags of two different brand ammos without issue. Also, I get relatively tight groups considering the barrel length

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thanks for all the feedback man ya mine appears to be having some serious issues. But I will continue to run it.

[@mzi03731]

Most gun manufacturers are good if you have a problem and you can ship back. They usually fix and get it back quickly as they don't like to have registered guns floating around in their repair shop. Repairs are generally very quick. I had one SW revolver that the dealer told me was just stiff when we closed it up. Turned out it had a bad crane from the factory. SW replaced the part and also tuned it up and repolished it and sent it back within like one week at most. Henry re-finished a barrel for me because it arrived with a blemish that we thought might have been packing grease. They fixed that (replaced whole barrel) within 3 days.

[@Hellertonian]

I heartily agree with your first impressions. My initial trip to the range with my brand-new Bobcat Covert two weeks ago was disappointing. In retrospect, I shouldn't have debuted *any other* round in it than CCI Mini-Mags. It loves those! I was shooting Blazer and Winchester Silvertips, and experienced repeated jams and stovepipes. Like you, I found that the mag simply wasn't pushing the round up forcefully enough onto the feed ramp. You were also dead-on in observing that clearing a jam or stovepipes on the Bobcat is almost impossible, given its lack of slide lock and impossibly strong leaf springs making racking the slide - at least in my new gun - a nightmare. Still, this week, running Mini-Mags and Aguilar Super Extra ammo, I experienced far fewer FTFs and jams, and when the gun does cycle ammo, it's a ton of fun to shoot. I honestly haven't yet been able to focus on accuracy or shot groupings, because I've been so distracted by constantly clearing misfeeds. Here's hoping next week goes better.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Sorry to hear that man! It was definitely a frustrating experience for me as well. Thanks for the comment!

[@m40marine]

On the first day of having mine I ran 150 rounds with no problems. I was surprised at that for a new pistol.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh interesting ya in my case I just had a horrible time with this pistol

[@GriffXJ]

I've always wanted one of these along with a suppressor. Guess I'll switch gears back to a Ruger Mk4

[@FirearmFreedom]

The Ruger mark 4 is definitely the way to go 🤣

[@MichaelKMorris]

I have the old 21 stainless. It loves Stingers all day long. I haven't even tried anything else in it for a decade.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh I may have to try that thank you!

[@Madmamba458]

My work’s flawless with cci mini mags

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh ya I got quite the lemon with this one

[@Electrikskullz]

This gun is very ammo sensitive. I recommend CCI mini mags, but the CCI Clean works well. Uncoated rounds will be a problem.

[@stevenkennedy4130]

I own a Walther P22. It will only run with 3 types of ammunition. Mini-Mags, Velocitors & Stingers.

[@FirearmFreedom]

I’m this case the uncoated rounds worked better, I think it is more so a bigger issue with the magazine design.

[@youknow9092]

I havent had an issue as long as you dont use crappy bulk pack ammo which is known to be inconsistent. However even with a silencer attached mine eats that too.

[@JohnS-ps9jv]

Thanks for your honest review Joe!

[@FirearmFreedom]

No problem John thanks for watching!

[@societyofterror9755]

Run the pistol for 400 to 500 rounds of high velocity ammo. Federal auto match, CCI mini mags. Clean the gun well then polish the fed ramp and chamber, lube it up and you can run CCI standard or even CCI subsonic segmented hollow points. It’ll be slicker than goose poop then. Also clean and lubricate your magazines.

[@mrjackolanterns]

A guy here on KZbin has a video on how all these new Beretta Bobcat Coverts are all having the same problems, whereas all the original models do not. He discovered that these new wood grips on the Coverts are not made to spec, thus creating all these issues. He replaced them with the standard black plastic grips has had no issues since.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh very interesting, unfortunately out of frustration I ended up trading the gun so I won’t be able to test that but I bet that was the problem.

[@mrjackolanterns]

@@FirearmFreedom I don't blame you. I probably would have done the same if I hadn't seen the video. I would never have guessed that grips could interfere with a guns function. But these micro pistols have a spring that runs from behind the grip and to the slide, and the new wood grips have a large gap between them and the frame, leaving room for that spring to jump off track. Blew my mind.

[@FirearmFreedom]

@@mrjackolanterns unreal dude I would have never guessed. It’s amazing to me that beretta would not realize that by this point.

[@mrjackolanterns]

@@FirearmFreedom I think they do at this point, according to what the guy was saying in his video. Beretta had a ton of returns with the same issues you were having. Hopefully they squared it away.

[@FirearmFreedom]

@@mrjackolanterns that’s what I’m hoping as well!

[@stinkybillygoat6873]

I’ve had normal crappy ammo failures with mine but overall over been really happy with the quality and reliability of mine. At the end of the day I don’t expect much out of a 22lr, would never use one for self defense unless I had no other choice lol

[@stinkybillygoat6873]

I don’t think 30 rounds is enough to even break it in, I’ve put probably 800 plus through mine and it’s seemed more reliable as the round count for higher, if your magazine is failing you, I would try and get beretta to replace it. It sounds like you got a lemon, mine is a year or so old and have loved it

[@Madmamba458]

This dude acking like a girl mine works 100 he’s tripping

[@chilkat_river]

I wanted a 21a for years. When they came out with the Covert threaded barrel model I bought one. After shooting it I bought a second one. Just Love the little thing. I got leather holsters for them now, a left and right hand. They look crazy cool on my gun belt 👍👍

[@FirearmFreedom]

Very cool! Ya it appears I may have got a lemon

[@w.c.6678]

What kinda/brand of holster?

[@stinkybillygoat6873]

They’ve started putting out the same gun with a different finish on the grips since I bought mine, I will make a video of mine, I rarely have issues with it

[@KeanonGilliamSlang369]

Wow I was looking at a FDE version in our case. Thanks for the truth!

[@FirearmFreedom]

No problem Keanon thanks for watching this one would be a hard pass for me

[@tion_suppressors]

It seems like you're either going to get an okay 21A or a bad 21A; they're definitely cool conversation pieces regardless though.

[@FirearmFreedom]

This is definitely true

[@contractki11er]

My bobcat was having lots of trouble with any type of ammo. Went and polished the chamber and feed ramp. Fed 150 rounds through it so far of Winchester and CCI and no issue so far!

[@mzi03731]

My first 22 was a 10/22 for Christmas. K-mart had a deal and gave my dad a 500 round brick of 22 Thunderbolt with it. My dad and I laughed when we opened the box of ammo.. Just about every round was seated loose and some were crooked. I've slowly finished it up in my revolver. Only use CCI mini mag. Cheap 22 ammo is only good in revolvers.

[@macmobilestudio]

That's too bad you're having issues.I have MANY guns and only 3 I would never sell.My Bobcat is one of them.Its a 90s version with wood grips.NEVER any issues with ANY ammo.My current stash of 22 I have in bulk that runs FLAWLESS is Aguila Super Extra,Remington Thunderbolts and Federal Auto match.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya I’m hearing that the issues with this pistol were actually due to the wood grips that it has.

[@macmobilestudio]

Ya know.Know that you say that,when I bought it had an intermittent dead trigger.I returned it and they fixed it and when I picked it up they did say something about the wood grips caused it.Maybe they shaved it down from the inside or cut a little notch or something ...whatever they did I haven't had one issue in many years and MANY rounds

[@zskinner3235]

I bought a Taurus tx22 a few years ago because of all the great reviews it was getting. Mine never made it through a magazine without a failure. I tried everything. I ended up sending it to Taurus and they fixed it. It’s frustrating buying a gun because of all the great reviews and then you end up with a lemon.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it really seems like this design in a 22LR is just not well thought through.

[@zskinner3235]

Update. The slide cracked after 2nd mag suppressed. Taurus has it now. What a mess.

[@KeiPyn24]

First time I've heard a bad review on the 21. Looking to get and carry one myself.

[@FirearmFreedom]

It appears after reading everyone else’s comments that the grips may actually be the culprit.

[@Kevinj36541]

Congrats on your lemon

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thank you 🤣😂

[@joepalermo3836]

I own a 21A an older model and have had no issues with it in the 3yrs I’ve shot it.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya sometimes they appear to be working just fine, glad it’s working for you thanks for the comment!

[@VRGalaxy_762]

These specific guns are known to be finicky. They don't have an extractor...they rely directly on blowback, so you need to be running hot ammo---> CCI Mini Mags. I know you mentioned your ammo seems to be over-waxed, but you need hot ammo. That being said, I've also experienced the same issues with the mags and nose-diving ammo, no matter what I'm running. It just is what it is. I admit I'm bummed it's not what I had hoped for either, especially since they look so cool! I also noticed that despite what some others have said, I found it to not be very accurate at all. Because the barrel is so short, it's way too easy to pull shot to the left, etc. and if you're standing at like 10 yards or more, it ends up being way off. Better to stick with a MK IV, although I've had reliability issues even with those!

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thanks for the feedback I completely agree! MKIV is the way 👍🏻

[@Localjadedealer]

I’ve had 3 of these. Mini mags and make sure the first round isn’t nose diving. All run perfect.That being said I’ve only ever had good luck with guns.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it appears that the major issue with these is actually the grips causing problems.

[@Charsept]

I had the Taurus copy of this. The PT22 back when they had wood grips. I regret selling it. After a break in period, I could even run bulk ammo through it. I assumed the beretta would be better than the imitation. Maybe quality control is down in recent years?

[@FirearmFreedom]

I would imagine Q/C is just terrible now and who knows maybe after just continuing to break the gun in with hot ammo it may get better.

[@SkepticalTiger]

On the note of having a ton of issues I had to do a little work on the gun to get it feeding copper plated bullets consistently. Right now I'm about to Dremel the 12 o'clock portion of where the rim sits so lead nose bullets will feed and not get stuck. 1. I took a wire Dremel brush and polished the rough surfaces that contact. It now gives more of a dlc type shine and feel. Do it to as many places that contact between the slide and frame. 2. Make sure the magazine feed lips are close to 0.190" in the front and 0.210" in the rear, the magazines are a big failure point but a bit of tuning works wonders. 3. Polishing the feed ramp helps a lot, mine was very rough and it now feeds very well. 4. Deburr the dovetail, and safety. During longer round sessions it ate the web of my hand quite a bit, had to take a 400 grit piece of sandpaper to get everything smooth Once you do these things and it's unfortunate you have to, though no.2 would be an absolute requirement the gun will run very well. I put a little over 1100 rounds through it in one sitting and aside from less than 10 rounds being underpowered it ran fine, even with another 100 rounds of federal punch. It's unfortunate this gun does need some work and polishing to get it running but once it does it's a blast to use. Once I can get lead nose to run as well as copper plated stuff then I'll make my own review.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thanks for all the information I’m sure a lot of folks will find it helpful!

[@Jose-to3cb]

I have 2 one stainless and the other same as yours and no problem I only use cci minimag and old the time clean and oil before first shots. Good luck with yours.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh interesting ya this one was not great it just have been a lemon. Thanks for the comment!

[@lisforlifer]

I'm not sure if it was the first early set of wooden grips . Someone else had a video which it would not function with the wooden grips, I had the same problem, I had the factory send a new set of wooden grips and it did not fix the problem. I ordered a set of plastic grips off of eBay and that fixed the problem. Somehow the wooden grips are riding on the trigger bar and making it malfunction. The plastic groups do not ride on the trigger bar.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya unfortunately I did see that after I had already traded the pistol. It was a such a terrible experience that I really just wasn’t willing to deal with it again. But thank you for the comment!

[@w.c.6678]

Can you file down those wooden grips? I love the look.

[@Vtfilamguy]

Truth, in all three of my 21A magazines I have to make sure the first round is tip up and the brass is 100% in contact with the feed lips to ensure proper feeding, once you've got that down it will run like a top

[@TheDuppyman]

I have a similar issue with mine.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it seems like the magazines for them are complete trash.

[@justinrisner06]

I have the same gun and rugged suppressor. The occulus is awesome! But so far my beretta has ran great suppressed and non suppressed, but at the end of the day if I had to choose only one of my .22lr pistols to run it would be my volquartsen black mamba it runs like a Ferrari.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh interesting it really seems to be a 50/50 with these pistols they either work great or they just suck lol

[@248945077]

Feeding problems are common with the design of the magazine. You have to keep it clean and lightly lubed. 22 ammo is dirty and the mag design catches the carbon deposits. Clean it with a q-tip and lightly lube it. That is the major problem with these. Tell me if this helps.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Well I would agree if I had shot the gun previously to this but in this case it was having issues immediately after cleaning the magazine before I ever shot the gun lol. However I do appreciate the feedback!

[@jasonsandy4296]

I have the exact same model. It appears that YMMV on these. Out of six different rounds, the only thing it hated were federal punch defensive carry loads. Put about 300+ rounds of Winchester westerns through it day one and had just a few nosedives that jammed it up, as well as a couple I had to manually rack the next round. Overall the quirks in function are drastically outweighed by how much I enjoy shooting it.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thanks for the comment, ya I have seen these things be pretty hit or miss.

[@Wiisher]

It's literally just the ammo you use.. I use cci yellow jacket sintgers and haven't had one malfunction yet.. 800 rounds thru mine of that ammo bought 100 rounds let's see if it'll eat the last 200 just as good!

[@FirearmFreedom]

I appreciate the comment but I’m this case I actually think it is the wood grips, others have reported the same issue

[@gator1984atcomcast]

I had same experience. Could not return gun. Tried all kinds of ammunition. Oiled, cleaned. Disappointed.

[@Tborr50calM1]

I have a beretta 21a inox. And ive had no issues with cci minimags. But had some problems with cheap bulk ammo less then 1200fps.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh interesting I ran minimags through this and it was the same result

[@balaclavabandit4745]

That really is a bummer man hopefully eventually your able to get it working as youd said thats no cheap 22 you could literally get an hk mp5 in 22 for that

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya I am gonna try to just keep shooting it but man does it suck lol not fun to shoot at all!

[@stinkybillygoat6873]

I had the tomcat .32 for a while and it ran flawlessly when I could find ammo for it lol

[@gsGs-xb6um]

I love little guns but they have to work

[@FirearmFreedom]

Yupp I am right there with you

[@lisforlifer]

As for your accuracy, I would be willing to bet that you left the rubber o-ring on the barrel which came originally with it and screwing that suppressor on with that o ring is going to cause slight baffle strikes... It will cause poor accuracy. The same goes with crush washers and suppressors. Try it without any suppressor or muzzle brake and see what your accuracy is.

[@waltersmichael8915]

Mine doesn’t work at all either. I have 5 magazines, they all kick the 2nd round out and induce a stovepipe with a live round. Sent it back to beretta, still does the exact same thing,

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ooof I was hoping it was a magazine issue but after hearing that I’m sure it’s just trash all the way around.

[@357mag84]

Great review, thank you. I have trouble trusting rimfires in general.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thank you for watching, I completely agree 🤙🏻

[@gator1984atcomcast]

I was told by the dealer to take my problem to the manufacturer.

[@rudysaulter1047]

Cci stingers works best.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it appears the grips may actually be at fault.

[@twilheit8483]

The stock magazine seems to be junk, some aftermarkets are too. The feed angle changes a lot depending on the remaining shot count. They just don't set the next round at the right angle to hit the ramp reliably. Yeah, frustrating that Beretta let those mags leave the factory. But I just went through 8 Meg-Gar mags (four mags twice), loaded to 7 rounds with only one fail, (shot by a friend who was not familiar with the gun. His second magazine was flawless.) That could have been his grip/anticipation... whatever. I'd try a Meg-Gar magazine and see if that helps. It has been too hot and I'm generally too tired after work to continue testing those out but I got 4 of them and ran through them quite smoothly. I'm hoping this cool weather holds up through the weekend so I can try them again. We both laid down decent groups. Neither of us are marksmen but we plink a lot. He actually grouped better than I did. Oh... and I only used two variants of Winchester bulk stuff. I keep meaning to pick up a few boxes of CCI Mini-Mag as recommended..

[@FirearmFreedom]

Great information man thanks for the heads up!

[@chevyrunner8846]

MAC also had trouble with his in fde. I actually think it broke. I have a 21a inox but have only gone through 2 mags. Mine was ammo sensitive right off the bat.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya I was watching his video as well and it seemed to be about as bad as mine very very unfortunate. Thanks for the comment!

[@mzi03731]

You need to 1. Get a new mag 2. Clean it 3. Run 800 rounds 4. Send to Beretta under warranty if giving problems.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thank you for your comments, in this case I actually think it was the wood grips. Surprisingly a lot of other folks are reporting the same problem

[@mitchcottew1379]

ive had two, inox was flawless, traded it for a covert and it was rough till i clped it and broke it in and then ran good again. prefers hot 22s or 45 grain subs

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya I’m gonna try to just continue to run it a bit and see if it clears up at all but my hopes currently aren’t high lol.

[@TheDuppyman]

Mine has been really good, one of my favorite suppressor host, but mine has a ton of rounds thru it so maybe it has been broken in. I considered buying another one. I have the same mag issue it only runs with 6 not 7 in mag. But it is great to not have to bring a full sized Ruger m4 in an already full range bag. My Walther ppks .22lr is a piece of junk.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Huh very interesting I think that’s the first time I have heard of one actually being good 🤣 maybe I will just continue to try and shoot it.

[@TheDuppyman]

@@FirearmFreedom I agree for what they are $500 is way over priced but I need a small suppressor host.

[@gunmonkey6545]

I have a Jerfire as well and love it. I was interested in this one hoping that they fixed the issues but clearly not. I had two of the older versions and both were terribly unreliable. Unfortunate that they still can’t figure it out. Bye the way, don’t bother calling Beretta because they will simply blame you because you didn’t shoot it at 2:13 AM underneath a blanket while listening to classical music.

[@arsenal_616]

Just like women. Beware of the pretty ones. They have the most issues.

[@FirearmFreedom]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@brucehubbard4570]

Mine dose the same with goden bullet i use cci and auto match without meny issues but the mags are shit

[@rc391995]

What you take for the gun and the muffler ill take it off your hands ?

[@denniskopecky9124]

Great looking wood grips. Too bad this dog this dog can't hunt. My Beretta Neos 22lr on my last range session was a jam-o-matic. However, they were easy to clear. Is there an issue with single stack 22lr mags? When i shoot the Tippmann Arms M-22 using Federal auto match, no problems. That same ammo in the Beretta, not happening. Go figure. Dennis.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it seems as this is having issues with any ammunition that I put through it. Thanks for the comment Dennis!

[@Gilgamesh347]

Wood grips are garbage. I own this. They cause trigger issues (no DA). You need to replace them with $13 black bakelight Beretta grips and magically the gun will have consistent DA trigger. There is too much play (low tolerance) in the wood grips such that the trigger bar/spring gets out of alignment. I like the gun, but Beretta should do a recall and ship people the $13 grips. Easy fix, but right is right.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya I have heard this is the main issue with these guns unfortunately I did end up getting rid of the gun before I found that out lol

[@zedhiro6131]

I have seen other problems with this design in 22lr. I am beginning to think rim fire isn't compatible with this design.

[@FirearmFreedom]

That may very well be the case I am beginning to think the same thing.

[@cgtlea9202]

I almost got one of these but the one I was looking at in the case had a broken double action trigger when it was brand new. Definitely turned me off to it

[@FirearmFreedom]

Oooof ya that sounds about right I do not like these guns

[@thedoomslayer14]

Thanks for your review. Did you ever test the Browning 1911-22lr or the Beretta 87 Cheetah ? If so, your thoughts ?

[@FirearmFreedom]

Unfortunately I have not tested either but if I can get my hands on one I definitely will!

[@thedoomslayer14]

I hesitate between the 2 for my first firearm. I live in France and Berettas are more easy to find than Browning. And I guess build quality in clearly in favor of the Beretta but the features of the Browning are way better. Thanks anyway !

[@hotdog99100]

Joe, I have the 32 ACP Tomcat if you would like to test it. It runs.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Garret I may take you up on that in a few weeks!

[@hotdog99100]

@@FirearmFreedom Joe, let me know. I also have a Beretta Model 81 Cheetah in .32 ACP if you would like to test the two.

[@abledemo1]

Had nothing but trouble with mine as well. Tried buying extra mags. All different ammo. Nothing but failure to feed. Usually nose diving rounds. If I loaded a mag held it upside down and relieved tension, the bullets would align properly. And cut the FTFs down a little bit. Hot Fn Garbage

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it is very unfortunate you would think it with the price you pay it would be a bit better but I agree total garbage.

[@262fire3]

Thank kind of sucks I had high hope for this pistol, I was wondering what happened to the hype I saw all the crazy hype at shot show.

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya all the reviews made me pretty irate after my experience lol it seems like total misinformation.

[@caseymelick8023]

Great little pistol no doubt but it has its issues. Starting with the fact there's no extractor ! ! it's a shame how totally unreliable it is. Ruger's Kel-Tec copy is 100%. Too bad you can't buy a little Jewel like that and it'd be worth a shit. Too much to ask from Beretta ?

[@FirearmFreedom]

It is really unfortunate, but it is what it is. Sometimes there are just lemons. Thanks for watching!

[@stevenkennedy4130]

...and everything goes wrong? Me: Yup. (CAA MCK 2.0)

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it’s never a great feeling lol

[@stevenkennedy4130]

Nope

[@user-xf2zr4kp3v]

Removed it from my CARTS! (plural) thanks for the honest review! Lots of lowlife paid-off crows out there! Ever since Beretta got sacked by the army it's been downhill in lots of models!

[@FirearmFreedom]

Ya it appears in this case from reading other comments that’s shockingly it might of been the wood grips causing the issues. Unfortunately I traded the gun before I could check.

[@TNPerBSSCommandoALIENCowboy22]

Comment

[@FirearmFreedom]

Thanks for the comment!

[@TNPerBSSCommandoALIENCowboy22]

@FirearmFreedom You're welcome.

[@docb1844]

frustration station ....

[@FirearmFreedom]

Without a doubt lol

[@caseyschryber1255]

Lmao I’ve shot mine for a pocket and it works, I guess they’re hit and miss