Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Replaced one I shouldn't have sold.

I sold my Beretta Bobcat 21A Matte about 3 years ago, and it being gone just wouldn't go away.

So today I bought another, this one a polished blue version circa early 90's with walnut grips, 2 magazines. Metal is all perfect, grips with a few bumps and bruises that would be easy enough to fix. And I got it for a song. Ought to be here in a few days from TX. I'll probably put some nice black custom wood grips on it, start carrying it in a pocket on my wee hours of the night walks. That is IF I can find some ammo for it. CCI Velocitor would be my first choice for that, probably their MiniMag 40gr RN second and as the standard shooting fodder for it, but like just about all 22RF ammo they are non existant right now. Have lots of RF ammo, but none ideal for this jetfire blow back.

Sweet. Mine is matte finish with plastic stocks. The kids love plinking with it, and the size is handy to drop in my pocket....
Enjoy!

Nifty little guns, not my first choice for SD but any gun is better than NO gun.

Not what most folks first choice would be either, but with the right ammo they are under rated for SD. Even out a shorty like this one they will get the job done because they will penetrate deep. I haven't carried for about 15 years, let my CCW expire and sold all the firearms I had for it. So I may or may not bother with carrying this one either on my walks.

If I had known you were looking for one of those shooters I would have sold you mine. It's matte finish with a Hogue looking grip on it.

As you mentioned, runs best with CCI 40g, to run the slide. Amazing the difference in functioning with a 40 vs. a 36 grain bullet.

Mine has excellent accuracy as follows: After emptying the mag when shooting at cans at 25, simply throw it at 'em. Maybe on second thought you might not be interested as my shooter has some "character" blems on it.

Nice. That's a handy pistol.

My early Matte Bobcat was plenty accurate for my uses for it... including for cook pot fodder. All it takes is practice to know where it shoots the particular ammo to - then just point it.

Ya know I pointed that dog at everything with the same results.....patterns.

Shot it off the bench at 7 yards with all different types of ammo with no improvement.

Clean it, lube it, kissed it with no improvement just a flat out lemon.

Two things the little m21 is really good for....

Makes a great little "kit gun".

Practicing with it really teaches you sight alignment and trigger control.

I've bought and sold a few guns over my life so far and will probably buy a few more. Regret some that I sold and wished that I could sell a couple others.

Two dogs that I bought were the 21A and a Ruger Bearcat. In our house if it doesn't shoot, out it goes. I know that if one of the above is your favorite shooter, your response is that with the proper ammo, technique, adjustments, practice the dog could be made to hunt. I guess it just steps on some sensitive toes to say MY 21A or MY Ruger Bearcat is a dog.....NOT YOUR 21A or YOUR Ruger Bearcat.

I don't think I'm the only lad to buy lemons. Simple

I love mine. It will do this at 15y with a very tight grip but only with CCI standard vel. The SA trigger is phenomenal in such a small gun.



I may shim the barrel lock up to raise the POI.

Well, if you look, you'll notice that my previous post was not in response to you...

I can bounce empty shotgun shells at ten yards with mine, with several different loads. Too bad about yours. From what I've read, mine is more the rule than the exception.

I had one of those the year they came out, ended up giving it to a friend. I was very impressed with it. Reliability was flawless, don�t recall EVER having a malfunction, and the little sucker printed right where I aimed it�shot WAY better than it had any right to.

Redhill,

Sorry to hear you had bad experiences with your "2 dogs". I don't consider it stepping on toes at all, just that personal experiences can vary widely. I've had many firearms I wasn't satisfied with for some reason or another, and they didn't live with me for very long because of it. But that doesn't mean they were not good for other shooters.

Regards, whether you accept it or not mine were just the opposite with your 2 dogs - with the Bobcat for what i used it for, and even more so with my Bearcats that I first started shooting in the early-mid 60's that all got shoot often and alot. Still have my OM Super Bearcat that has been stuffed in a back pocket on far more outings than not over the years, has had countless rounds fired through it since '71 AND shoots where I point it. No doubt because of the huge amount its been shot over the years. Especially so when I retired 22+ years ago, moved to the desert where I was out hiking almost daily year round and often shot 3-4 bricks through it a week for a few years. I was just shooting Federal nothing special ammo that was cheap as most of the shooting was just pliniing on the hikes at whatever I came upon. It saw so much use those years that I could shoot it far better than any of my other RF handguns, and they all had great sights, most longer barrels, all more to hang on to, some I'd had as long or longer than it. A Colt New Frontier Buntline, OM Ruger SS's, Smith J frame's, my HS HD Military where carried sometimes, but the Super Cat was an easy carry AND could always be counted on. It's been awhile since I've shot it, but I'm sure it wouldn't take long to get back up to speed with it simply because of my history with it. Confidence goes a long ways when shooting, and it's earned mine.
L.

Three old model Ruger's I still have... the Super Cat, SS 22MAG & BH 357MAG.

Thanks for the info.

When I was a wee lad the Ruger Bearcat came out the first time and I feel in love hard. From the pictures in the stab and blast magazines to actually seeing and fondling one, I knew that I needed to own one. Sad to say at the time neither me nor my parents had the money nor was my father a big fan of pistols, shotguns definitely yes and rifles ok.

Fast forward to the time when they were reintroduced, I was at a LGS and saw a stainless steel one that had the cylinder for the 22Mag also. I had just bought a Colt Lightweight commander and had depleted the "gun" fund but was severely tempted. About five years later I walked into a neighbor grocery store that had a gun counter in it and there it was in it's blued splendor. This time I walked out with it and paid some ridiculous price around $225 new. I then went to the local leather shop where he had been in business for 40 years making all kinds of leather goods including holsters. I asked the owner if he had any holster specially designed for the Bearcat. He pointed me toward a wooden box and told me good luck. I eagerly worked my way down to the bottom of it to find a black gunfighter loop holster with the initials of RBC stamped on the back for Ruger BearCat. I bought the darn thing cheap and thought I had finally accomplished a boyhood dream.

The next Saturday I went out into the desert and tried to find a brand of ammo that would group with this shooter. After around 6 different brands through the rascal over my bench the closest I could group at 25 yards was around 5-7". I was extremely disappointed and returned again while shooting other firearms to the desert and I would bring the Bearcat only to duplicate the former performance. I still have it but warn anyone when we shoot it that it doesn't group great and that is born out by the shooting of the others lads. I will never sell it due to the boyhood dream.

I have many .22lr pistols, it's a caliber that I love, that will fill the accuracy needs of that caliber but not the Bearcat.

I saw where you mentioned that you had a Colt New Frontier Buntline, was it in .22lr/22mag configuration? I bought one of those with the 7.5" barrel and adjustable sights back when they were closing down their manufacturer and it was a shooter that I traded for a Ruger Blackhawk .357Mag and then traded that Blackhawk for a ..........????.

Of all the guns that I'v sold after owning them that is the one that I regret the most. I've looked for a replacement at gun shows and either had no luck or found the pre panic prices to be around $750+ for one in great shape. It was one of the most accurate .22lrs I've had and had the most beautiful color case hardening on it. The stock trigger pull was like the proverbial glass rod breaking. Stupid Stupid Stupid.

I did receive a Ruger Single Six 6.5" barrel convertible as a gift from a client new and after a trigger job it shoots very very accurate....... it's just not a Colt. Hang on to yours.

Finally got the Beretta today, two weeks to the day thanks to the dam TX dealer and my FFL causing delays. Should have been here on the 17th.


Much better than I was expecting. Other than a few minor shallow dents in a grip (that are easy to fix it) is near mint. Hardly a mark on the metal, one magazine is unused Italy vinage and the other almost as good. Doubt it's been shot much in the 20 odd years since new.


And better yet... a gent on another forum surprised me with 2 boxes of CCI Velocitor and 1 of CCI Stinger for it in thanks for something I gifted to him many months ago. Pretty rare now days. Nice to have your good intentions remembered long after you've forgotten about them.

Me neither, but they're a hoot to shoot. I grin ever time I shoot mine, while wishing for a hi-cap mag to be invented.

Sorry I missed your question first time around. My CNF Buntline was a covertable - the 7.5" is the Buntline. So same gun as yours, mine bought new in early '74 (just checked to be sure - and for well under $100 as I co-owned a gunshop). As you said a great SA that was more than accurate with a great trigger (wouldn't have mattered if not, I was a gunsmith). And I had 3 sets of custom grips made for it that might indicate how much I liked it. Also had a custom Triple K western rig made to carry it. My main use for it when bought was tree squirrel and sometimes ground squirrel hunting along the central CA coast ranges, mostly Ponderosa Pine/Coast Live Oak habitat, but I also hunted the hardwoods in northern CA sometimes. It was excellent for that with just the 22LR cylinder and more fun to shoot than the 2 Ruger MK's I had 12" barrels and scopes on as well as many others for the same uses, including the rifles. Never really used the 22MAG cylinder much, didn't have a need for it. But do remember using the MAG cylinder a few times when I was shooting GS's for the padre down at Mission San Antonio de Padua. Main goal was around and inside the mission's courtyard for those digging into the adobe foundations. The comical padre carried a Astra Cub 22 Short under his robe for the same, but couldn't hit squat with it except flower pots, etc by mistake (I also had one that was great for cook pot fodder, plenty accurate). But the mission is also surrounded by Ft Hunter Liggett with a lot of open property so I also shot long range for them there as well with the MAG cylinder and with a 640K Chuckster 22MAG to reach them. After I left CA and moved back the Rockies I used teh CNF for many types of hunting from varmints to small game. Was great for walk up jump shooting and accurate enough for controlled longer ranges on game as well. I always had plenty of serious target class 22RF's as well, the CNF was just more fun same as the Bearcats. I had OM Single Six's as well, didn't shoot them much.

I let a gent talk me out of the CNF, he took the whole package and offered a price then that was just plain sinful, still would be today. I had the Ruger Super Cat I could shoot even better and farther, so made the sale 10+ yars ago. While I have thought about getting another CNF, with the Super Cat I really don't need one. The OM Single Six 22MAG in the picture has never got shot much, still like new. If it was a 17HMR it would be a totally different story though.


Found a picture I still have on the computer of the mission. Wish I had one with the padre and I still on it. The gent was near as wide as tall and a constant hoot with a very fun loving attitude around me as not a member of his flock. And when they Army MP's came to see what the h--- all the shooting was about more often than not, he'd chopped them off at the knees so he could yell at them eye ball to eyeball. Fiesty, real fiesty. When he called me to ask me to drive down included even though we had become good friends nad when an excuse to go do it for him was enough. I also always brought him more 22 Short ammo... fixing all the wrong stuff he hit with it was somebody elses problem.