I recently had the chance to pick up what is just about the cutest little pistol ever made. The Beretta model 21A (a.k.a., the Bobcat). Beretta stopped producing these little gems, so if you fancy one and find one in good condition you should snatch it up quick.
Beretta is one of the oldest firearms manufacturers out there, having been around for almost 500 years now. They’ve had plenty of time to make mistakes, learn from them, and then apply those lessons to another generation of firearms. They do still make mistakes (hey, who doesn’t?), but those mistakes are rare, meaning that if you go to buy or shoot a Beretta firearm, chances are that it will perform just as you expect.
This is my first handgun, so take that into consideration.
I wanted something tiny and fun to shoot and a 'better than nothing' carry if I needed it. I ended up picking up a Bobcat for $255 + 5 free range passes at my local shop.
Field stripping takes about 5 seconds, and it's super easy to clean. The mag holds 7 rounds of .22 LR, 1 in the chamber. The first 250 rounds were jam/misfire free. After shooting 500 straight rounds after that, it misfired 2 times and failed to completely eject the cartridge about 3-4 times. It was probably because it was dirty by that point. The whole time, I have used bulk Federal 36gr ammunition.
I wish it came with more than one mag, but I suppose I'll pick some up later.