Beretta 21a Part II
As promised, I function fired a variety of 22lr ammo today through the pistol. In previously testing the used pistol was not disassembled, cleaned or lubed. The gun really wasn't dirty, but may needed some lube which was done after cleaning. Also, today's testing was done after polishing the feed ramp to a mirror finish. As I stated in the previous post, polishing was simple and easy with a Dremel tool. Between each type of ammo a dry bore snake was passed through the barrel at least twice. If problems were encountered in the 6+1, I discontinued testing that ammo. A problem with the trigger occurred, it would not reset (probably my fault in re-assembly after cleaning (probably My fault). I suspect a problem lies with the trigger spring. Will probably send the pistol to Beretta.
So, let's get down to the results, which surprised me. I apologize if the columns don't line up.
Cartridge
Rem Yellowjacket HP
Rds 14
gr 33
FPS 1500
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
Rem Thunderbolt RN
Rds 14
Gr 40
FPS 1255
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
Rem Goldens HP
Rdsm 14
Gr 36
FPS 1280
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
CCI Blaser
Rds 7
Gr 40
FPS 1235
FTF 1
FTFeed 4
FTE 1
CCI Sm Game Bullet
Rds 14
Gr Unkn
FPS Unkn
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
CCI Green Tag (Target)
Rds 7
Gr Unkn
FPS Unkn
FTF 0
FTFeed 2
FTE 0
Win Wildcats
Rds 7
FPS Unkn
FTF Unkn
FTFeed 0
FTFeed 5
FTE 4
Win HP (bulk)
Rds 7
Gr 38
FPS 1280
FTF 0
FTFeed 1
FTE 7
Fed HP
Rds 7
Gr Unkn
FPS Unkn
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 3
My conclusions:
- My pistol will function fine with the Rem Yellowjackets, Goldens, and Thunderbolts.
- High velocity rounds are not absolutely necessary and agrees with Beretta's recommendations
- High velocity rounds may not be necessary for your gun.
- CCI Blasers did not work. Higher velocity CCI rounds (Mini-mags, Stingers, and Velocitors) may work in all guns
My recommendations:
- Clean & lube your 21a and polish your feed ramp. My pistol did not previously like the Rem Goldens or Thunderbolts. Polishing the ramp, and perhaps lubing, paid big dividends for me.
- Test fire a wide variety of 22lr ammo and have some fun. Any trigger time is well spent.
- Why settle on the CCI HV, expensive and hard to find rounds if you don't have to?
Edit: No matter how many spaces added or using the tab key helped with aligning the columns.
Jim
So, let's get down to the results, which surprised me. I apologize if the columns don't line up.
Cartridge
Rem Yellowjacket HP
Rds 14
gr 33
FPS 1500
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
Rem Thunderbolt RN
Rds 14
Gr 40
FPS 1255
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
Rem Goldens HP
Rdsm 14
Gr 36
FPS 1280
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
CCI Blaser
Rds 7
Gr 40
FPS 1235
FTF 1
FTFeed 4
FTE 1
CCI Sm Game Bullet
Rds 14
Gr Unkn
FPS Unkn
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 0
CCI Green Tag (Target)
Rds 7
Gr Unkn
FPS Unkn
FTF 0
FTFeed 2
FTE 0
Win Wildcats
Rds 7
FPS Unkn
FTF Unkn
FTFeed 0
FTFeed 5
FTE 4
Win HP (bulk)
Rds 7
Gr 38
FPS 1280
FTF 0
FTFeed 1
FTE 7
Fed HP
Rds 7
Gr Unkn
FPS Unkn
FTF 0
FTFeed 0
FTE 3
My conclusions:
- My pistol will function fine with the Rem Yellowjackets, Goldens, and Thunderbolts.
- High velocity rounds are not absolutely necessary and agrees with Beretta's recommendations
- High velocity rounds may not be necessary for your gun.
- CCI Blasers did not work. Higher velocity CCI rounds (Mini-mags, Stingers, and Velocitors) may work in all guns
My recommendations:
- Clean & lube your 21a and polish your feed ramp. My pistol did not previously like the Rem Goldens or Thunderbolts. Polishing the ramp, and perhaps lubing, paid big dividends for me.
- Test fire a wide variety of 22lr ammo and have some fun. Any trigger time is well spent.
- Why settle on the CCI HV, expensive and hard to find rounds if you don't have to?
Edit: No matter how many spaces added or using the tab key helped with aligning the columns.
Jim
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Thanks for really excellent information! I shoot a lot of .22 RF, and also have had problems similar to yours. Firing some of the same underpowered/hollow point ammo, in pistols.
One point though. The manufacturers velocity figures you give, aren't valid for handguns. They are taken from a 18" rifle barrel. From a short barreled pistol, like you're Beretta. You would have to reduce them by at least 20%, to get a valid muzzle velocity.0 -
Thanks for the test results. Did you clean the gun itself (not just the bore) between shots?
In my experience, small .22 pistols tend to gum up with fouling pretty quickly (ie after just a few magazines) then can start to have reliability issues, which will resolve after a quick clean and lube. Some types of ammo cause these problems much faster than others.
In terms of reliability, I've found bullet WEIGHT and SHAPE to be every bit as important as velocity.
Most of the "high velocity" ammo uses lighter than normal weight bullets, with flat points. These tend to feed and cycle poorly through picky guns. There are individual exceptions, but in contrast, I've found full weight round nose 40 grain bullets tend to cycle most guns well.0 -
quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
Thanks for the test results. Did you clean the gun itself (not just the bore) between shots?
In my experience, small .22 pistols tend to gum up with fouling pretty quickly (ie after just a few magazines) then can start to have reliability issues, which will resolve after a quick clean and lube. Some types of ammo cause these problems much faster than others.
In terms of reliability, I've found bullet WEIGHT and SHAPE to be every bit as important as velocity.
Most of the "high velocity" ammo uses lighter than normal weight bullets, with flat points. These tend to feed and cycle poorly through picky guns. There are individual exceptions, but in contrast, I've found full weight round nose 40 grain bullets tend to cycle most guns well.
I only cleaned the bore between ammo changes. I hadn't cleaned the gun after shooting it. 91 rounds were fired and I can't tell if there's any fouling because I used a dry lube. If there was any fouling, it was very minor.
While I don't own a 1911 or clone, many owners, IIRC, have the rails and slide surfaces polished. With the success of polishing the ramp (there were obvious tool markings), polishing the slide and frame rails may produce dividends since they too show tool marks. Might not get around to that until after Christmas.0 -
Thanks for the test. I had the same results that you did with bulk Winchester Wildcat and Federal Hollowpoint. Also American Eagle bulk jammed in a similar manner. CCI Stinger and Mini-mags and Aguila Super Extra worked great. Sad to hear about the CCI Blaser, 0 -
IMO a little bore brush should be kept with this gun, at all times. I do and never have a bad round with all higher velocity ammo. 0
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