I picked up a Bobcat in 22LR today cheap from a friend who is not really into guns. It was used when he got it. He sold it cheap because "it fired without pulling the trigger, while it was laying flat in his palm." I field stripped it, don't see anything obviously wrong with it other than it needs to be cleaned. The firing pin channel appears to be clean, the firing pin seems to be intact. I plan on giving it a good cleaning and trying it out. I have never shot one of these little pistols before, anything I need to be aware of?

I owned one for years. Great little pistol. And mine never went off unless I yanked its DA/SA trigger first.

Like I said, he ain't a gun guy. He is a pretty good cow doctor, though. I got the Bobcat with 1 mag for only $100. I can risk $100.

I have 2. Nice high quality .22 pistol. Look at the mechanics - no way this could just “go off” without pulling the trigger. You have a nice little Beretta.

I think they are cool little guns. Mine can be ammo sensitive. CCI mini mags have cycled the best for me. $100 jeez, you got a nice deal.

Those are more fun than hookers on pay day, and you got a great deal on it.

No idea how it could have just up and gone off without pulling the trigger. They aren't belt fed so a cook-off seems unlikely.

quote:

Originally posted by Herkdriver:
Like I said, he ain't a gun guy. He is a pretty good cow doctor, though. I got the Bobcat with 1 mag for only $100. I can risk $100.

Damn... you stole that one! I'd have given twice the price... IF I ever find one that is!

I've had one for about 7 years and also one in .25 cal. Both are great guns. As bronicabill said you stole that gun.

I'll be odd man out. Tip up Beretta 22s are jam o matic. This is usually acknowledged over on the beretta forum too. If you get one that runs consider yourself lucky.

Mine liked CCI mini mags but not some of the other low budget stuff....

My little 21A has been a great little shooter over the years. The sights are small, but overall it's an enjoyable dependable little pistol.
I've always kept the chamber well cleaned and as long as I use good ammo it seems to function fine.

I've had two 950's over the years (still have one) and one of them had a feed issue that was cleared up by polishing the little feed ramp and chamber and problem solved.

Oh the Bobcat! You stole it for a hundred bucks. It can’t possibly “just go off” so I’m glad your buddy can fall back on his day cow doctor job. It’s like the heaviest DA pull you probably own.

They are finicky. Some are jammomatics. I have two. They are fun but you have to learn their quirks. Mine will be mostly reliable with CCI Blazer or MiniMag. Mine has to be cleaned every 50 rounds or so. If you do have a malfunction it can be a bitch to remove the case. No extractor makes for the occasional swear session. Sights just suck. Mags are small and sometimes need a tweak to avoid nose high feeds which I find are the second most common malfunction (pinch the feed lips just a tiny bit).

All that being said, I love these little guns. I wouldn’t trust one for anything but they are fun. If they could be more reliable it would be a nice little BUG. I’ve never got to the point that I think they are reliable enough.

I have 2 of them, both the limited production Lady Beretta models.

Never a hiccup with either one of them and one I bought cheap because the former owner said it was a jammomatic. It wasn't, it just was dirty and wasn't really lubed.

They do need to be kept clean and well lubricated and they run best with higher quality ammo like CCI Mini Mags.

I cleaned it up last night, plan on test firing it today or tomorrow. I have CCI SV and Velocitor, Aguila Super Extra, and Federal Champion bulk ammo on hand. Sounds like I need some Mini-Mags as well.

Can't beat that with a stick.

Let's see some photos.

Here’s the thing. This is always an argument. Guys who have one that feeds anything. The other side have ones that are finicky.

If you get the former, treasure it, never trade it. You will end up buying another and it might not be so wonderful.

My inox (stainless) one is pretty reliable. My blued one not so much. The formula for that one is 50 rounds then clean it. Use CCI high velocity or better. This still won’t fix mag issues which tend to present as nose high feed malfunctions. Any light strike can cause a stoppage that isn’t always easily or quickly remedied. Bulk pack is never going to produce great results. In my testing (10k+ rounds) Blazer bulk pack was the best bulk pack. Every other bulk pack, and I tried most of them, was an exercise in frustration.

Great little guns that are in dire need of a midlife redesign/upgrade. The current prices on suppressor ready Bobcats show that people will spend a bit more for what they want. I want a better Bobcat.

The only time mine ever malfunctioned was if a case split, so not very often.

Treasure it then. I’ve never had a split case but I have had dozens and dozens of failures to eject, cycle, double feeds, nose high malfunctions. Read any thread where more than one or two Bobcat owners gather. Bobcats being finicky isn’t Internet myth.

There are ones that are reliable. I suspect even those are finicky. To me a reliable 22 feeds all readily available ammo that is considered “normal”. So no subs, or quiet ammo but should work for a reasonable amount of ammo in the SV to high velocity category. I own multiples of 22’s that fit this bill. I can shoot my Beretta 87 through most of a bulk pack before it’s starts wanting to be cleaned. The Bobcat can get through a box of 50 then needs cleaning. Even the guys who claim to own a totally reliable Bobcat will eventually admit they shoot a specific type and brand of 22 in most cases. That’s not reliable, that’s finicky.

My 21a if clean and fed MiniMags will shoot 50 for 50 almost 100% of the time. Try Remington, Winchester, Aguila, etc, and it will hiccup. Every time. Could I call mine reliable because it works with one particular 22 loading? Sure. I don’t though because to me that’s the definition of finicky.

Make sure you don’t test fire it w/a full magazine…my buddy had a Taurus copy go full auto…he knew it was broken, but it scared the crap outta me as I wasn’t expecting it.

I have one in 22 and my mom has it now. It runs like a singer sewing machine with CCI ammo and being clean

I took it out for a spin this AM in the back pasture. Just function testing, not shooting for accuracy. I shot 50 rounds of CCI SV. Twice it failed to fire on the first attempt but I rotated the round and it fired no problems, I will chalk that up to the ammo. Otherwise it worked fine. I think I have a keeper. Next time out I will try a few different brands and see how long it will go before it starts to hiccup.