What do you think about the Series 81 in 22LR?

[FALPhil]

The ole lady hit me up for a handgun the other day - the first time in 34 years of marriage. She hasn't shown much interest in shooting as recreation, and this caught me totally by surprise. She has a 38 Spl snubbie that she carries when she has to go rescue a girl from a pimp (our state capitol is the Southeast hub for human trafficking, and she is part of a volunteer group that tries to help young girls that want to leave prostitution). She probably goes to the range with it 2-3 times a year.

But what she asked for is a 22 autoloader. Apparently, she and a couple other ladies in the neighborhood want to start an Old Ladies' Shooting Society. They have been talking with each other and have decided that 22LR autoloaders is what they want to use.

I have a couple of rimfire handguns myself - a Ruger Mk I and a High Standard Citation. I have been informed that those are "too big". One of the women has obtained a Walther P22, so I started looking at things in that size range. I stumbled across the Beretta Series 81, aka Cheetah, aka Model 87. It looks pretty interesting, and rumor has it that they were inherently accurate enough that Beretta made a target version out of them. She is not interested in the target version, but rather the standard version which looks kinda like a Browning BDA.

These handguns are not common, but I did find a couple on the interwebz. They are not cheap, either, but I like quality.

Anyone got experience with the standard Model 87 that you can share?

 

[RX-79G]

It is beautifully made and fun to shoot because it has a little kick. A zinc slide P22 is garbage in comparison. The 87 would be an object of pride and could even be carried.

While it was accurate enough, a Ruger is a laser. Show her one of the 22/45s with the thin barrel.

They aren't easy to find, but Bersa makes a .22 version of their .380 pistol. Same idea as the 87 but a bit cheaper. Excellent quality and materials.

 

[RX-79G]

Just noticed that Walther is offering an all steel PPK/S in .22. It is likely a US made model, so I would find out if it is the same quality as the old German .22 PP.

 

[745SW]

I never seen or heard of a Beretta 80 series in 22LR. My very first center fire pistol was a Beretta 84 in 380ACP. Kicked like a mule, felt recoil more than a 1911 in 45ACP.

The 70/71 series comes in 22LR. I have the 71 with adjustable sights and 6” barrel, find it exceptionally reliable for a 22LR. My High Standard Victor’s are picky about ammo and overall not so reliable.

I bought only one 71 at the time because the dealer, Turner’s, did not have mags for the 71. The pistol came with only one mag. The 71 is the only firearm I bought from Turner’s that they didn’t have spare mags. At a much later date I find getting mags for the 71 is next to impossible.

I really like the 70/71 but even at the time I bought it new over a decade ago support is terrible.

 

[PSP]

I'd buy a Beretta 87 in a heartbeat if I could find one at a good price. My only complaint is that the mag only takes 8 rounds.

The new Walther Arms PPK/S may be a good alternative.

As mentioned, a Beretta 70/71 may be easier to find and much less expensive. Mags are hard to find.

My all time favorite .22lr fun gun is the Daewoo DP52 a Walther PP clone.

The Bersa T22 is another inexpensive choice.

I have a GSG 1911-22 that has been a very good performer.

A shorter barrel Beretta NEOS may fill the bill.

 

[Jim Watson]

The Beretta 87 .22 LR is a jewel. They have stayed about one price increase ahead of my interest.

The previous Beretta 70 is a nice pistol, too, if you don't mind the crossbolt safety on all but about the last year's production.

I had a couple of real German Walthers in .22 and while well made guns, they did not hold my interest. I will take some showing on the current product. It seems cheap for the advertised specs.

 

[FALPhil]

I looked at the PPK/s in 22LR. One of the local LGS has 2. The triggers on those things remind me of the old S&W Model 59s - in other words, horrible.

 

[Rodger_p]

How about the Ruger SR 22

I like mine...

 

[Pilot]

The M87 Beretta .22LR is a grail gun for me. I have the M85FS Cheetah in .380, and it is the same pistol, essentially, in different caliber. If you can get the M87 at a decent price, BUY IT. They are bringing big bucks right now, as the 80 series guns have been discontinued, at least for the U.S. market.

 

[amd6547]

745SW..."I bought only one 71 at the time because the dealer, Turner’s, did not have mags for the 71. The pistol came with only one mag. The 71 is the only firearm I bought from Turner’s that they didn’t have spare mags. At a much later date I find getting mags for the 71 is next to impossible..."

I bought a Model 71, and discovered at the range that the one mag that came with it was a Bersa mag...very similar, and can be made to work. However, over at the Beretta forum, I heard about Brignoli in Italy. They have Model 71 mags and ship to the US. I bought two, and couldn't be happier.

To the OP...
The Ruger SR22P is a fantastic little pistol for your needs.

 

[weblance]

The New PPK/S REPLICA is Zinc, not steel. I have one, and while reliable, and fun to shoot, the Double Action trigger is ridiculous. Single Action is nice. I have the Bersa Thunder 22 and its better in every way. The trigger is nice, and its steel slide, aluminum frame, and $100 cheaper

The Ruger SR22P is an excellent pistol in the $300 range. Its a much better built pistol than the P22.

The 4" Neos is a little larger, but will give the best accuracy as far as all the pistols I mentioned. It has a narrow grip that is good for smaller hands. It is steel in the important parts, and will last a very long time.

The biggest mistake men make is buying a gun for their wife because they think its the one she will like. Take her to the gun shop and show her everything they have in a 22 autoloader and see what she likes.

 

[RX-79G]

Zinc =

 

[PSP]

I bought a Model 71, and discovered at the range that the one mag that came with it was a Bersa mag...very similar, and can be made to work.

The Bersa mags do not fit my Beretta 70s. Good to hear they fit the 71

However, over at the Beretta forum, I heard about Brignoli in Italy. They have Model 71 mags and ship to the US. I bought two, and couldn't be happier.

I bought these mags as well. They work but have the flat base plate instead of the finger extension. Something is better than nothing.

 

[745SW]

“I bought these mags as well. They work but have the flat base plate instead of the finger extension. Something is better than nothing.”

I recently sent an email to a parts supplier, Bob's Gun Shop Po Box 200 Royal AR 71968, to see if the Beretta 71 magazine version they have is the OEM with finger extension.

Will report back when I get any results.

 

[amd6547]

The Brignoli mags are at least original Beretta, even though they have flat bases. They function perfectly. The two Bersa mags I had came with finger extension plates which I moved to the Beretta mags.
But, I would have been glad to have the Beretta mags, flat base or not.
And, to the OP....
I was at the range shooting my SR22P today...what a sweet little shooter. I can't recommend it enough.

 

[spanishjames]

I'd also recommend the Ruger SR22 for the Ladies' Society. It's a soft shooter, feels nice in smaller hands, simple controls, around $350 on the high side, readily available, and comes with two magazines.

Sheesh, Ruger should pay me a commission!

 

[carguychris]

In no particular order...

Just noticed that Walther is offering an all steel PPK/S in .22. It is likely a US made model...

The new PPK/S is made by Walther/Umarex in Germany, in a different plant than Walther's centerfire offerings.

IIRC Walther has never made the .22LR PPK/S in the USA, including during the time period when most American-market PPK/S and PPK pistols were being produced in Gadsden, AL under the Interarms banner.

The previous Beretta 70 is a nice pistol, too, if you don't mind the crossbolt safety on all but about the last year's production.

At face value, I'm not certain if this statement is true; however, if you include the other Series 70 variants such as the 70S, 71, 74, and 76, they were most certainly sold in the USA for a considerable amount of time after 1968, when the lever-style safety was introduced.

FWIW the Series 70 lineup is dizzying in its complexity, and defies attempts to summarize it briefly, so I'll let the Beretta Forum FAQ do my talking:

http://berettaforum.net/vb/showthread.php?t=95801

The triggers on [the new PPK/S] remind me of the old S&W Model 59s - in other words, horrible.

The original PP series pistols- the PP, PPK, and PPK/S- categorically have hard DA triggers, and the new .22 does not improve on it. Furthermore, if you compare these guns with the Series 81, there's another factor to consider: the PP-series decocking safety forces you to use the DA pull after taking the gun off-safe, unless you manually cock the hammer each and every time. OTOH the Berettas can be carried "cocked and locked", so the user has the option of NEVER using the DA trigger, particularly when the gun is exclusively a range toy. [Footnote: the later F and FS versions of the Series 81 incorporate a decocking safety, but the rimfire versions were never upgraded to this standard; the evolution of the 87 and 89 essentially stops at the BB version.]

The New PPK/S REPLICA is Zinc, not steel.

True, and it's also reported to be significantly different from earlier PP-series .22's in other respects; for instance, magazines are not shared, much to the chagrin of many fans of the earlier guns, who have been frustrated by the finite supply and consequent high prices of spare PP/PPK .22 mags.

 

[JHansenAK47]

I don't own the 87 cheetah but I do own the 87 target which is similar but more or less a target version. The 87 target is a consistently reliable and feeds pretty much anything i've put in it. Parts shouldn't be a problem as beretta keeps parts for in production firearms in stock and unlike a lot of firearms makers will sell them to you. They may be discontinuing US sales with the exception of the 87 target but they aren't discontinuing production.

 

[RX-79G]

Chris,

I didn't realize that Walther was selling a fake PP series gun. I just noticed that it looked stainless, and SS PPs were US made.

But it isn't a PP at all. It's a Hot Wheels car pretending to be part of a respected pistol series.

 

[PSP]

Parts shouldn't be a problem as beretta keeps parts for in production firearms in stock and unlike a lot of firearms makers will sell them to you

The last time I went to the Beretta site to order a part I was sent to Numrich Gun Parts. They handle Beretta parts in the U.S. FWIW, they did have the buffer I needed in stock.