Beretta Target .22lr?

[william]

Is the 87T worth the money? I know this is a subjective question.

The 89 seems to be highly regarded, but since it hasn't been manufactured for years, how had is it to get repaired/parts?

I want a plinker & small game hunter that I also think looks "cool".

A Beretta would go with my small current collection

Wilson Combat Beretta Brigadier, 85FS .380 & a .22 87 Cheetah

[bczrx]

The 87T, in stock form, is expensive for something that has no accuracy or trigger feel advantage to a Buckmark out of the box.

However, an 87T does look/feel good in the hand, and is reliable [in my experience].


The 87T has a long take up, a rolling break, and noticable over-travel on the trigger. Some say it was designed to be more of an 'action shooter' game gun, for training on the longer trigger pull of a DA/SA pistol. The 87T I bought had a trigger pull of around 5lbs also.



Is the 87T worth the money?

It depends on how much you value the look/feel/heritage- and if you want to have a gunsmith make any mods to it afterwards.

For the money, they are almost the price of a S&W Model 41- and the 41 has a reputation as a better 'target' gun- but the 87T would be better in a holster while out in the back 40, before hitting cans or spinning targets.


I like my 87T and am glad I have one, but I've done some tweaking to make it work the way I want it too.

I don't feel that I've now got a .22 [in the 87T] that will do anything better than any other handguns I have- as my Buckmark and Ruger have better triggers and are just as accurate [the Ruger has Volquartsen guts now- and still costs $2-300 less than the Beretta 87T]. My High Standards work better, when the mags feed right, but I can't add a scope/reddot to those as easily, and my eyesight is going.

Do some searching, especially for posts by LDBennett, and make an informed decision.

I like them- but I can't recommend them without hesitation like I do the Buckmark models- for any general hiking/plinking purposes.

[william]

Thanks for the info

[beemer606]

How about a Beretta M9-22? 15 round mags and threaded barrel.

[william]

Originally Posted by beemer606

How about a Beretta M9-22? 15 round mags and threaded barrel.

How is the quality? I looked at some on-line but didn't see any with adjustable sights. Also, I have read quality wise, they aren't the greatest as they are made by Umarex

[A square 10]

i like mine and it was quite accurate right out of the box - never a hickup over the last few years

[wproct]

LDBennett is the expert on these pistols. I'm sure he will chime in at some point on this thread.

[crankythunder]

I have been doing bullseye competition for a number of years and I cannot say that I have seen one on the competition line.

I have seen a lot of rare competition pistols, Uniques, Bernadellis, FAS, Matchguns, along with the more common Pardini, Walter, Hammerli, Bennellis, Baikals, Model 41, Trailsides, Buckmarks, and Rugers. I generally check out what the other people are shooting and if I see something that is not common, I will ask about it.

As I have said, I have not seen any Berettas 22 LR on the competition line and I think that if they were any good, I would at least seen a couple.

Regards,
Crankster

[bczrx]

Originally Posted by william

How is the quality? I looked at some on-line but didn't see any with adjustable sights. Also, I have read quality wise, they aren't the greatest as they are made by Umarex

Other than some 1911 conversions [Bob Marvel designs, either from Marvel or Nelson Custom, in competition level ones- or Kimber/Advantage Arms for plinker level] and possibly CZ Kadet .22 conversions, most conversions are best for plinking/reliability training for the main firearm- but not for the competition line.

I know that Ciener made .22 conversions for the Beretta M9/92 also. I know he has a poor reputation for customer service. I know that I had absolutely no issues when I followed his websites' directions and ordered conversion parts/mags for my BHP 22 conversion.

IF you go his route, think of it like throw-back mail order from the 1970s, and you will be prepared.


Umarex or GSG makes a few conversion kits for others. The Sig .22 conversion kit was made by GSG, according to the rep at Sig, when I called.

For plinking and casual fun, but not serious accuracy work, any of these conversions will probably work well enough to be enjoyable.

However, a good conversion kit will cost the same as an entry-level Buckmark or Ruger Mk IV.

I like conversions, but I recognize that conversions can be more temperamental than a dedicated 22 pistol, and that they cost similar to some of the basic 'good' ones.

A Nelson 1911 conversion goes for close to $500, while a Kimber 1911 conversion is around $300, and most Advantage Arms conversions are also around $300.

When I put a conversion on my Sig, I had to give up some fine-tuning I'd made on my P220. Namely, I had the hammer spring down to around 18lbs to get a smooth and light-ish DA trigger pull, but it didn't provide reliable ignition for the .22 round. So, I had to bump it back up to OEM configuration.


IF you never change springs, or do any other action tuning, then this isn't an issue.

Originally Posted by wproct

LDBennett is the expert on these pistols. I'm sure he will chime in at some point on this thread.

He probably will, but a search for 87T and LDBennett will pull up some of his wisdom also. And, I concur- I learned a LOT from all of his contributions, and am but a pale shade of the knowledge he has.

[LDBennett]

Present! I thank everyone for the confidence in my knowledge but I certainly am NOT an expert on anything. My engineering background gives me insights others might not immediately have.

A search of my posts on this 87T will give you the details but here is a quick over view:

Rolling trigger that leaves a lot of doubt about when the hammer will fall. No clean sharp trigger break. But it is light.

Trigger jobs are tough because the design of the gun shares parts between functions and is a nightmare (at least for me) to get back together. And you have to hand fit an 89 trigger to get an overtravel screw in the trigger (there are other ways like drilling and tapping the 87 trigger for an over travel screw).

The gun is really too light for a target pistol and Beretta lies about the weight in their advertising.

The gun is over priced for what it is. It is not a target gun but more of a combat practice gun but cost what a good target gun might cost. You get to pay for the Beretta name. The 89 seemed to be a real target gun whereas the 87T is a modification of the ECONO Cheetah to make it look like a target gun.

I'd recommend a Browning top of the line Buckmark or the Ruger target all steel version MK. There may be other newer guns that would work but rolling triggers are not what I expect from a target gun. Don't buy any gun without testing the trigger pull. I know some shooters like rolling triggers but not many target shooters are in that group, is my guess.

Mine suffered a bad crown on the barrel....Off center, requiring me to use my lathe to Target re-crown it, followed by the use of a spherical lapping to chamfer the end of the bore down to and beyond the base or the rifling.

But the look is brutish and it is a Beretta which is important to some owners, I guess. I would not let go of mine after I fixed it. It shoots adequately with a red dot and the trigger is now very nice after some stoning and the addition of the over travel screw in the trigger. The re-crown came out fine as well.

LDBennett

[cbunix23]

It's a lot harder now to find Model 89 spare parts. A few years ago CDNN sold the remaining Beretta inventory of Model 89 spare parts parts. I stocked up one of everything to keep mine running.

Model 89 magazines are next to impossible to find now too, and they're only 8-round. It's possible to convert Model 87 mags into Model 89 mags but that's a topic for another thread.

I don't shoot bullseye and haven't even used mine all that even though I've had it nearly 30 years, the thing still looks new. I may put mine up for sale, pistol, six mags, $200 worth of spare parts....

[NuJudge]

I have been experimenting with several types of .22 pistol for match use: a 1948 and 1951 S&W K22, a 1958 High Standard 102 Supermatic, a Walther GSP, Marvel and Nelson conversions for the 1911, and the old Beretta .22 conversion on top of a Beretta 92 frame. I shoot the .22 conversion of the Beretta 92 best, even though it is not claimed to be match quality. I have big hands, and the big 92 grip feels really comfortable in my hand, especially compared to the 1911. I have much lighter than standard hammer springs in most of my Beretta 92s, and .22 cartridges need a heavier hammer spring than centerfire primers, 16 lbs is minimum for .22s in my experience.

Beretta has stopped making the .22 conversion for the 92 that I have, and are instead selling a conversion made apparently by Umarex. I have no experience with it. Beretta USA's website frequently has specials where they mark-down the conversion kits by 25-40%.