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Beretta Pico
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After a long and drawn out wait, Beretta has finally unleashed the Pico–their latest pocket pistol. This diminutive .380 is tiny. It isn’t much bigger than a cell phone. But don’t let the absurd dimensions fool you. The Pico is exceptionally capable. We’ve put more than 500 rounds through this one and even pushed it through part of a handgun training class. The Pico started strong and has only gotten better. I’ve shot a lot of the mouse guns, and the Pico may well be the easiest on the hands.
The Pico, in .380 ACP.
Specs
- Caliber .380
- Height 4″
- Barrel length 2.7″
- Overall length 5.1″
- Overall width .725″
- Sight radius 3.3″
- Weight, empty 11.5 oz.
- MSRP $398
How does it handle?
I’d like to start off this review by extolling the virtues of the Pico–which would mean talking about how well it shoots. But that isn’t a realistic first impression. Almost all of us will buy a gun after handling it in a gun store. After that purchase, most of us take the gun home. We don’t immediately shoot it. We play with it, and handle it, and clean it, and dry fire it, and later we get out to the range.
The slide release is out of the way, which makes it hard to engage.
My first impressions of this Pico were not so positive. I shot a prototype of the Pico more than a year ago at the factory in Maryland. I shot it at SHOT show last year. I’ve had some experience with the prototypes, and with the development of the gun. In the early models, I had issues with the length of the trigger pull. But this production model has fixed that. Still, the whole gun felt way too stiff out of the box.
What do I mean by stiff? The slide spring is heavy, and the slide is very hard to pull back. This isn’t made any easier by the size of the gun. I found the slide hard to manipulate, and harder when there were rounds in the gun. Inserting a magazine into the Pico when the slide was not locked back is easy enough, but then racking the slide was even harder. The slide drop is sufficiently textured, but small–using it was difficult also. The best way to get a round into the gun was to insert a magazine into the Pico with the slide locked back and then pull the slide to the rear and let it go.
Dropping the magazine was complex, too, as the gun is just damn small. I couldn’t get mags to drop free, mostly because of the size of my hand. But changing mags is easy enough with a bit of manipulation. What I’m identifying here isn’t a problem with the Pico so much as it is a limitation of the platform’s size constraints.
The frame is smooth, which helps when removing it from a pocket.
So what does the Pico do better than the competition?
The first thing I’d point to is the gun’s sights. These are real sights, not grooves cut into the slide. Not that you’ll use them much, but they’re there if you need them.
And the rest of the gun has been dehorned, completely. There isn’t much to hang up on. This makes it an ideal gun for pocket carry. Even with the protruding sights, the Pico moves into and out of a pocket with ease.
The trigger pull, which is up above 10 pounds (which is where my scale stops), is heavy. This is a safety of sorts, as it requires a lot of pull to drop the hammer. While the trigger travels a good ways back, it is clean. After the first couple of magazines, I found I was able to stage shots easily enough, though the Pico responds better to hard intentional pulls.
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The sights are easily replaceable, should you want something more.
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The rear sights are adjustable, and large enough to be useful.
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The mags each hold 6 rounds.
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The extension gives you more to hold, but no increase in capacity.
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The mag release is a paddle lever that can be difficult to find.
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The Pico, with two mags, easily fits in one pocket.
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In light colored pants, the Pico prints.
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The mag extension is harder to hide.
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In jeans, though, the print is gone.
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The Pico under an iPhone 4.
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So how does it shoot?
When I began with first impressions, this is really where I was going. The gun shoots very well. I had a hard time getting exacting point of aim hits from the gun, but I’m not at all concerned about that in a pocket carry pistol. If I’m an inch wide at 7 yards, I’m not going to blame the Pico.
We shot staged shots from 7 yards. I also pulled the Pico from concealment and ran single shots and double taps. It shoots incredibly well. Double taps empty the magazine quickly, but are more effective than you would expect from a gun this size, as Beretta has worked some magic when it comes to reducing recoil. There is very little muzzle flip, so the second shot will hit just slightly higher than the first.
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Six fast shots from 7 yards.
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Same drill, different shooter.
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If I were to compare this to some of the other pocket .380s on the market, I would easily put the Pico at the top (at least when we’re talking about actually firing the gun). There is no bite. The recoil, which is hefty in a gun this small and light, doesn’t generate excess muzzle flip. This means follow-up shots are faster and more accurate–which can be important with a .380. The Pico is more responsive than any of the other mouse guns I’ve shot. If it were as easy to manipulate as it is to shoot, I might use superlatives like perfect.
Consider it this way–how it shoots is important. I’m stating something obvious here, but I’m not talking about accuracy. I’m preaching about practice. Screw the sights. You need to point shoot. Draw from the holster. Stage the trigger. Take longer shots. Shoot on the move. Shoot one handed. Shoot two handed. Shoot with your off hand. Make contact shots…. If the gun bites your hand, you will be less likely to actually practice like you should. But the Pico doesn’t hurt. Practice with this gun is easy and rewarding, and I can’t say that about any other striker-fired .380 that I know of. I could compare it to the GLOCK 42–which is an unfair comparison, I feel, because the 42 is a much larger .380. I can say similar things about some of the single actions–but they’re wider and heavier and longer. But when we are talking about shooting truly small polymer framed .380s, the Pico stands out.
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The sights make actual aiming much more effective.
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Look at the rise. Almost none.
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And off the range?
The Pico gets dirty. We ran it hard, and had no problems, but it does get dirty. Disassembly could not be any easier. This is important for a gun that you may carry in your pocket without a holster. Think of all the lint and pocket detritus that will find its way into the gaps and crevices. You aren’t going to shoot this gun that often. You will likely carry it everyday. That means you may need to do regular maintenance even when you aren’t shooting, just to keep things clear.
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Rotate left, and the Pico comes apart.
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Cleaning is easy–this is important for a gun you keep in your pocket.
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Did I mention that the Pico is small?
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This ramp ate up everything.
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One thing that is interesting about the Pico, and a trend we are seeing in the industry, is modular inserts. The Pico has an “Inox” slide, and a black frame, but there are other colors coming. This steel insert can be moved from one frame to another. This will, hypothetically, allow one serialized gun to change colors and calibers easily. If purple is your thing, I bet you’ll see one soon.
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The steel insert inside the polymer frame. And it is hammer-fired, too.
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As you can see, there are places where lint and trash will build up.
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Conclusion
Let’s look back a minute. The Pico is a pocket .380. It is tiny. It is light. Accuracy is good. The price, which should settle out around $350, is competitive. The gun shoots well, performs great. All told, I’d say Beretta is onto something.
We got the Pico in last week and took it to the range and blew through about 200 rounds of .380 without a hiccup. Loading and unloading and manipulating the controls was frustrating, but not impossible. At the end of that day, we were impressed with the way the gun shot, but not in love with the way it handled. But the entire focus of the shoot was basic function testing.
This past weekend, we took the Pico up to a training class at the Nighthawk Academy. There, we put the Pico through some more practical drills. While capacity was an issue, and mag changes didn’t get much easier, I was amazed by how well the Pico performed. One drill required a draw from concealment, and then two shots from 25 yards, two shots from 15 yards, and then two from 7. We were moving and shooting at 12″ steel plates. It took two magazines to do it, but the Pico was up to the challenge. Shooting on the move with a tiny ass little gun isn’t easy. Shooting a 12″ target from 25 yards is hard enough.
I took it back to the range again this week, and finished up all of the ammo I’d allotted for the testing. Not one problem. No stovepipes. No failures to extract. No light strikes. Nothing. Every round ran fine. As close as I came to an actual problem was a round that didn’t feed all the way when I half-assed the slide drop. A quick (thought painful) crack on the heel of my palm seated the round and it fired and extracted as expected.
The one thing I keep coming back to is the physical strength needed to manipulate the slide. After several outings with the Pico, I’ve gotten more accustomed to how it handles, but it hasn’t loosened up. If I were looking for a handgun for someone with negligible hand strength, this wouldn’t be it. Yet this would be the best pocket .380 for that same shooter to actually shoot. These paradoxes aren’t easy to solve, either. For the rest of us, though–those with decent hand strangth–the Pico is a contender.
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Hornady’s Critical Defense .380 is a good carry round for the Pico.
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90 grains averaging 1,006 FPS.
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Ejection is strong and the slide locks back.
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Again, not much rise from the shot.
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The gun will get dirty, fast. This is after one magazine.
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The extension gets you more to hold, but no more rounds.
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The Pico comes in a nice nylon case.
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I am a pocket gun enthusiast. Shoot them every week. Man the Pico shines. Top Shelf. You say it is hard to handle. Yes, but spend some time with the gun you can handle the controls blind folded. I like it so much, I bought two of them. I stopped counting reliable flawless rounds at 2,500 and that was quite a while ago. Mild Shooter, very little muzzle flip. Solid, build like a dang tank. Stainless steel barrel, Stainless Steel sub-chassis, Magazines that look like custom 1911 polished stainless steel, and even comes with a stainless steel guide rod. Best darn sights in class. Easy to add night sights. The workmanship on this gun is stellar. This is a gun built to last a lifetime of shooting. Not a aluminum chassis that will fold like a cheap lawn chair once you put any substantial ammo through the gun. Spend a little time handling the gun and you will reap GREAT rewards.
Sig P238 ….. That’s all I have to say.
By far one of the most reliable 380,feeds and fires anything,however Beretta needs to revamp the trigger down to about 5to 6 lbs,and give the magazines and extra round.Same reliability as Glock 42,and Ruger LCP2,Kahr P380 is in the league with reliability,but at almost twice the price,CW380 Kahr is rubbish and Kahr can’t seem to address it. My Pico has run at 500 rounds of reloads and Tulammo steel without one malfunction.But I can’t deal with the trigger issue and will have to move it.Wake up Beretta you almost hada 100% winner and blew it with the trigger,add one more round.Fit and finish is on par or better than any 380 made,except a Seecamp and they are soo ammo sensitive I would never own one.
Have a PICO and it is broken in after 175 rounds of ball ammo. Clean and lube generanouly during break in period. Now eats up all ammo including my personal defense loads. Fiocchi XTP and Precision One XTP for personal defense. LCR vs PICO? LCR has no double strike capability and has a magazine safety! The loudest sound you will ever hear is a click when you expect a bang. In high stress situations, I don’t want to have a gun like the LCR that I might accidently drop the mag and can’t shoot the chamber round or if I have an ammo malfunction have to tap,rack, bang vs just repull the trigger. Training is key but you never know how you’ll react when needed…period. Training doesn’t mean going to the indoor range and shooting 100 rounds at a stationary paper targer at 10 yards for 1 hr in a modified weaver stance two handed. Practice malfuction clearing with dummy rounds and dry firing. Shoot offhand, one handed, holding a bag in other hand. This is where the controlability of the PICO excels!
I meant LCP not LCR.
Those the bareta pico comes in 22 cal ? If a does why you don’t show it you only show the 380 please gime me info and price on the bareta pico 22cal only thank you
For more than 100 dollars less, the Ruger LC-380 is a much better buy!…accurate, smooth non-stacking dbl action pull, oh and did I mention it is 100 bucks less than the Beretta…[the] should stick to making what they are good at and known for…leave the small self-loading market share to others who are better at it…
I wonder how many of the folks commenting actually own or even shot a Pico? I waited 2 years for this pistol and it was worth the wait. First range session was 250 rounds of Fiocchi, Winchester Train and Defend, and 100 hand loaded .380 with a load I developed for the Wife’s G42. Not one failure in 250 rounds…my new Pico hit the ground running. I have shot every .380 pocket gun on the market and like the Pico as it’s my kind of gun.
Dave’s review is spot on – the gun has limitations because of the tiny size of this platform. But where it counts (SD style shooting) the Pico is accurate, relatively mild in recoil, and offers fast follow ups. Doing a combat reload is gonna take some practice and one must get used to the trigger (which I like – just like a DA revolver!) and work the gun a bit to get familiar. It’s not for everyone but I would easily put the Pico in the top 5 pocket .380’s. Well done Beretta and thank you Dave for the accurate and outstanding review!
I will emphatically disagree. I have had 4 LCP’s the the quality does not come close to comparing. The LCP is no where near as mild to shoot. No where near the build quality. Cheap sights that will not allow night sights. They will not handle any substantial ammo down range before they crack grips, the cheap aluminum sub-chassis, the rails split, take down pins break and on and on. No, the Pico is solid Stainless Steel other than the Modular Grip. When the LCP’s go down the Pico will keep on running and running. The Pico is made to last a life time. Beautiful craftsmanship is a understatement.
Want a reliable carry pistol with a punch? Try the Ruger LCR or LCRX in .38 special or .38 special +p. Only 16 ounces loaded and shoots very well.
From my experience of trying several pocket .380 pistols over the years, the Colt Mustang Pocket Lite works the best for me.
It is more money but it is very reliable and shoots excellent for a pocket pistol.
R.J.
R.J. I have a Colt Mustang XSP and love. It is my EDC. But, Colt put a rail on and NOBODY makes a laser that will fit the small rail. Why?
Thanks for the review DAVE HIGGINBOTHAM
Funny thing is I usually like all the things you hate about a gun.( ie Boberg or PPQ )
I don’t see the slide being tough, and I love that mag release.
Seems like a pretty inexpensive and cool PP if you want .380
Good option.
And I also like Beretta’s stance on our 2nd A rights and their move to a more friendly gun state.
For .380 PP I’ll still pay double for the best; Seacamp
Just bought my wife an LCP and she complained about the bite from the back strap. I fired it and didn’t feel it as much but my hands are a lot bigger and these small guns are just too small for my hands. I put a Hogue rubber grip/pad on it and am hoping that will help her out. My daily used to be a full size 1911 but I recently bought an LC9 and love it. I carry IWB and if I feel threatened I’m pulling that sucker at 25 yards and if the threat keeps advancing, I’m dropping him. As some have said, a .380 is a last-ditch weapon. So is my 9mm.
For us that have consciously decided to carry a pocket. 380 this is a great choice, and value in a now croweded field. If your deciding between this and a pocket 9, go with the 9 you’ll be happier. If size, comfort, practicality are your top concerns a. 380 is your best bet. I carry a. 380 everyday in my pocket with no holster. I can access my gun twice as fast as the average side holster gun carting guy. I carry for defense not offense, .380s are difficult to shoot forsure, but if things go sideways at the convenience store I can draw with no warning unload 6 shots at 20ft and wait for the Police. A. 380 is a .380 same as a compact car is a compact car it is a not great for everything but good for some things, like the essential function of a small car. Compact, not a ton of horsepower but enough to get you were your going at a cost effective price. Most importantly it fits in those tiny parking stalls downtown. I have many. 380s and The Seecamp is great, colt mustang is sexy, but in my mind the Pico is more practical then most other small. 380’s it’s affordable, well built, effective, and a Beretta! Cheers!
Jay, you really should use a pocket holster. I have one made by MTR Holsters and it works just fine, stays in the pocket of my jeans when I pull the gun.
Okay for a .380, if I was in the market for one. So upsize it a few percentage points, make it in 9×19 & you will have my immediate attention. Until then my faithful 642 Centennial will soldier on.
The reason that the pistol doesn’t rise or flip up so much is because of those heavy recoil springs. Every things a tradeoff. If you are looking to make IPSC style speed mag changes with a pocket pistol, you’re deluded. These little pistols are for arms length fighting where you shoot your way to escape or to a bigger gun. (Think Trevon shooting incident)
My big gripe is the tendency of manufacturers to construct pocket pistols with grip angles that mimic the 1911. Please, with tiny sights and heavy trigger pulls we are point shooting. A more natural grip angle (like the Walther TPH, or Glock) will prevent instinctive shots from shooting low.
I have a Beretta Tomcat – .32acp. that I sometimes carry. All steel, exceptionally well made, accurate, easy to clean, hammer fired, what’s not to like? I also may carry my Colt Mustang Pocketlite in .380, or even my Glock 36 in .45acp when clothing allows it.
Frankly, the Pico doesn’t sound like something I would prefer. I sold my LCP because for me, at least, it was almost painful to shoot…
i like the hammer fired, double strike capability. but, i don’t like carrying “cocked with no lock”. how would one drop the hammer on a chambered round so that it could be used as a true double action without the chance of shooting one’s leg, like a revolver? my kahr cm9 and keltec p380 won’t shoot my leg, but don’t have double strike. i did not like the taurus slim grip angle, the only other one i can think of.
when I carry a back up I have the Beretta Jetfire I picked up for $120. for its job and price its fine. As with others here I look at that class of gun as a last resort in your jacket pocket or ankle. Close quarters stuff, its better than nothing
Join the real world and forget the 25 yd. stuff..or even 7 for that matter…or even reloads. Your not supposed to go man hunting with a pocket gun. It’s a self defense, 10 foot, last ditch. save your ass piece.
I live on the South Texas border, and when the bad guys come at you from the shadows you draw and fire…and keep walking. Shoot ’til the threat stops and act like nothing happened so folks nearby don’t get excited. Carry it in your light jacket and shoot through the pocket…one or two rounds usually stops an assault from a knife or club wielder..his associates (if any) will cease and desist rapidly after the first guy goes down. If it’s not over by the end of a 6 round mag, you’re on your way to the morgue.
The XDs (my favorite CC) is another gun with a tough slide. Load ’em at home and skip the extra mag…you ain’t got time pal. Shoot first, shoot straight, shoot close in only…10 feet max. Don’t want to go to jail? Either run away… or lay down so the the rounds go in him at an upward angle…that means you were on your back, in a totally defensive posture and had no choice but to kill the perp…with all 6 rounds. If you can wet your pants or crap in them before the cops and DA arrive, that’s icing in the cake.
In my humble experience.
How many “bad guys” have you killed this way?
I like your way of thinking jj.
Don’t tell “Your Mother”
I have a PX4 which I like quite a bit but am very happy with my LCP for pocket carry. I find the LCP to be an excellent shooter and very reliable.
all I got is who carries in their pocket without a pocket holster? yuk…
I agree Wes. Dangerous!!
In addition to the above mentioned problems, slide hard to rack, small to hang onto, hard trigger pull, etc. I would add that this being on the market makes accidental law enforcement shootings all the more problematic since it’s the same size as a cell phone. A person holding a cell phone could easily be mistaken for having one of these. With all of the issues mentioned I question why the gun was developed in the first place.
I held off buying a small 380, in anticipation of buying the Pico. After reading this review, I am sorry I waited. Time to order the S&W.
Looks like a nice gun with smooth lines.
Does anyone really need a pistol that is small, gets dirty easy, hard to rack, long trigger pull, difficult to eject magazines and not very accurate?
I have a Nano already, who needs another small poor performing pistol?
Poor performing? Emphatically disagree. As of this date I have put over 4,000 rds of flawless ammo through the Pico and this summer the Nano just went pass 5.000 rds of the same. Other than a few bad primers on some cheap bulk reloads, these guns will run like sewing machines and do it smoother than other pistols in their class. By the way, The Pico had “Double Strike capability” and any bad primers are quickly handled.
Bottom line….
1. Magazines are not easy to take out.
2. Slide is hard to rack.
3. Extremely hard trigger pull
3. Almost too small to hold on to.
4. In-accurate like most guns it’s size.
So this gun is NOT for females and it’s NOT for elderly.
It’s a me-too conceal pistol that won’t get shot much.
So it gets forgiveness since it’s Beretta and it was originally launched 2 years ago.
Hit the snooze button.
Seems like an expensive Saturday night special with a fancy name. I agree it’s a “me-too” weapon.
Try a 380 Seecamp, it is the buy far the very best 380 on the market bar none. It is just as reliable as the Pico but the controls/slide are easy to manipulate, even someone with weak hands could rack the slide without a problem. It is also smaller and easier to conceal.
Yes, they are very expensive and hard to find…. but the reasons for this are that if your life could depend on your back-up gun, than saving some extra money before buying should not be an issue.
The Seecamp does look nice. It better be for $800.00. I tried a Pico out the other day and I had no problem with the slide, but then again, I have a decently strong finger grip. For an extra 400.00, I wouldn’t look at the Seecamp, since I feel my life could depend on the Pico quite well. Also, when a manufacture “recommends” a certain type of ammo as Seecamp does, that usual means the gun is finicky on what is used. Anyone with “negligible hand strength”, should perhaps consider a revolver, since they would most likely have problems with any semi auto this small.
Allow me to rephrase the price of the Seecamp. 2 year wait to get one at full retail. Flipper’s and dealers are scalping them for 1000.00+. Also the Seecamp has no sights. Several reviewers said they couldn’t hit air with them and jam often. This Pico sounds like a solid reliable piece. Like I mentioned, I checked one out at my local Cabela’s, very nice, smooth and 379 bucks. ++
I paid $375 for my 2 yr old Seecamp .32 at a gun show in 2013 when they were $200+ over $450 msrp new.
Sights on a gun this small are overrated. At 7-10 yards you don’t need them. CHL holders can’t really claim a self defense threat at 25 yards, can they?
The Seecamp is designed for Winchester Silver Tip HP or Win Q4255 71gr FMJ. You can use Gold Dot and Hydra Shoks but most anything else won’t even load more than 2 in the clip. The clip has removable spacers to keep you from using ammo that is too long (.910 OAL). The feed ramp angle is not designed for longer bullets. The gun uses “retarded” blow back, meaning there is ring of extra space around half the chamber that causes the case to expand on one side making it slower to blow back and eject. Spent ejected cases are out of round when examined. So you will experience jams if you feed it the wrong ammo.
http://seecamp.com/
Seecamp sells a wallet holster on their site, designed for their gun that prints a wallet in your back pocket.
I am not a fan of plastic guns like the LCP, Bodyguard, PT708, P3AT, even Glock.
See my other comment I left here about Beretta’s customer service.
Which Cabela’s did you see one in? Every time I ask about them in the Rogers AR store they have not seen one. Last asked lastweek.
Might sound like nit picking but it is not a “slide release” lever. It is a slide stop or slide lock. If it is continually used to release the slide the locking surfaces will wear eventually preventing the slide from being held open. Easy to prevent. Just draw draw the slide to the rear then RELEASE it, don’t “ride” it forward or it may not go into battery, causing a failure to fire.
Very nice gun in a small platform…..I wish my Hi-Point C-9’s handled this well….At 11.9 ounces, it is over twice the weight reduction….
It is not a Slide Release, but a slide lock or stop. The open slide should be released by drawing it backwards and releasing it to go forward on its own power. To use the slide stop lever to release it will eventually wear the surface enough that it will eventually fail to lock open
Previous email gave incorrect email address
I need to carry a small pistol. My Chief Special is too bulky. I want a neat small auto
in any caliber .22, .32,.380. Prefer non-polymer, exposed hammer that won’t jam. Reading
too many reviews Like Bereta, Walther but reviews keep mentioning problems. PICO
isn’t steel nor having an exposed hammer -so what, can’t have everything BUT cocking
seems to be the problem…so, still searching. They say a .22 won’t kill but that is ok etc
We’ve got a Glock Series 42, 380. It jammed quite a bit on the first 50 rounds or so, but after being broken in is what we consider to be a near perfect C/C defensive weapon. Weighs about 1-1/4 lb loaded (5+1) and easily fits into a pocket. My wife had trouble racking the slide for awhile until I taught her to push & pull with both hands. We like it though – and she’s a better shot with it than me….
People get into the bad habit of leaving their main 9mm or 45 handgun behind because they are too heavy or large or can’t carry it concealed comfortably or it sticks out and sadly end-up carrying nothing… hot weather is another huge factor that makes people less likely to carry due to how hard it is to conceal and again end up with no firearm more times than not. For many years I found that I could nearly always find a way to carry my little Beretta Tomcat or Bobcat no matter the conditions. Although I haven’t carried either in about a year, not because of any problem but because I purchased a LWS .380 (Seecamp) which has taken their spot. It’s hard to image a better micro mouse gun than the LWS! Incredibly reliable, conceals effortlessly (sooo smooth!), feels great and real eyes on the eyes. Anyway, carry every chance you get! Fact: 22lr kills, just find a reliable one and carry it every day, it’s too late when you need it but you don’t have it!
Try looking at a Seacamp .32. That’s what I decided on. (also avail in .380)
A little pricey new but I got a 2 yr old one at a gun show for $375.
http://seecamp.com/
I emailed the company and next day I got a response from Larry SEECAMP. Try that with Beretta.
Beretta doesn’t even do their own customer service.
I’ll never buy another Beretta pistol after all the problems I had with a Neos .22 ejecting the extractor.
Fixed in warranty 2x, they blamed it on my ammo and the solution was to send me 3 extra extractors, springs and plungers to last me until it got outta warranty.
Barry, I carry a Beretta Bobcat in .25 because it is a centerfire with a tip-up barrel and holds 7 or 8 rounds…don’t remember right off. Even with the slide lock “on” the pistol will fire the round sitting in the barrel. I also carry a .22 Magnum North American Arms 5-shot revolver. It is more powerful than the .25 and is accurate. Both are pocket pistols and I have custom holsters for them.
I have the Beretta TomCat, a 32 cal with a tip-up barrel, no need to rack the slide at all with this lil jewel…!!
I also have the Bobcat Beretta in 22LR, and Minx in 22short, and the same pistol in 25cal.
All are great pocket pistols & all have the tip-up barrels.
I have a Beretta Bobcat .22lr. This is a very compact double action 7+1 autoloader. I find it to be quite accurate despite its 2 inch barrel length. As you would surmise, the .22lr round does not produce much muzzle flip or induce pain to the shooter and thus does not tend to intimidate my wife or daughters. It does produce a pretty loud bang upon discharge however which would give me pause to reconsider if I were a bad guy. I won’t get into the debate about the effectiveness of the .22lr as a defensive round here. Suffice it to say that I would not want this pointed in my direction.
While the slide is also somewhat difficult to grip and work for small or arthritic hands, it has a tip up barrel which makes it easy to carry one in the pipe without having to work the slide to chamber the first round. It has a hammer, so you can fire the first shot single action if you wish. The tip up barrel adds an extra measure of safety in that you have an easy visual that the chamber is empty and the gun is inoperable with the barrel tipped up. If the gun is loaded and cocked, you can trip the barrel up and safely lower the hammer. This the gun I pocket carry and keep in my mountain bike handle bar pouch or MC tank bag.
Barry, I was in your position before.
Like many people above have mentioned, Seacamp is what your looking for.
Total quality, history, materials, integrity.
It’s made so well.
& Nothing smaller.
http://seecamp.com/
I would like to show you the “Rohrbaugh” in case you would like to step up to 9mm or fill your hand a little more.
Check out both pistols here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LCFCMpjM8_w
This news on the difficulty of racking the slide is a fairly big downer.
Especially since the “ease” of operating that same action was hyped to be such perk of the gun in early marketing:
http://youtu.be/Al8CeAWXRuc?t=1m10s