Gun Digest Book of Beretta Pistols. Massad Ayoob

to turn them into full-fledged bull’s-eye guns. I wish him the best.

      I didn’t see any Neos pistols on the firing line at Camp Perry. One reason is that the heavy hitters there want handguns that can shoot 1.1-inch to 1.6-inch groups at 50 yards, their standard slow fire distance. Never mind the 25-yard line they use for timed and rapid fire, and gun writers use for bench rest testing most handguns. A primary reason you won’t see an out-of-the-box Neos in the hand of a High Master bull’s-eye shooter in competition is the trigger pull. It is in the 4-pound plus range. While this is not a bad thing by itself, it is a chore to manipulate when the gun itself weighs only 2 pounds with the 4.2-inch barrel, and 36 ounces with the 6-inch barrel.

      Clapp found the Neos’ trigger “OK except for a small amount of creep.” Trigger creep, for those new to the term, means a trigger movement that starts and stops, giving the sensation of parts grating against each other. It’s an uneven pull that impairs good shooting in a lot of ways. A smooth but heavy trigger pull is far more manageable than a light trigger pull that has creep in it.

      I’ve also found the Neos to have a creepy trigger in every one of the several specimens I’ve tried. Some are worse than others. Some are downright spongy. This is not conducive to doing your best shooting. On the other hand, having some felt movement before the pistol discharges can be a safety feature that lets you know under stress that the gun is about to go off. As there is “good” cholesterol and “bad” cholesterol and there is “good” creep and “bad” creep. For a gun that will be used for training new shooters, palpable movement in the trigger before discharge may actually be a good thing, in that it might prevent some premature discharges.

      Where do you draw the line on that trigger pull? When the neophyte shooter becomes sufficiently experienced to want to shoot bull’s-eye, an unforgiving game where only one hand may grasp and stabilize the pistol. It is there that a crisp, easy trigger pull goes past “want” and becomes “need” if it’s important to you to shoot the best possible score.

       Most shooters like the way the U22 feels despite the steep grip angle. The trigger finger of average size adult male can reach to the distal joint, which assures that short fingers can reach it with fingertip contact.

       From this perspective we can see the Neos’ radical grip angle. Thumb safety is on-safe. Note that it extends downward slightly from frame, where it can contact the flesh of shooter’s hand. Ayoob doesn’t like this element of the design.

      A shooter named Beth found that out. In the “BULLSEYESHOOTERS” SECTION of Yahoo. com’s Sports Groups, she wrote, “Hi all, I have only been shooting bull’s-eye for about a year and a half but I felt I should reply about the Neos … before I started BE (bull’s-eye shooting), after only a very basic pistol class, I knew I wanted to give BE a try. So w/ a .22 league getting ready to start here at our local range, I went out and bought a Neo (sic) – because it was kind of ‘cute.’ Well it was a mistake. It was very frustrating and discouraging for me as a new shooter … I could hardly keep my shots on the paper let alone score … I was then taken under the wings of some experienced shooters – one, after trying my gun, told me ‘This is the worst trigger I have ever shot!!’ I soon tried a few of their guns, shot much better, and bought myself an IZH. In my last .22 league I finished as high lady and reached the Expert level and am not too far from my DE (Distinguished Expert rating). I have since bought an accurized Ruger 22/45 w/ a Volquartsen trigger from a fellow shooter … I plan on using that to teach my daughter … it is much better than the Neo (sic) ever was and I only paid a small amount more for it … so I would say to new shooters considering the Neos – unless of course they have changed the triggers – try a Russian or a Ruger.”

      Thus, we see that some like the Neos as an entry-level gun for match shooting, and some do not. Remember, however, that Beretta designed the gun as a plinker. Most casual shooters these days fire with a two-hand hold.

      With a strong man holding it two-handed in a firm grip with a bench for support, the trigger on the Neos will not be an impediment to tight groups, as evidenced by those turned in by Paco Kelly and Wiley Clapp. However, when the gun is held one-handed at arm’s length with no artificial support and aimed at a bull’s-eye target 50 yards distant, it’s going to be a different story. The Neos simply isn’t made for that kind of shooting.

      There are things I like about the Neos and things I don’t. As noted above, I think the sighting system is excellent. So is the fit in the hand. So is the trigger reach dimension. The all-metal magazines are extremely easy to load, manipulate and clean, thanks to their open-sided design. The takedown is very efficient, using a wheel at the front of the frame to secure the barrel in place and harkening back to the old High Standard Duramatic in that respect.

      Some features are less likeable. The magazine release is a push-button in an unusual place: directly in front of the trigger guard and above it on the right side of the frame. With my average size male hands, and being right-handed, I found it easy and quick to hit the mag release with my trigger finger. This is a good thing, as far as it goes, because it gets the trigger finger out of the trigger guard at a time when it shouldn’t be in there. However, I don’t think left-handed shooters will find it nearly as convenient as we righties do. The drop of the magazine was clean and efficient.

       The Beretta 87 works with a broad range of .22 LR ammo, unlike some Berettas that aren’t meant for less than high-velocity loads.

      The manual safety is ambidextrous, a pleasant surprise and one too rarely seen on .22 caliber pistols. Unfortunately, the design of the safety catch is not ergonomic at all. When on safe, two sharp little pointy “ears” project downward toward the web of the hand. The camper who has picked up the gun when something in the woods went bump in the night may be tempted to off-safe the gun prematurely to relieve this sharp-edged discomfort. A cocked, off-safe pistol is now in hand. Not a great thing. Moreover, the angle at which the safety moves to put it in fire position is quite awkward.

       The slide stop lever, safety lever, and magazine release lever are all ergonomically placed on the Beretta 87. The extended magazine holds 10 shots.

      The trigger guard is very large and roomy, which is a good thing for a gloved hand. All recreational shooting is not done in balmy weather. However, the shape of the inside front of the guard disturbs me a little. It’s deeply niched out. This, apparently, is to allow the finger to slide quickly into the guard. This it does … all too quickly. One thing that will be hammered into you in any competent pistol-handling program is, “Keep your finger out of the trigger guard.” Most of us prefer to keep that finger up on the frame. Unfortunately, some like to rest their trigger finger at the front edge of the guard. As the hand tightens in a stress situation, this tends to hold the finger taut, and if muscles are convulsed by a startle response or postural disturbance, the finger tends to snap back onto the surface of the trigger, often with enough force to inadvertently fire the pistol. The shape of the trigger guard on the Neos will, unfortunately, be conducive to that, I think. I’m not sure a redesign is necessary, but anyone using one of these pistols needs to be reminded that unless one is in the act of intentionally firing, one’s trigger finger should be up on the frame of this or any pistol, and not poised on the forward edge of the trigger guard!

       Now, here, on