One of the best things about reviewing anything in .22LR is the ammo cost. Good gosh, it’s a joy to break even when doing a gun review. I was excited for the Bobcat 20X; as a fan of tip-up Berettas, the new 20X and 30X were huge draws for me. The 20X Bobcat more or less snuck onto the market this year after being displayed at SHOT 2025.
Beretta sent me a 20X to test and review. I was incredibly curious to see if the 20X improved on the 21A, the previous Bobcat, which is now discontinued. I have two 21A Bobcats, and neither is reliable enough to be anything more than a plinker. Beretta needs to settle these issues and create a capable pocket .22LR for defense.
The tip-up barrel system allows you to directly access the chamber. You can easily clear or load the chamber with no hand strength required. I find tip-up guns to be extremely charming, and I do see their utility.
Let’s see if the Beretta 20X fits that role.
What’s New With the 20X
The 20X has received quite the facelift. It’s still a .22LR tip-up barrel system that retains the DA/SA design of the 21A. Other than that, the 21A and 20X don’t have a lot in common. Sure, both are distinctly Berettas with the open barrel design Beretta is known for.
Yet, the 20X series gets a hefty facelift. First, ergonomically, there are quite a few changes. The tip-up now activates via a button instead of a lever. Beretta moved the magazine release up to a more traditional location. The trigger is now a flat-faced design that features a much lighter pull overall.
The sights are now removable and adjustable. They are also much larger and easier to see. Beretta makes a few models of the 20X, including a suppressor-ready version. My example is the “You’re On Your Own” model, and it’s the standard, no-frills model. The grips are G10 and aggressively textured.
One of the biggest changes is the size. The 20X and 30X are now essentially the same frame. The 20X is much larger than the 21A. It’s wider, thicker, and heavier. The magazine now holds eight rounds and extends from below the grip, where it acts like a grip extension.
Shooting the 20X Bobcat
Reliability was what I was focused on. Will the gun go bang when I press that trigger? I brought a mix of ammo, and I wanted this gun to function with the cheapest ammo I had, which was CCI Blazer and Federal Automatch. I also brought Federal Punch, Velocitors, and CCI Mini Mags just in case I needed pricey ammo for it to work.
Heartbreak hit me hard in my first few magazines. There were constant failures to fire, failures to eject, and complicated malfunctions. Every magazine had problems. Light strikes were the most common. The gun always fired when it was in double-action, and the light strikes always came in single-action mode.
I hate the idea of a break-in period with a modern gun, but I’m glad I stuck it out. It took about 150 to 200 rounds before the issues cleared up. All the complicated malfunctions disappeared. I still had the occasional light strike, but the gun would always fire when it reverted to double-action.
The gun ate through the cheap stuff; in fact, it arguably did better. For some reason, the Velocitor rounds would fail harshly. They’d often get stuck on the feed ramp, so maybe it’s about projectile design more than anything else.
Beyond Reliability
What about everything else? Recoil is extremely mild. The gun barely moves, and it’s a ton of fun to shoot. You can quickly dump a magazine into a target without any control issues. Bill Drills can be done in a flash.
The sights are easy to see and use. You can get a flash sight picture and let the lead fly. The 20X turned out to be a surprisingly accurate weapon. Even at 25 yards, I could hit hanging gongs from six to ten inches quickly and easily. The new trigger with its reduced pull is fantastic.
The lighter trigger finally makes the tip-up make sense. If your hand strength was so poor you couldn’t rack a round into the chamber, then a heavy trigger isn’t going to be very beneficial. That’s changed, and the new flat trigger is a much lighter and better option.
I was not surprised when the gun started eating my hand. All of the Beretta tip-ups eat my hands. Big hands and little guns don’t always work that well. It’s a pain I’m used to. Other than that, the gun is built to be a shooter.
The wide grip and aggressive grip panels make it easy to hold onto. The limited recoil is not a problem, and the gun’s quite accurate. You can create surprisingly small groups. At ten yards, I could keep my groups under four inches.
The Bobcat
Admittedly, the Bobcat is not a pocket pistol anymore. It’s grown a fair bit in size and weight. It’s not a pocket gun, but it’s a great shooter. I’m sure someone can shove one in their pocket, but it’s such a large weapon that it’s going to print a ton.
With that said, I still like the Bobcat. It’s fun to shoot, easy to handle, and surprisingly accurate. I see why Beretta made their changes, but I do wish it were a bit smaller and stuck to the Bobcat’s roots.
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