Any Beretta 21A Experts? Having Function Issues

[glocktogo]

Ok, I have a new to me Beretta 21A. The barrel is threaded for a can. It functions flawlessly when I shoot it bare, but about once per magazine it will double with the can on. I've completely disassembled, cleaned and lubed it. Everything appears to be working fine outwardly. When it doubles, it's so fast that it's almost hard to tell whether it was one shot or two (but it's two). I've worked the slide and it doesn't seem capable of feeding another round from the mag without going back far enough for the sear to catch the hammer. The action bars are obviously stout, but move smoothly and freely. The mainspring seems about what I've encountered with other 21A's I've shot. With the trigger held back, I can't get the hammer to fall while manually working the slide and the single action feels like there's plenty of sear engagement. It's happening in the middle of the mag, not 1st round, so it's not a DA/SA issue.

Any thoughts? I seem to be chasing my tail here and I'm not too keen on changing spring rates without a couple of extra spring sets on hand in case it doesn't work out. :confused:

[sjc3081]

I have a 21a, and cant comment on your doubling issues as mine doesnt double. But I did experiment with realibility issues. I fired in one sitting 350 rounds of Aguila Interceptor with no cleaning and extra lube during the session and had zero failures. Most other ammo causes multiple malfunctions as in mostly failures to feed.

[TOrrock]

I'm thinking you're getting a slam fire.

[ryn1523]

I have a lot of experience with suppressed 21A pistols. It is probably one of two things.
As Templar said, it could be slam firing. Check for dings in the back of the FP and at the breech.
Another issue is increased back pressure. It could be causing it to jump the sear when it is cycling. You most likely wouldn't be able to replicate this by hand. With each round fired, pressure builds in the suppressor, which is probably why you see it in the middle of the magazine.
A couple of questions, what kind of ammo are you using? is it a wet or dry suppressor?

[glocktogo]

I have a lot of experience with suppressed 21A pistols. It is probably one of two things.
As Templar said, it could be slam firing. Check for dings in the back of the FP and at the breech.
Another issue is increased back pressure. It could be causing it to jump the sear when it is cycling. You most likely wouldn't be able to replicate this by hand. With each round fired, pressure builds in the suppressor, which is probably why you see it in the middle of the magazine.
A couple of questions, what kind of ammo are you using? is it a wet or dry suppressor?

That's kind of what I'm leaning towards. So far I've tried Rem & Fed bulk pack, CCI standard velocity (wouldn't function 100% of course) and CCI Mini Mags. The CCI std. didn't double and neither did the Mini Mags, but I'm getting feed issues with it. The bulk pack stuff doubled the most (the Fed even tripled on one mag). I bought some CCI Velocitor 40gr solids today to see if they'll fire and cycle reliably.

So, thoughts? Should I try to up the spring pressure on the hammer spring? FP spring? Decrease the spring pressure on the action bars? Or should I try to deepen the single action notch on the hammer so it engages more reliably. I'm usually pretty good at diagnosing and repairing function issues on a wide range of guns, but this one has me puzzled. :confused:

[ryn1523]

I have always had the best luck with CCI Minimags, Greentag and standards. The nice thing is, with the short length of barrel, even minimags will stay subsonic.
The cheapest and most likely easiest fix, is to take it to a gunsmith and just have him run a .22 reamer in by hand. Most likely the chamber is a hair too tight, or worse, has a short throat. I always liked using a "bentz" reamer. Even though it is for semi match guns, it is very uniform and has a good throat.
I bet this would solve all of your problems. Hope this helps.

[glocktogo]

I have always had the best luck with CCI Minimags, Greentag and standards. The nice thing is, with the short length of barrel, even minimags will stay subsonic.
The cheapest and most likely easiest fix, is to take it to a gunsmith and just have him run a .22 reamer in by hand. Most likely the chamber is a hair too tight, or worse, has a short throat. I always liked using a "bentz" reamer. Even though it is for semi match guns, it is very uniform and has a good throat.
I bet this would solve all of your problems. Hope this helps.

You know that's not a bad idea at all. It certainly wouldn't hurt reliability even if it doesn't fix my particular issue. This thing is silly accurate for what it is. Without the can on it so I could see the sights, I kept a full mag in the head box of an IDPA target at 15 yards and POI is dead on at 7 yards, which I can't say for every 21A I've shot. That's why I'm dead set on making this one work. Thanks for the tip!

[ryn1523]

Glad to have been some help. The 21A with a can has always been one of my favorite set-ups. Good luck with it and have fun!