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Bob Campbell

Beretta Neos: Space Age Rimfire Pistol

The Beretta Neos is a futuristic-looking .22 LR handgun that really shoots well.
The Beretta Neos is a futuristic-looking .22 LR handgun that really shoots well.

The Beretta Neos might look like a stage prop from the latest Star Wars sequel, but it's actually an accurate .22 pistol to cover multiple rimfire shooting needs. 

The Beretta Neos easily field strips and provides overall excellent service.
The Beretta Neos easily field strips
and provides overall excellent service.

A handgun that I came to accept a bit later than some is the Beretta Neos.

Beretta just doesn’t manufacture second rate pistols and the Beretta U22 Neos is an affordable jewel. My example is the longer barrel version and it is heavier than some but amazingly accurate when I do my part.

It is well-made of good material. Once you get past its space gun looks you find excellent human engineering. The Neos is a light-packing .22 at 31 ounces in the shorter barrel version.

A Meopta red refl ex sight mounted on the Beretta Neos .22 handgun.
A Meopta red refl ex sight mounted on the Beretta Neos .22 handgun.

Beretta Neos Features

Like all the .22 LR self-loaders, the Beretta Neos is a simple blowback action intended for high-velocity cartridges. The sight track is a little difficult to get used to. The sights are well-designed but buried in an upper rail.

I like the rail but you have to concentrate on the iron sights not to be distracted. The rear sight is a standout for utility and modern design.

The safety is ambidextrous and easily activated. The magazine release is ergonomically designed and easily used. It rides on the right side of the frame and is activated by the trigger finger. You never have to shift your grip to use it.

The Beretta Neos features a recessed barrel crown and adjustable front sight.
The Beretta Neos features a recessed barrel crown and adjustable front sight.

Beretta has done things with this pistol you simply cannot do with a centerfire handgun. The grip offers an excellent firing angle. The magazine is well-made of good material, a solidly engineered feeding device.

While the muzzle-heavy feel of the 6-inch barrel handgun is comfortable when firing offhand, the Beretta Neos isn’t much more accurate than any other .22 fired that way, but it tracks well.

A very nice 3-pound trigger aided in offhand fire. The Neo came into its own and earned the price of admission when firing off of the benchrest, too.

Firing from a solid rest firing position the results were notable:

Beretta Neos accuracy table.

Beretta Neos Vs. Smith & Wesson Victory

The discussion of which .22 LR loading is most accurate is often asked but seldom answered. The truth of the matter is that there are several loads that may be the ne plus ultra in your personal firearm.

If you own a compact Bersa or Walther P22 — good, light plinking guns — you may not be able to discern much difference in loads. A Smith and Wesson Victory or Beretta Neos will demonstrate a greater degree of precision.

Velocity is also a consideration. I have tested most of the available .22 LR loads. I have found them accurate enough for targets, small game and training. However, for competition, you need to benchrest test different loads and be as steady and serious as possible.

The load that delivers the best accuracy from my Beretta Neos may not be the top accuracy load in your Ruger Standard Model, but chances are it will not be a poor shooter, either.

Very few shooters if any will be able to tell the difference when shooting offhand. I have tested a number of loads for accuracy.

Below are the results with some of the popular loads. Groups were fired at 15 yards and are in inches for a five-shot group. Velocity is the average between the two guns, the Beretta Neos averaged about 20 fps higher velocity.

Beretta Neos accuracy table 2.

This article is an excerpt from The Accurate Handgun.

Commanders, Defenders and Officers Model 1911s

Top to bottom, the popular concealed carry barrel lengths – 4.25-inch, 4-inch and 3-inch.
Top to bottom, the popular concealed carry barrel lengths – 4.25-inch, 4-inch and 3-inch.

If there is a legitimate criticism of the 1911 as a carry gun, it is size and weight. But the 1911 is also available in smaller size configurations known as the Commanders, Defenders and Officers Model 1911s. Choosing from among these models you'll be sure to find a pistol to match your needs.

If there is a legitimate criticism of the 1911 as a carry gun, it is size and weight. The pistol is thin but long and heavy. Do not let anyone convince you the 1911 is dated. It is simply from another era in which handguns were designed to save your life and were not based on liability concerns. The pistol is designed to be as fast as a good boxer, with a well timed and devastating blow foremost.

The Colt Commander is the result of a desire for a lighter and handier 1911. While the story goes the Commander was designed to offer the military a downsized pistol, there had been prototypes of a short .45 kicking around Hartford before World War II.

The use of aircraft grade aluminum for the frame allowed a very light and handy concealment piece. The Commander retains the full size grip of the Government Model. This allows comfortable firing and a good sharp draw. Size has much to do with confidence and control. Although it is appreciably lighter than the Government Model, the Commander is a controllable handgun – with practice.

These choices are pretty simple. They are all aluminum frame pistols with barrel lengths of (top to bottom) 5, 4 and 3 inches.
These choices are pretty simple. They are all aluminum frame pistols with barrel lengths of (top to bottom) 5, 4 and 3 inches.

With the Series 70 production run the Combat Commander Colt was introduced. This is simply a steel frame Commander. The Combat Commander is now known as simply the Commander while the aluminum frame Commander is the LW Commander. The steel frame Commander offers excellent balance. The problem with reducing the length of the pistol as far as reliability was the higher slide velocity, which was addressed by spring technology.

But then we also had a shorter spring that had to exert more pressure. The shortened slide length reduces the total reciprocating mass but also alters the way the magazine presents the round to the breech face. In the end, it was a wonder the Commander was so reliable. It’s a great pistol.

The Officer’s Model was the original short 1911, with a 3.5-inch barrel and grip shortened enough to cut magazine capacity by one round. Today most compact pistols have 3-inch barrels. The Officer’s Model demanded considerable revision of the design but the 3-inch pistols even more so. In order to accommodate the sharper barrel tilt in a short slide pistol, the barrel no longer used a barrel bushing. The Commander used a standard bushing, although it was shortened.

The Defender features a belled barrel that contacts the slide directly. One of the standard 1911 locking lugs was removed in order to allow the barrel to recoil proportionately more to the rear of the pistol. These design changes were essential in order to produce a functioning short slide handgun.

The 3-inch idiom has proven very popular. The Officer’s Model is now out of production and seems unlikely to return. These three idioms – the Government Model, the Commander and the Officer’s Model – were once the defining descriptor of 1911 frame and slide sizes. Today Government Model, Commander and Defender are more apt descriptions of the increasingly popular compact and ultra-compact descriptions.

A new and very popular handgun is the 4-inch barrel 1911. Some of the best of the modern 1911s are 4-inch guns. These include the Kimber Pro Carry, the Kimber CDP, the Para TAC FOUR and the Springfield Champion. The 4-inch barrel 1911s are more in line in size and weight with the popular service pistols from other makers such as the SIG P226 or Glock Model 23. They are superior service pistols and take much drag off of the uniform belt. They are also ideal concealed carry pistols.

They are available in both aluminum frame and steel frame versions in weight ranging from about 26 to 33 ounces. These pistols feature the belled barrel type lockup as they are too short to utilize a barrel bushing properly. In my experience these are very reliable handguns. They clear leather quickly, get on target quickly, and offer excellent hit potential. They also rate high on the smile test, with most raters reacting favorably to the handling and accuracy potential of these handguns.

While heavier than some pistols, the steel frame Commander is very controllable and well balanced.
While heavier than some pistols, the steel frame Commander is very controllable and well balanced.

A LW frame 1911 is not for non-dedicated personnel. The pistol demands attention to detail and proper technique to master. I find the lightweight 4-inch barrel 1911 easier to control than a polymer frame .40 caliber pistol, but there is time and effort in the equation. The difference is that you will be able to reach a high level of competence with the 1911 that may elude shooters using the polymer frame pistols. The 4-inch pistol certainly falls into the ‘if I could have only one pistol’ category. It is that versatile.

At this point you may reasonably ask for a recommendation on which 1911 is best for you. My recommendation is always to begin with a steel frame 5-inch barrel Government Model. I might add that it is best to purchase the best quality handgun you can afford for a good return on performance and future trade-in.

If you are beginning with a concealment pistol, then the steel frame Commander is an excellent first choice. I simply do not recommend jumping into a lightweight frame 1911 without considerable experience with the Government Model. A good 4-inch barrel steel frame pistol may be concealed, and with proper selection of a good holster such as the inside the waistband holster illustrated from Milt Sparks, then you will have a good comfortable platform for carrying the pistol.

There is more weight but as you begin your shooting career you will appreciate it.

Moving to the lightweight 3-inch barrel pistols such as the Colt Defender is a gradual process. As an example, I began my 1911 journey with the Combat Commander. It was some time before I considered the smaller pistols, and I found many of them not as reliable as the Government Model. Times have changed. The Colt Defender and the compact Kimber pistols are another story. These handguns demand attention to detail but they are reliable, accurate enough for personal defense, and good examples of the gunmaker’s art.

Today we have 4-inch pistols with night sights and complete reliability – and frame rails as well. The LW Operator is a first-class all-around 1911.
Today we have 4-inch pistols with night sights and complete reliability – and frame rails as well. The LW Operator is a first-class all-around 1911.

They are not as useful for all around informal target practice and competition shooting but that is not their design goal. These are first class lightweight personal defense handguns. When you consider the snub nose .38s and double action only 9mm pistols in wide use, the Colt Defender as an example is a wonderful defensive handgun in trained hands.

The short sight radius of the Defender and the Kimber compact pistols may challenge marksmanship. A slight misalignment of the front sight is less noticeable when the sight radius is shorter than average. I recommend that any compact defensive handgun have good sights. Superior sights are an aid in hit probability, perhaps more important in the case of the compacts that with the full size handguns. Fit, feel and a long sight radius may be compromised in the compact pistols, but, just the same, these are first class defensive handguns.

Despite their short grips and short sight radius, the position of their controls is all 1911, and that means very ergonomic. Increased recoil is far from startling if you have began your shooting career on the Government Model. These handguns are a technical accomplishment well worth your praise and attention.

This article is an excerpt from the book Gun Digest Shooter's Guide to the 1911

Gun Review: Kimber Gold Combat 1911

The D & L Sports heavy duty magazine worked well with the Kimber magazine guide.
The D & L Sports heavy duty magazine worked well with the Kimber magazine guide.

When it comes to the 1911 handgun I have been accused of being as nutty as a dump rodent. But then the mighty oak springs from a nut that held its ground! Thus we look at the Kimber Gold Combat 1911.

For those who do not embrace the 1911 let me task them to simply share the passion with a 1911 man. Go to the range, try a quality 1911, let a few rounds fly. Chances are you will agree that the 1911 is a great design. The first time I held a .45 something in the walnut grip said “friend.” Nothing has diminished that feeling in the intervening 35 years.

The Commander .45 rode with me through several difficulties. The concept is pretty simple when it comes to a good pistol. I do not pick the best until I test them all. I recognize performance. There is no better “go-anywhere, do-anything, anytime-anywhere” handgun than a good 1911.

Will Smith is getting the measure of the .45 in a fast pass at steel plates.
Will Smith is getting the measure of the .45 in a fast pass at steel plates.

Today I often carry and shoot a thoroughly modern pistol that is among the best 1911 pistols I have ever handled. The Kimber Gold Combat is Kimber’s idea of a first-class combat pistol. The pistol is a consensus of the opinion and demand of a number of shooters- Kimber simply made it happen. I have been around the block with the 1911, built 1911 handguns, disassembled the pistols in detail, and fitted barrels, safety levers and triggers. I don’t mind admitting that I made a few mistakes and learned along the way, but it has been a long time since I made a mistake. I know how a 1911 is supposed to be fitted.

Appearance is one thing. Some feel the 1911 is ugly. But the ones who call her “old ugly” or “old slabslides” often do so with real affection. Someone out of the fold had best keep their derogatory comments to themselves.

The 1911 does best what a fighting pistol does and that is deliver a heavy blow accurately and quickly. The pistol’s balance is ideal. After trying the modern polymer pistols I find them slide heavy. I tend to pull the muzzle low and hit low. The 1911 is well balanced. The pistol is both reliable in action and robust in service. It takes a great amount of abuse to knock a 1911 out of the game. The trigger offers straight-to-the-rear single action compression. The 1911 is often clean and crisp from the factory but with a minimum of effort the trigger may be polished to a high degree of smoothness. My recommendation is to fire the piece until it smoothes up.

Let’s touch a little on longevity. I have seen so many 1911 handguns at the 20,000 round count I have lost count. I own a number myself. I have sources in the military that tell me that they are using World War II era frames and slides with well over 100,000 rounds on them.

These figures are reasonable to low when you consider the training that goes into producing a special team operator. As a young peace officer beginning in 1978 I often fired 500 rounds a month and when I had time to load ammunition, it was not usual to fire 500 rounds in a week. I believed in quantity and I learned to shoot the hard way with little formal instruction. I can not help but wonder if I had used but a single pistol could a 1911 have taken the several hundred thousand rounds I have spread about a battery of pistols? The answer is probably yes.

After years of use and thousands of rounds of ammunition the Kimber .45 is none the worse for wear.
After years of use and thousands of rounds of ammunition the Kimber .45 is none the worse for wear.

A Modern 1911

Getting back to the Kimber Gold Combat; the controls are properly fitted. The safety locks crisply into the slide with a good indent. The trigger is smooth and breaks at an ideal 5 pounds with no creep or over travel. The grip safety releases the trigger about halfway to full compression. The slide runs smoothly across the frame. The Kimber achieves good fit through tight tolerances. It is not so tight as to present a difficulty in break-in or to produce malfunctions but such tight fit reduces eccentric wear. There is no perceptible play in the slide. Don’t believe that overly tight fitting is required for first-class practical accuracy. The Kimber is tight but not so tight that lint, dirt or other material may cause it to tie up.

Among the first modifications to the 1911 was to modify and lengthen the dust cover in the 1911A1 in order to protect the mechanism from foreign matter. The balance between reliability and accuracy must favor reliability. The pistol is a Gold Combat, remember? For makers who understand the balance compromise is not necessary. If you understand the three-point pedestal method of barrel fit then you know what I mean. It is necessary to pay for care in fit and the Gold Combat costs a bit more than other pistols.

Consistency of construction pays off big dividends in longevity. The barrel returns to the same place after each shot. This limits slop and eccentric wear. The extractor picks up the extractor groove exactly the same for every cartridge. The ejector doesn’t deviate. When you wonder what you are paying for when the price edging close to $1,500 you have to understand some things. When you begin with a false premise you cannot reach an accurate conclusion. Sloppy is sloppy. Precision properly executed means long life for the handgun. In short, you get what you pay for and in this case you are paying for precision and performance.

The Gold Match has all of the features we could ask for but the fit is most important. The pistol features forward cocking serrations. Take them or leave them they are a feature of tactical-grade 1911 handguns. The pistol also features excellent high-visibility sights with Meprolight self-luminous Tritium inserts. These bold clear sights are ideal for all-around use. The pistol features an ambidextrous safety design dissimilar to any other Kimber in my collection. The beavertail safety subtly lowers the bore axis as well as making the pistol more comfortable in firing +P loads. The grips are high quality checkered rosewood. They are reminiscent of the classic double diamond checkered pattern.

There is also a very well done checkered front strap. Formerly found only on top of the line custom handguns, the Kimber custom shop has done a fine job with these serrations. Some feel that a checkered front strap is uncomfortable during a long firing session or a 1,000 round training course. My reply is, “Wear gloves.” The Kimber also features a magazine guide. While we are not likely to be caught in a running gun battle, the magazine guide is a plus during administrative handling and in range practice. The pistol also features a full-length guide rod. While controversial, the FLGR is an aid in certain situations. Just one of these situations is in firing off a barricade. If you bump the slide the FLGR will prevent the pistol from being knocked out of battery.

The proof of a good gun is in the firing. This report comes after many months and thousands of rounds of ammunition. For the majority of range outings and during training I have used the Oregon Trail 230-grain Laser Cast bullet over enough Titegroup powder for 830 fps. In using this load for economy and others for testing, the pistol has never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject. Practical accuracy off hand has been excellent. The Kimber is a fast pistol on target and it tracks well when engaging multiple targets. There is nothing like a Government Model for this type of work.

The Haugen Handgun Leather crossdraw holster offers excellent fit and finish and good design, all we may ask.
The Haugen Handgun Leather crossdraw holster offers excellent fit and finish and good design, all we may ask.

I have also tested a number of personal defense and service loads. A number of new loadings have proven their mettle in the Kimber. Winchester’s new 230-grain Bonded Core load was adopted for service by the FBI and naturally we were all greedily wanting to test this one. The load demonstrates excellent quality control and a good balance of expansion and penetration. Another load has given me pause and a bit of a surprise. Black Hills has introduced a 185-grain +P load using the Barnes all copper TAC bullet. This is a brilliantly accurate loading and one that has proven completely reliable in feeding. There is little excuse for not carrying first rate ammo in your .45 as there is much available.

There are few handguns as consistently accurate as the Kimber Gold Combat. Like all quality handguns, the Gold Combat prefers one load to the other but the results are often very consistent. The only handgun I own as consistently accurate is a target pistol with a stylized Gold Cup on the slide. Enough said on the subject of accuracy.  If you would like to own a well made 1911 that will challenge any shooter to perform at his highest level this is the pistol.

Leather

Since I have tested this handgun during the winter months, I adopted a crossdraw holster for under the jacket carry; the Huntington Wedge from Haugen Handgun Leather. Maker, Jerry Evans, has given excellent service for several years. When seated or driving the crossdraw is more accessible than any other and a very versatile design. The Haugen holster is a quality type with much to recommend.

This is a great combination, worthy of protecting all that you hold dear. If you carry a gun for defense, many have said you should always carry the best gun you can afford. The Kimber Gold Combat falls into that category.

This article appeared in the December 6, 2010 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine

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