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 the back of one of the author’s 81-series Beretta .380s, is a functional trigger stop! He thinks Beretta should put one of these on the Model 87.
All things considered, though, the Neos is a cool little gun. I like it better than any of the other Guigiaro-designed Beretta handguns. It’s built for fun, and in a safe, responsible recreational shooting environment, it will consistently deliver that fun. Its price, reliability and inherent accuracy, make it a splendid value, and that low price makes it a very affordable portal through which to enter the world of high-quality Beretta firearms.
The Model 87 Series
Beretta introduced the Cheetah Model 87 in 1988. It was a companion gun to the Model 84 and Model 85 series .380 caliber pistols and was functionally identical except for being chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge. The same year, the firm offered the Model 89 Gold Standard, an aptly named target pistol that was built on the same frame but in single-action-only mode, with a skeletonized slide running under a high sight-ribbed barrel. The Gold Standard came with an exquisite target-grade trigger pull.
Along about 2000, the Model 89 Gold Standard seemed to disappear from the line, replaced by the Model 87 Target. Where the Gold Standard had resembled a cross between a Cheetah .380 and a Hammerli match pistol, the Model 87 appeared to be a Cheetah frame with the trigger squared a little in front. It also had a barrel/slide assembly that was in essence the one from the Gold Standard, but trimmed down a bit from the top and with a Weaver-style scope rail that also acted as a low-profile sight rail. The Model 87 Target pistol has its own 10-shot .22 LR magazine and will not accept the seven-round magazine of the .22 caliber Model 87 Cheetah.
This impromptu “trigger stop” made a world of difference in the shootability of the Model 87.
At a solid 41 ounces, this gun still is not as heavy as most of the dedicated .22 caliber target pistols that find their way to the national championships at Camp Perry. It can be described as “target pistol lite.” However, its compact grip frame fits exquisitely in smaller hands. Remember, it has evolved upward from a frame size that many categorize as a “pocket pistol.” Trigger reach is excellent for shorter fingers.
The backlash problem is diagnosed and solved. Out of the box trigger resistance begins at this point …
… and sear releases at about this point, at which time …
… the trigger lashes this far back to the frame, which can move the gun just as it’s firing, ruining accuracy. The solution …
… is a trigger stop, here quickly rigged with a bit of floor protector. Pull starts here with the trigger at rest …
… and breaks at the same point …
… but now immediately comes to a soft, cushioned stop. Backlash cured!
