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Yesterday my dealer called to tell me the 2 new .22 rimfire pistols I had ordered had come in. A new Beretta Model 87 Cheetah in .22 L.R., and a Ruger Mark IV Hunter. This is my second Ruger Mark IV. A couple of months back I purchased a new Ruger Mark IV Competition 100 Year Anniversary Model with the matching knife. I was very pleased with the gun, but because it was a limited production commemorative, I decided not to run up a high round count with it. So I went with this new Hunter. This is a post recall gun with the "improved" safety. The funny thing is I can't tell one bit of difference between the safety on this gun, or the pre recall model.
Both safeties feel and operate the same. Both can be positioned halfway if you try to position them that way. So I'm not sure what, if anything they actually "improved". Anyway, I'm very pleased with it. I didn't think I would be too excited with the shallow V-Notch rear sight. But after playing with it, it's not bad at all. Especially with the fiber optic front. It really stands out. I still however prefer the square notched rear target sight on the Competition Model.
The Beretta I was more concerned about because I purchased it sight unseen. These Beretta .22 Cheetah's are very hard to come by, and few dealers stock them. They are crazy expensive, with a MSRP $50.00 higher than the full size Model 92 Stainless 9 MM Inox Model. But after conversations with several people who owned them, I went ahead with the purchase. I wasn't disappointed. This gun just oozes quality. The slide to frame fit is like it's on ball bearings. The fit and finish couldn't be any better in my opinion. The bluing is deep and rich.
I felt somewhat comfortable with buying it because I already have the Model 87 Target, and it's a high quality piece. The Cheetah was no different. Another nice thing is the Cheetah will accept the 10 round magazines with the bumper pad from the 87 Target. The magazine doesn't look out of place when installed in the gun, and it gives it a 10+1 capacity, over the 7+1 of the 2 standard magazines the gun comes with. I hate shooting at indoor ranges, (too many idiots), but with the high Summertime temperatures we have out here this time of year, I don't have much choice. And I'm not about to wait until it cools off to fire both of them up. Here are a couple of quick and dirty phone camera pics of both guns.
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Both safeties feel and operate the same. Both can be positioned halfway if you try to position them that way. So I'm not sure what, if anything they actually "improved". Anyway, I'm very pleased with it. I didn't think I would be too excited with the shallow V-Notch rear sight. But after playing with it, it's not bad at all. Especially with the fiber optic front. It really stands out. I still however prefer the square notched rear target sight on the Competition Model.
The Beretta I was more concerned about because I purchased it sight unseen. These Beretta .22 Cheetah's are very hard to come by, and few dealers stock them. They are crazy expensive, with a MSRP $50.00 higher than the full size Model 92 Stainless 9 MM Inox Model. But after conversations with several people who owned them, I went ahead with the purchase. I wasn't disappointed. This gun just oozes quality. The slide to frame fit is like it's on ball bearings. The fit and finish couldn't be any better in my opinion. The bluing is deep and rich.
I felt somewhat comfortable with buying it because I already have the Model 87 Target, and it's a high quality piece. The Cheetah was no different. Another nice thing is the Cheetah will accept the 10 round magazines with the bumper pad from the 87 Target. The magazine doesn't look out of place when installed in the gun, and it gives it a 10+1 capacity, over the 7+1 of the 2 standard magazines the gun comes with. I hate shooting at indoor ranges, (too many idiots), but with the high Summertime temperatures we have out here this time of year, I don't have much choice. And I'm not about to wait until it cools off to fire both of them up. Here are a couple of quick and dirty phone camera pics of both guns.
