In praise of the Beretta U22 NEOS,,,

aarondhgraham · February 21, 2014, 12:15 PM

In praise of the Beretta U22 NEOS,,,
How's that for a title to get some discussion going.

But seriously I read so many threads praising this Ruger or that Browning,,,
I thought I would start a thread on what I consider a very under-rated pistol.

I bought my first NEOS about 4 years ago,,,
It was the 6" model and it came with two magazines.

The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to breakdown for cleaning and oiling,,,
I was the happy owner of two very fine Ruger 22/45 MK-III's,,,
Cleaning the NEOS is a breeze compared to the Ruger.

The second thing I noticed was the high quality of the magazines,,,
They are possibly the easiest to load of any semi-auto I have ever handled,,,
The magazines have a very large button that allows you to easily compress the spring,,,
I had to buy a $3.98 tool to make the Ruger magazines load that easily.

I hear people complain about the "Buck Rogers" styling of the gun,,,
Okay, that I can't argue with as they are of a very futuristic almost science fiction design,,,
And since beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder this is a point I simply can't argue against.

If their looks doesn't appeal to you,,,
Who am I to say that's not a valid point,,,
All I can say is that I find their styling to be very sleek.

While we are on the design aspect,,,
I have to be the first to admit the grips are extremely slender,,,
But in reality I find that to be less of a problem that a gun with grips that are too fat.

The otherwise excellent S&W 22A comes to mind,,,
That's a fine handgun that just doesn't fit my hand at all,,,
So if the NEOS grips are to slender for your mitts I can understand that as well,,,
Just please don't be one of those curmudgeons that say "this gun is a POS" just because it doesn't fit your particular hand.

Now let's talk accuracy,,,
Or at least how well they shoot for me,,,
I can hit just as well with my NEOS as with my 5.5" 22/45's.

When I make this claim I'm saying that shooting off of an MTM rifle/handgun rest,,,
I really see no difference in group size with either pistol,,,
They both hold a 1.5" group at 25 yards.

I will be the first to admit that the front sight blade on the NEOS is dismal,,,
It's a short squat slab of black plastic that quite frankly should embarrass the designer,,,
I solved that when a friend turned me on to a fiber-optic replacement manufactured and sold by EWK Arms.

Some of you will now jump up and say,,,
"But if you have to accessorize it to make it useable it's not a good pistol.",,,
I would remind those folk that Ruger is what keeps Volquartsen aftermarket parts in business. :wink2:

The EWK Arms sight was only $30.00 shipped to my door,,,
That still puts the total price of the pistol way south of a 300 dollar bill,,,
In fact as I write this tome, budsgunshop has new 4.5" or 6" NEOS pistols for only $248.00.

That's way cheaper than the old Ruger 22/45 at $281.00,,,
Or the newer 22/45 with interchangeable grip panels going for $313.00,,,
So even with the cost of the fiber optic sight from EWK Arms the NEOS is still $3.00 less expensive.

The NEOS has interchangeable barrels,,,
After about 6 months shooting with the 6" barrel,,,
I got the opportunity to shoot a friend's NEOS with a 4.5" barrel,,,
I really liked the balance of the shorter gun so I ordered a new barrel for $65.00,,,
If I recall correctly I got it from Midwayusa.com and upon arrival it took about 60 seconds to swap it out.

Later on I decided that sharing the handgun when I took friends to the range was a complete drag,,,
I was able to use that reasoning to justify purchasing a second NEOS with 4.5" barrel and a second EWK Arms front sight.

Now when I go shooting with a friend,,,
I also take along a Dueling Tree and we go to town with it,,,
At 15 yards the tree is easy enough to hit that we have great fun "slaying" each other.

Then there was that fateful day that I saw a fellow range member shooting a Browning Buckmark Carbine,,,
We struck up a conversation and he let me shoot several magazines through it,,,
I immediately decided I wanted one until he told me the price,,,
I decided that $700.00 was more than I could spend.

Then I heard of the NEOS Carbine kit,,,
For the mere price of $237.00 at budsgunshop.com,,,
I could turn one of my NEOS pistols into a spiffy little carbine.

I got on a forum and asked if anyone had a NEOS and wanted a 2nd barrel for their pistol,,,
One man said he would like a 4.5" barrel so I ordered another 4.5" pistol and sold it to him for the bargain price of $50.00,,,
So that allowed me to have a small sexy rimfire carbine for approximately $260.00 less than what I would have to have paid for a Buckmark carbine.

I was initially very disappointed with the carbine,,,
It has an excellent fiber optic front sight with a peep rear sight,,,
It's small so I was having to really scrunch up to shoot it with the normal sights,,,
So I mounted an inexpensive BSA Red Dot sight to raise the sight plane up to a higher eye level.

The disappointment came when I found the rifle was only capable of a 4"-5" group at 50 yards,,,
The money I spent for the pistol was good as I still had that 6" barrel,,,
But the $237.00 for the carbine kit was a complete waste.

That was until I discovered that the red dot was faulty,,,
I purchased an inexpensive 4X AR style scope from Cabella's,,,
Now the little carbine holds 2" groups at 100 yards with Federal Bulk Pack ammo from Wal-Mart.

One thing I can't argue against is the high cost of obtaining the carbine,,,
$248.00 plus $237.00 equals $485 total cost for the complete gun,,,
You can buy two basic Ruger 10/22 rifles for that amount,,,
Or better yet four Mossberg 702 Plinkster's at Wal-Mart.

But hey,,,
The heart wants what the heart wants. :rolleyes2

Now let's revisit the visual appeal factor,,,
Does this Beretta NEOS,,,

Really look all that much more like a space gun,,,
Than this Browning Buckmark?

Really now fellow forum members,,,
I'm not trying to say the Beretta NEOS is the perfect pistol,,,
But I hear and read so much ragging on them that I just wanted to pen a more positive thread about them.

I read so many outlandish statements about them,,,
That I wonder if those people have ever actually fired one,,,
I have three pistols or two pistols and a carbine that have never given me any trouble.

They are reliable and accurate,,,
They are relatively inexpensive to buy,,,
They are extremely easy to load and maintain,,
And I realize this is subjective but I think they are drop-dead sexy.

Try one sometime,,,
You just might be surprised.

By the way,,,
Meet Wynona, Naomi, and Ashley.

Thanks for reading this loooooong ramble.

Aarond

.

gyvel · February 21, 2014, 02:47 PM

From all appearances, the magazines look to be interchangeable with a late model Colt Woodsman. I have yet to handle one "in the flesh" but, is this the case?

aarondhgraham · February 21, 2014, 03:24 PM

I have read it batted around that the NEOS used the same mags as the Colt "Cadet" pistol,,,
In fact I've read that some people think the NEOS is simply a redesigned Colt Cadet.

But one of our members here (whose name eludes me at the moment),,,
Said that the mags, while similar, do not interchange at all,,,
Apparently he had both handguns and tried them.

I only have hearsay to go on,,,
But by what I've read I do not think they are interchangeable.

Aarond

.

TailGator · February 21, 2014, 04:02 PM

Preach it, Aarond!

I picked my Neos up used for less than $200 and it is a gem. All the good things you said, plus the small grip is great for starting out youngsters and young women. (I have two daughters and have taken their friends shooting several times.) It is such an easy pistol to shoot well that it gives beginners early success and encouragement.

I can understand traditionalists not liking the styling, but young people often like it a lot. And with the accuracy and reliability that the Neos displays, I really don't give a hoot what it looks like.

dgludwig · February 21, 2014, 08:05 PM

Quote:

I can understand traditionalists not liking the styling, but young people often like it a lot. And with the accuracy and reliability that the Neos displays, I really don't give a hoot what it looks like.

I must be old (or not young)- I give a hoot.

The NEO is one ugly gun, imo, and I don't care how well it shoots. Other less ugly (more pretty

) guns shoot as well or better.

Freakingstang · February 21, 2014, 08:27 PM

I've owned a neos since 2004/5. It was the very first pistol I bought. I wanted a stainless mk2, but couldn't afford it. I wanted the carbine, but never got one. I'm a little jealous. I bought four magazines at cdnn years ago for 8.95 each. Still want the carbine.... Someday. Yes, it is ugly. It is also very underrated IMO and I have a couple mk2's and 3's

Mine is the six in barrel. Years ago they offered a 10" barrel separately. I wish is have bought one then. I have seen them anywhere in 6-8 years.

gyvel · February 21, 2014, 10:26 PM

Quote:

I have read it batted around that the NEOS used the same mags as the Colt "Cadet" pistol,,,
In fact I've read that some people think the NEOS is simply a redesigned Colt Cadet.

But one of our members here (whose name eludes me at the moment),,,
Said that the mags, while similar, do not interchange at all,,,
Apparently he had both handguns and tried them.

I only have hearsay to go on,,,
But by what I've read I do not think they are interchangeable.

Thanks for that info, Aarond.

Niner4Tango · February 21, 2014, 11:59 PM

I love my "traditional" weapons. But, when we're in a tight spot, I'm always glad she brought the Neos.

I love me the Neos.

Damon555 · February 22, 2014, 02:48 AM

I've owned my 6" Inox Neos for 7 years now and still love it. Several people have offered me more than a new one costs now but I'm not selling. Everyone who see it scoffs at how it looks....until they shoot it.

aarondhgraham · February 22, 2014, 08:23 AM

I'm in the process of designing a range holster for the NEOS,,,
Something very utile yet with fantasy/futuristic styling

When I get it perfected,,,
I'm using that pic as inspiration for the advertising photo.

Thanks for the cool visual my friend,,,

I know just the young lady to pose for the picture.

Aarond

P.S. I'll leave Flash out of the picture.

.

Niner4Tango · February 22, 2014, 10:40 AM

Aarond, that sounds like a fun project. And, that's exactly what the Neos needs, a holster with style to match the pistol!

Keep us posted on the design.

aarondhgraham · February 26, 2014, 09:15 AM

Keep us posted on the design.

I started the first prototype pattern last night,,,
I should have something in a week or two.

I'll let you know when I have something to show.

Aarond

.

aarmel732 · February 26, 2014, 10:25 AM

The only reason I ended up trading mine was the range which I use is indoors and kind of tight quarters. The Neos would spit the brass straight out the side, and I would almost always catch a few down the shirt. I traded it for a Ruger Mark III that sends the brass over my shoulder and doesn't burn so much. I agree though, great gun, and highly underrated. Black Friday they are almost always on sale locally for $249, which is a great price. Armslist can yield sub $200 most of the time.

February 21, 2014, 12:15 PM	#1
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	In praise of the Beretta U22 NEOS,,, In praise of the Beretta U22 NEOS,,, How's that for a title to get some discussion going. But seriously I read so many threads praising this Ruger or that Browning,,, I thought I would start a thread on what I consider a very under-rated pistol. I bought my first NEOS about 4 years ago,,, It was the 6" model and it came with two magazines. The first thing I noticed was how easy it was to breakdown for cleaning and oiling,,, I was the happy owner of two very fine Ruger 22/45 MK-III's,,, Cleaning the NEOS is a breeze compared to the Ruger. The second thing I noticed was the high quality of the magazines,,, They are possibly the easiest to load of any semi-auto I have ever handled,,, The magazines have a very large button that allows you to easily compress the spring,,, I had to buy a $3.98 tool to make the Ruger magazines load that easily. I hear people complain about the "Buck Rogers" styling of the gun,,, Okay, that I can't argue with as they are of a very futuristic almost science fiction design,,, And since beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder this is a point I simply can't argue against. If their looks doesn't appeal to you,,, Who am I to say that's not a valid point,,, All I can say is that I find their styling to be very sleek. While we are on the design aspect,,, I have to be the first to admit the grips are extremely slender,,, But in reality I find that to be less of a problem that a gun with grips that are too fat. The otherwise excellent S&W 22A comes to mind,,, That's a fine handgun that just doesn't fit my hand at all,,, So if the NEOS grips are to slender for your mitts I can understand that as well,,, Just please don't be one of those curmudgeons that say "this gun is a POS" just because it doesn't fit your particular hand. Now let's talk accuracy,,, Or at least how well they shoot for me,,, I can hit just as well with my NEOS as with my 5.5" 22/45's. When I make this claim I'm saying that shooting off of an MTM rifle/handgun rest,,, I really see no difference in group size with either pistol,,, They both hold a 1.5" group at 25 yards. I will be the first to admit that the front sight blade on the NEOS is dismal,,, It's a short squat slab of black plastic that quite frankly should embarrass the designer,,, I solved that when a friend turned me on to a fiber-optic replacement manufactured and sold by EWK Arms. Some of you will now jump up and say,,, "But if you have to accessorize it to make it useable it's not a good pistol.",,, I would remind those folk that Ruger is what keeps Volquartsen aftermarket parts in business. :wink2: The EWK Arms sight was only $30.00 shipped to my door,,, That still puts the total price of the pistol way south of a 300 dollar bill,,, In fact as I write this tome, budsgunshop has new 4.5" or 6" NEOS pistols for only $248.00. That's way cheaper than the old Ruger 22/45 at $281.00,,, Or the newer 22/45 with interchangeable grip panels going for $313.00,,, So even with the cost of the fiber optic sight from EWK Arms the NEOS is still $3.00 less expensive. The NEOS has interchangeable barrels,,, After about 6 months shooting with the 6" barrel,,, I got the opportunity to shoot a friend's NEOS with a 4.5" barrel,,, I really liked the balance of the shorter gun so I ordered a new barrel for $65.00,,, If I recall correctly I got it from Midwayusa.com and upon arrival it took about 60 seconds to swap it out. Later on I decided that sharing the handgun when I took friends to the range was a complete drag,,, I was able to use that reasoning to justify purchasing a second NEOS with 4.5" barrel and a second EWK Arms front sight. Now when I go shooting with a friend,,, I also take along a Dueling Tree and we go to town with it,,, At 15 yards the tree is easy enough to hit that we have great fun "slaying" each other. Then there was that fateful day that I saw a fellow range member shooting a Browning Buckmark Carbine,,, We struck up a conversation and he let me shoot several magazines through it,,, I immediately decided I wanted one until he told me the price,,, I decided that $700.00 was more than I could spend. Then I heard of the NEOS Carbine kit,,, For the mere price of $237.00 at budsgunshop.com,,, I could turn one of my NEOS pistols into a spiffy little carbine. I got on a forum and asked if anyone had a NEOS and wanted a 2nd barrel for their pistol,,, One man said he would like a 4.5" barrel so I ordered another 4.5" pistol and sold it to him for the bargain price of $50.00,,, So that allowed me to have a small sexy rimfire carbine for approximately $260.00 less than what I would have to have paid for a Buckmark carbine. I was initially very disappointed with the carbine,,, It has an excellent fiber optic front sight with a peep rear sight,,, It's small so I was having to really scrunch up to shoot it with the normal sights,,, So I mounted an inexpensive BSA Red Dot sight to raise the sight plane up to a higher eye level. The disappointment came when I found the rifle was only capable of a 4"-5" group at 50 yards,,, The money I spent for the pistol was good as I still had that 6" barrel,,, But the $237.00 for the carbine kit was a complete waste. That was until I discovered that the red dot was faulty,,, I purchased an inexpensive 4X AR style scope from Cabella's,,, Now the little carbine holds 2" groups at 100 yards with Federal Bulk Pack ammo from Wal-Mart. One thing I can't argue against is the high cost of obtaining the carbine,,, $248.00 plus $237.00 equals $485 total cost for the complete gun,,, You can buy two basic Ruger 10/22 rifles for that amount,,, Or better yet four Mossberg 702 Plinkster's at Wal-Mart. But hey,,, The heart wants what the heart wants. :rolleyes2 Now let's revisit the visual appeal factor,,, Does this Beretta NEOS,,, Really look all that much more like a space gun,,, Than this Browning Buckmark? Really now fellow forum members,,, I'm not trying to say the Beretta NEOS is the perfect pistol,,, But I hear and read so much ragging on them that I just wanted to pen a more positive thread about them. I read so many outlandish statements about them,,, That I wonder if those people have ever actually fired one,,, I have three pistols or two pistols and a carbine that have never given me any trouble. They are reliable and accurate,,, They are relatively inexpensive to buy,,, They are extremely easy to load and maintain,, And I realize this is subjective but I think they are drop-dead sexy. Try one sometime,,, You just might be surprised. By the way,,, Meet Wynona, Naomi, and Ashley. Thanks for reading this loooooong ramble. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

February 21, 2014, 03:24 PM	#3
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello gyvel,,, I have read it batted around that the NEOS used the same mags as the Colt "Cadet" pistol,,, In fact I've read that some people think the NEOS is simply a redesigned Colt Cadet. But one of our members here (whose name eludes me at the moment),,, Said that the mags, while similar, do not interchange at all,,, Apparently he had both handguns and tried them. I only have hearsay to go on,,, But by what I've read I do not think they are interchangeable. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

February 22, 2014, 08:23 AM	#10
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello Niner4Tango I'm in the process of designing a range holster for the NEOS,,, Something very utile yet with fantasy/futuristic styling When I get it perfected,,, I'm using that pic as inspiration for the advertising photo. Thanks for the cool visual my friend,,, I know just the young lady to pose for the picture. Aarond P.S. I'll leave Flash out of the picture. . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

February 26, 2014, 09:15 AM	#12
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello Niner4Tango,,, Keep us posted on the design. I started the first prototype pattern last night,,, I should have something in a week or two. I'll let you know when I have something to show. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

February 21, 2014, 02:47 PM	#2
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	From all appearances, the magazines look to be interchangeable with a late model Colt Woodsman. I have yet to handle one "in the flesh" but, is this the case?

February 21, 2014, 04:02 PM	#4
TailGator Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,787	Preach it, Aarond! I picked my Neos up used for less than $200 and it is a gem. All the good things you said, plus the small grip is great for starting out youngsters and young women. (I have two daughters and have taken their friends shooting several times.) It is such an easy pistol to shoot well that it gives beginners early success and encouragement. I can understand traditionalists not liking the styling, but young people often like it a lot. And with the accuracy and reliability that the Neos displays, I really don't give a hoot what it looks like.

February 21, 2014, 08:27 PM	#6
Freakingstang Member Join Date: January 12, 2014 Location: Canfield Ohio Posts: 44	I've owned a neos since 2004/5. It was the very first pistol I bought. I wanted a stainless mk2, but couldn't afford it. I wanted the carbine, but never got one. I'm a little jealous. I bought four magazines at cdnn years ago for 8.95 each. Still want the carbine.... Someday. Yes, it is ugly. It is also very underrated IMO and I have a couple mk2's and 3's Mine is the six in barrel. Years ago they offered a 10" barrel separately. I wish is have bought one then. I have seen them anywhere in 6-8 years.

February 21, 2014, 11:59 PM	#8
Niner4Tango Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 287	I love my "traditional" weapons. But, when we're in a tight spot, I'm always glad she brought the Neos. I love me the Neos.

February 22, 2014, 02:48 AM	#9
Damon555 Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2012 Posts: 384	I've owned my 6" Inox Neos for 7 years now and still love it. Several people have offered me more than a new one costs now but I'm not selling. Everyone who see it scoffs at how it looks....until they shoot it.

February 22, 2014, 10:40 AM	#11
Niner4Tango Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2007 Location: Vancouver, WA Posts: 287	Aarond, that sounds like a fun project. And, that's exactly what the Neos needs, a holster with style to match the pistol! Keep us posted on the design.

February 26, 2014, 10:25 AM	#13
aarmel732 Member Join Date: October 15, 2012 Location: Illinois Posts: 67	The only reason I ended up trading mine was the range which I use is indoors and kind of tight quarters. The Neos would spit the brass straight out the side, and I would almost always catch a few down the shirt. I traded it for a Ruger Mark III that sends the brass over my shoulder and doesn't burn so much. I agree though, great gun, and highly underrated. Black Friday they are almost always on sale locally for $249, which is a great price. Armslist can yield sub $200 most of the time.