Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Fabbrica D' Armi Pietro Beretta SpA More Info

About the Gun

Compact single-action open-slide blowback pistol with an alloy frame, built as the .22 LR companion to the Model 70. Fixed sights, a frame-mounted safety, and checkered plastic grips with a left-side thumb rest are standard. The magazine uses a finger-extension floorplate. Beretta sold the gun as the Jaguar.

Production

Production ran from 1958 through 1985.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $80. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $450–$700.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.22 LR
Alias:	.22 Long Rifle
More Info

Analysis

Beretta introduced the Model 71 in 1958 with the rest of Series 70. The alloy frame and thinner slide cut weight versus the steel Model 70. Early guns used a cross-bolt safety; later guns used a thumb lever. Israeli air marshals and special units adopted the 71 after the 1968 EL AL hijacking and used suppressed examples in later counter-terror work, which is why threaded barrels show up on the used market. Regular production ended with the series in the mid-1980s. The steel 70S .22 LR and the later long-barrel 71 Special are separate models. Demand follows the Israeli story more than ordinary rimfire value. Original-finish, unthreaded guns with the factory magazine sit at the top of the range; aftermarket-threaded surplus guns trade lower.