Almost two hours into my second range session with the new Beretta B22 Jaguar Tac Metal, I had already run the pistol with a handful of .22 LR loads. The July heat was building and lunch was calling. But the pistol was so much fun to shoot—which for me means it was so very accurate—and I had one more brand of rimfire ammunition left.
Home and food, or stay and shoot? Shoot.
I loaded five rounds of Winchester Super Suppressed .22 LR into the Jaguar’s magazine. The load features a 45-grain, copper-plated bullet. From a rest at 12 yards, I lined up the green dot of my Viridian RFX45 optic on an orange sticky circle the size of a nickel and squeezed off my first shot.
Center punch.
I fired four more times and all five shots touched. The group later measured 0.4 inch.
I didn’t know the group’s size at the time or I likely would have quit right there. Instead, I shot at two more orange circles, five rounds each, and produced groups slightly larger than my first. Slightly, as in both under 0.75 inch.
The B22 Jaguar had done it again, drilling more sub-1-inch groups. And that 0.4-inch group came at the end of two hours of shooting, with the pistol and suppressor hot enough to burn skin.
As I packed up my gear, I thought to myself: Hell of a job with your new rimfire pistol, Beretta.
Beretta Jaguar B22 Jaguar Quick Takeaways
The Beretta B22 Jaguar Tac Metal is a full-size, modular .22 LR pistol that produced repeated sub-1-inch groups at 12 yards. Its accuracy stands out; its size and $749 MSRP are also notable. The Tac Metal was one of several new pistols introduced as part of Beretta’s extensive 2026 lineup.
- Accuracy: A best five-shot group of 0.40 inch with Winchester Super Suppressed at 12 yards.
- Handling: A clean 1-pound, 6-ounce trigger, minimal recoil and a secure full-size grip.
- Configuration: Tested with open sights, a Viridian RFX45 and a Dead Air RXD22Ti suppressor.
- Best for: Target shooting, plinking, instruction and shooters building a suppressed rimfire setup.
- Main compromise: Premium pricing and a 33.6-ounce full-size frame.
How We Tested the Beretta B22 Jaguar
Across two outdoor range sessions in July, I shot the B22 Jaguar with open sights and a Viridian RFX45, both unsuppressed and with a Dead Air RXD22Ti suppressor. I fired offhand at 8 and 10 yards and from a rest at 12 yards.
The documented ammunition included CCI Clean-22, Federal Premium Punch, Winchester Silvertip and Winchester Super Suppressed.
Accuracy Makes the B22 Interesting
Expert rifleman, author and famed hunter Townsend Whelen once stated, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.”
I agree with Whelen to the point that I include all firearms in the opinion.
Here’s a thing I’ve come to understand about firearms: A pistol with poor in-hand ergonomics, a stagey and inconsistent trigger, uneven rifling or hit-or-miss function is not likely to put bullets where they belong.
Not bloody likely.
The B22 Jaguar’s accuracy tells me Beretta not only manufactured the pistol’s many parts to a high standard. Just as importantly, its overall design melded those parts into a well-functioning whole.
As Townsend would say, the B22 Jaguar Tac Metal is a very interesting pistol.
Beretta B22 Jaguar Features
A full-size handgun, the B22 Jaguar uses a standard blowback action with an internal hammer.
It features a 5.25-inch steel barrel and metal-alloy frame. The receiver and barrel shroud are aluminum. The shroud has M-LOK attachment points and an under-barrel rail for a light or laser, while optics attach to the receiver’s full-length Picatinny rail.
The generous polymer grips provide plenty of texture for a solid hold, while the trigger guard’s undercut creates a higher, more secure grip.
The pistol’s trigger broke at a very clean 1 pound, 6 ounces on average.
The rear sight is adjustable for elevation and windage, while the front post has a red fiber-optic.
The manual ambidextrous safety snaps into and out of SAFE with minimal thumb pressure. Above the trigger guard sits the ambidextrous takedown button. Push the button down, then pull the receiver and barrel assembly forward and up to disassemble the pistol for cleaning.
The package tested included two 15-round metal magazines with loading tabs on the sides. Beretta also offers 10-round versions. The manufacturer lists a 5.25-inch barrel, 33.6-ounce unloaded weight, adjustable sights, 15- and 10-round configurations and a starting price of $749.
Can the B22 Jaguar Serve as a Defensive Pistol?
I first ran the B22 Jaguar unsuppressed and with open sights, shooting offhand. The sights were on from the start. I practiced on a 12-ounce soda can and made solid hits at 10 yards.
Many people scoff at the idea of a .22 LR handgun as a defensive firearm. Well, scoff away. The reality is that people do buy .22 LR revolvers and pistols for that purpose. I know this from years of talking with gun shop staff around the country and repeatedly hearing that rimfire handguns were among their top defensive sellers.
Ammunition makers such as Winchester understand that market. The company’s 37-grain Silvertip .22 LR uses a plated, segmenting hollow-point bullet and is marketed specifically for short-barreled defensive firearms.
I loaded a B22 magazine with 10 rounds of Winchester Silvertip. I started shooting at 8 yards at the center mass of a silhouette target for a video, walking toward the target as I shot. The grouping wasn’t great, but six shots hit the white center-mass area and the other four landed just to the left.
I then handed the B22 to my fiancée with another 10 rounds of Silvertip. Standing at 8 yards, she placed all 10 shots into the white, with seven forming a 1.25-inch cluster. It was her first time using the pistol.
Yes, it has occurred to me that maybe she should be the gun writer.
That exercise showed that the B22 was accurate, controllable and easy for a new user to shoot at close range.
Testing the B22 With a Reflex Sight and Suppressor
I started with the RFX45 enclosed green-dot reflex sight from Viridian.
The RFX45 has a viewing window measuring approximately 0.94 inch wide by 0.61 inch high and a sharply etched 5-MOA green dot. Its housing is machined from 6061 aluminum, its controls are mounted on the side and Viridian rates its CR2032 battery life at up to 50,000 hours. It has 10 brightness settings, including two night-vision settings.
My RFX45 had a low Picatinny mount that secured easily to the B22’s top rail.
Next, I mounted a Dead Air RXD22Ti rimfire suppressor.
The RXD22Ti is rated for .22 LR, .22 Mag., .17 HMR, .17 WSM and 5.7x28mm. Inside its 1.1-inch titanium tube is Dead Air’s 3D-printed, PVD-coated, single-piece Triskelion™ core. The suppressor measures 5.6 inches and weighs 5.6 ounces.
That size and weight paired well with the full-size Jaguar and did not make the pistol feel awkwardly front-heavy.
At 33.6 ounces unloaded, the B22 Jaguar wasn’t really much for recoil unsuppressed. But with the Dead Air addition? A small push back into my shooting hand. The pistol was so quiet I wouldn’t have had to use ear protection at all, though no doubt one should always consider earplugs or muffs for extended shooting sessions.
To my ear, the report from Winchester Super Suppressed sounded about as loud as a person speaking beside me.
Beretta B22 Jaguar Accuracy Results
Back to my outdoor range I went a couple days after my initial shooting.
I zeroed the RFX45 and B22 at 12 yards from a rest using CCI Clean-22 and its 40-grain, red polymer-coated bullets. I got on target quickly and produced what looked like an inch-or-so five-shot group. I then fired 10 rounds and grouped them into 0.85 inch.
I also shot Federal Premium Punch .22LR, a self-defense offering loaded with a 29-grain flat-nosed bullet. Here I shot offhand at eight yards and got a nice three-round triangle.
Then, I fired off ten rounds of the Punch at a Caldwell 12”x18” Dual Zone silhouette target. Of the 10, seven shots hit near center and measured out right at an inch.
I finished the session with the 0.40-inch five-shot Winchester Super Suppressed group described at the beginning of this review.
| Ammunition | Distance and position | Recorded result |
| Winchester Super Suppressed, 45-grain | 12 yards, from a rest | 0.40-inch five-shot group; two further five-shot groups under 0.75 inch |
| CCI Clean-22, 40-grain | 12 yards, from a rest | 0.85-inch 10-shot group |
| Federal Premium Punch, 29-grain | 8 yards, offhand | Seven of 10 shots near center in approximately 1 inch |
| Winchester Silvertip, 37-grain | 8 yards, offhand | Six of 10 in the center white; second shooter placed all 10 in the white |
"The B22 Jaguar’s accuracy tells me Beretta didn’t just manufacture the individual parts well. The overall design brought them together into a properly functioning whole."
Customization, Price and Best Uses
The B22 Jaguar Tac Metal sells with medium-sized grips installed. As an optional accessory, one can also purchase small or large grips at the Beretta website under “Gun Accessories.” Gun Accessories Online for Firearm Enthusiasts.
Aftermarket grips will also be available soon.
Customization of the B22 Jaguar also includes the ability for the shooter to reverse the magazine release and to switch out the ejection of spent brass from the standard right side of the receiver to the left. That switch does require a new part, at an extra cost, also available from Beretta.
The Jaguar’s Owner’s Manual contains instructions for the mag release and ejection port customization.
Of course, the top Picatinny rail and the under-barrel rail translate to the easy addition of all sorts of lights, lasers and optics.
Right out of the box or all tricked out, the B22 Jaguar Tac Metal is a fine option for the plinker and the target shooter. With its minimal .22LR recoil and full-sized grips, it’s also the perfect pistol to introduce newbies to handgun shooting.
And if your caliber choice for a nightstand or truck gun pistol is .22LR? The B22 Jaguar and the right ammunition will handle those jobs, too.
Hook & Barrel Bottom Line
H&B’s THE BOTTOM LINE is a rating system combined with useful commentary on the following aspects of the test gun. Each of the seven criteria gets a 1 to 5 ampersand score. Max score is 35.
- ERGOS & HANDLING: &&&&
My shooting hand secured onto the full-sized grips extremely well and the long sight radius was a real plus for accurate shooting. The sights came up to my eyes fast and easy. - RECOIL: &&&&&
At 33.6 ounces, the B22 and .22 LR ammunition produced little recoil. The weight and full-size grips also made muzzle rise nearly a nonfactor. - ACTION & RELOADING: &&&&
The blowback action worked smoothly throughout the documented testing, and loaded magazines inserted and ejected cleanly. The magazine release was initially tight but loosened with use. - SIGHT MOUNTING EASE: &&&&&
The full-length Picatinny rail made mounting an optic simple. The under-barrel rail also accepts a light or laser. - INTENDED PURPOSE: &&&&&
So many options here, from plinking and training to self-defense, and the B22 will do it all. Perfect for the recoil-sensitive shooter, too. - OVERALL VERSATILITY: &&&&&
The pistol supports open sights, optics, suppressors and other accessories, while its reversible controls and configurable ejection make it unusually adaptable for left-handed shooters. - VALUE-PRICE POINT: &&&&
Expect the suggested $749 retail price to translate to $75+ in store an online. With its many features, the B22 actually costs at the lower end of blowback rimfire pistols. - Overall Score: 32 out of 35.
Best-Performing Ammunition: Winchester Super Suppressed .22 LR
Of the loads documented in this review, Winchester Super Suppressed produced the smallest group: five shots measuring 0.40 inch at 12 yards.
The load uses a 45-grain, black copper-plated round-nose bullet and is sold in 100-round boxes. Winchester describes it as a subsonic load optimized for suppressed firearms, with plating intended to reduce fouling and improve semiautomatic function.
It sold for approximately $16 per 100 rounds online when the review was prepared.
Check Price At Bass Pro ShopsBeretta B22 Jaguar Tac Metal Specifications
- Action: Single, Internal Hammer
- Operation: Semi-Auto, Blowback
- Caliber: .22 LR
- Capacity: 15 Rounds (as tested)
- Barrel: 5.25 inches, Steel, 1:14 RH Twist Rate, Threaded at a ½”x28
- Receiver, Barrel Shroud: Aluminum, Black Anodized
- Frame: Metal Alloy, Black Cerakote
- Sights: Adjustable Rear, Fiber Optic Front
- Safety: Manual Frame Mounted, Ambi
- Grips: Polymer
- Overall Height: 6.0 inches w/Magazine
- Overall Length: 8.85 inches
- Overall Width: 1.35 inches
- Weight: 33.6 ounces (Unloaded)
- Includes: 2x 15-round metal magazines, gun lock, and owner’s manual
- MSRP: $749.00
