Beretta lifted the curtain on its newest rimfire pistol last month with the B22 Jaguar, a platform developed for competitors by competitors. My first encounter with it was during Beretta’s Range Day in Boulder City, Nevada, held just ahead of SHOT Show 2026, where the company had two B22 Jaguar variants on the line and plenty of .22 Long Rifle ammo to burn. This article focuses on the B22 Jaguar Metal Competition model, the most aggressively tuned of the bunch.
Engineered in collaboration with the Scholastic Action Shooting Program and Tandemkross, the B22 Jaguar Metal Competition is purpose built for steel target sports and youth competition alike. The brief was clear from the start: minimize recoil, maximize control and make the gun adaptable for a wide range of shooters and disciplines. The result feels less like a dressed-up plinker and more like a factory racegun.
The competition variant ships with a Tandemkross Steam Demon single-port compensator threaded onto a 5¼-inch, 1/2x28 barrel, paired with a Tandemkross Accelerator thumb ledge that gives the support hand a positive index point. Together they noticeably calm muzzle movement. A textured Tandemkross semi-flat-faced trigger with pre- and post-travel adjustment sharpens the break, while a fiber-optic front sight teams with a fully adjustable rear for shooters who prefer irons.
Beretta leaned hard into modularity. The pistol uses a chassis-style fire control system that simplifies upgrades across the grip frame, upper receiver, fire control and grip panels. Three polymer grip sizes are included to tailor fit, and the gun disassembles without tools. A full-length 1913 Picatinny rail makes mounting a red-dot fast and secure. Dual side ejection ports and an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety allow right or left-handed configuration and make clearing and cleaning straightforward. An M-Lok barrel shroud with a detachable accessory rail adds another layer of flexibility.
At the range, the B22 Jaguar Metal Competition model impressed immediately. Even with the inherently soft recoil of .22 LR, the compensator earns its keep. The pistol shoots flat and fast. Using iron sights and Norma TAC-22 factory loads, I was ringing steel at roughly 25 yards and sent about 100 rounds downrange without a single malfunction or failure to fire. It feels like a modern reinterpretation of Beretta’s classic “cat” lineage, only tuned for speed. This is a gun that will feel right at home in SASP, Steel Challenge and Metal Madness competition. The $969 MSRP may raise eyebrows, but anyone who has priced premium aftermarket parts knows how quickly a stock rimfire can exceed that number once competition upgrades are added.
During the same Nevada range session, I also spent time with the B22 Jaguar Tac Metal. It shares the same core DNA but omits the Tandemkross upgrades like the compensator. The Tac Metal still brings ambidextrous controls, oversized bolt surfaces, a semi-flat faced trigger, adjustable fiber-optic sights, a 1913 rail and a suppressor-ready threaded barrel. The example I shot was sporting a Trijicon SRO and a suppressor, and it was every bit as enjoyable to run. At $749, it undercuts the Competition model while remaining a capable option for shooters of all experience levels.
The B22 Jaguar Metal Competition ships with two 15-round magazines, with a 10-round configuration also available. In the box you’ll also find a gun lock, small medium and large grip panels and a barrel thread protector. As mentioned, the suggested retail price is $969, which covers both the 15-round and 10-round models. While not available for purchase yet, be on the lookout for the B22 Jaguar rimfire handgun on the Beretta website in the near future.
Beretta B22 Jaguar Metal Competition Specifications
- Action: Blowback operated, semi-automatic handgun
- Caliber: .22 Long Rifle
- Fire Control: Internal hammer, single-action only
- Barrel Length: 5¼ inches
- Grip Width: 1¼ inches
- Magazine Capacity: 15 rounds (10-round mag also available)
- Overall Height: 6 inches with magazine
- Overall Length: 9.8 inches
- Overall Width: 1.73 inches
- Sight Radius: 7 inches
- Weight Unloaded: 36.4 ounces
- MSRP: $969
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