Any problems with the Beretta tip up barrels?

A

Andrewh

New member
I have been looking at 380's with my wife, and she has come to love the beretta 85 grip. But as most of you know, it is a bugger to rack the slide with it. Someone here offered the sugguestion of the 86 which is the tip up barrel 380, which I found out is brand new, and most don't have in stock. But I will be looking at the gun shows the next couple of weeks. But I was wondering though if anyone had problems with the other tip up barrel versions in .22 and .25? Are these as solid and reliable as I should expect from Beretta?
And does anyone know why taurus doesn't make a copy of the 85?
 
I've owned a couple of 950BS Jetfires and a 3032 Tomcat. No problems with the tip-up feature at all. :)
 
There are older tip ups in .380 with double stack magazines or single. The .380 Beretta either way is fine, reliable, accurate (as much as a .380 can be) and of course very easy to load with tip up barrel.

In fact many of the Beretta .380s are found in the ownership of International LEOs and Spooks of various kinds. So much is that a fact that when I find a person who really knows pistols and has a .380 I have usually (always so far) found that they are prone traveling armed around the world as part of thier job. VERY reliable pistols.

Also, and in my mind most important of all, is that you can get Quik-Shok in .380 from www.TritonAmmo.com and that makes the .380 a formidable personal protection caliber more than ever. BUT, it is still shot placement as a result of practice, practice, practice that wins the day.
 
Maybe I'm wrong but I think the Berreta tip-ups don't have extractors. This makes clearing malfunctions slow.
 
Thanks for the replys. Makes it sound even better than it did before.

glockdoc- I can't imagine how it could function without one, but I have never seen it, and never had much interest in the smaller caliber tipups, so I will pay close attention to that when if I find one today.
 
I know of no problems with the Beretta .380 tip-up barrel (or the virutally identical Browning BDA, also made by Beretta), but the Tomcat -- totally different gun -- can be a problem.

(Some hands just position themselves so that they inadvertently hit the barrel release, causing the barrel to pop up at inappropriate moments. Had this happen to me a number of times with two different Tomcats. I am not the only one to have this problem.)

For a great deal on the .380 Browning, check WWW.AIMSURPLUS.COM.
 
glockdoc- You were right. No extractor. But it wasn't just the tip ups. All the blow backs don't have them. So I just wasn't observant at the range the other day with the 85 we shot.
But I got the 86 today anyway.

Lot of un beretta type stuff on it, but the wife likes it so it is worth it. It can be carried cocked an locked, no hammer drop on the saftey. Also it has a mag saftey. Didn't even know beretta did that.
Also I don't know if it makes a difference, or if they just started importing them again, but this one is italian made, not usa.

Walt Sherrill- I would have loved to use that deal on the bda's, but the reason for the tip up is that difficulty in pulling back the slide. She tried the bda, and it was even harder than on the beretta.
 
I have a Model 86 and it is incredibly accurate and reliable

It also shot about 6 inches high with 95 grain ammo. The groups off bags at 50 feet were a little over an inch - 9 shot groups - consistently.

I bought an LPA adjustable sight for it and that took care of the height problem for the most part.

I shoot 88 grain Remingtons and 90 grain everything else and all is well - my reloads.

I have put right at 1000 rounds through it in the past month and have yet to experience a FTF or any other problem at all.

It is an EXCELLENT pistol. You did well. Your wife should be very happy.

Mine is an Italian gun. It was made a few years ago.
 
The 86 is one fine pistol. A little large for 380 but I bought one for my ex-wife because she had a problem racking the slide too.

I miss that gun, she got it in the divorce :eek:
 
Walt Sherrill- The one pictured and described is the same as we saw at the gun show. It isn't a tip up, unless that is the wrong picture. I would have loved for it to be a 13 rd tip up.
 
Be sure and check the trigger pull. Some of the tip up Berettas (for sure the Model 21 in .22 caliber) have extremely stiff trigger pulls.

I ordered one (Model 21) recently, and actually thought it was defective. I called the Beretta factory tec support line and was told that this model comes with a double action pull of 14 lbs. and a single action pull of 11 lbs.

If the .380 is anything like this, it may be a little strong for your needs.
 
Nope it doesn't seem to be bad at all. My wife loves it. The only thing I can fault it for is a bit of take up creep.
 
DON'T USE HYDRASHOK AMMO IN THEM!

Some people have had trouble because the design of the bullet allows the lip of the hollowpoint to catch in the joint between the tip-up barrel and the feed ramp.
 
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