Beretta 84. Worth it?

WVSig, just a PSA about that first one. No one should ever buy anything from that seller (PerfettoPerformance). In this case, he actually disclosed that the gun was refinished, but he will often sell Cerakoted guns with misleading language that can lead a buyer to think that the finish is the original. (I realize that this is tangential to the point you were making. I just had say something about that guy. He's universally loathed on the Beretta forum.)
 
I agree about refinished guns in general. I personally would rather buy a original finish gun and refinished it with someone of my choosing.

I think that if you are patient you can still get a 84 at a good price IMHO $500 is the sweet spot for LNIB guns.
 
I picked an 84bb up a few years ago at a good price $375. Got some holster wear but in nice shape, old style with the rounded trigger guard. Always wanted one of these but felt they're overpriced. I like this gun, feels great in the hand and 13 rounds of .380 is nothing to sneeze at. Mine has average accuracy but is fun to shoot.
 
Buying a used gun for me is hard these days. Not because I don't want it but because at the $449.00 price plus tax that I just paid for the one I picked up today, I could have had Stoeger 9mm for 329, Walther PPS in mint condition 429, Walther P99s 379, Ruger SR9 329, Bersa Thunder 199.00 all in at least 95% condition. Never mind the new Sig 2022 for 469.00 and Xds .45 at 479.

Maybe I should just pay it over the phone and not look at the used guns when I go there. Then I drop by my other FFL to brag to by buddies about my purchase, so what do they have in the used guns section? yeah, a pristine 85f with wood grips for about the same price.

Oh well, such is life.
 
This is a very hard time to hang on to money. The market is excellent for buyers.

Source: Guy who has purchased 5 guns since September. :-\
 
I am not going to use the expression pristine, but the 85F I purchased this past November was at least 90% or better condition. After the auction fee, sales tax and no charge for the FFL paperwork it cost me $368.92. :)

Lets have some more boasting.
 
Here is the one I bought. There are no scratches but the picture is from a cell phone which is not that good.
 

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Nice gun Viper at a more than fair price. Again the under $500 for LNIB or VG condition guns depending on vintage are the sweet spot. At $750+ no so much.


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I have two, a BB and a FS. Paid $300 for the BB LNIB 3years ago. The FS I bought last year for $325 with a bit of holster wear. They are both laser accurate at 15 yards. I feel like anything under $425 for one in excellent shape is money well spent. They are not pocket pistols but in my opinion are true old school works of art from a by gone era. Glad I have mine.
 
.38Catt,
Take a look at the picture of my 84f. The one at one of my FFL is an 85f which is the single stack and it is in same or better condition than mine and can probably be had at 450.00. It has wood grips too.

If you have any interest, email me and I will give you their contact information.

Regards,
 
I bought one like new in box from a friend in the 1980s, primarily because 9mm DA/SA at the time (primarily S&W) had trigger reaches I felt uncomfortable with. The Beretta M84 fit the bill for that issue. It was only when I came to shoot it that I began to wonder...

The recoil impulse was strangely high - more than my Browning Hi-Power.

Then I compared size of my Hi-Power and my new Beretta and didn't see much difference in dimensions, though the Beretta was lighter.

With the recoil and size, I thought I was better off with the Hi-Power, and sold the Beretta. I liked the platform a lot, though, and bought the same pistol in .22 rimfire, the M87, and I've had that for over 20 years now. I can't explain why I find the 22 acceptable in a size platform that I find the 380 unacceptable, though...
 
The recoil impulse was strangely high - more than my Browning Hi-Power.
Click to expand...

That's normal/expected with the difference in actions between the two guns. The 84 and many other sub-9mm pistols are blowback-operated, whereas pistols in 9mm and up almost always have locked-breech actions (or, uncommonly, blowback actions with some sort of mechanism that delays the opening of the breech). You will almost certainly find a small 9mm, like the PPS/Shield/Nano/PM9 -- or even a locked-breech pocket .380 -- to be more pleasant to shoot than a blowback operated .380.
 
Thanks for some great responses. I think I will be patient and try to find a good used one.

Any real difference between the "f" and the "fs" versions?
 
If you commit yourself to finding one on Gunbroker for under $300, you will get one for that eventually. That was my goal. It took me a couple of months, but I found it.
 
If you commit yourself to finding one on Gunbroker for under $300, you will get one for that eventually. That was my goal. It took me a couple of months, but I found it.
Click to expand...

Did you end up with a CIA import?
 
The 84 was my very first center fire pistol and I bought it based on looks alone. I still like the looks. Downside is the fat slippery grip with no serrations anywhere. Recoil is heavy, unpleasant, for what it is. Having a friend who was familiar with the 45auto, 1911, got me started into 45ACP. This same friend stated the same about the recoil of the 84, unpleasant.

I parted with the 84 decades ago.
 
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