inquiring abut a Beretta .380

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PolarFBear

New member
I can not find the model number of a Beretta I saw years ago (or at least I think I saw). It was a mid-size Beretta with a tip up barrel. I am aware of the 22, 25 and 32. But isn't there a .380 model? I am pretty sure it has been out of production for some time. I have seen a Beretta/Browning that is NOT a tip up model. Seems this would be ideal for those with weaker hands or less than wrists and fingers of steel.
 
TomADC. Beretta Model 86; correct. Found two currently on Gunbroker. Odd that the only two listed were both in North Carolina. Thanks.
 
Nice link Aarond, good info. I have always had a bit of a man crush on the Cheetahs, especially the 84's in a Nickel finish, just a bit to rich for my blood.
 
I own an 84F. Great little gun. I like Berettas. I have a 92F, a 96F, an 84F, and an 84BB. I don;t carry any of them, but teh 92F is my favorite gun just to shoot. It's very comfy, and slick as glass. Learn something new everyday, I had no clue Beretta made a tip up barrel in .380.
 
Hello gyvel,,,

It wasn't a "best seller."
Click to expand...

Which is highly ironic,,,
Since the used ones are in high demand.

I have an older 85BB and a new 87F(?),,,
The Cheetah is an absolutely perfect fit for me.

If it could somehow be made in 9mm,,,
I would buy the first one off the assembly line.

Aarond

.
 
I have a Browning BDA in .380 I think its a Beretta 84 with a relocated safety.
Tick on the large size for a .380 but very comfortable to shoot.
 
TomADC said:
I have a Browning BDA in .380 I think its a Beretta 84 with a relocated safety.
Click to expand...
The main functional difference is that the BDA 380 and the closely related FN 140 DA use a slide-mounted firing-pin-locking decocker/safety in place of the frame-mounted sear-locking (no-suffix) or trigger-disconnecting (B, BB versions) safety of the 84. Consequently, most of the trigger and hammer system is different.

The F and FS versions of the 84 added a decocking function, but the lever is still frame-mounted, and on all 84s, it must be in the FIRE position before the slide will move (which was very common on Euro pistols designed in the 1970s and earlier).

Additionally, the BDA 380 has a ring hammer rather than a spur hammer, and a closed-top slide with a conventional-style ejection port rather than an open-top slide. There are also a number of other minor differences, such as the grips, although the magazines actually interchange.
 
And my fave, the 70S, a fantastic little .380.

Miss my BDA. It was stolen years ago, probably in Detroit now holding up liquor stores...:mad::(
 
I bought my wife a Beretta Model 86 tip-up barrel Cheetah years ago because she has trouble with her hands. It's worked really well for her and she loves it.

It was never a volume seller for a couple of reasons. The price was pretty high, for one thing, and for another it was a large pistol for its capacity.

I've never understood why Beretta chose to use the single-stack Cheetah as the base for the tip-up barrel model instead of the double-column design. At least then the capacity would have been more commensurate with the size of the pistol.

As it is, it's a large, relatively heavy .380ACP pistol ( 7.3" overall length, 4.4" bbl, 23oz) with a capacity of only 8+1. For comparison, a Glock 19 weighs less than an ounce more, has a shorter barrel and an overall length only a tenth of an inch longer.

For the people who need (or want) the tip-up barrel design, it's the only game in town in that general size/weight category. It's also a very nice pistol--great quality and a good design. I just think Beretta could have made it a much better seller if they'd based it on the 84 (13+1) instead of the 85 (8+1).
 
Of course, the large size and heavy weight with respect to capacity is also a valid criticism of the non-tip-up 82 and 85, yet the 85 seems to have sold a good deal better than the 86.

IMHO the main issue is that a relatively large tip-up .380 is simply an answer to a question few shooters are asking.

(The 82 is also quite uncommon, but this likely has more to do with the long-standing perception in the States that .32 ACP is inadequate for SD. The 81 is likewise far less common than the 84.)
 
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