Anybody own a Beretta Model 81, 84, or 85 Cheetah

[Beamy85]

I have no use for either a .380 or .32 ACP but these look pretty neat and everything I've read about them online says they are decent handguns. Pricy if bought brand new though.

That being said I think one of them would go pretty well with my three 92 series pistols

[Ron M.]

I had an 85F (.380 single stack) for several years, accurate and reliable as you could ask for. We gave it to family friend, as a retirement gift along with a CHL class. Audrey carries it every day. 

[Redcat94]

I picked up an 84FS in nickel two years ago. I really like Beretta and thought it was a nice looking little gun and would make an excellent companion for my 92FS. It's very well made and I doubt you could wear it out if you tried. The grips are comfortable and its got a decent SA trigger. 

But it has some problems. The recoil is very harsh. The small slide is difficult to pull back especially if its nickel. The safety moves to fire easily but is very stiff going back on. The front sight is machined as part of the slide so you're stuck with it and since mine is nickel the sights are highlighted in red. Red paint on shiny metal isn't exactly hi-viz.

I just picked up a CZ83 and was planning on taking them to the range in the next week or two. I'll post my results afterwards. If I knew how to post attachments from my phone I'd show off some pics.

[WVsig]

85B and love it. I have owned 84FS, 84B and 84F as well. All are too big by todays 380 auto standard but they are an elegant weapon that feels great in the hand. Personally I think that the 85 is the best of the breed.

One thing to keep in mind is that the F and FS series sometimes have issues with their decockers and people think that they are on "safe" but they are not and the gun can fire. The B & BB versions do not have a decocker but instead have a manual safety and can be carried cocked and locked.

I can't remember who but someone online has good deal on 85F LEO trade ins. Also CDI sales on GB always has good surplus Berettas. You can get a nice shooter from them for around $350 most of the time.

[cnj1]

I had what some consider to be the most desirable of the Cheetahs, the model 86, with the tip-up barrel.  It was a beautiful gun, and no issue with racking the slide, due to the tip up barrel, but, as with all of the .380 Cheetahs, recoil was harsh. These are definitely not the softest shooters, especially when compared to the likes of a Sig P238.  If you find a model 86 in excellent condition, it will set you back a pretty penny.  For reference, I bought mine 4 years ago for $950, and sold it a year later for $1400. It was a pristine example, though, with case, papers, and all original accessories.

I now have a model 87, so it is still a Cheetah, but fires 22lr, so no kick, etc.

[DarkLord]

I owned an 84 back in the '80's and it was a magnificent pistol!  By today's standards they're a bit large for a .380, but man they shoot well, are completely reliable, tuck away at the belt real well, and feel great in the hand.  They are REAL big south of the border where a handgun must be either a .22 or a ".38".  It and the CZ 82 are the only hi-cap centerfire pistols you can own in Mexico, so they're pretty popular down there. 

[RedLizard]

I have an 84 FS; it is a fine shooter, and my shooting hand
appreciates the little bit of heft.

[bonj]

My Beretta 81FS had the same hard to rack slide. Sent it back to the factory and they said that was normal and the recoil spring would soften up after a few rounds. Also my de-cocker safety also would stop half way, making one think the safety was on. When in fact it wasn't. One must push the safety lever ALL the way to the top before the de-cocker engages. A typical Beretta Engineering flaw from what I hear.

[Ruber]

I have the BDA-380 which is like an 84 with a slide mounted safety.  Very smooth and very reliable.  With a good hold, it has been reasonably accurate and fun enough to shoot that it gets to the range with me a fair amount.  I am on the lookout for an 85 though.

It is a good companion to other Berettas, here it is with a 92 compact...

[Ridgeline17]

I agree with VWSIG the 85B is the best one.   Weights about 21Oz holds 9 total rounds, 3.82" barrel, nickle.  I've had  it since 1987 paid under $300.  Shoots to point of aim at 25 yards.   I had  Taurus PT99  that has a similar safety and take down and that is why I got the 85B and the price was OK.  The 85B has a magazine safety; the Taurus PT99 does not. 

[Claymore504]

I recently picked up a model 81 Italian Police turn in. I really like Beretta handguns, so this was an adition to the collection. I have not fired it yet, but it is excellent quality!

[Kraquin]

I bought a 85FS around 2004 and am picking up a LNIB 81FS today. I was lucky to get the 81 as the import of the FS version is sporadic if non-existent though you can pick up imported used LE turn-ins of  older versions easily. The grail of the Cheetah's is the .32 82FS. Never seen one in the U.S.. Folks that collect the Cheetah's usually also collect the CZ 83.

[Ron M.]

Picked up one of the Italian Police turn in 81s. It's tons of fun to shoot and extremely accurate. My wife has run about 300 rounds of various types of ammo through it and I've shot 200 too. Picked up 3 spare magazines from Robertson Trading Post. I will be buying at least 1 more of these pistols. If I can find a really nice 81BB that would be my first choice.

[bonj]

My Beretta 81B is more accurate than my CZ 83 .32 ACP and my CZ 75B Omega 9mm and it has a safety, not a de-cocker!

[Metal Wonder Nine Guy]

I grabbed one of the 85F's that came into the country 2 years back as I wanted a 'little brother' to my recently purchased 92FS. Rguns was importing a bunch of surplus 85F's at that time. The slide is stiff because the Cheetah series is a blowback pistol and because of Beretta's signature open slide design, there isn't a lot of room to grab the slide. Since it is blowback, the recoil impulse also might take a bit of getting used to if all you've shot before is locked breech pistols.

That being said, these pistols are of good quality, look awesome and shoot nice. My 85F had some holster wear  (which probably means previous use) and the trigger had smoothed out quite nice. The trigger on the 85 reminds me of my 92's trigger with the D spring- smooth pull with reliable ignition but not so heavy that the double action is a pain. The single action trigger has a similar amount of take up to a 92 series or PX4 series pistol. And for my medium sized man hands, the 85 fits my hands perfectly. Like a few people have pointed out above, the Cheetah series is a bit big for a 380 pistol by today's pocket pistol standards. But remember, these pistols came out in the 70's and were refined in the 80's. Tiny pocket 380's like the Glock 42,  Ruger LCP and S&W Bodyguard were just a twinkle in the sky.

These pistols here are the 85BB which was one of the earlier 85's with a blued finish and safety only lever.
https://dkfirearms.com/product/surplus-beretta-model-85-bb-cheetah-380-acp/

More info for you folks if you're interested.
https://berettaforum.net/vb/showthread.php?t=94273