The gun markets are full of surplus Bereta 85 BB model 380s at a fair price. What experience have you had with these little guns? I have always been into S&W N Frames and do not own a .380. What say you!

I prefer the versions in .32ACP but they are nice guns in either caliber.

I'd pick a Walther PPK or PPK/s over the Beretta, but if the price is right, you really can't go wrong.

Beretta makes quality stuff. I had a 92S Italian Police surplus that out shot the new US made M9 I had.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

You can keep your blowback .380s. In my experience they all kick and flip as much as a 9mm of the same size with less "output" in terms of muzzle energy.

WARNING! MATH ALERT!

What really baffles me is that the Beretta 85 in .380 has the same recoil spring as the model 82 in .32. Hmm, .380 has 22% more bolt thrust at the same case pressure and uses bullets that weigh 35% more having about 22% more momentum once you account for the different muzzle velocities. So how does using the same spring make sense?

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Release the Kraken

Uhh....the metric system?

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

Who They?
How Mucho?

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I picked up a 85F a few years ago on the cheap that was missing some parts. Not long after I found an entire parts kit on gunbroker, and got it for under $100. All totaled I had less than $200 in the gun. I've since put hundreds of rounds of 380 through it. I too prefer 32 to 380 in small guns, but in these models 380 makes more sense. It's as big as a lot of 9mm sub compact pistols these days. I prefer the 85 to the 84 series. Yeah you get a few more rounds, but the 85's slimness just feel nice in the hand.

They are good looking guns but don’t serve much purpose as far as a carry gun compared to many other firearms out there. I own the 85, 84 and the 87. The 87 is the most fun out of them.

I’ve got the 85FS and I love it. I carried it today, actually.

I’ve owned a bunch of .380s and have never found any to have objectionable recoil, including the blowbacks.

I’ve got this 85, an 84, an 81, and an 87. The 87 will be my geezer carry one day.

Is there a similar sized gun with more rounds and more power? Sure. So what? This will do the job, with a touch of class.

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Rule of law, not a man.

They're large for caliber by today's standards, but the one I had ran like a a champ. At one time I had a Beretta, the Browning BDA and the less common FN version.

I have a model 84 380 that was Israeli army surplus. It’s in pretty nice shape and is the original model. I think it was just called the cheetah. It’s a scaled down 92 basically and holds 13 rounds. It’s quite accurate and enjoyable to shoot and Recoil is mild due to the weight.

It’s not a good concealed gun unless you put it in a vest pocket or hide it under a shirt but is good if you slip it in a camera bag or something like that.

Even though it’s a 380 I don’t feel it’s lacking what’s needed to shut down a bad situation. There are some pretty good defensive loads that will do the trick. Anyway I’m not one that believes you have to carry a hand cannon to stop someone. (Not trying to get a debate started)

I have an 85FS. Nice gun, good shooter and very reliable.
But to be honest, when I carry a 380, more than likely it'll be a Colt Mustang or a Walther PPK/S. Nothing wrong with the Beretta, I just like these more.

OTOH these surplus 85BBs coming in now are at a very good price and the supply is drying up quick. Many places are already sold out. Grab one while you can.

Who has them?

The Walthers have terrible double-action triggers.

So what's your point?

I bought one a year or so ago; neat little pistol, well made, reliable, and fun to shoot. It was my first 380 - I just wanted to see what that cartridge was about. I have other, more utilitarian, pistols for CCW, though I could use the Beretta. I say if the price is right, and you're interested, go for it.

Have both the 32 and 380 versions. Nice little pistols. Well not real little. The 32 is very pleasant to shoot, the 380 not as much. Italian police turn-ins. The 32 came from the prison system and the 380 was the Guardia di Finanza.

About those excessive recoil reports…

I own several blow back .32 ACP and .380 ACP pistols. They include these steel frame pistols:

- A couple Walther PP pistols in .32 ACP;
- A couple Walther PPK/S pistols in .380 ACP;
- An FEG AP9S in .380 ACP (PP clone but slightly larger sized);
- An FEG APK9S in .380 ACP (PPK/S clone but slightly larger sized);
- An FEG APK7S (same as the above except in .32 ACP);
- A Beretta Model 70S (.380 ACP); and
- An RIA Baby Rock (.380 ACP).

I also own a few aluminum alloy framed pistols including;

- An FEG SMC in .380 ACP;
- A Beretta Model 81 (.32 ACP); and
- A Bersa Thunder in .380 ACP.

For comparison purposes I also own a delayed recoil locked breech Kimber Micro (.380 ACP) and a delayed roller locked breach Kimber Micro 9 in, of course, 9mm Luger and both are aluminum alloy frame pistols.

Here are my observations on them:

1) The heavier steel framed blow back pistols have less felt recoil then the aluminum alloy frame blow back pistols. That’s just simple physics and the weight of the forearm.

2) The blow back pistols in .32 ACP are very pleasant to shoot, even in an aluminum alloy frame, while the .380 ACP pistols have more felt recoil. Again that’s just physics.

3) The only one of the above pistols that has objectionable recoil is the Bersa Thunder. I’m not sure why as the FEG SMC is both smaller and lighter but is much more pleasant to shoot than the Bersa Thunder.

Bersa just seems to have gotten everything perfect to maximize .380 ACP recoil, and if it’s someone’s only experience with a blow back .380 ACP, I can see why it would put them off of the entire breed.

4) Locked breech pistols have both lighter recoil springs and lower perceived recoil, as the delayed locking mechanism spreads the recoil out over a longer period of time with lower slide velocity.

5) The Kimber Micro in .380 weighs about half as much as a PPK/s in .380 ACP, but has about the same perceived recoil.

6) The a Kimber Micro 9, despite being slightly larger and heavier than the Micro, has a lot more perceived recoil.

Clockwise from upper left: FEG AP9S; Walther PP, Walther PPK/S; and FEG APK9S.




Clockwise from upper left: Bersa Thunder; Beretta Model 70S; FEG SMC; and Walther PPK/S.




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The Beretta pocket pistols are in my opinion all very interesting. Beretta took the same basic design and made a large number of variants over the years in .22 LR, .32 ACP and .380 ACP and in both steel and aluminum frames, in both single and DA/SA operating systems and with a number of minor variations in safeties, magazine releases and take down levers.

All of the, are interesting and all of the ones I have owned or shot have been well made, very reliable, accurate for the type and fun to shoot. However, I suspect that’s not the case for a significant number of Beretta’s customers as they definitely started going large on some of their designs, like their Model 81, which is positively huge for a .32 ACP pistol. Similarly, some of their .380 ACP pistols are compact 9mm sized.

Top to bottom: Beretta Model 70S; Model 71; and Model 81.

Are there better deals than this out there?

Italian Surplus Beretta 85BB Pistol SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com

BERETTA 85BB CHEETAH ITALIAN SURPLUS PISTOL-FAIR TO GOOD $299.

I bought a used but like new 81BB the last time they were in this price range . Found factory new Beretta mags for a hair over $30 and bought three . Went looking for ammo and was mostly shocked at the asking price and almost couldn't find any even at that price. Checked at a local pawn shop that should have been my first stop and they had several brands in multiple boxes at pre panic prices so I hoarded everything they had. Averaged they were $22 a box of 50 . I don't normally buy factory ammo but had no components for .32 acp at the time.

The 81BB has usually been cheaper than the 85BB in the past so these are bargain basement prices , buy one now if you think you might ever want one . I bought a .380 barrel and mags so my 81BB can shoot both calibers, an 81BB barrel will work in the 85BB also. I'd spend the extra for the $349 version. Mine looked like it had thinning blue in several places in the GB ad pictures but when I got it the finish was perfect and oil was what caused it to look worn. I'd buy the 84 for the extra capacity if looking at a .380 .

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Grumpy Old Man With a Gun

Here's a good video on them.





I just purchased a surplus Model 85BB and it should be arriving sometime this week. I'll furnish my impressions once I receive it. My only prior experience with a blowback 380 was my Interarms Walther PPK/s. (That was a great gun and fit my hand well, but it physically hurt my hand to shoot for more than two magazines at a time IMO. I ended up selling it off and purchasing a newer Walther/Umarex 22LR PPK/s, which I love.)

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AKA SixToEight

I see them between $350 and 450 depending on condition. The sellers seem to sort them according to worn, less worn and nice with differing terminology.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Good deal but that one is pretty rough. The earlier batches were nicer.

My Cabelas has a case full of them, all $359. Vets or first responder would bring it down to $341 and you get to pick them over. If I didn’t already have a nice one I’d consider one of these for a beater.

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Rule of law, not a man.

I bought an 85 in .380 a year or so ago. I was shocked at how nice it was. A few tiny marks was pretty much it. It had new plastic grips on it. I have an 81, 84, 85, and a Browning BDA 380. IMHO, the Beretta/Browning guns are the best 380's ever made.

Not the one I've got. I've got one of the current production 380's and it's got at least as nice a D/A trigger as any J-frame I've ever owned. The S/A is even better. I don't know if they've made a change to them or if I just got "the one" or what, but it's nice.

Now the Walther PPK/S in 22 LR I've got does have a D/A trigger that takes two men, a boy and a small dog to pull, but I don't shoot it in D/A all that much anyway.

Now, sort of back on topic. I put a Beretta 84F on layaway yesterday. I had one of the Browning BDA's some years ago, but sold it to a guy who wanted it more than I did. Downright stupid I was.



Sure there are 9mm and ever 45's out there that are the same size or even smaller, but "practical" isn't the only reason I buy or even carry a gun. Sometimes it's just because I like them.

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John 3:16 .

I received my hand-pick Beretta 85BB from DK Firearms today. The gun is in in decent enough shape for a surplus piece and that seller shipped within two days of receiving payment. The small blued parts (trigger, safety lever, slide release, etc) are very plum colored in person. I'm looking forward to shooting it though - the gun feels great in the hands, all of the controls are intuitive, and it has some gorgeous lines. I wish that Beretta still imported these en-masse, and that they kept the rounded trigger guard and blued finish around.


Including the transfer fee I paid about $430.

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AKA SixToEight

I ordered one from DK Firearms also, they were out of the hand pick so mine will be a standard. Hopefully not too rough. I'll receive it next week.

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Super Snooper

I think this batch are from the forestry department.

We want pistols with GOOD triggers.

I have to agree. I have a Model 85FS Cheetah and it is a gorgeous pistol but it recoils like a 9mm as far as I am concerned. It's been a safe queen for a very long time.

I can compare it to the Star Model S, another of my safe queens. I used to carry this one. Recoil operated as opposed to blowback and it's a sweetheart to shoot and extremely accurate at normal fighting distances.





I had a Model 81 Cheetah in .32 ACP but it was a jammamatic for me so I sold it:



Probably my fault but I gave up on it anyway.

The biggest problem with all of those guns is that they are way too big to carry as .380s. My Walther CCP in 9mm is more or less the same size, as is my CS9. Why bother with .380 if I have a 9mm in that size?

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Come and take it!!

I bought 2 of the 81s (32acp) last year, I think, and they were in mint condition. I have a thing for Beretta pistols and the 80 series in particular! I missed out on the Atlantic 84 deal but picked up 2 very good model 85s. Very happy with them.

I have those same grips on my 85FS. I was thinking of getting them for my recent buy but like the idea of keeping them original, too.

Beretta double action is sooooo smooth. Probably the best in the DA/SA realm.

My standard pick 85 from DKGuns is in great condition, only mark is paint loss on the trigger guard from being in a holster. A friend has it currently to do a take down & lube job. He said it isn't even broke in.

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Super Snooper

[QUOTE=BB57;141526037]








Clockwise from upper left: Bersa Thunder; Beretta Model 70S; FEG SMC; and Walther PPK/S.




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MY first CC carry was a Beretta 70s in about 1980..... great little carry gun ...... then and today