Opinions & Thoughts on Beretta 84FS?
- Thread starter TTSH
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Yeah, I've figured that out.
It *is* a work of art in a very Beretta kind of way. 
I just wish it were a 9mm... then it would be a done deal.
Let's see where this goes tomorrow.
squidsix
Member
Oh, come on you guys! You're killing me here!
That is the exact gun... and yes, it is a handsome devil.
CScott
Member
I have two Berettas, a 70S .22LR and an 85BB .380. Both are really sweet little pistols. Can we never own and shoot anything that is "Not suitable for CCW" ?
Scott
Scott
squidsix
Member
Exactly. All my guns get holster time, but not all of them are required to vanish from public view when I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
Went to KTP tonight. They have three Beretta 84/85 pistols on the shelf used, and one new. Handled the nicest used one. $525. Sorely tempted to walk back in there tomorrow...
jag312
Member
I have a Browning BDA380 which is a variant of the Beretta 84. It feels right in my hand, easy to carry concealed, not much recoil. It feels like less recoil than a Walther PPK/S. It has a 13 round normal magazine, 10 round reduced capacity depending on your State. If you like the Beretta 84, buy it. Six months from now you'll forget what you paid, and you'll be happy.
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I prefer the BDA but both are cool guns to own and very accurate.
Perfect little brother to my 4566 [emoji16]
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It looks like it's going to outgrow it's big brother in a few years! That pic puts it in perspective.
Oh, I own plenty that's not suitable for CCW. But my guns have all got to make sense for something... they must have some purpose.
I'm not just an industrial art collector after all. 
In some cases, investment alone is an acceptable answer. I'm just not sure that a nickel-plated 84FS is one of those cases.
It certainly wouldn't be at the current street price for brand new. There is no question that the 84FS is a fine Italian work of art, plus it has a certain nostalgia value for old-as-the-hills me as well (very similar to the Walther PPK/s in that respect).
Is that enough to justify buying it? That's where I don't have a good answer yet. 
Do you recall the price spread? That would be a useful bargaining chip.
squidsix
Member
Do you recall the price spread? That would be a useful bargaining chip.
Check this out:
Beretta | Handguns | Kittery Trading Post
Interesting. Thank you.
So it looks like my offer would at least be in the ballpark. Looks like the shop owner wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) throw me out on my ear for insulting the consignment gun's owner.
I don't mind buying a used handgun... one without some specific need or purpose... if I know or at least suspect that I won't lose a bunch of money on it later on. But this nickel-plated 84FS is an odd duck in my experience. I keep asking myself "Who other than a nut like me would ever buy such a gun"?
That's the problem. 
Wee Hooker
Member
I owned one for a bit. It was in nickle too. ( Maybe the same gun given our location?) It was beautifully made and I thought that it would make a nice pistol to train my niece /recoil sensitive shooters. What I found was that despite it's weight, muzzle flip was surprisingly significant for a 380 in such a heavy gun. Not punishing by any means but not as light as expected. In the end, I found no advantage to teaching with it over my fleet of mid sized 9mm's ( my M&P9c comes to mind.) and I traded it off.
That said, I'm not sorry I had a chance to own one. It was a NICE gun.
That said, I'm not sorry I had a chance to own one. It was a NICE gun.
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Thanks very much Dave.
I was actually in your shop just 2 days ago continuing my search for a dirt cheap "used & abused" pre-IL S&W revolver to use as a test case for local refinisher. But that's another story for another time. I did see that your shop had a brand new 84FS just as pretty as the used one up my way. Clearly, your comments on the 84FS support what other folks have said, most notably LVSteve's comment about the kick and muzzle flip of the blowback design.
That's really unfortunate, but not really a surprise at all. It's too bad that such a jewel of a gun has no specific practical use other than as an interesting, flashy conversation piece as Pete pointed out. So what is a gun like that worth?
I'd be investing in a relatively impractical gun with questionable demand and unknown long-term resale value. Haven't run into a case like this one too many times before. 
Skeptic 9c
Member
The Beretta 80 series was the best of the 2nd generation .380 pistols.
Beretta once made a single stack, slim, Model 92, but it didn't sell.
Geoff
Who passed up a .22LR 70s and I've been kicking myself over it for 40+ years!
Beretta once made a single stack, slim, Model 92, but it didn't sell.
Geoff
Who passed up a .22LR 70s and I've been kicking myself over it for 40+ years!
That gun was somewhat unique when it came out because of it's relatively high capacity. Today there are smaller lighter guns available in a better cartridge with approximately the same capacity so it has been outperformed. By all means if you like it for some reason, buy it but there are more practical guns available in the same price range.
ColbyBruce
Member
So what is a gun like that worth?
TTSH, I think I paid $139.00 for the one above about ten years ago. It was a LE confiscation/evidence gun. The last used 84 I saw was priced at $349.99; a year ago in a NC pawn shop. Condition wish, it was about equal to my old gun.
I disagree that the Beretta 84 is impractical. It is a fine gun for an apartment or condo dweller, motor home traveler, business owner, delivery driver...any place or time where one may have need of rapid response in a dire situation where over penetration is a huge concern.
Demand and thus prices fluctuate wildly from one area to the next on most all firearms. You can't really assign a future logical value to what is essentially a shooter type, rather than a collectable gun. The nickel finish may be pretty, but tends to flake off alloy, which will affect value.
In the age of polymer frame handguns, owning and using a Beretta is a pleasure. A family owned company that is hundreds of years old and once made cannons for Napoleon; two reasons I will always own a Beretta.
Remember what Nike said, "Just Do It".
Opinions & Thoughts on Beretta 84FS?
I wear XXL gloves so for a normal grip I need the double stack, the fact that it matches up nicely to the .45 but weighs half as much with 14 rounds of BB hardcast.
A "big" .380 may not be the answer for little men but for me it works, I got no use for the 9mm
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I wear XXL gloves so for a normal grip I need the double stack, the fact that it matches up nicely to the .45 but weighs half as much with 14 rounds of BB hardcast.
A "big" .380 may not be the answer for little men but for me it works, I got no use for the 9mm
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