A good friend bought his daughter this gun NIB years ago, but she only fired it once or twice and it's now come back to my friend to sell. It's blue with what looks like a nickel slide, 2 mags, in 380 ACP. Made in Italy.

Appears pristine - are these good pistols, and if so, what would be a good price?

thanks
aileron

This message has been edited. Last edited by: aileron,

I have one, many came over as police surplus from Europe. I haven’t shot mine much but like it.

I’d look at online prices for surplus pistols, then get to a ‘friend discount’ price.

Outstanding little pistol.

Excellent pistol! I have a 84BB & a 81 in 32ACP. They've been dependable & very accurate.

I have never seen a surplus 84. There are many surplus 85's, however. The Cheetah is a series of fine Beretta pistols. There are several models. The 81 is in .32 ACP, the 84 in 380, the 85 (single stack) in 380, the 86 (tip up barrel, like a Tomcat), and the 87, in .22 lr, also a single stack. Current prices, for NIB condition, are:

81-not imported as new. Current surplus models are available for about 350. (single stack)
84-750-800. I have seen them go for more on GB
85-450-500. The least desirable of the series
86-1100-1300 No longer in production
87-750-850 If you can find them. Don't confuse this mode with the 87T, a similar target model lacking the same cachet.

If you are helping a seller, I would recommend consignment in a reputable shop. A fair fee is about 15%. The shop can post it on websites, process credit card payments, and lawfully ship the gun. It will likely require a fairly wide market to get full value. The do tend to do well on auction sites.

An interesting feature of this gun is that a .32 barrel can be installed and 32 fired in it without changing other parts, other than perhaps a magazine.

More details and photos are available on Beretta blogs.

I'm quite a fan of these guns, I have copies of all but the 86.

Thanks to all. I'm afraid this is going to be like the stainless P230 I couldn't turn down from a different buddy. This little Beretta should probably should be re-homed to my safe.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: aileron,

They have a well earned reputation for accuracy and reliability. Recoil is a bit stout for the power of the cartridge, like all blowback .380s. MecGar mags are still in production and excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyEngineer:
They have a well earned reputation for accuracy and reliability. Recoil is a bit stout for the power of the cartridge, like all blowback .380s. MecGar mags are still in production and excellent.

Concur with all three. It's an excellent pistol, nicely balanced for its size. If you like P230s, you'd also find this one very enjoyable to own.

This thread is killing me. I just traded my 84FS yesterday toward the purchase of an HK. It was a fantastic .380, I just didn't carry it, or shoot it much, so it was moved out of the collection. Beretta still makes mags for it. It was very accurate, 100% reliable (I had about 300 rounds thru it, both Fmj , and hydra shoks) and a little snappy but fun to shoot.
The shop I traded it to also had a used, mint 85FS in the case.
Great guns if you fund one.

I have an 84fs and it’s a great pistol. The little sucker is surprisingly accurate. If .380 ammo wasn’t so expensive, I’d shoot it more.

They are excellent. They are practically the model for mid-sized, medium power cartridge pistols. You can't do better.

I'd be tempted if the price was right, even though I have virtually no use for a .380.

I have a 87, which is the most fun .22 pistol I have.

As stated above, keep it and get the .32 barrel. I have 3 variations in .32 (including an FS), the 87, and an 84 in .380. My family loves the various .32s and the 87 - as do I. Not much to add except I’m a fan and love the series - hope you get to enjoy it as much as we do.