So I put in a bid and won a Beretta 84F from CDI on gunbroker. I'm still waiting for it to come in and I'm sure it will need a deep cleaning before I put some rounds through it but I'm curious about what to expect with this pistol. Its just not a pistol that sees much discussion on the various forums out there. So what kind of experiences have you had with one of these little Beretta .380 pistols?
Beretta 84F, what to expect?
- Thread starter USMCGrunt
- Start date
Fla_dogman
New member
I have the Browning BDA and have shot the Beretta 85. Both were great shooters, felt good in my hand an very accurate. Mine holds 13+1 so the grip is thick the other was a 10 shot I think. It felt better than mine and is probably easier to conceal. I'm not sure what the difference is between the 84 and the 85 is but I believe you'll love it.
Fla_dogman
New member
Here's mine
wnycollector
New member
I picked my Beretta 84B from Cole's/CDI a half dozen years ago. The Beretta became my edc for a few years. The pistol was easy to carry, reliable and very accurate. I never felt underguned with 14 rounds of .380 on my hip.
Deaf Smith
New member
What to expect?
Bang.. Bang.. Bang.. Bang.. Bang.. just boring, continuous, bang.. bang.. bang.. all day long.
Deaf
Bang.. Bang.. Bang.. Bang.. Bang.. just boring, continuous, bang.. bang.. bang.. all day long.
Deaf
Limnophile
New member
Expect good things. Of the .380s now in production, the Beretta 84 FS is king.
I have heard and read nothing but good things about the Beretta 84, 85, etc and similar Browning BDA. I have come close to buying the Beretta version several times. Both the single stack and double stack versions feel great in my hand. In nickle, it is one of my dream guns as I don't think there was ever a better looking gun made. Probably the only criticism is that as a .380 it is quite large, larger than quite a few 9mms, but that should also make recoil a breeze. If it fits what you are looking for, you made a good choice (and I'm a bit jealous).
First; Why do people say the Beretta is large for the caliber, but don't put the same criticism on the 1911, which is much larger and heavier than many other .45 s? Double standard here? 
The Berettas are beautiful, accurate, reliable, have a very nice trigger, feel good, point well and really has no flaw other than being properly sized to the human hand, (see above ). The best .380 ever made IMHO. I carried one for years and never ever had it fail or disappoint.
My favorite out of three I've owned.
The Berettas are beautiful, accurate, reliable, have a very nice trigger, feel good, point well and really has no flaw other than being properly sized to the human hand, (see above
). The best .380 ever made IMHO. I carried one for years and never ever had it fail or disappoint. My favorite out of three I've owned.
I believe they are some of the best 380's out there. I also picked up 2 of the Beretta's from CD I one for me and one for the wife. They feel great in the hand, are accurate and reliable and with 13+1 of 380 on tap I feel well armed if needed. They really are good looking guns and am happy too own them. I would suggest replacement of the recoil spring just as a precaution, you dont know how many rounds were put through it before. Congrats on an excellent addition.
The Beretta is a nice gun. I prefer the 84B and 84BB because they can be carried cocked and locked but I have owned a FS before and it is a great gun. I always seem to get one shoot it for a year or so then let it go because I don't shoot a lot of 380 auto.
I do believe it is a bit large & heavy for the caliber compared to newer designs. It is not the same at the 1911 because the 1911 is large and heavy but holds the 45 ACP which is a better defensive round IMHO. Not that 380 auto cannot work but it is walking the thin line of a defensive caliber handgun IMHO. Please "feel" better about lugging around a 45. LOL
As to CDI they are very conservative about their grading. Cole's Distribution AKA CDI under promises and over delivers most of the time. The other nice thing is that they do an excellent job of hiding the import stamp so the beauty of the gun is not diminished.
Enjoy it!
I do believe it is a bit large & heavy for the caliber compared to newer designs. It is not the same at the 1911 because the 1911 is large and heavy but holds the 45 ACP which is a better defensive round IMHO. Not that 380 auto cannot work but it is walking the thin line of a defensive caliber handgun IMHO. Please "feel" better about lugging around a 45. LOL
As to CDI they are very conservative about their grading. Cole's Distribution AKA CDI under promises and over delivers most of the time. The other nice thing is that they do an excellent job of hiding the import stamp so the beauty of the gun is not diminished.
Enjoy it!
carguychris
New member
The F-suffix models have a well-documented problem with a false detent in the decocker/safety lever between the FIRE and SAFE/DECOCK positions. This detent is NOT meant as a "cocked-and-locked" option, and the gun should NEVER be carried in SA mode with the lever in this position, because the lever will tend to spontaneously pop back into the FIRE position. The lever should always be pushed through to the SAFE/DECOCK position.
This was fixed on the FS models. If you want a cocked-and-locked option, buy an earlier no-suffix, B, or BB version.
FWIW the B and later versions, including the F, have a trigger-actuated firing-pin block for safer DA/off-safe carry. The no-suffix pistols rely solely on an inertial firing pin.
Magazine disconnects were offered as an option on all Series 81 Berettas. If your pistol has one and you don't want it, simply remove the RH grip panel and lift out the large curly-Q spring underneath it, reinstall the grip panel without the spring, and it's gone. The mechanism works by the spring pulling down on the trigger bar and disconnecting the trigger; a little shelf on the magazine body pushes up on the tip of the spring to disengage it. (If only ALL pistols had such easily removable mag disconnects. )
The Browning BDA 380 uses the same magazines as the 84. Mec-Gar magazines are highly recommended.
These pistols were sighted for a "combat hold" at ~5m and again at 50m. They typically shoot high at ranges in between, and this is most pronounced at 25m / 25yds. Use a 6 o'clock hold at this range. However, at typical SD/HD distances (7ds-15yds), the difference between POA and POI is basically negligible IMHO—certainly close enough to get the job done!
Series 81 Berettas often exhibit a frame battering problem at high round counts. This manifests itself in a takedown lever that is hard to turn and/or the barrel/slide assembly hanging up after moving slightly forward; in some cases, the assembly must be forcefully hammered off with a wood block or a plastic mallet. This is caused by the alloy frame becoming "mushroomed" around the guide rod channel, and can be fixed by filing down the battered metal. However, the pistol typically has to have thousands of rounds through it before this becomes a problem, and most of the CDI guns fit in the typical "carried a lot, shot a little" LE surplus category.
Speaking of assembly and disassembly, make sure you center the extractor slot in the barrel over the extractor claw when putting the pistol back together. The slide assembly can be assembled with the barrel in the wrong position, but it won't go onto the frame this way. If the slide assembly hangs up about 3/4" before the slide and frame are flush, check that the barrel is in the correct position before you try to force anything.
Hope this helps!
The lever should always be pushed through to the SAFE/DECOCK position. This was fixed on the FS models. If you want a cocked-and-locked option, buy an earlier no-suffix, B, or BB version.
FWIW the B and later versions, including the F, have a trigger-actuated firing-pin block for safer DA/off-safe carry. The no-suffix pistols rely solely on an inertial firing pin.
Magazine disconnects were offered as an option on all Series 81 Berettas. If your pistol has one and you don't want it, simply remove the RH grip panel and lift out the large curly-Q spring underneath it, reinstall the grip panel without the spring, and it's gone.
The mechanism works by the spring pulling down on the trigger bar and disconnecting the trigger; a little shelf on the magazine body pushes up on the tip of the spring to disengage it. (If only ALL pistols had such easily removable mag disconnects. )The Browning BDA 380 uses the same magazines as the 84. Mec-Gar magazines are highly recommended.
These pistols were sighted for a "combat hold" at ~5m and again at 50m. They typically shoot high at ranges in between, and this is most pronounced at 25m / 25yds. Use a 6 o'clock hold at this range. However, at typical SD/HD distances (7ds-15yds), the difference between POA and POI is basically negligible IMHO—certainly close enough to get the job done!
Series 81 Berettas often exhibit a frame battering problem at high round counts. This manifests itself in a takedown lever that is hard to turn and/or the barrel/slide assembly hanging up after moving slightly forward; in some cases, the assembly must be forcefully hammered off with a wood block or a plastic mallet. This is caused by the alloy frame becoming "mushroomed" around the guide rod channel, and can be fixed by filing down the battered metal. However, the pistol typically has to have thousands of rounds through it before this becomes a problem, and most of the CDI guns fit in the typical "carried a lot, shot a little" LE surplus category.
Speaking of assembly and disassembly, make sure you center the extractor slot in the barrel over the extractor claw when putting the pistol back together. The slide assembly can be assembled with the barrel in the wrong position, but it won't go onto the frame this way. If the slide assembly hangs up about 3/4" before the slide and frame are flush, check that the barrel is in the correct position before you try to force anything.
Hope this helps!
Mrgunsngear
New member
They're great guns... but they're snappy. Not terrible but something to be aware of, especially for new shooters.
Beretta 84
You can expect mostly good things like a nice trigger, pretty good sights, a full hand grip, good capacity, uber reliable, very easy take down, low recoil. What I don't like is it's a hard to rack pistol. Due to the blow back action it has a heck of a recoil spring. I find it hard to to get a good grip of the slide also. I saw a video on you tube where the guy in it holds the 84 close in to his body which gets you to use your back muscles to help work the slide. It actually works. That said I still wish it was easier to rack. Other than that I think it's a fine gun.
You can expect mostly good things like a nice trigger, pretty good sights, a full hand grip, good capacity, uber reliable, very easy take down, low recoil. What I don't like is it's a hard to rack pistol. Due to the blow back action it has a heck of a recoil spring. I find it hard to to get a good grip of the slide also. I saw a video on you tube where the guy in it holds the 84 close in to his body which gets you to use your back muscles to help work the slide. It actually works. That said I still wish it was easier to rack. Other than that I think it's a fine gun.
Whirlwind06
New member
I love mine I bought it from CDI last year.
I guess that just shows how recoil is a relative thing, I think it's a fairly soft shooting gun.
I guess that just shows how recoil is a relative thing, I think it's a fairly soft shooting gun.
