First handgun is my M9 when I was 19, got lucky and picked up an 85BB as my main Conceal Carry on my 21st carried it over a year. No one volunteers to stand on the receiving end of a .380 ACP.
I just picked one up at scheels. First batch that they got. Excited to go to range to test out this 5lb DA trigger. Which is around 5lb lighter than a 92 DA, i believe.
Why did they stick with the blowback operation? Brutal on the hand. I know as I have the 84 and 85 cheetahs. They had me on buying this until I saw it was another blowback pistol. Not sure what the market is for this, other than us Beretta lovers. Make it in locked breech, and I'll buy it immediately.
Larger barrel giving you better performance in 380. Add a quicker follow up shot than 9mm has its advantages especially when the cost difference in ammo is much different these days
PS. I should’ve started with this: great review! I really appreciate how you came to this with a preference for 9mm but gave an incredibly fair review. Hat tip from the Peoples Republic of Maine.
I'm curious because your review of the Ruger Security 380 was really positive. Here is a pistol that fills the same gap from a consumer perspective and you were a lot harsher on it. We're talking very similar guns here: compact, decent capacity, easy to rack, 380 pistols. I have no doubt that the Beretta is head and shoulders above the Ruger in quality (I'll find out when I get my 80x next week). I'm curious why you're lukewarm on the Beretta and (seemingly) much more enthusiastic about the Ruger. The only possible advantage I could give the Ruger is the price - you could buy two of 'em for what the Beretta costs!
True, but the Ruger takes full advantage of the round. By employing a locked breech method of operation over blowback, the Ruger feels like it has half the recoil and is vastly easier to rack the slide. IMO, the Ruger is what the new Beretta should have been, minus the polymer frame.
@@AmmoLandTV Yep -- I get it. I mean if Ruger can make the LCP MAX with a Browning lock-up why did Beretta stick with blowback? I guess they were building on their existing legacy. A micro-sub-compact 92 would be cool, but this is the next best thing. I'm picking up my 80x this week and can't wait to hit the range!
I want exactly the gun you described when you said what this gun SHOULD have been....a micro Beretta 92...I want that hypothetical gun so badly that if this is all I get, then I'll probably still buy it lol.
I have posted this on a few reviews, but I have come to definitely see a place for the .380. I have handguns in multiple calibers, but have decided to go with .380 primarily for self defense purposes in the future. I live in an apartment and feel like the .38O is a good choice for home defense because it allows me to adequately defend myself while at least somewhat reducing the risk of harm to neighbors due to over penetration. A bigger .380 with a rail is ideal. As far as carry goes, I would prefer the simplicity of a small revolver or semiauto in a pocket holster.
I’m okay with .380 as a caliber because shot placement is a big deal for me. Not just hitting what I’m aiming for but not hitting what I’m not aiming for as well. So, the reduced recoil combined with the rapid target re-acquisition, means a double tap with reduced chances of target penetration or (in an indoor situation) reduced risk to others in the building. My initial interest was for my daughter but we like to shoot the same stuff. The cheetah is small but not too small, heavy enough to dampen recoil, light enough to carry. Good capacity and expandable with slim mags. Overall, I would rather reliably place 2-3 slugs center of mass with .380 rather than having 9mm going wide/high/low. I get the 9mm has more stopping capacity but,a well placed .380 is more blessed to give than to receive.
If you're looking for a "Beretta 84," in .380ACP, but don't want to pay $900, you can check out the "Tisas Fatih 13." It is made on officially licensed tooling from Beretta, has a 4" long barrel & costs less than half as much. I own one, it's kinda picky on feeding ammo, but Ammo Inc's 100g flat nose ammo feeds 100% reliably for me so far. I've owned the Fatih since December 2021, & the firearm is flawless in fit & finish.
If it’s finicky on ammo, then it’s NOT even close to Beretta cheetah “tooling.” It’s Turkish junk and you get what you pay for. I have two cheetahs and they’ll shoot any and all ammo I feed it and for the last 35 years.
The Tisas is just a picky gun bro. I bought a case of 1000 95 grain Tula “Seargent Major” Zinc Plated RN FMJ and that Tisas doesn’t feed them. It also didn’t feed some high dollar Fiocchi 95 gr FMJ. But it will feed Aguila 95 gr FMJ just fine.
@@ericbergfield6451 All round nose FMJ I used. It has more to do with the case. If the case of the bullet is too rigid (not smoothed out) then it snags, even if it’s just a regular FMJ
Say i don't suppose you have the Fighlite Banditito? 😜 I supposedly have one of these on BO in Launch edition Bronze but still haven't heard back since February. "Your going to love how this gun feels in your hand" interesting Honest Outlaw said he was "playing through the pain" it's the blowback operation versus what? Like a striker fired gun like my Xds and Xdm lol... yes im that guy.
In another review, I saw an ex homicide detective comment that after like 30 years on the force, he saw far more people shot dead by .380's than any other caliber. If, on average, it takes two or three rounds to get a kill, the .380 makes a lot of sense. Why because less recoil, means faster, better, more accurate shot placement. Reviewers tend to forget there is a whole market out there for .380's. The handicapped, most women, hand issues from old age and even fear of recoil. Myself? I just bought this Beretta 80x and I'll tell you why. The gun is kinda like an Italian sports car. It's got a look that, well, it's like comparing a Ferrari to a VW (Beretta...Glock). It's not a "toy" as in; you really feel good about your PLASTIC gun? This will be my EDC. I have no problem concealing it on me. My overall's pockets can hide a full size 1911.
I’m with you. Why carry a .380 (which I 💙 by the way), when there’s 9mm’s available that are smaller, lighter and easier to conceal? The 80X while beautiful, doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. None. Unless…. You’re a resident of Mexico, where 9mm is illegal. 9mm is also cheaper to feed than .380. The only .380 I like is a Glock 42 for when I need ultra concealment.
If all the civilians use government calibers then it makes the price of the governments ammo cheaper. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want governments to piggyback on our work and get cheap 9mm.
.380 FMJ will do the job. Better civilian caliber choice anyways. We control the ammo market. If we all buy government calibers, it makes 9mm cheaper for the governments. Not ideal.
Word of caution folks... was excited to get mine hot off the presses. Cleaned it and went to the range. Jammed solid on first shot. Submitted service request to Beretta and been 3 days now waiting on response. Tried to use chat and call and wound up on perpetual hold. Have an $800 paperweight right now until I can get a response. Also noticed on their site that service times are 30+ days Update: now on my 5th day of trying to get Beretta to answer the phone or email. Strengthening my warning here to seriously consider dont buy
@No Body And just to clarify.... for a brand new firearm, I am also looking for cause. Chamber size issue? Something else? I want manufacturer assurance of safety check.
@@charlesroux8 Got an email after a week with return labels. However the email said that service times were now over 8 weeks and that if it was determined that it wasnt their fault, return time would be longer and billable. Since I was concerned that it was an ammo issue, I just said to heck with it and went at it myself more aggressively with the wooden dowel down the barrel. Eventually, I got the slide back. The casing was not split and didnt seem swollen, so I dont know what had it jammed so tight. Stripped it, cleaned it, and function checked it and took it to the range. Ran 100 rounds through it with 1 ftf, and 1 mild fte. No solid jams. Labels are good for 30 days, so will run a couple hundred more through it to see if there is any reason to send back. Original ammo was Norma. This last time I used Underwood and Norma. Happy that it is working, but the overall customer service and warranty service situation will give me long pause before considering Beretta.
@@corporalpunish6089 . None of my Beretta's have ever been sent back for warranty ( cx4 storm, 92fs, storm compact carry). I would also have expected more from Beretta service. I've never used Norma, mostly a Federal and Remington user. taking my new 80x to the range this weekend. Crossing my fingers. Good luck with yours.
@@charlesroux8 The Norma USA stuff is pretty good. They opened a new factory in Georgia and was one of the first ones that really started to get stuff back to market after all the empty shelves. They were selling at a real good price and free shipping. I stocked up on a bunch. Their prices came back up since but worth looking at.
