Beretta 85F Cheetah question...

Status
Not open for further replies.

Milkmaster

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
2,606
Location
Murfreesboro, TN
Do any of you know if the Beretta 85F Cheetah has the same plastic parts like a 92FS? Or is the 85 an all metal pistol except for the grips?
 
I just ordered an Italian surplus 85F from Classic Firearms. I am hopeful I will like it as much as my 92FS. I read nothing but good things about the 85.
 
My guide rod and grips were plastic. Everything else was metal.

I switched the plastic parts on my 92fs with metal, didn't have to on my 85fs.
These are great shooting pistols!! Enjoy!!
 
The 85 like the rest of the 80 series/Cheetah pistols has an aluminum frame and steel slide. They are well made and perhaps overbuilt for the .380ACP. They are also large guns for the .380ACP round, but that can be a big bonus. You get, large (for caliber), comfortable grips which are usually plastic, easy to see sights, a smooth trigger and mild recoil for this round. Best of all, you get BERETTA 92 like reliability! I recommend the 84 and 85 for house guns or car guns, if you are recoil shy.

Jim
 
I'm curious as to what plastic parts these guns could have? I've had a couple 84's, and would love to find an 85 that I can reasonably afford.
On most new production 92's the trigger, magazine release, main spring housing, left side safety lever, and guide rod are either polymer or polymer over a wire steel core. Beretta sells a steel retrofit kit for about $75, but it doesnt include the mainspring cup.o_O
 
The 85 like the rest of the 80 series/Cheetah pistols has an aluminum frame and steel slide. They are well made and perhaps overbuilt for the .380ACP. They are also large guns for the .380ACP round, but that can be a big bonus. You get, large (for caliber), comfortable grips which are usually plastic, easy to see sights, a smooth trigger and mild recoil for this round. Best of all, you get BERETTA 92 like reliability! I recommend the 84 and 85 for house guns or car guns, if you are recoil shy.

Jim

I had the single stack version. Honestly - because it is blowback in 380 - I found the recoil to be more than a 92FS. I disagree.
 
I picked the cheetah up today. It's a surplus 85F from Italian police. I haven't cleaned it up yet, but the gun is tight and functions well. After taking these pictures I left it disassembled and soaking in some CLP until this weekend when I get a chance to clean it. Does the PM engraved on the side indicate police/military? One more thing I noticed is that the barrel has a serial number on it that matches the serial number on the frame. I have not seen that before. This one has a metal guide rod, trigger etc. I haven't found anything yet that isn't metal except the grips. IMG_4262.JPG IMG_4264.JPG IMG_4265.JPG
 
This is what I was told about the PM marking...

"PM” indicates the barrel was subjected to a proof cartridge and then passed a magnetic particle inspection. according to mr google
 
Shipwreck,

I could see that you think that the single stack model 85 would have a harder kick than the double stack model 84, but harder than the model 92? I was comparing the model 85 to other .380ACP pistols and I have found the large BERETTA 80 series to be mild kickers, whether in 380ACP or .32ACP. The 85 will kick less than a WALTHER PPK and is similar to another large .380ACP, the SIG 232. Micro .380ACP pistols can be a handful, I would agree, but I still find the BERETTA 80 series to be relatively mild.
My own experience with the model 92 is that it is a mild kicker for a 9m.m., even single stack 92CM Compact single column magazine version, which is still a large pistol.

Jim
 
Shipwreck,

I could see that you think that the single stack model 85 would have a harder kick than the double stack model 84, but harder than the model 92? I was comparing the model 85 to other .380ACP pistols and I have found the large BERETTA 80 series to be mild kickers, whether in 380ACP or .32ACP. The 85 will kick less than a WALTHER PPK and is similar to another large .380ACP, the SIG 232. Micro .380ACP pistols can be a handful, I would agree, but I still find the BERETTA 80 series to be relatively mild.
My own experience with the model 92 is that it is a mild kicker for a 9m.m., even single stack 92CM Compact single column magazine version, which is still a large pistol.

Jim

Yes, it did kick more than the 92FS to me. In fact, I ended up having to sell the 85. It beat the hell out of the 2nd joint of my right thumb. I could only shoot about 50 rounds and then had to stop. I should have gotten the 84, which would have spread out the recoil over a wider area. I have skinny hands, so it just beat the hell outta that area of my thumb.

But, even without that - I will easily say that the recoil impulse of the blowback Cheetah was higher than the 92. Over the past 20+ years, I've owned twenty eight Beretta 92 variants. So, I am VERY familiar with the 92 platform
 
Shipwreck,

I have not owned that many BERETTA 92's, I have had about 16 of them. I would suggest that you use a 92Compact, if you think that the 92 is softer kicking. I have 2 and prefer them to the full size 92FS model.

Jim
 
Milkmaster

I had both a Model 84 and a Model 85 and found that the 84 seemed to have less felt recoil than the 85, possibly as Shipwreck said because of the double stack magazine design of the 84. Both were relatively comfortable to shoot and the main reason I traded them off was because I thought that they were a little too big for a .380 for concealed carry (though I did use the 84 as my home defense gun for a number of years).

Once Colt came out with the Government .380 and Mustang models I was sold on their diminutive size, SAO trigger, and their locked breech mode of operation.

NH2IYCB.jpg
 
Shipwreck,

I have not owned that many BERETTA 92's, I have had about 16 of them. I would suggest that you use a 92Compact, if you think that the 92 is softer kicking. I have 2 and prefer them to the full size 92FS model.

Jim

I carried a fullsize 92Fs for several years, but I would be lying to say it was comfortable. I have owned several 92 compacts, but they are almost as heavy as the fullsize models.

I actually carry an HK P2000 now. Have been for 4.5 years now. I have hip problems with SI joint issues, so the HK P2000 is about the heaviest gun I can carry. It is still DA/SA, so it works well
 
Milkmaster

I had both a Model 84 and a Model 85 and found that the 84 seemed to have less felt recoil than the 85, possibly as Shipwreck said because of the double stack magazine design of the 84. Both were relatively comfortable to shoot and the main reason I traded them off was because I thought that they were a little too big for a .380 for concealed carry (though I did use the 84 as my home defense gun for a number of years).

Once Colt came out with the Government .380 and Mustang models I was sold on their diminutive size, SAO trigger, and their locked breech mode of operation.

View attachment 846545

I had a stainless Colt PONY in the 1990s. Low recoil, but heavy since it was all stainless. I kept having peening on the slide where the slide stop meets the slide. Colt replaced the slide for me, and when it started again, I just sold it. But, a nice little gun
 
Shipwreck

I consider myself fortunate in that I have never had a problem with my Mustang. The trigger has been great (I think it's a notch or two above the trigger on my other mini .380, a SIG P238), but Colt could have put better sights on it (big plus for the P238 in this particular instance).

Please forgive the thread drift. We now return to our regularly scheduled posts about the Beretta Model 85.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top