Beretta .380

[ct266]

I am thinking of buying a Beretta 85 or 86FS cheetah. I am a smaller female and have fired a .380 millineum pro, .380 Firestorm, a S&W 9mm and a Ruger .22. The 9mm had too much recoil and was very loud. The .22 had virtually no recoil and I was the most accurate with it. I enjoyed shooting the .380s.
I read that a blowback gun can have more recoil. Is that true with regards to the Beretta? The Beretta was very easy for me to cock, but I have not found anywhere to shoot one. Any thoughts or advise?

 

[Surefire]

I have a Beretta 85 (bought it mostly for its cute looks and size rather than really needing a .380). Its a fabulous shooter, and recoil isn't that bad for a .380 (IMO, .380s can be snappier/sharper than some 9mms). Having said this, for defense I would recommend trying a few 9mms that are low in recoil. 9mm ammo is a lot cheaper than .380, which will allow you more practice--with practice and proper training you'll get use to the recoil.

In my opinion, unless there is a physical limit (such as a debilitating injury), 9mm recoil can be handled by almost all shooters that put in the practice time and are trained properly. In fact, I've trained small women to handle .44 magnum recoil (working them up caliber by caliber as they master each one).

Long story short, don't necessarily discount the 9mm based on recoil just yet. If you take a class, there is a strong chance that you can be easily trained to handle 9mm recoil. The .380 is a good pistol round in my opinion, but its not quite up to defense minimum (again in my opinion).

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I like my 86 (the tipup barrel version), but for a collector/"fun" gun, not a defensive sidearm. I would not opt for it given the fact that a Glock 19 is almost exactly the same height and length but offers 16 rounds of full-power 9mm Luger, and the recoil is about the same. I would certainly not wish to stand in front of a Beretta when someone is shooting at me with it, however.

 

[gbelleh]

What are you planning to use it for? Carry, home defense, range fun?

What 9mm gun did you shoot? Size, weight and barrel length can make a big difference in recoil and noise.

 

[DogBonz]

ct266, Welcome to THR

I read that a blowback gun can have more recoil. Is that true with regards to the Beretta?

Yes, it is true that a straight blow back action will impart more felt recoil on to the shooter, all else being equal. The thing is that the Beretta is very large for a 380 and its size and weight, along with a comfortable grip, will help tame the recoil.

The 380, while not the most powerful self defense round, will do its job if you do yours. I am a somewhat large guy, but I have carried a 380 with confidence. Remember, the biggest, best gun is totally useless if you don’t have it when you need it, or can’t hit reliably with it because you flinch when you pull the trigger.

The bottom line is, get something that fits you and your hands well and practice with it. I would also recommend a class if you have not taken one yet. I think that everyone should, male or female, big or small, it can only help.

Also, check out www.corneredcat.com

It is a website run by one of our female Moderators and is geared towards helping women with firearms. It is a great site and my girlfriend found it very helpful when choosing a pistol.