Beretta 84?

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I have a Beretta Model 84, circa 1980. Wonderful pistol.

Feeds about anything I have fed it. If it feeds, it ejects.

I am happy with the accuracy but it as been a long time since I shot the pistol so I forget exactly the group sizes i was getting. 13 round magazines are nice to have.

The only trouble my gun has had, where the slide contacts the frame, it peens over the frame a little and over time I have to clean it up so that I can disassemble the gun. I have had to clean up the frame three or four times in 3500-4000 rounds.
 
I have a 84bb. Beautiful pistol, reliable and accurate. Quality that's hard to find these days. Mine weighs 30oz.loaded with 14 rounds so it's a belt gun for me. The weight makes recoil mild in my opinion.
 
I had one for a couple of years back in the 1980s. It was reasonably accurate, felt good, reliable, and obviously high quality. I sold it because it was a pretty big pistol and the recoil was pretty sharp. I saw no real advantage over my then-Browning HiPower. I still have the same Beretta M87, just like the M84, but in 22 long rifle. I can't say why I think it's too big for a 380, but just right for a 22LR.
 
IMHO, the Beretta 84 is one of the best designs ever made. They are very reliable, high quality and easy to shoot well. I carried a 84f for many years. It never let me down.

Beretta84withrubbergrips001.jpg
 
I just bought a new 84FS. Great gun Pretty much a smaller version of the 92. One of the few non blowback 380's so it is a pleasure to shoot. Fits my hand great. Very well made. I really like it.
 
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Chose your poison is what I say about them. I have both, the 84F and the BDA which are essentially the same gun made by Beretta. Do you want open or closed slide? Do you want a decocker that flips down or up? Do you want Nickle or Blued? Do you want the combat frame or smooth frame?

There are tons of versions and options. A true collector would have a lot of fun with them.

As to the guns, 13 rounds plus one in the chamber of reliability. I used mine for carry and travel for years just because they are small, decock, lots of firepower and are nicely made and travel well. Don't let anyone tell you that the 380 is "underpowered" when you can drop 14 rounds of it quickly and accurately with a little 84.

With the rise of the mini-9mm's (EMP, glock 43, or similar) I see the 84F being passed by. It has a chunky grip to hold 13 rounds of 380, is blowback which leads to a sharp recoil for the power level and not cheap because it is made of metal not plastic.

Myself? I stopped carrying mine routinely years ago and it morphed into a "truck gun" for business trips. Very easy to tuck in and carry when traveling. I would not sell either though. They are great little guns, good at the range, safe to handle and teach new shooters with.

Highly recommended to add at least one to your collection!
 
I am a big fan of the same platform in 32 acp. I have a couple 81s that are great. Never really warmed up to the 380.
 
Had one when they first came out. Super reliable, easy to shoot, could be carried cocked and locked, decent DA/SA trigger, and was very accurate. Downside was the wide grip frame to accommodate the double column magazine. Not so good for concealed carry but I found the gun better suited for the home defense role.
 
Had one for many years, but finally sold it awhile back. Well made, nice shooting gun, but for me it was sort of a gun in "search of the right mission." Too big for concealed carry for a .380 (my S&W 6906 is about the same size and weight, same mag capacity, but 9mm, so a better defensive round); not a target gun; the size is fine for a bedside nightstand gun but there are better choices for this role that are the same size but more suitable defensive caliber..... Though it might be an ok choice for a home defense gun, for someone who is recoil sensitive. For me, it had no real "role". But it was a nice looking, well made, nice shooting gun, which is probably why I kept it for so many years before finally selling it!
 
I have an older blued 84BB that I think is beautiful. I've always loved the looks and the quality is very nice IMO. I don't find myself shooting it much though. It's too "large for caliber" for me to want to carry it. For just joy of shooting, I'd rather shoot a BHP or a 9mm 1911. For deep carry I have a small modern polymer frame single stack .380.

That being said they are beautiful to my eyes, nice quality, and mine has been reliable. I bought it used for a great price and I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. The slide to frame fit is smoother when manually working the slide than any other pistol I own.
 
I have a Browning BDA which is basically an 84BB. I like to shoot it and it is a great waistband gun but I find it can not fill any of my niches. I wont get rid of it though.
 
I have one. It is a 84B and has a beautiful blues finish. It is sleek and classy. I think that they are one of the best 380s ever made. They are great shooters but as others have stated they are a bit of a tweener gun in terms of size for the caliber.

84b-2_zpsxjqnzuti.jpg

84b-5_zpsskqtqrgf.jpg
 
My shooting buddy has one and I am always disappointed if he doesn't bring it to the range. It aims very naturally, and feels right.

I cannot stand the 92 (feels like a brick in the hand), but the 84 balances perfectly even with the thick wood grips. I know some feel the recoil is a bit snappy, but to me it's always been a soft shooter.

I told my friend if he ever sells his, I've got dibs.
 
I bought my Beretta 84 in 1980 and since then believe it is outstandingly well designed and one of the most beautiful pistols ever made until Beretta deformed it with the squared-off trigger guard in later versions. It is too large for a pocket pistol and a little under powered in a World that has 9mms of similar size and weight. It is perfect for someone who for whatever reason cannot or does not want to shoot anything with more power than a .380 in a larger than pocket size pistol. Women with hands big enough to comfortable hold it often love this pistol for its looks, weight, purse size, and relatively low recoil.
 
Give a woman a Beretta 84/Browning BDA and she will throw away that SIG/Ruger/Colt Mustang micro .380 that you thought would be perfect for her.
 
Mine feels great in my hand. It is accurate and fun to shoot. It hasn't malfunctioned. It is a nice looking pistol.
 
I like mine

Mine makes a great car gun due to the large magazine capacity.

Also, in my experience, it is the most reliable and accurate .380ACP available. The large size means a full size grip to hold onto and spreads out the recoil. I find the 84 to be a soft recoiling pistol.
BERETTA quality means a smooth trigger and the sights are excellent. This all contributes to practical accuracy for me.
It will also feed any ammo except the WINCHESTER White box with 100 percent reliability, even the often troubling FEDERAL Hydra Shok. It is the only .380ACP that I have fired that is 100% reliable with Hydra Shok.

The later FS models add improve the gun by modifying the safety into a hammer dropper if you push up on the safety instead of down. A really useful feature to me.

I also have shot the similar model 82 in .32ACP. Same story except the recoil is even less.

I wish BERETTA had tried a more powerful round like the 9m.m. Police (9x18). With a good hollow point, this would be an awesome gun for recoil shy shooters.

Jim
 
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