Bersa Thunder 380 vs. Beretta 85 Cheetah,,,

[aarondhgraham]

I see these guns come up in threads all the time,,,
In most cases people think the Beretta Cheetah is much bigger than a Bersa 380.

It simply not true.

I think there is some kind of optical illusion clouding the Beretta,,,
People think it is huge until they see a side by side comparison.

Here is a pic of my Bersa Thunder 380 and my Beretta Cheetah side by side.



As you can see the Beretta is not even 1/4 inch longer that the Bersa,,,
All the other dimensions are so similar that they feel the same in my hands.

This past Sunday I took them out for a dance,,,
50 perfectly functioning shots for each gun,,,
I think I like the Cheetah a teensy more,,,
But they are both excellent performers.

If the Cheetah only had a de-cocker,,,
I would qualify as my perfect pistol.

Aarond

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[PSP]

If the Cheetah only had a de-cocker,,,
I would qualify as my perfect pistol.

You must have an older Beretta 85 as the current 85f and fs models, out since about 1990, have a decocker. I agree, the Beretta is a great gun. I too think it superior to the Bersa.

[aarondhgraham]

You musty have an older Beretta 85...

Yeppers,,,
Mine is an 85BB model.

I didn't know the new ones had a de-cocker,,,
Now it is the perfect medium sized pistol.

Aarond

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[gunluver]

The Beretta 85 is about the sexiest pistol being produced (especially in nickel). I had one early on in my gun buying years and regret selling it off years ago. It is currently again on my "to buy" list.

[ROCK6]

For my wife’s first handgun, she was pretty set on a .380. We tried Walther, Sig, Bersa, and the Cheetah. I preferred the Sig 230, but my wife ended up with the Bersa. She actually like the Cheetah but thought it was too big…that was even a side-by-side comparison and you’re correct in that they are very, very close in size to the Bersa. Needless to say, of all the choices, she picked the Bersa and with three new additional CCW pieces, it’s still here favorite.

I like the lines of the 85BB, it think it’s the squared trigger guard that makes them look bigger as it kind of makes the Bersa look larger in the photo. Still, both are excellent functioning .380’s!

ROCK6

[aarondhgraham]

The Beretta 85 is about the sexiest pistol being produced

I agree whole-heartedly!

Towards the end of the shooting season,,,
One of the members of a local gun club hosts a James Bond shootout.

It's his personal thing to do and it's all about grown adults having fun and acting a bit silly.

The men must be wearing tuxedos and the women must wear slinky casino dresses.

The guns have to be small secret agent style guns,,,
Lots of Beretta .22's, .25's, .32's, & .380's,,,
And a healthy dose of Walther PPK's,,,
As well as Bersa and Taurus.

Everyone shoots some movie inspired spy style scenarios,,,
But the prizes are for the best James Bond pose,,,
Not for the shooting itself.

Like I said,,,
It's a bit silly but lots of fun.

This year I'll be using my 85BB Cheetah.

She actually like the Cheetah but thought it was too big…that was even a side-by-side comparison and you’re correct in that they are very, very close in size to the Bersa.

I'm not surprised there,,,
I think the Cheetah is "bulkier" then the Thunder,,,
Especially if one happens to pick up the double-stack Model 84.

Fortunately for your wife,,,
The Bersa seems to perform as well as the Beretta.
I own them both and my experience is that they are equal in performance.

But hands down,,,
To me in any event,,,
The Beretta is the more aesthetically pleasing gun

Aarond

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[Topkicker]

I have the Beretta's brother. A Browning BDA. I like the size (still easy to conceal) and the 13 round magazine. Great shooting gun. Much lighter trigger than the pocket .380's.

[DarthPete]

I was longing for an 85fs for the longest time but the price tag held me off.

Until.... my dealer got a dead mint condition used example. 2001 build date but it looks brand new. Plunked down $550 and it was mine. I love this pistol, it's fantastic, shoots like a dream.

I took a day to think on a used BDA for $479 from the same dealer, and *poof* missed out on that one. Been kicking myself since.

[Pilot]

Yep, I've been carrying my M85FS a lot lately. Great pistol, and yes it has a decocker.

I do like the round trigger guard of the older 85BB, however. Very nice!

[aarondhgraham]

I do like the round trigger guard of the older 85BB, however. Very nice!

I'm with you there my friend.

I like owning pairs of identical guns in rimfire/centerfire,,,
I purchased a new Beretta Cheetah Model 87 in .22 LR,,,
It had the rounded trigger guard like the older .380's,,,
You can imagine my joy in finding an 85BB to match.



I personally think the older Cheetah models are the sexiest pistols ever.

Aarond

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[wwwprof]

My vote go to the Beretta, perhaps the best looking gun ever made. This is my 84FS "Black Tie".

[PSP]

I've never seen a two tone like that before. Is that a nickle slide and a anodized frame? Very attractive.

[gunluver]

Wow wwwprof, that is about the most attractive 84 I've ever seen. Didn't think they made them like that.

[Pilot]

Beautiful guns there guys. Like the matched pair Aarond! I've always wanted an M87 .22LR.

[ral2531]

wwwprof - what are the sights like on your two-tone beretta? Does it have the two red dots? If so, do find them difficult to align? Any photos available for that? Thanks.

[lamarw]

An even better comparrison is the Sig P250 sub-compact compared to the Beretta 85 and the Bersa .380.

The big difference is 15 + 1 rounds of 9mm. The Sig is a better carry, but my Berettta 85F is by far the sexiest. I am not as big a fan of the Bersa.

[testuser]

I have a new found respect for these larger .380s, especially after last week. I took a few new shooters out to the range and let them try out a Bersa Thunder 380 next to a similarly sized and weighted 9mm.

The .380 probably had 1/2 the recoil of the 9mm, making it much easier to shoot. I've read a lot of comments on line about how "snappy" the .380 is. They much be shooting 10 ounce guns, because a 25 ounce .380 is very low recoil. Both new shooters, a bit on the recoil sensitive side, universally hated the 9mm.