Estimated studying time: 11 minutes
Who knew that within the yr of our Lord 2024, we’d be taking a look at two new manufacturing, mid-size, blowback-operated .380 ACP pistols? These two new manufacturing pistols have gathered a good bit of steam and recognition. They’re the refined, elegant, and fancy Beretta 80X and the inexpensive, sturdy, and accessible Girsan MC14T. It’s a battle between Mediterranean maestros, whose devices are easy however spectacular firearms.
To be honest, the design does come from Beretta. Girsan primarily based the MC14T on the Beretta Cheetah sequence. The 80X is a continuation and modernization of the Cheetah sequence, which was produced from 1976 to 2017. Beretta introduced the sequence again in 2023. Girsan, and the Turkish handgun market as an entire, has not too long ago taken a shine to traditional handgun designs which are robust to acquire. This contains designs from Beretta, Browning, FN, and Colt.
Let’s check out our rivals.
The Beretta 80X
Beretta’s new X sequence has modernized its beloved, traditional designs. The 92X, 30X, and 80X have all been nicely obtained. The 80X mixes the superior ergonomics of the unique Cheetah sequence with trendy options and stylings to meet a brand new objective. The marketplace for handguns designed for people with poor hand power and disabilities has grown, and the Cheetah is a part of that crowd. It’s a straight blowback .380 ACP pistol with a 13-round journal.
The Girsan MC14T
The Girsan MC14T mixes a couple of of the unique Beretta Cheetah fashions, particularly the 84 and 86. This implies it’s received a tip-up barrel and double-stack magazines. The MC14T additionally options some extra trendy touches and isn’t afraid of what the fashionable market needs. The Girsan gives a reasonably inexpensive firearm that may additionally fill that hole available in the market for individuals with smaller-than-average arms.
Out there on GunsAmerica Now
What They Have in Widespread
The weapons have rather a lot in widespread, so I wished to match them. From the skin, they appear related. They’re each Beretta designs, however solely the 80X is a Beretta.
Each are DA/SA pistols that use a straight blowback design and hearth the outdated .380, aka 9mm Quick, aka 9mm Kurz, aka 9mm Corto, aka 9mm Browning, aka 9mm Browning Courtroom. Why the hell are there so many names for .380 ACP? It has extra AKAs than ODB.
Each weapons use similar and interchangeable 13-round double-stack magazines. The hammers are uncovered, and each weapons have ambidextrous frame-mounted safeties. They each have accent rails.
In case you had been simply taking a look at every gun’s product web page, it may be robust to inform which is value your hard-earned money. Fortunately, you’ve come right here, and we plan to totally check the weapons to find out whether or not one is a more sensible choice.
Design Variations Between the 80x and the MC14T
Off the bat, the 80X is available in swinging with optics-ready functionality. It requires a plate, however you may simply mount a crimson dot on the 80X. I mounted a Swampfox Sentinel 2, which makes use of the RSMc footprint, and it really works like a allure. A crimson dot makes taking pictures quicker, additional, and straighter simpler. The actual draw back is how excessive the dot sits on the Beretta 80X. It’s at revolver crimson dot heights, and you need to take away the rear sight to put in the crimson dot.
The 80X contains a security that doubles as a decocker. The MC14T contains a less complicated security that enables for cocked and locked carry. The Girsan additionally has a 4.5-inch barrel in comparison with the Beretta’s 3.9-inch design. The T in MC14T stands for tip-up, or no less than I assume it does.
With the press of a lever, the barrel pops upward and exposes the chamber. This makes it very straightforward to load and clear, and supplies an alternative choice to working the slide for weaker arms. The draw back to the tip-up design is the dearth of an extractor and ejector. It depends purely on the blowback design to eject and extract cartridges.
When it really works, it really works. When you have got a malfunction, it creates an advanced malfunction that may’t be mounted by one thing so simple as a faucet, rack, bang drill. The 80X has an extractor and ejector, and malfunctions will be remedied with a tap-rack-bang drill.
Recoil and Muzzle Rise
Neither gun has a lot muzzle rise. They’re flat-shooting weapons, and the sights are fast to get again on track. It’s straightforward to throw lots of rounds rapidly and precisely with both gun. The truth that the barrel doesn’t transfer rearward whereas firing helps preserve the gun flat-shooting. Who says a blowback operation doesn’t have its advantages?
There’s a distinction between felt recoil. The Girsan MC14T has noticeably extra. Or maybe it’s extra uncomfortable? It’s extra noticeable and tiresome because the pistol slaps into the net of your hand. The Beretta 80X doesn’t have the identical sting because the Girsan. It’s far more comfy to fireplace.
The primary distinction comes from the grip design. The Beretta’s grip is a bit bigger and thicker, which appears to assist dissipate recoil. The distinction may be very noticeable. I don’t wish to promote the Girsan as a hand maimer. The recoil isn’t all that dangerous. It’s simply worse than the 80X.
Accuracy
One other enjoyable shock is that each weapons are fairly correct. I anticipated Beretta to supply a reasonably correct gun. Nevertheless, each weapons outright impressed me. I anticipated pretty correct and fortunately settled for very correct. I shot each weapons for teams at 15 yards. They printed pretty related, very small, and really good teams total. Possibly I simply count on much less from .380s?
Which was higher? Inside 15 yards, the Beretta was barely tighter, however simply barely. After we received again to 25 yards, I didn’t shoot teams; I simply tried to hit a 10-inch gong. Each weapons persistently hit the gong, and Beretta took the lead because of the crimson dot.
I went to the 50-yard line and shot at an IPSC metal goal. Whereas the goal’s giant, it’s nonetheless robust to hit at 50 yards. Surprisingly, the Girsan did a implausible job of ringing metal even at 50 yards. The Beretta and the crimson dot using it did a little bit higher. The crimson dot does make a distinction, however the Girsan is impressively correct.
Reliability
This might be a reasonably brief part. Neither gun has failed to fireplace, eject, extract, feed, and so on. Each have been very dependable. With that in thoughts, I loaded a snap cap to induce a failure and see how fixing a easy malfunction would go.
With the Beretta 80X, it’s as straightforward as grabbing the slide, racking the snap cap out of the chamber, and loading one other spherical into the chamber. There isn’t an entire lot to it. The outdated tap-rap bang labored with no drawback.
In case you utilized the faucet rack bang to the Girsan MC14T, you’d find yourself with an advanced malfunction within the type of the double feed. To repair the malfunction, you want to hit the tip-up barrel launch and extract the malfunction together with your fingers.
Now, you may shut the barrel and rack the slide to reload. In case you don’t have the power to rack the slide, you’ll must take away the journal, take away a spherical from the magazine, insert it into the barrel, shut the barrel, reinsert the journal, and hearth. It’s sophisticated.
Worth: MC14T vs. 80X
The Girsan MC14T retails for round 400 {dollars}. To me, that’s an controversial quantity for a Turkish pistol. You may get a used Beretta Cheetah sequence for roughly 300 {dollars}. That stated, there isn’t a Cheetah sequence pistol with a tip-up barrel, rail, AND a double-stack journal. Possibly 400 bucks isn’t all that dangerous for one thing authentic.
READ ABOUT OTHER GUN COMPARISONS: The RXM Versus the Glock Gen 3 – Who’s the Most Glock?
The Cheetah 80X sequence prices a good bit extra. At 600ish and up, relying on choices, the Beretta is admittedly pricier. It’s optics-ready, smaller, and has a greater set off. It’s nonetheless only a straight blowback pistol, but it surely’s the nicest straight blowback pistol I’ve ever seen.
Efficiency Tells the Story
The Beretta 80X Cheetah is the higher firearm after we account for efficiency, ergonomics, and issue within the potential to repair malfunctions. It’s pricer, admittedly, and does lack a tip-up barrel. The Girsan MC14T does are available a good bit cheaper at round 400 bucks. In case you simply need a enjoyable Beretta Cheetah-like gun, I’d choose the Girsan. In case you wished a critical hid carry pistol I’d go along with the 80X.
Which might you choose? Tell us beneath!
*** Purchase and Promote on GunsAmerica! ***
Travis Pike is a devoted firearms author, a Second Modification Advocate, and a subject fanatic for all issues firearms. He’s an newbie competitor with desires of sooner or later not coming in 4th place at a neighborhood defensive match. If he’s not placing textual content to phrase processor, he’s seemingly spending time with household, having fun with Florida’s Nature Coast, or consuming hipster beer. Because the resident Florida man he has a desire for obscure weapons and calibers.
Expertise
Hunter – Very long time deer and hog hunter within the swamps of Florida Teacher – Volunteers to show fundamental firearm security courses to youngsters, adults, and cats Wannabe Competitor – Has not too long ago dipped his toes into aggressive taking pictures and has fortunately found an costly pastime. Marine – Served 5 years with the infantry earlier than transferring to the First Civ Div.
