Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Fabbrica D' Armi Pietro Beretta SpA More Info

About the Gun

Compact double-stack DA/SA blowback pistol with an alloy frame and an open-top slide. The FS uses an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety/decock lever, a squared trigger guard, and a Bruniton finish. Checkered plastic grips carry the trident medallion. Fixed three-dot sights.

Production

Production ran from the early 1990s through 2017.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $650. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $550–$850.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.32 Automatic
Alias:	7.65 mm Browning
More Info

Analysis

Beretta introduced Series 81 in 1976 as a medium-frame blowback companion to the then-new 92. The Model 81 is the .32 Auto double-stack gun from that first run. The F update kept the ambidextrous lever on the frame and added a decocker; the FS corrected that lever so it would not hang in a half-safe position. The slide is notched where the lever drops in and locks the slide. "Cheetah" went on the slide and the box in the mid-1990s. Italian production continued in small lots into the mid-2010s and stopped in 2017, when the series paused. The 81FS reached the U.S. market in smaller numbers than the .380 Auto FS guns. Clean boxed examples sit at the top of the value range.