Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Fabbrica D' Armi Pietro Beretta SpA More Info

About the Gun

Compact single-stack DA/SA blowback pistol with an alloy frame and an open-top slide. Thinner grip than the double-stack 84. Exposed hammer and an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety with no decocker. The B adds a firing-pin block and grooved straps. Rounded trigger guard. This variant uses smooth walnut grips with a PB medallion.

Production

Production ran from 1980 through 1982.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $375. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $400–$600.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.380 Automatic
Alias:	9mm Browning Short
More Info

Analysis

Beretta added the 85B in 1980 as the slim-grip .380 Auto pistol in the Series 81 line. The magazine is a single column, so the frame is thinner than the 84. It began as the 85B; a plain 85 was not a regular catalog item. The B carries the firing-pin block and grooved straps of that update and still uses a frame safety. BB production started in 1982, so the 85B window is short. Used 85B pistols are less common than 85BB and 85FS guns. Clean Italian-marked examples with original magazines sit at the top of the range.