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. Slim grip. The 85FS uses an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety/decock lever, a squared combat trigger guard, and a hard-chromed barrel. One variant is matte Bruniton with black plastic grips. The other is nickel with checkered wood grips. Fixed three-dot sights.

Production

Production ran from 1990 through 2017.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $650. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $500–$700.

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

Analysis

The 85FS is the last letter gun on the slim-grip .380 Auto line. 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. Nickel was a catalog option with wood grips. Used Bruniton 85FS pistols are the common slim Cheetah on the market. Nickel examples with original wood grips and the box sit well above them in value.