Advice: Sig P230 vs. Beretta 84
Jonathan Luckett
I'm in the market for a .380 handgun and have narrowed it down to a Sig
P230 and a Beretta model 84. I would appreciate any advice on which
handgun to buy. Thanks.
-- Jon
ltl919
Jonathan Luckett wrote:
#
# I'm in the market for a .380 handgun and have narrowed it down to a Sig
# P230 and a Beretta model 84. I would appreciate any advice on which
# handgun to buy. Thanks.
Please note that although 0.380ACP is adequate for personal protection,
9mm/0.40S&W/0.45ACP can be more effective. Also, these two 0.380's
are on the large size for handguns in this caliber (Walther PPK and Sigma 380
are distinctly smaller). That said,
The Beretta 84F uses a double column 12 or 13 round magazine (don't remember exactly),
and is thicker in the grip than the Sig P230, which uses a 7 round magazine.
The post-Crime Bill(ary) ;) ;)
84F's come with a 10 round magazine. Beretta also makes the 85F, which
has a single column, 8 round magazine - its a bit thinner than the 84F.
Note that the Sig P230 is commonly available in stainless steel and
the 84F/85F is not. I believe Beretta may offer a nickel finish version of
the 84F/85F but its uncommon.
The 84F/85F have an ambidextrous frame mounted safety/decocker. The P230
uses a decocker-only system and does not have (or need) an external manual
safety. Both handguns have a firing pin block to make them drop safe.
The P230 has a heel mounted magazine release and the 84F/85F
has a mag release button near the trigger guard like most other semis.
The slide stop lever on the 84F/85F is external. The P230 has an
internal slide stop
Overall, the P230 is a bit smaller than the 85F.
The 85F costs less than the P230.
This is only my opinion, but if you want stainless and/or
a sleeker appearance, get the P230 - otherwise,
get the 85F or the 84F if you want a few extra rounds.
Both guns are excellent quality, reliable handguns.
Good luck,please take an NRA safety course if you're new and vote
to preserve our rights.
John Clifford
We carry both pistols. Both are reliable and well-made.
IMO, the Sig P230 is the best .380 pistol on the market. It is
especially well-suited for self-defense. I would (and do) recommend it
highly.
John Clifford
Weapons Safety, Inc.
13215 SE 30th Street
Bellevue WA 98005
phone: 206-649-8623
fax: 206-644-5302
email: john...@ix.netcom.com
url: http://www.accessone.com/wsi/wsi.htm
Disclaimer: Who needs 'em? I represent myself now!
Henry_Bibb
Jonathan Luckett wrote:
#
# I'm in the market for a .380 handgun and have narrowed it down to a Sig
# P230 and a Beretta model 84. I would appreciate any advice on which
# handgun to buy. Thanks.
# -- Jon
Can't address the Sig, but I've got a Browning BDA .380 (same as
Beretta 84, except closed slide). I like it a lot, shoots well for me.
No failures to function or feed, either.
Henry Bibb
Doug
I've got both.
I like the Beretta best.
P-230= slide is real deep and bites hand if not extremely careful, mag is
the hardest to load I've ever seen (spring is really, really strong),
bottom of butt mag release takes both hands.
If you can compare both side by side, take a look at the difference in
the depth of the slides and just look at where the bottom of the slide is
in relation to the web of your hand. Thats the only thing that I didn't
notice when I bought the P-230.
Prices are pretty close.
Just my $.02
Luck with your purchase!
Doug
"One only needs two tools in life:
WD-40 to make things go,
and duct tape to make them stop."
m...@gvn.net
Jonathan Luckett wrote:
#
# I'm in the market for a .380 handgun and have narrowed it down to a Sig
# P230 and a Beretta model 84. I would appreciate any advice on which
# handgun to buy. Thanks.
#
# -- Jon
Jon sorry about all the psycho babble that you have received with your
request. Unfortunatly, in this newsgroup if you ask which .380 is
best for home protection some of the responses will be {what you
really need is a bazooka}.
The sig 230 is the finest .380 I have ever shot. I own the Beretta
and my dad owns the 230. I would trade in a second for the 230. If
you listen to some of the guys on this rec.guns group for too long
they will convince you to buy a machine gun for home protection with a
silencer.
Have fun with your 230 (they are fun at the range too).
HBTMD
I own both guns. If you are looking for a target pistol don't look at a
.380. If you are looking for a reliable conceilable self defense gun both
will do nicely. I prefer the Beretta 84. It holds about twice as many
rounds as the Sig. Both are extremely reliable. The Sig 230 however
slices the web of my shooting hand to ribbons when the slide comes back.
Many shooters I know have had the same problem with the Sig. I personally
would choose the Beretta.
Regards / Psycho-Doc
HBTMD on AOL
J.P. Fulks
I recently purchased a Beretta 84B. My second choice was the Sig P230.
It's easy to get a firm grip and this one and it's accuracy is extremely
impressive.
I don't think you can lose choosing between the two.
JP