Beretta 80X Cheetah Review (2026): 800 Rounds With Beretta’s Soft-Shooting .380

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Table of Contents

Review: Beretta 80X Cheetah, the .380 That Shoots Like a Service Pistol

Our Rating: 8.4/10

• Beretta Price: $649 (80X Cheetah), $749 (Tactical Urban and Desert), $999 and up (special editions), $1,049 (Tactical Bronze)
• Street Price: $599 at Guns.com on September 26, 2026 (Use our live pricing for the best up to date deal)
• Caliber: .380 ACP
• Action: Double action/single action, blowback, external skeletonized hammer
• Capacity: 13+1 (10+1 version available)
• Barrel Length: 3.9 in.
• Overall Length: 6.8 in.
• Height: 4.9 in.
• Width: 1.4 in. overall, 1.25 in. at the grip
• Weight: 25 oz unloaded, per Beretta
• Frame: Anodized aluminum alloy with an accessory rail
• Slide: Steel, optics ready (plates sold separately)
• Sights: 3 white dots, dovetailed front
• Safety: Ambidextrous frame-mounted safety that also decocks
• Trigger Pull: 6.6 to 11 lb double action, 3.3 to 4.4 lb single action, per Beretta’s manual
• Made in: Italy

Listings marked 10 round or J80XBLK10 are the state-compliant version. The standard gun holds 13+1.

Quick Take

The Beretta 80X Cheetah is Beretta’s modern take on its old Cheetah .380s. It’s a 13+1, double-action/single-action pistol with an aluminum frame, a fixed-barrel blowback action, an accessory rail and an optic-ready slide. At 25 oz it’s heavier than a pocket .380, and that’s the point: the weight and the fixed barrel make it one of the softest-shooting carry pistols I’ve fired.

I put 800 rounds through a standard black 80X over four range trips. It had one stoppage, and Speer Gold Dot grouped 1.9 inches at 15 yards. The single-action pull breaks clean at about 4 lb. Double action is a long first pull, which you’d expect from a DA/SA gun.

The short answer: if you want a .380 that’s easy to rack, easy to shoot well and big enough to hold onto, the 80X is the one I’d buy. If you want the smallest possible .380, it’s the wrong gun.

Best For: Shooters with weaker hands, recoil-sensitive shooters, and anyone who likes Beretta’s DA/SA pistols but wants something smaller and softer than a 9mm. If even this slide is too stiff, Beretta’s tip-up .22 is covered in our Beretta 20X Bobcat review.

Design Intent: The Cheetah, Rebuilt for Carry

Beretta’s older Cheetah .380s, the Model 84 and its relatives, had a loyal following for exactly one reason: they were pleasant to shoot. Beretta says the 80X “reimagines the legendary platform” with a new design, and the changes are all aimed at modern carry. It gets a smaller Vertec-style grip, Beretta’s X-treme S trigger, a skeletonized hammer, an accessory rail and a slide that’s ready for a red dot.

Beretta also says it tuned the slide weight and spring rates to make the slide easier to rack and the recoil lighter. That matters more than any spec on this gun. A lot of people who buy a .380 do it because they struggle with a 9mm’s slide or recoil, and a tiny .380 often turns out to be harder to rack and snappier to shoot than the 9mm they gave up. The 80X fixes that by being bigger.

The action is simple blowback with a fixed barrel. There’s no tilting barrel to unlock, so the barrel stays put shot after shot, and that helps accuracy.

The safety sits on the frame and works from either side. Push it up and it decocks the hammer and blocks the gun, so you cannot carry this one cocked and locked. Beretta’s manual also lists an automatic firing pin safety and a loaded chamber indicator you can see and feel on the right side of the slide.

There’s no magazine safety. The frame is marked FIRES WITHOUT MAGAZINE, and it will fire a chambered round with the magazine out, so check the chamber before you treat a gun with an empty magwell as unloaded.

80X vs the Original Cheetah and the Beretta 92

If you’ve shot an older Model 84, the 80X will feel familiar. It keeps the same basic recipe: a .380 blowback action, an aluminum frame, a double-stack 13-round magazine and a frame-mounted safety. What’s new is everything around it. The grip borrows the slimmer, straighter Vertec shape from Beretta’s 92 family, the trigger is Beretta’s X-treme S unit, the hammer is skeletonized, and the frame and slide add a rail and an optic cut that the old Cheetahs never had.

Next to a Beretta 92FS, the 80X looks like a scaled-down 92, open-top slide and all, but it works differently. The 92 is a locked-breech 9mm with a slide-mounted safety and decocker. Beretta’s .380 is a blowback gun with its safety on the frame. If you already shoot a 92 or an M9, the 80X gives you the same DA/SA routine and a similar grip in a gun that’s smaller, softer and cheaper to feed.

80X Cheetah Variants: Standard, Tactical and Special Editions

Every .380 80X shares the same frame and action. The Tactical models add a longer threaded barrel and a 15-round magazine option. In January 2026 Beretta also announced two .32 ACP models tuned by Langdon Tactical, one black and one bronze, each shipping with two 12-round magazines. They’re separate from the .380 guns below.

For most buyers, the standard black gun is the pick. If you want to run a suppressor, the black Tactical Urban or the FDE Tactical Desert adds a 4.4 inch threaded barrel for $100 more at Beretta’s prices. Beretta also sells state-compliant 10-round versions of the standard and Tactical guns.

On September 26 the Tactical card showed $761.99 at Guns.com, with $699 listings at smaller dealers.

80X Cheetah vs P365-380, Thunder 380 and Shield EZ

80X Cheetah vs SIG P365-380

SIG’s P365-380 is far smaller and lighter, and it’s a striker-fired gun with a 3.1 inch barrel and a 10-round magazine. It carries more easily in a pocket or a small waistband holster.

Shoot it, though, and it recoils more sharply and takes more hand strength to rack. On September 26 its card showed $429.99 at Guns.com. See our SIG P365 review for the 9mm version.

Bersa Thunder 380

The budget DA/SA .380. Bersa’s Thunder 380 is also a blowback pistol with a decocker, and it costs about half as much.

It holds 8+1, feels cruder, and doesn’t have the Beretta’s optic cut or rail. On September 26 its card showed $277.99 at Guns.com. Our Bersa Thunder 380 review covers it in depth.

Smith & Wesson M&P380 Shield EZ

If racking the slide is your main worry, this is the Beretta’s closest rival. Smith & Wesson built the Shield EZ around an easy slide, and it adds a grip safety. It’s a single-stack 8+1 with a single-action, internal-hammer trigger and a thinner grip.

The 80X holds five more rounds and has the better trigger. On September 26 its card showed $399.99 at Brownells.

Verdict: The 80X is the biggest and most expensive gun here, and the easiest to shoot well. Want the smallest gun? Get the P365-380. On a tight budget, the Bersa wins.

For more choices, see our best .380 ACP pistols guide.

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Testing Protocol

My test gun was a standard black 80X Cheetah with the 3.9 inch barrel and two 13-round magazines, plus one 15-round extended magazine. I shot it over four range trips in August and September, with temperatures from 74 to 93 degrees.

Ammunition Log

• Federal American Eagle 95 gr FMJ: 400 rounds
• Blazer Brass 95 gr FMJ: 200 rounds
• Hornady Critical Defense 90 gr FTX: 100 rounds
• Federal HST Micro 99 gr: 50 rounds
• Speer Gold Dot 90 gr: 50 rounds

Phase 1: Break-In

The first 200 rounds were American Eagle from 7 and 10 yards, mostly single-action strings after a double-action first shot. For the first magazine the recoil spring felt stiff, and then it settled down. Every round fed, fired and ejected.

Phase 2: Reliability

Rounds 201 to 800 mixed all five loads, with fast strings, one-handed shooting, reloads from all three magazines and decocking between strings. I logged one stoppage: a failure to feed at round 431 with Blazer Brass from the full 15-round extended magazine. A tap and rack cleared it, and it did not happen again in the remaining Blazer. All three defensive loads ran without a problem.

Phase 3: Accuracy

Inside rounds 201 to 800, I shot five-shot groups off a rest with the iron sights at 15 yards, five groups per load, single action. Speer Gold Dot averaged 1.9 inches, Federal HST Micro 2.1 inches, Hornady Critical Defense 2.3 inches and American Eagle 2.6 inches. The single-action pull broke at about 4 lb on my gauge, and the double-action pull ran about 9 lb, both inside Beretta’s published ranges.

Tracking & Observations

Blowback .380s run dirty, and after 800 rounds with one cleaning at round 400 the slide and frame rails were black with carbon. It did not matter to function. The finish showed a little wear at the muzzle and on the safety levers, and the grip panels stayed tight.

What This Means for You

• Upgrade Impact: A red dot and plate are the only upgrades worth making.
• Reliability: One stoppage in 800 rounds, none with defensive ammo.
• Ammo Preference: Speer Gold Dot 90 gr grouped best.
• Maintenance: Clean it every 300 to 400 rounds; blowback guns foul quickly.
• Accuracy Expectation: About 2 inches at 15 yards with good ammo.

The 80X field strips into slide, recoil spring, barrel, frame and magazine. Photo: Beretta.

Performance Testing Results

Reliability (9/10)

The only hiccup was a Blazer failure to feed at round 431 from a topped-off 15-rounder. The 13-round magazines never missed, and every defensive round fed and fired.

Accuracy (8/10)

Gold Dot grouped 1.9 inches at 15 yards, which is excellent for a .380. The fixed barrel and the clean single-action break do most of the work. My first double-action shot landed a little low on most strings until I practiced it.

Ergonomics & Recoil (9/10)

This is why you buy the 80X. Recoil is mild, far softer than a pocket .380, the slide racks easily, and the Vertec-style grip fills the hand without feeling fat. The safety levers are big enough to find without looking, and the magazine release can be moved to the other side for left-handed shooters.

Fit, Finish, and Quality Control (9/10)

The slide-to-frame fit is tight, the anodizing on the aluminum frame is even, and the markings are crisp. My gun is roll-marked Gardone V.T., made in Italy.

Technical Deep Dive

Component	Specification (Beretta)	Why it matters
Action	DA/SA blowback, fixed barrel	Simple, accurate, soft shooting
Frame	Anodized aluminum alloy with rail	Mounts a light, keeps weight in check
Slide	Steel, optics ready, front and rear serrations	Easy to rack, takes a red dot
Barrel	3.9 in., six grooves, right-hand twist	Longer than most carry .380s
Trigger	X-treme S, DA 6.6 to 11 lb, SA 3.3 to 4.4 lb	Clean single-action break
Safety	Ambidextrous frame safety and decocker, firing pin block	Safe DA carry from the decocked hammer
Magazines	13 round standard, 10 and 15 round available	Double stack capacity in a .380

Parts, Accessories and Upgrades

Upgrade Category	Recommended Component	Why It Matters	Cost Estimate
Optic plate	Beretta 80X plate: SC for Shield SMS, N for Noblex, H for Holosun HS407K	Needed to mount a red dot	$40 to $70
Red dot	A compact carry optic on a matching footprint	Faster sight picture	$200 to $400
Magazines	Beretta 80X 15-round magazine	Two more rounds for the range or home	$35 to $50
Threaded barrel	Beretta 80X Cheetah threaded barrel	Suppressor use without buying a Tactical	Check Beretta

Ammo matters more in a .380 than in a 9mm. Our best .380 ammo guide covers the defensive loads that expand reliably from short barrels, and our .380 vs 9mm comparison explains what you give up.

Setting Up the 80X for Carry

Treat the 80X like a compact 9mm when you pick a holster, not like a pocket .380. At 6.8 inches long and 4.9 inches tall it rides best inside the waistband at the hip or appendix, and Beretta sells its own 80X one-clip IWB holster. Make sure whatever you buy covers the trigger guard fully and fits the rail if you plan to add a light.

For a red dot, check the footprint first. Beretta’s manual lists three 80X plates, SC for the Shield SMS, N for the Noblex Quick Sight 5.0 and H for the Holosun HS407K, so buy the plate that matches the optic you already own. Carry the standard 13-round magazine; the 15-rounder sticks out further, and it’s where my only stoppage came from. Load it with a defensive load you’ve tested, since my gun shot Gold Dot and HST Micro best.

Finally, practice the manual of arms. Carry it decocked, safety off if that’s your choice, and make the long double-action first pull part of your dry-fire routine. The single-action shots that follow are the easy part.

Common Problems & Solutions

• Expecting to carry cocked and locked: Engaging the safety decocks the hammer. Carry it decocked with the safety off, or on safe, and plan on a double-action first shot.
• No optic plate in the box: The slide is cut for an optic, but you need Beretta’s plate kit for your footprint.
• Carbon buildup: Blowback .380s foul fast. Clean every few hundred rounds.
• Low first shots: The double-action pull is long. Dry-fire from the decocked hammer until it lands with your single-action shots.
• Feeding from a fully loaded extended magazine: My one stoppage came from a full 15-rounder with cheap FMJ. Carry the 13-round magazine.

Who Should NOT Buy This Gun

• Pocket carriers: At 25 oz and 6.8 inches long, it will not disappear in a pocket. The SIG P365-380 is far smaller.
• Budget buyers: The Bersa Thunder 380 gives you a DA/SA .380 with a decocker for about half the price.
• Shooters who don’t want a long double-action first pull: The Smith & Wesson M&P380 Shield EZ has the same easy slide with a single consistent trigger.
• Shooters who can handle a 9mm: A 9mm of the same size carries more power. The Beretta PX4 Storm Compact is the in-house option.

If a 9mm is on your list, our Beretta PX4 Storm review and best concealed carry handguns guide are good next reads.

Beretta 80X Cheetah Review Verdict: Is It Worth It?

The Beretta 80X Cheetah is what a .380 should be for people who actually need a .380: easy to rack, soft to shoot and big enough to control. It ran 800 rounds with one stoppage, grouped under 2 inches at 15 yards with Gold Dot, and its single-action pull broke clean at about 4 lb.

It’s heavier and pricier than the pocket .380s, and you’ll pay extra for an optic plate. If that’s fine with you, it’s the .380 I’d recommend to a new or recoil-sensitive shooter. For more options, see our best .380 for concealed carry guide.

Specs and prices in this review come from Beretta’s 80X Cheetah, Tactical Urban and Tactical Bronze pages and the 80X owner’s manual. Street prices are what our live cards showed on September 26, 2026.

Final Score: 8.4/10. A soft-shooting, easy-racking .380 that’s worth its extra size.

FAQ: Beretta 80X Cheetah