Beretta 80X Cheetah Review: Best High-End .380 ACP Pistol?

Beretta has been pulling out all the stops recently. They’ve steadily revisited some of their best guns and modernized them.

Many of these modernized versions are referred to as the X models. Beretta has the 92X, the 30X, and now the 80X. The 80X Cheetah is a revival of their older Cheetah line of firearms.

In the 2010s, the decline of compact .380s was in full effect, leading to the discontinuation of the Cheetah. However, .380 ACP has started to make a comeback, and Beretta decided to jump back into the fray.

Their new 80X Cheetah is a compact, low-recoil .380 ACP pistol with excellent capacity and extremely modern features. It’s larger than you expect a .380 to be, but it represents a different genre of firearms built for certain customers.

How We Tested the Beretta 80X Cheetah

For our testing, we ran various accuracy and shooting drills. We zeroed the optic at 15 yards and conducted the baseline accuracy testing at the same distance.

Further accuracy tests were conducted at 25 and 50 yards with a 10-inch gong and a standard man-sized IPSC target. A series of Bill Drills were also done at 7 yards as fast as possible.

To test reliability, we fired a total of 550 rounds of 95-grain brass-cased ammo from Remington and Fiocchi.

Beretta 80X Cheetah Specs and Features

Specs

• Caliber: .380 ACP
• Capacity: 13+1
• Barrel Length: 3.9 inches
• Overall Length: 6.8 inches
• Height: 4.9 inches
• Width: 1.4 inches
• Weight: 25 oz (fully loaded)

Features

• Optic-ready slide
• Ambidextrous safety
• Picatinny accessory rail
• Aluminum frame

Beretta 80X Cheetah Background

Beretta began producing the 80-series of handguns in 1976. Many guns of the era were either small pocket pistols or full-sized handguns. The compact 80-series filled the gap and enjoyed a good degree of success as a result.

This success led to the rapid expansion of the 80-series. Models were offered in .32 ACP, .380, and .22 LR. Single-stack and double-stack models were available, and Beretta even offered a tip-up barrel version. The 80-series pistols eventually became known as Cheetahs.

However, the initial popularity of the pistols began to fade. Many people thought a gun the size of the Cheetah series should be 9mm. People also began proclaiming that the .380 ACP didn’t have enough “stopping power” by modern standards. This culminated in the discontinuation of the Cheetah in 2017.

But Beretta has acknowledged a growing underserved market of shooters. More shooters than ever are looking for defensive handguns but cite problems controlling compact 9mms. These shooters are typically better served by lower-recoil alternatives. Beretta listened and released the 80X in 2023.

The 80X series takes the best features from the original Cheetah and adds modern touches for the modern shooter.

Who is the Beretta 80X Cheetah For?

Shooters who are recoil-sensitive are likely to enjoy the 80X. The gun remains controllable and comfortable enough to fire even with its direct blowback action.

There are other compact .380s in this genre now, such as the Ruger Security-380, Walther PD-380, and S&W Bodyguard 2.0. These are fine guns, but they target the casual gun owner with hand strength issues.

Beretta instead targets the discerning gun owners who want more features in a sleeker, more premium-grade package. It is one of the few metal-framed .380 double-stacks in current production.

Ergonomics: Fit & Feel

Beretta makes gorgeous guns. Their Italian heritage leads them to make guns that look like sports cars, and the 80X is no different. Four frame color options are available: black, gray, bronze, and green.

It carries the Beretta lineage of an open slide and exposed barrel. In this case, the barrel remains fixed due to the blowback action.

The magazine holds 13 rounds, like the previous Cheetah/84 series. It can use older 84 magazines, but those magazines will not reliably feed hollow points and should only be used with FMJ ammo.

There are also 15-round extended magazines that come standard with the threaded-barrel models.

Grip & Texture

Beretta ensured the gun was compact but installed a nice fat, highly textured grip. This grip design is the magic behind the low recoil direct blowback action. The sleek ergonomics fit your hand just right and allow your hand to sit high and tight.

Beretta textured the front and rear of the grip. The grip panels are simple black plastic but are a nice matte color and are also textured for a steady grip. I have big hands, but the 80X fills them well.

My pinky doesn’t dangle off the grip, nor does it pin the magazine when I hit the magazine release. When you hit that release, the magazine escapes at velocity.

Controls

The controls are well-placed and easy to reach. A frame-mounted safety is present that also acts as a decocker. With the hammer back, if you press the safety up, the hammer safely drops.

The slide release is a great big thing with a generous shelf; it makes reloading a breeze. While the hammer sits almost flush with the slide, just enough of its backside is exposed to be manually thumbed back if you so choose. Beretta went with deep front and rear slide serrations that are easy to grab.

As a guy without hand strength problems, I had no issues racking the slide. My wife did struggle a bit, but she’s not much into shooting in the first place. What helped her was manually thumbing back the hammer, allowing her to work the slide more competently.

Beretta embraced lefties with the 80X. Shooters can swap the mag release for left-handed shooters, and the safety is ambidextrous. However, the slide lock is permanently placed for right-handed shooters.

Frame & Slide

Iron sights are boring, and Beretta addresses that by making the 80X optics ready. Beretta uses a fairly standard plate system for mounting. The plates aren’t included and need to be ordered.

I like small optics with small guns, so I added a Shield RMSc plate. Mounting the plate requires removing the rear sight, which isn’t my favorite approach. Getting everything mounted wasn’t hard.

Under the barrel sits a small rail that’s perfect for modern micro-sized weapon lights. It’s a two-slot rail, so it’s not quite long enough for a Surefire X300U, but it’s perfect for a Streamlight TLR-7 Sub.

Overall the 80X feels as good as it looks, and as you can see from the photos, it looks damn good.

How Does the Beretta 80X Cheetah Shoot?

My first shots on the 80X were zeroing the Swampfox Sentinel 2. I paid special attention to the recoil of the gun. Direct blowback guns often have a sharper recoil impulse, sometimes to the point where even .380 ACP can be uncomfortable.

Surprisingly, the 80X doesn’t feel like a blowback gun. I have a Girsan MC14T, a clone of the Beretta 86 that’s not only larger but heavier than the 80X. The Girsan MC14T keeps that stiff blowback recoil performance, but the 80X somehow defies it.

I credit that to the gun’s grip. Maybe the gun is just more balanced, and the slide weight is a bit better. It has more recoil than short recoil-operated handguns like the Walther PD380, but not much more.

I fired a series of Bill Drills, which are six rounds, to an A-zone at 7 yards as fast as possible. You start holstered. I was able to shoot a clean Bill Drill in 2.7 seconds cold. As I practiced, I drove that number down to 2.5 seconds. This illustrates the weapon’s controllability.

When I broke down each drill via my timer, my draw was 1.17 seconds for that drill. That leaves me 1.33 seconds to fire six rounds into a rectangle that’s approximately 6 x 11 inches wide — that’s fast.

I zeroed at 15 yards and was able to dial the optic in quickly. With the optic zeroed, I decided to test the outright accuracy of the gun. At 25 yards, I easily kept a 10-inch gong dinging and swinging.

At 50 yards, hitting the gong was tough — I went four for ten. I switched to a man-sized IPSC and had much better luck, getting ding after ding.

Since the gun is blowback-operated, it has a fixed barrel, which is supposed to help with accuracy. For its size, I’m impressed with the results I was getting. The red dot is a big help, of course, but the gun does its job.

The trigger blew me away. It’s super smooth. The double action rolls brilliantly, and it’s fantastic. The single action gives M1911-like vibes. It’s short and sweet, with a quick and short reset.

I never experienced any slide bite, any hammer bite, or any type of pain when shooting the gun. It performs without beating me up, which makes it stand out from guns like the Bodyguard 2.0 that are rough on my hands.

What Sets the Cheetah Apart?

Between the Ruger Security-380, the Walther PD380, the S&W EZ .380, and similar guns, the market for those with low hand strength or recoil sensitivity has never been better.

However, most companies see the low-hand strength crowd as very owners who just want a gun that goes bang that they can handle reliably.

But those guns often fail to attract the type of gun owner who regularly trains, shoots, and wants to see a higher level of performance.

The 80X Cheetah stands out by offering a low-recoil, metal-frame concealed carry handgun for discerning shooters looking for high levels of performance and reliability.

By The Numbers

Ergonomics: 4/5

Beretta did a fantastic job of making the Cheetah ergonomic. The grip feels fantastic, and the controls are great, but to get 5 out of 5, I want to see fully ambidextrous controls.

Accuracy: 4/5

For a small gun, it’s quite accurate. Being able to put shots on a target at 50 yards is impressive. Up close, you can punch 3-inch groups at 15 yards. It’s not quite Glock 34 or Sig X-Five accurate, but it’s very capable.

Reliability: 5/5

I fired 550 rounds of 95-grain brass-cased ammo from Remington and Fioochi. It never failed to fire, extract, or eject. It’s a beastly little gun that performs to its price tag.

Customization: 3/5

It’s still a relatively new gun, so there aren’t a ton of accessories for it. It’s got a rail for a light and an optics cut. You can also swap the grips, but not much more. It’s certainly not at Glock levels of customization.

Value: 4/5

On the value side, the gun seems to retail for around $600. It’s not budget-friendly, but it does provide a high level of performance. I feel the price is completely justifiable.

Overall: 4/5

Upgrades & Accessories for the Beretta 80X Cheetah

The Holosun EPS Carry is an excellent option with an enclosed emitter that still mounts to the Shield RMSc footprint.

The Streamlight TLR-7 Sub is a micro-sized light with near-macro-sized power. It’s perfectly sized for the Cheetah series, still blessing us with 500 lumens of light while remaining compact.

If you deck your 80X with accessories, the ANR Designs appendix light-bearing holster delivers a solid and modern polymer design with light and optic compatibility. These holsters allow the end user to customize the clips, claws, colors, and whatever else you may want.

We always recommend throwing down a good pair of eye and ear protection. We might be biased, but we think our own ShellShock Protection is a great way to keep safe at the range!

Why You Should Trust Pew Pew Tactical

Pew Pew Tactical author Travis Pike authored this article. Travis spent a lifetime shooting as a kid and later joined the United States Marine Corps, where he spent five years as an infantryman. In the middle of his Marine Corps career, he began writing and never stopped. Travis is an NRA-certified instructor and Concealed Carry Instructor for the state of Florida. He has thousands of articles to his name with a variety of publications, including Pew Pew Tactical.

This review was edited by Pew Pew Tactical Editor Wyatt Sloan. Wyatt is an NRA and USCCA-certified instructor with previous experience as a competitive shooter. He personally owns over 200 firearms, including a Beretta 81 of his own, and has 10 years of home-based FFL firearm sales. Wyatt uses his extensive experience with firearms at large to test guns for Pew Pew Tactical — evaluating them based on our standards and metrics.

Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers and edited this review. She is an NRA-certified Basic Pistol Instructor as well as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. With 2,000+ articles to her name, she uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical.

Final Verdict

Beretta nailed it with the 80X Cheetah. They successfully revived a line of firearms and equipped them with modern features and touches.

Shooters now have an appealing low-recoil alternative option that still retains the feel of a true high-end firearm.

What do you think of the Beretta 80X Cheetah? Let us know in the comments below! Want to see more .380 Pistols? Check out our list of the Best .380 Pistols of 2024!