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An early Beretta 86 shows its relative size in an adult male hand. The pistol is ambidextrously “cocked and locked,” making it easier for weaker hands to operate.

There are a lot of these rugged old pistols still out there, and a lot of shooters who still appreciate them.

The Second Wave

By the time John F. Kennedy replaced Dwight Eisenhower in the White House, the 70 series Berettas had begun to replace the 1934 style. Known as the Model 100 in the U.S. market, this new pistol was sleeker than the 1934, though similar in many ways including the open slide and the single-action design. It also retained the good shooting characteristics. However, there were some distinct differences.

A current production Model 84 is shown on safe with the hammer down in the double-action mode …

… off safe, cocked and ready to fire …

… and being decocked, which on later models is accomplished by thumbing the frame-mounted lever up past the on-safe position.

One strange safety catch was exchanged for another. The awkward lever above the trigger guard on the left of the 1934’s frame had to be rotated forward, down and then up, 180 degrees, to get it into the “fire” position. The Series 70 had a cross-bolt safety forward of the grip tang. In theory, the median joint of the right thumb would press it inward to “fire,” and it would have to be pressed back out from the other side for “safe.” In practice, most people found it not only different, but just plain difficult. The same had proven true earlier, when Beretta had put it on their 1951 model 9mm Parabellum service pistol. Once the safety was disengaged, though, the 70 series demonstrated superb shooting characteristics. Its more steeply angled grip felt better in many hands (including mine) and made it point more naturally for many shooters (including me.)