Category Archives: Firearms

November 7, 2016 · 5:35 am

Shooting a Pair of Cheetahs — Comparing the Beretta 84FS and 85FS

These Cheetahs travel in packs of two

Next week I’ll return to travel and photography with a series on West Coast cruising to San Francisco, California; Astoria, Oregon; and Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. This week, however, will solely feature firearms. So, sorry, travel and photography fans, but I owe a bunch of people some promised gun articles.

A sampling of the included goodies

Today, I shoot a pair of Cheetahs. Relax, wildlife fans. I’m talking about the Beretta series 80 Cheetah pistols, which include the Cheetah models 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 87 Target, and 89. If you’re wondering about those designations, here’s a breakdown:

Model 81: .32 ACP/7.65mm with 12-round, double-stack magazine and wide grip
Model 82: .32 ACP/7.65mm with 9-round, single-stack magazine and thin grip
Model 83: .380 ACP/9mm kurz with 7-round, single-stack magazine, and longer 4-inch/102mm barrel
Model 84: .380 ACP/9mm kurz with 13-round, double-stack magazine
Model 85: .380 ACP/9mm kurz with 8-round, single-stack magazine
Model 86: .380 ACP/9mm kurz with 8-round magazine; differs from other Cheetahs in that it has longer 4.37-inch/111mm barrel, and a unique tipping barrel that allows a round to be dropped directly into the chamber rather than necessitating a load from the magazine
Model 87: .22 LR with 10-round magazine
Model 87 Target: .22 LR with one of the longest barrels in the Cheetah line at 5.91 inches/150mm
Model 89: .22 LR with 8-round magazine; this is the competition model of the Cheetah series; it has the longest barrel at 5.98 inches/152mm and weighs in at a rather hefty 41 ounces/1,160 grams.

85FS on left; 84FS on right

All Cheetahs are blowback operation. The current .32 ACP and .380 ACP pistols are all FS versions. FS pistols have a squared “combat” style trigger guard, a manual safety that also serves to decock the hammer, a chromed barrel and chamber, a firing pin safety, a magazine safety, and a very tough proprietary “Bruniton” finish on the steel slide mounted over a lightweight alloy frame.

Magaines — 8-round vs. 13-round

The models I’m reviewing today are an 84FS double-stack and an 85FS single stack, both in .380 ACP/9mm kurz. Both models come standard with dual, ambidextrous safety/decock levers. Specifications are:

Beretta 84FS:

Length: 6.77 inches/172mm
Width (see text): 1.37 inches/35mm
Width (at grip): 1.37 inches/35mm
Height: 4.8 inches/122mm
Weight (with empty magazine): 23.3 ounces/660 grams
Barrel: 3.82 inches/97mm
Capacity: 13+1

Beretta 85FS:

Length: 6.77 inches/172mm
Width (see text): 1.37 inches/35mm
Width (at grip): 1.18 inches/30mm
Height: 4.8 inches/122mm
Weight (with empty magazine): 21.9 ounces/620 grams
Barrel: 3.82 inches/97mm
Capacity: 8+1

Right profile view

Both the 84FS and 85FS are still available from Beretta, but you must watch carefully for them. Beretta quit importing them a few years ago, and only recently started reimporting them in small, limited-run batches. I had acquired the 84FS back in late 2012 when it appeared they would be leaving the market permanently, and just recently snagged the 85FS in early October when the latest batch hit the market. Indeed, you will find neither listed on the U.S. Beretta website. Here locally the street price was in the $730-$738 range for both. Grabagun.com shows online prices at just over $660.

Left profile view

Shooting Cheetahs: I had previously fired the 84FS and was not impressed with my accuracy, especially compared to how well I fire the Walther PPK and PPK/S (link: PPK review). But there were a couple of saving graces in favor of the 84FS over the .380 ACP PPK/S — the recoil was much more manageable, allowing for quicker reacquisition of the target; the 84FS gave me a whopping six-round advantage over the PPK/S. Nevertheless, I found myself going back to the PPK/S for carry, on the rare occasions when my trusty P99c AS was too bulky (link: P99c AS review), despite the unpleasantness of the recoil. The 84FS just feels too bulky, which it is because of the width of the grip, and I just didn’t shoot is as well.

Disassembled Cheetah

I didn’t expect to do appreciably better with the 85FS, but I was wrong. In direct, back-to-back firings alternating between the 84FS and 85FS the latter had it all over the former in accuracy. I found this astounding. I would not have thought going into this comparison that a grip width only .19 inches/5mm would make that much difference, but apparently it does with me.

Grip width comparison — 84FS vs 85FS

And whereas the PPK/S is an absolute beast when it comes recoil, neither Cheetah exhibits this behavior. Indeed, both recoil with about the same lack of drama one gets when firing a locked breech 9mm Parabellum. Both Cheetahs lose on this front however in comparison to the milder recoil of the .32 ACP/7.65mm PPK, which is the caliber for which the PP-series was originally designed.

Grip width comparison — 84FS vs 85FS

Now a word about concealability. As I hinted earlier, the 84FS offers no real advantage in this area over the higher powered 9mm Parabellum, 10+1 rounds offered in the P99c, and four additional rounds of lower energy ammunition just isn’t worth the trade-off. The 85FS may change my mind, however. True, both the 84FS and 85FS are technically 1.37 inches/35mm wide, but that’s deceiving. That width is measured at the widest point, which just happens to be those ambidextrous safety/decock levers, which are negligible in size and this add no real bulk in actual concealment. It’s the grip width that is the failing in this area for the 84FS, and the 85FS addresses that problem very well indeed. The grip width of the 9+1 capacity 85FS is 1.18 inches/30mm. This compares to an overall width of 1.26 inches/32mm on the P99c, and a miniscule .98 inches/25mm on the PPK/S.

85FS versus . . .

. . . 84FS

For a minor .2-inch penalty in width I gain two additional rounds in the 85FS in a package that better handles recoil and which aims just as intuitively as the PPK/S. Not a bad trade-off indeed. And while the numbers would seem to dramatically favor the PPK/S in concealment, side-by-side comparisons show it doesn’t really have that great an advantage as you can see below.

Two .380 ACP Classics — Beretta 85FS and Walther PPK/S

Like the Walther PPK/S, the Cheetah has a double-action/single-action trigger. Single-action is a tad lighter on the PPK/S, and reset is shorter. Double-action is a different story. The Cheetah is both lighter and smoother in this area.

Here are some additional comparison views of the 85FS against the PPK/S:

Height comparison 85FS vs. PPK/S

Length comparison 85FS vs. PPK/S

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Tagged as Beretta 84FS, Beretta 85FS, Beretta Cheetah, firearm review, R. Doug Wicker

October 14, 2016 · 5:35 am

Comparing M1 Carbines — The new Inland vs. the 3rd Generation Universal

Today we compare the new Inland Manufacturing M1 Carbine:

Inland M1 Carbine with oiler and sling

to the third generation M1 Carbine produced by Universal Firearms:

Universal M1 Carbine — 3rd Generation

The new Inland M1 Carbine (discussed on Wednesday’s blog article) is a true copy of the original M1 Carbines manufactured during World War II. Indeed, all parts going into Inland Manufacturing’s new iteration are compatible with U.S.G.I. (U.S. Government Issue) examples made by Winchester, the original Inland division of General Motors, Rock-Ola, IBM, and others. After the war many returning servicemen longed for M1 Carbines for their own, as the rifle was lightweight, suitable for hunting medium-sized game, and easy to shoot with remarkably light recoil. And so it was that surplus M1 Carbines were released by the government onto the civilian market, but demand eventually outstripped supply. At this point various civilian manufacturers stepped forward to fill the void, most often using leftover parts to assemble new M1 Carbines, or to refurbish older ones. These companies included Bullseye Gun Works; ERMA; Global Arms; H&S; HOWA (Japan); Johnston-Tucker Arms; Millville Ordnance; National Ordnance, Plainfield Machine; Rowen, Becker Company; Steelville Manufacturing, Tiroler Sportwaffenfabrik und Apparatenbau (Austria), Tri-State Tool & Die; William’s Gun Sight Company; and, of course, Universal Firearms.

Universal M1 Carbine with metal handguard

Universal M1 Carbine with non-U.S.G.I. metal handguard

Universal began producing their Universal M1 Carbine using surplus parts, but as supplies dried up they began manufacturing in-house. Unfortunately, in-house means increased cost. Universal thus redesigned the basic M1 Carbine to cut manufacturing cost, resulting in a reduction in quality, reliability, and according to some, safety.

Inland with U.S.G.I.-style wood handguard

An abject lesson for the uneducated gun collector: Stick with what you know, and research what you don’t. I’ve always wanted an M1 Carbine, so when I found the Universal 3rd Generation pictured here at what I thought was a good price, I snatched it up. Yes, it was a good price . . . for a U.S.G.I. original. For a Universal it was not. After I took it home and began researching M1 Carbines, I found that the 3rd generation Universals bore little in common with the original design, and even far less in quality and reliability.

Universal M1 Carbine front sight lacks protective “ears”

There are of course the little things, such as the use of a metal handguard rather than the more expensive wood piece of the original. Then there’s the front sight, which lacks the protective “ears” characteristic of military weaponry of the era.

Inland front sight protective “ears”

This is not to say that the M1 Carbine design was perfect straight out of the starting gate. There was room for improvement. For instance, the original design had a push-button safety.

Inland with original push-button safety

Soldiers in the field hated it, because in the heat of battle it was too easily mistaken for the nearby magazine release. In a firefight it’s just considered bad form to drop you fully loaded magazine onto French soil when you’re supposed to be firing your weapon. Pretty embarrassing, actually.

Inland push-button safety (depressed) next to the magazine release button

Later M1 Carbines substituted this push-button with a flip-lever, and this is the design incorporated on the Universal.

Universal flip safety

Other changes really don’t make any sense, at least to this manufacturing novice, and one would think some changes would actually increase manufacturing costs. One example is the slide lock. On the U.S.G.I. this is a simple push-button mounted atop the slide.

Inland push-button slide lock

Universal decided to replace this simple, effective, and cheap system of locking back the slide with a lever mounted behind the slide directly onto the receiver.

Universal M1 Carbine lever-type slide lock; also pictured are the slotted slide and bolt lug

Rotating bolt, bolt lug, and slotted slide from a Universal M1 Carbine

Other cost-cutting measures seem too trivial to have warranted implementation. Take for instance the slide at the point were it mates up with the lug on the rotating bolt. On the U.S.G.I M1 Carbine this is a solid piece. Universal thinned out this area, which resulted in a slotted slide wherein the connection to the bolt lug is clearly visible. You can see this slotted slide-and-bolt lug configuration above, and here below is the Inland with it’s true-to-the-original slide:

U.S.G.I. solid slide

Some parts appear relatively unchanged. The U.S.G.I. had a rear sight that was fully adjustable for both elevation and windage.

Inland fully adjustable rear sight

This is one feature retained on the later versions of the Universals.

Rotating bolt, bolt lug, and slotted slide from a Universal M1 Carbine

Universal adjustable rear sight

As for the wood furniture, the Universal example pictured here has a relatively shiny finish, as you can see in the closeup image below of the forestock and Type-2 barrel band/sling swivel:

Universal M1 Carbine barrel band and sling swivel

The new Inland Manufacturing, however, pride themselves on not only retaining the matte finish, but even matching the wood grain and the stain of the original to duplicate as close as possible the look of the guns that came out of the old Inland division. Even the U.S. Armory Ordnance cartouche is replicated on the stock.

Inland stock duplicating the original Inland’s grain patterns and stain.

One last difference that I find particularly unnecessary and even galling, and I don’t even know if this was original to the Universal or if this change was made by a previous owner. That would be the screw used to tighten the barrel band around the handguard and the forestock. On this copy the screw is a hex-head, which is something one would never find on a combat weapon as it makes disassembly and cleaning dependent upon a tool that would normally not be available to the soldier, or otherwise easily lost.

Universal M1 Carbine Type-2 barrel band with hex-head screw

The U.S.G.I. barrel band was tightened into place with a flat-head, which could easily be turned using anything from a coin to the lip of a spent cartridge. Below is an image of this barrel band screw on a barrel band that has been loosened and moved forward in preparing to remove the handguard.

Flat-head screw on a loosened barrel band

To my gun followers, I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s look at two very different versions of the .30 M1 Carbine.

As for my travel friends, starting next week I’ll be presenting a closer-to-home road trip into an area of New Mexico I’ve not yet presented — the area around Silver City, into the Gila National Forest, and along the famous Cat Walk. Also in that upcoming series we’re going to review a charming hole-in-the-wall gourmet restaurant with a twist — not only must you make reservations in advance, you just also go online at least a day in advance to peruse the chef’s ever-changing daily menu and place your order at that time.

Until then, have a great weekend.

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Tagged as .30 caliber M1 Carbine, firearm review, historic firearms, Inland M1 Carbine, Inland Manufacturing, M1 Carbine, R. Doug Wicker, Universal Firearms, Universal M1 Carbine

October 12, 2016 · 5:35 am

Firearms Review — First look at the new Inland M1 Carbine

Inland M1 Carbine with oiler and sling (both sent free after registration)

Today I’m going to present a first look at the new Inland M1 Carbine, or, as it was known in Army-speak — United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1. Inland is a storied name in the M1 Carbine story. The Inland division of General Motors were the primary source for the M1 Carbine, making 2,362,097 of the 5,510,000 produced. Inland were also the sole source for the M1A1 paratrooper model with folding metal stock, producing 140,591 copies. The remaining versions of the M1 were made by Winchester (which developed the M1 Carbine), Underwood Elliot-Fisher (the typewriter company), the Saginaw Steering division of General Motors, IBM, Quality Hardware, National Postal Meter, and even Rock-Ola (yeah . . . the jukebox maker!). Irwin-Pedersen made around 3,500 copies, but none were accepted by the War Department because of quality control issues.

Inland M1 Carbine with oiler and sling (both sent free after registration)

Later full-automatic versions of the M1 Carbine were also made — the M2 Carbine (early 1945) and the M3 with infrared night scope — but all use the same rotating bolt and short-stroke piston design of the original M1 Carbine.

U.S. Army Ordnance Corps cartouche

So, Inland Manufacturing is back in business and once again making U.S.-specification M1 Carbines? Well, not so fast. This Inland is not the GM division of old, but rather a new incarnation founded in 2013. The original Inland merged with Delphi Automotive Systems back in 1989, and both were spun off from GM as a single independent company a decade later. Bad news? Not really. This Inland’s iteration of the M1 Carbine remains so true to the original that the parts . . . all the parts . . . are fully interchangeable with the original. And the oiler you see below is Army surplus. That surplus oiler and a sling ship out to the customer at no charge when Inland Mfg. receive your registration form. Yes, mine came with oil still in it, and I had to clean it off before installing it into the stock. Things don’t get much more authentic than that.

Inland M1 Carbine with oiler and sling (both sent free after registration)

The version you see here is Inland’s 1945 model with a Type 3 barrel band that includes a bayonet lug mounted onto an 18-inch/45.7-centimeter barrel. The 1945 also comes with one 15-round magazine (Really? Just one, Inland? Isn’t that being just a bit on the cheap side?). The 1944 model comes with a Type 2 barrel band and one 10-round magazine to make it compliant in those states that believe only body guards protecting politicians should have access to “high-capacity” magazines (see: The Myths Driving the Magazine Capacity Debate — and How They Get You Killed), and that bayonets somehow present a clear and present danger to the public.

Inland 1944 M1 Carbine with 10-round magazine and Type-2 barrel band absent the bayonet lug

Inland 1944 M1 Carbine with 10-round magazine, an 18-inch/45.7-centimeter barrel and Type-2 barrel band absent the bayonet lug

Inland also make a paratrooper M1A1 version;

Inland M1A1 Paratrooper Carbine with an 18-inch/45.7-centimeter barrel

as well as a “Jungle Carbine” with a 16.25-inch/41.3-centimeter barrel and flash hider;

Inland M1 Jungle Carbine with a 16-inch/40.6-centimeter barrel and a flash hider

Inland M1 Jungle Carbine with flash suppressor

a pistol version called “The Advisor” (patterned after a model used by U.S. advisors in Vietnam);

Vietnam-era M1 Advisor pistol with 12-inch/30.5-centimeter barrel and flash hider

Vietnam-era Inland M1 Advisor pistol with a 12-inch/30.5-centimeter barrel and flash suppressor

and even a modernized “Scout” version that comes with black polymer-and-textured wood stock, flash suppressor on a threaded barrel, and an upper handguard made of anodized aluminum and featuring a Picatinny rail for mounting a scope or other accessories.

Modernized Inland M1 Scout Carbine with 16.25-inch/41.3-centimeter barrel, anodized aluminum Picatinny rail, and flash suppressor

Attention to detail is the name of the game with Inland, clear down to a duplication of the stain used on the original Inland carbines. On Friday I’ll be doing a side-by-side comparison with an inferior copy from the now defunct Universal Firearms. Universal started out using surplus USGI parts, but as those items dried up they started making non-specification versions and cut some serious corners.

Inland M1 Carbine with oiler and sling (both sent free after registration)

Let’s take a look at the Inland disassembled. As with the original M1 Carbine, disassembly begins by loosening the screw below the barrel band, sliding the barrel band/bayonet lug forward, and then emoving the upper handguard. The barrel band with bayonet lug is permanently affixed to the barrel. The whole barrel assembly, and receiver and trigger groups lift out of the stock as a unit.

Taking apart the M1 Carbine

Next comes the removal of the recoil spring, which is easily accomplished by slightly compressing the spring and pulling it away from the housing containing the short-stroke piston.

Recoil spring removed from the piston housing

After that you punch out the pin holding in place the trigger group.

Trigger group assembly and retaining pin

After the trigger group is removed from the receiver the slide can now be dismounted.

Slide removed from receiver, leaving the bolt in place

Inland disassembled

Good luck getting it back together. Just kidding. The most difficult reassembly task for me was getting the slide mounted back into the receiver while mating it to the rotating bolt. But some detailed online tutorials eventually solved that predicament. After that putting everything back into place was a snap.

Now would be a good time to explain how this marvelous piece of engineering works, so let’s take a look once again at the actual receive group removed from the carbine (see below). As the .30-caliber carbine bullet travels down the barrel it passes a small hole (port) above the piston housing. Pressurized gas flows down this port and into a small piston that then moves forcefully back a short distance, impacting the slide with sufficient force to overcome the tension of the recoil spring. This cycles the slide back.

Inland receiver, slide, piston housing, and recoil spring

Below is an image of a Universal M1 Carbine receiver that I’m using here to show what you cannot see on the Inland. The Universal has a slotted slide that engages the bolt lug of the rotating bolt, which is also how the Inland operates hidden from view behind a solid slide. Until the slide goes back, the bolt of the weapon is securely locked in place because of it’s orientation. As the slide travels rearward it rotates the bolt by engaging the bolt lug. This rotation unlocks the bolt, allowing it to travel back to extract the spent cartridge, which is then ejected from the weapon. The recoil spring then takes over, moving the slide forward taking the bolt with it. The bolt strips the next round from the top of the magazine, chambers the round, and then rotates back into the locked position for the next firing.

Rotating bolt, bolt lug, and slotted slide from a Universal M1 Carbine

I hope I made that all clear as mud.

Now for the specifics on the Inland 1945 M1 .30 Carbine. MSRP for the 1945 version is $1,079, but if you shop around you can snag one for under a grand. Barrel length is 18 inches/46.7 centimeters. The rifle is incredibly compact and extremely light weight, coming in at just under 36 inches/91.5 centimeters in length and weighing a feather-light 5 pounds 3 ounces/2.35 kilograms. This weapon was, after all, designed to replace the M1911 pistol for officers, tank crews, and rear echelon troops, giving them a compact yet powerful alternative to a handgun.

For those wondering about the ballistics, the .30 carbine bullet weighs 110 grains/7.13 grams, travels at just under 2,000 feet/610 meters per second, and generates 964 foot-pounds/1,307 joules at the muzzle. Energy-wise that puts the .30 carbine round on par with a .357 Magnum out of the same length barrel, and even exceeds the energy from a .44 Magnum round coming out of the six-inch/15.24-centimeter barrel of a typical .44 Magnum handgun (although out of an 18-inch barrel the .44 Magnum easily wins over both).

See you Friday for a comparison between the Inland and a 3rd generation Universal Firearms M1 Carbine.

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Tagged as .30 caliber M1 Carbine, firearm review, historic firearms, Inland M1 Carbine, Inland Manufacturing, M1 Carbine, R. Doug Wicker

Category Archives: Firearms

Shooting a Pair of Cheetahs — Comparing the Beretta 84FS and 85FS

Comparing M1 Carbines — The new Inland vs. the 3rd Generation Universal

Firearms Review — First look at the new Inland M1 Carbine

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Category Archives: Firearms

Shooting a Pair of Cheetahs — Comparing the Beretta 84FS and 85FS

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Comparing M1 Carbines — The new Inland vs. the 3rd Generation Universal

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Firearms Review — First look at the new Inland M1 Carbine

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