Beretta introduced the Model 84 in 1976. Destined to fulfill the needs of spies, femme fatales, and off-duty cops, the Italian import boasted an unusually large magazine capacity for that period. Its 13 + 1 payload made it popular with both Narcos and Narcs during the cocaine wars. It was sleek, sexy, and had great ergonomics, and somewhere along the line, it picked up the nickname Cheetah. It was the perfect clone-worthy inspiration for the EAA Girsan MC14BDA.
The EAA Girsan MC14BDA
Beretta machined the 84’s frame from an aluminum forging for lightweight carry. Despite the double-column magazine, the gun had relatively slim dimensions and great balance. Often bought as a woman’s gun, the 84 was also popular with men, like me, who found it perfect for concealed carry and backup use.
Sadly, Beretta discontinued the Cheetah in 2017. However, last year, the Beretta 80x was introduced and featured a larger beavertail, a Picatinny rail for mounting a tactical light, and an optics mounting plate.
It’s an absolutely great gun and seems to be very popular. But, honestly, I can do without the light rail and optics platform on a .380 pistol. The slim, trim and streamlined model 84 will be missed.
This unfulfilled demand was obviously the inspiration for European American Armory (EAA) to import the Turkish-made MC14BDA pistol. Manufactured by Girsan the new .380 ACP will undoubtedly find a place in the hearts of those looking for an uncluttered Cheetah clone.
Cloning the Cheetah
While the MC14BDA shares some features with the original Beretta 84, there are some differences.
Girsan machines the pistol’s frame from an aluminum forging. It has the familiar double-action/single-action trigger and ambidextrous frame-mounted thumb safeties. Its magazine release, located in the John Moses Browning-inspired location, is reversible for left-handed use. Girsan also removed the trigger guard hook for a more sleek profile.
Most folks will immediately recognize that the Turkish pistol uses a closed slide with a traditional ejection port. This differs from the open-top slide Beretta used on the original model 84.
This is the same style slide Beretta manufactured for the BDA, which Browning started importing in the late 1970s. It is most likely the reason EAA acknowledges this with their name MC14BDA.
Girsan dovetails both of the sights into the slide. Both front and rear sights have the familiar 3-dot pattern. Girsan does an excellent job of fitting the sights. So much so that I had a great deal of trouble drifting the rear sight for a windage adjustment.
The slide release is well-designed and slightly extended, yet it is unobtrusive and easily manipulated. So, too, are the ambidextrous thumb safeties. They can be disengaged and engaged without shifting the firing grip. They are easy to use and not likely to be accidentally knocked on or off during carry.
Engaging the thumb safeties locks the slide in its “in battery” position. There is no magazine safety, and the gun can be fired with the magazine removed.
The MC14BDA’s Action
Possessing a traditional double-action/single-action trigger, the MC14BDA offers a number of safe carry options. Most people, myself included, will simply carry the gun with the hammer down and safety disengaged.
To fire, the user simply draws the gun and presses the trigger through its long double-action pull. Each subsequent shot afterwards will be single-action. There is no decocker on the pistol, so users must carefully grasp the hammer, press the trigger, and lower it to its down position.
Perhaps a less popular method of carrying the MC14BDA is to cock the hammer and engage the thumb safeties. To fire, the shooter simply presses down the safeties with their thumb and presses the trigger for single-action fire.
My test and evaluation sample’s trigger breaks at an unbelievably light 4.75 pounds in the double-action mode. It is undoubtedly the lightest DA pull of any semi-auto pistol I’ve tried.
Its single-action trigger breaks with 3 pounds and 2 ounces of pressure. It’s not perfect—with some creep and overtravel—but it is completely serviceable for this economy-class gun.
Shooting the MC14BDA
To test the MC14BDA for accuracy, I set my targets out at 15 yards and fired all groups from a seated rest using a DOA Tactical portable shooting bench. I rested the pistol’s dust cover on my brand-new Ransom Pistol Rest to maintain my sight picture while pressing the trigger.
I fired five shots in a group and three groups for each ammunition. The best 5-shot group is listed in the accuracy chart.
Federal’s Premium 99-grain HST JHP was a pleasant surprise for me. It produced groups under 2 inches through the MC14BDA but also produced the most horsepower. I actually checked my results twice to verify.
The HST JHPs produced a whopping 259 Foot Pounds of Energy. This is about 24% more than the Hornady 90-grain FTX Critical Defense rounds, which came in second in the energy department.
By .380 ACP standards the Federal Premium load is a hot one. But the great thing is that it is a standard pressure load and not a +P round. The MC14BDA handled it fine, though. As you might expect, the recoil was a little stout with this load. By the way, the aggregate group size for the six loads tested was a very respectable 1.43 inches.
Being a blowback gun, I expected that it might be a little finicky when it came to ammunition. Those fears were unfounded as it digested all of the six loads listed in the accuracy chart (below) with aplomb.
Running Field Exercises with the Girsan Pistol
For field exercises, I used the Aguila 95-grain FMJ rounds to practice doubletaps from the low-ready position. I have to give the MC14BDA credit for its excellent ergonomics and the fact that it points so naturally. I was able to score hits on my reduced IPSC-style steel targets, starting at 10 yards and moving back to about 25 yards.
Starting with the MC14’s hammer down and the pistol at the low-ready position, I started adding pressure to the trigger as the sights came on target. I had no trouble transitioning from the double-action trigger to the single-action pull. Likewise, the smoothness of the DA pull made first-shot hits easy.
There were no failures of any sort during my short 200-round evaluation.
Parting Shots
Disassembly of the MC14BDA is fast and intuitive if you’re familiar with other Beretta products. Start by removing the magazine and clearing the chamber. Lock the slide back and then depress the spring-loaded pin on the left side of the frame while turning the take-down lever 90 degrees on the right side.
Next, grasp the rear of the slide and ease it forward off the frame after depressing the slide lock. The recoil spring, guide, and barrel can now be removed from the slide. Reassembly is in reverse order.
One thing I noticed while I had the pistol disassembled is just how well finished the gun is. Internally, there are no machine marks or evidence of tool chatter. The barrel, slide, and frame are all serialized.
Externally, the gun is also well-finished, and both the frame and slide wear a matching matte black color. EAA also offers the MC14BDA in a two-tone black and silver Cerakote finish.
The MC14 BDA may not be everyone’s first pick for a concealed-carry gun, but it does have a lot going for it. It has a very comfortable grip and works well with both small and large hands. It is lightweight, has more than adequate capacity, and has unbelievable trigger pulls in both double and single action.
More importantly, the suggested retail price of this Turkish-made pistol is just $360. That puts the MC14 BDA within reach of just about everyone who needs a CCW gun.
For more information, please visit EAACorp.com.
EAA Girsan MC14BDA Specs
| Operation | Semi-Auto, Blowback, DA-SA Trigger |
| Caliber/Capacity | .380 ACP, 13 + 1 |
| Overall Length | 6.8” |
| Weight | 24-Ounces |
| Barrel | 3.8” |
| Sights | Dovetailed, Fixed, 3-Dot |
| Safeties | Manual Ambidextrous Thumb Safeties, Firing Pin Safety |
| Grips | Synthetic with Medalion |
| Accessories | Polymer Hard Case, Cable Lock, Cleaning Brush |
| MSRP | $360 |
Performance
| Ammo | Velocity | Energy | Group |
| Aguila 95-grain FMJ | 925 | 180 | 1.07” |
| Black Hills 60-grain Honey Badger | 1095 | 159 | 1.76” |
| Federal American Eagle 95-grain FMJ | 957 | 193 | 1.64” |
| Federal Premium 99-grain HST JHP | 1086 | 259 | 1.82” |
| Hornady 90-grain XTP American Gunner | 945 | 178 | .83” |
| Hornady 90-grain FTX Critical Defense® | 996 | 198 | 1.45” |
| Average | 1.43” |
