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Some eight years after reviewing a Girsan MC14 comes a new variant via EAA. The Girsan MC14G84 borrows heavily from some classic Beretta lines in the form of a handsome doublestack .380acp.
What Is It? The EAA Girsan MC14G84 is a reproduction of the Beretta 80's series of gun. While the MC14 I reviewed years ago had a closed-top slide, the open-top design of the MC14G84 is more akin to the Beretta Cheetah. Doublestack, compact firearm in .380 with handsome finishing, but none of the modern "tacitcal" features such as a light rail or optics cuts that would pervert the classic lines. Unlike many "pocket" 380acp pistols the EAA Girsan MC14G84 is sized well enough to be comfortable to use.
Who's it For? This is an interesting one. The lack of rail or optics cut might turn off Tactical Timmys, but also will likely appeal to those who admire firearms with a more artistic shape. The MC14G84 could be a carry/defensive gun for those who don't need modern accessories, or it could just be one of those pretty guns in the collection that you take out every once in a while.
Take a look at the EAA Girsan MC14G84 in the Tabletop video below:
Specifications of the EAA Girsan MC14G84
UPC: 741566906923
Length: 6.8"
Height: 4.9"
Weight w/o magazine: 21.32oz
Barrel Length: 3.82"
Width: 1.32"
Capacity 13+1
MSRP: $381
Online Pricing as of 25APR24
(click links for current pricing and availability)
The Kit is rather light including one manual which covers the family of guns, one magazine, a cleaning brush, and of course the federally-mandated lock. The good news is the magazines are the same they were eight years ago, appear to share the same pattern as the Beretta 80's series, and are available online. For an such an affordable metalr-framed, hammer-fired pistol it's hard to complain.
Appreciating the handoms classic styling of the EAA Girsam MC14G84 is one thing, but how does it shoot? Of course the GBGuns standard range protocol needed to be followed to get a good overall impression of the gun. As always this included:
Cold Shots: Truly the first rounds through the gun.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger. Fortunately the EAA Girsan MC14 accepted the magazines I had from other Beretta 80's series guns.
What's For Dinnerâ„¢: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun we used the following ammunition:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
50gr Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense $32.77 / 20 at Sportsman's Guide
85gr Norma MHP $11.59 / 20 at Optics Planet
85gr Winchester Silver Tip $18.89 / 20 at Optics Planet
90gr Federal Hydra Shok JHP (discontinued?)
90gr Hornady American Gunner XTP $18.32 / 50 at Global Ordnance
94gr PPU JHP $21.72 / 50 at Global Ordnance
95gr Blazer Aluminum Case $21.26 / 50 at Global Ordnance
95gr Speer Lawman TMJ $23.56 / 50 at Global Ordnance
102gr Remington Golden Saber $35.99 / 20 at Remington
102gr Remington Ultimate Defense Compact Handgun BJHP $35.99 / 20 at Remington
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12 yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of our shooting experience and time for us to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
The entire process can be seen in the Shooting Impressions video below.
Ammunition seen in our Shooting Impressions video was made possible by our Patrons and supporters of our ammunition savings account through Ammo Squared.
On the Range I had a lot of fun. The EAA Girsan MC14G84 is indeed a blowback .380, and I've known that type of gun to be a bit snappy/violent to shoot, but between the weight, grip, and a firm recoil spring the range session was enjoyable. I'm not saying I'd take it to a multi-day handgun course, but I don't think that's what guns like these are designed for.
Another note from the range was the benefit of a 3.8" barrel giving this little gun a little more muzzle energy than typically seen from a .380acp. This is slightly longer than the SAAMI spec of 3.75" which means you can rest assured your defensive ammunition well perform as intended with engouh velocity to work. That's something some .380 pistol makers seem to forget to mention with their short-barreled defensive guns.