Beretta 84 barrel and recoil spring in an 81?

Jonbre

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Hey everyone,

I was seeing if anyone had ever attempted to convert the 81 Cheetah in .32 to .380 by replacing the barrel and recoil spring with ones from an 84 (spare parts).

The reason I’m asking is because the 81s are plenty, but the 84s seem to be much more expensive. If one is looking for a Cheetah platform but wants the .380 capability without the expense, I thought this might be an option.

Thanks all - I’m looking forward to reading your responses!
 
Barrel and magazine only, I have read that the spring is the same.
 
One thing to consider is that 380 Auto eats up 85B, 85BBs, 84B and 84BBs. The round batters the frame to failure. I have a 85B which I love but the more you shoot it the harder it gets to disassemble and reassemble. The 85F, 85FS, 84F and 84FS are much more stout. If you are going to use older surplus 81 or 81B I would not shoot a lot of 380 auto out of it. Allegheny Gun Works is a Beretta heavy shop and I have talked with him about these types of conversions in the past. He recommends going the other way. 380 auto to .32 but cautions going the other way around.
 
I have both....it does appear that this would work.....

It definitely works it just might excessively wear the frame. I would also double check on the recoil spring weight. I think they are the same weight but not 100% sure.
 
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