Beretta 81BB Cheetah .32 ACP Compact DA/SA Pistol – 12+1, High-Polish Blue, Italian-Made
Beretta’s Model 81BB Cheetah blends the company’s classic open-top slide with a double-stack, 12-round .32 ACP magazine, giving shooters substantial capacity in a slim, compact frame. This 1980s Italian-made example features the upgraded “BB” ambidextrous safety/decocker, high-polish blue finish, and checkered walnut grips with brass PB medallions—details that set it apart from earlier 81 variants and many surplus imports on today’s market.
Condition
Overall Condition: Good condition, showing some signs of prior use and handling.
Bore Condition: Excellent – Clean, mirror finish, sharp lands and grooves.
Specific Condition Notes: The high-polish blue surfaces display scattered handling scratches and minor finish blemishes, but the metal remains smooth and free of corrosion. Checkered walnut grips are fully intact with only light handling marks.
What’s Included
- 1× factory Beretta 12-round double-stack magazine
The 81BB’s double-action/single-action system pairs a smooth trigger pull with a crisp single-action break, backed by an ambidextrous frame-mounted safety/decocker and an automatic firing-pin block for added confidence.
An open-top carbon-steel slide aids reliability by minimizing ejection failures and allows quick visual confirmation of chamber status. Rear serrations offer solid grip during administrative or defensive manipulations.
The compact aluminum-alloy frame keeps weight down while maintaining durability, and its reversible heel-style magazine catch was a forward-thinking touch for the early 1980s, giving shooters flexible reload options.
Fixed sights—a blade front integral to the slide and a dovetailed square-notch rear—provide a snag-free profile suitable for concealed carry or range use. Italian proof marks and the R. GUNS Carpentersville IL import stamp verify this pistol’s European manufacture and U.S. surplus import history.