TFB Review: EAA Girsan MC14BDA .380

EAA has a reputation for making affordable versions of pistols made by other manufacturers. When Beretta discontinued the classic Beretta 80-series pistols, Girsan stepped up to make clones. The recent MC14BDA is a “clone” of a close 80-series cousin, the Browning BDA. I spent the last several months with one, and it is time to share my findings.

.380 @ TFB:

• The NEW Hi Point YC380 (Yeet Cannon 380)
• EAA Announces Two New MC14 .380 Pistols
• TFB Review: Ruger's New Security-380 Lite Rack Pistol
• Pocket-size Cyberpunk SMG: The B&T TP380
• TFB Review: 1,000 Rounds On The Beretta 80x – Part I

Disclosures should be included in any review for full transparency. I have done a previous review of the Girsan MC P35 Ops, and I am also working on a review of the Witness2311 10mm. EAA provided me with the pistol, I paid for the ammo.

Design & Features

Larger pistols chambered in .380 ACP have been having a moment. Unlike the pocket pistols usually found in that caliber, larger guns can be a reasonable option for people with weaker hands. I did a review of the Beretta 80X not long ago, which is a modernized relative of this design. I also reviewed my old Italian police surplus Beretta 84bb which is a very similar gun to the MC14BDA.

The 80X is a direct descendant of the 84bb and the rest of the Cheetah family. That group encompasses single-stack and double-stack models in .380 ACP and .32 ACP, with various trigger and safety options. The Browning BDA is somewhere between a sibling and a cousin with the rest of that group. The main difference is in the design of the slide, which has an ejection port and is closed around the barrel rather than the Beretta-style open top, and the safety, which is slide mounted.

EAA imports the MC14BDA from Turkey, where it is manufactured by Girsan. It's not the first Girsan .380 based on the Beretta 80-series Cheetah family. The MC14T has a tip-up barrel like the Model 86, and the MC14G84 is patterned on the Beretta 84F. The MC14BDA is inspired by the Browning BDA with its enclosed slide but retains the frame-mounted safety of the Beretta Cheetah. The trigger mechanism is designed for “cocked and locked” carry with the hammer back and the safety on. There is no decocking mechanism but it is possible to thumb down the hammer on a live round for a double-action first shot. The wisdom of decocking a pistol in that manner is hotly debated, so you will have to decide for yourself if it is worth the risk or not.

One magazine is included, a 13-rounder made by MecGar with an extended finger rest. The MC14BDA also feeds fine from MecGars marketed for the Cheetah or BDA without the finger extension, and Beretta 80x magazines with their redesigned geometry.

On The Range

I put about 600 rounds through the MC14BDA for the review. During that process there was only one malfunction, a failure to feed with PMC ammo while using the magazine from my old 84bb. All other rounds, including FMJs of various manufacturers and hollow points, functioned fine with both MecGar magazines and magazines for the new 80x. I did not clean the gun during the review and it tolerated being dirty without complaint.

My biggest complaint about the MC14BDA is the design of the safety. The rear of the safety has a sharp edge that digs badly into my hand. I could not shoot more than a magazine or two without getting a red mark on the web of my hand, so I wore gloves for almost all of the shooting. This edge should really be rounded or tapered. Perhaps this would be less of an issue for people with smaller hands or for people who grip lower on the frame. And though the safety is uncomfortable, it is easy to manipulate.

While the safety could use some work, the sights are better than the 84bb. The three-dot design is easy to see without being too obtrusive to carry. This particular gun hit to the right with all tested ammunition, but the rear sight can be drifted to compensate. While the accuracy is not going to win a bullseye match, it is more than capable of punching out the x-ring of a B-8 target at defensive distances.

The recoil is extremely tame. The .380 ACP is often thought of as a harsh-recoiling round, but that is more of a function of the tiny pocket pistols that make up most of the market. In a larger gun with a bit of weight it is easy to control. Europeans call the .380 the “9mm Short” and that is a good way to describe what the recoil feels like too. Shooters who lack hand strength or struggle with recoil would be well served with the MC14BDA.

One minor complaint I had was with the magazine well. There is no funnel or chamfering to speak of on the magazine well opening. I fumbled a few reloads while shooting drills when I did not feed the magazine perfectly into the gun.

The trigger pull is pretty good. I measured it at 4.5 pounds in single action and nine pounds in double action. There is a little mush but nothing very noteworthy. For the price point, this trigger is fairly impressive, just don’t expect it to keep up with something like a tuned 1911.

Conclusion

The MC14BDA is not quite as refined as the guns it takes its inspiration from. But in the current market, the supply of used Berettas is running low and prices keep climbing. In contrast, EAA’s MC14BDA is currently selling for under $350 at online retailers. At that kind of price point, I can look past some shortcomings like the edge of the safety being a little rough. If you don’t have the budget for an Italian import or one of the even more expensive and long-discontinued Browning models, the MC14BDA provides a very similar shooting experience at a fraction of the price.