Sometimes, the gun industry surprises you. I didn’t have the highest hopes for a made-in-Turkey copy of the Beretta 86. I expected a reasonably competent gun, but was pleasantly surprised by the Girsan MC 14T. The gun had two really appealing features. First, it’s a tip-up barrel pistol. Second, I bought it because it was available in an auction. I got it for $190. That’s well below the market value (MSRP is $498), and after having a decent experience with the Girsan MC P35 PI, Girsan’s take on the Browning Hi-Power, I figured, what the heck, let’s try it out.
EAA, a company known for gun advertisements featuring freak cyborg ladies with guns for legs, imports these guns. One of my first thoughts was to convert it to .32 ACP with a conversion gun kit, but it turns out you can’t do that with a tip up gun. The Turkish handgun market is growing fast and luckily, Turkish handguns seem to be a lot better built than Turkish shotguns. Girsan has become be one of the most dominant Turkish handgun producers.
Girsan is located in Giresun, Turkey on the Black Sea and is relatively young. They only came into being in 1993, but in my world they have become prominent with their reproductions of popular firearms. Their Hi-Power series captured my attention first. They’ve also produced 1911s and various Beretta clones. There are also some striker-fired, polymer-frame guns, but those haven’t excited me.
Digging Into the MC 14T
I’m a tip-up nerd and finding a Beretta 86 isn’t easy, especially at a reasonable price point. Tip-ups allow you to access the chamber with the press of a button. Push down a little and the barrel tips up. You can drop a round into the chamber without racking the slide. That can help folks with weaker hands ready or clear their handgun. The MC 14T chambers the old reliable .380 ACP round.
The MC 14T isn’t a direct clone of the Beretta 86. It’s just a clone of the important parts. The gun uses a direct blowback system, which is required with a tip-up barrel. The magazine appears to be a Beretta 86 magazine, which Mec-Gar makes.
Mec-Gar makes great magazines so that’s a smart choice. Magazine and magazine development isn’t easy, and it often a weak point of several guns. The magazines hold 13 rounds, and with one additional in the pipe. The .380 ACP isn’t a show-stopper, but it’s a viable self-defense caliber and 14 rounds of .380 ACP can go a long way.
Most modern .380s are tiny pocket guns that are nearly impossible to handle. The MC 14T is no pocket gun. It’s a full-sized (well, “compact”) pistol with a 4.5-inch barrel and an overall length of 6.8 inches. The all-metal frame keeps things hefty as it weighs 1.4 pounds. That isn’t all bad. If your hands are too weak to work the slide, the extra size and weight will help tame recoil.
A few modern touches are present where the MC 14T departs from the Beretta 86. Those include a Picatinny rail and larger modern sights.
At The Range With the MC 14T
With a supply of Fiocchi 95-grain .380 ACP and a few steel targets, I started blasting away. I forgot to bring paper targets so excuse the old FBI Q targets I had hanging up. To test the gun accurately, I had to aim at the lower body to avoid the previous holes. At 15 yards, the Girsan produced an impressive three-round group that was 1.5 inches wide.
I backed off to 25 yards and started working the steel targets. I had a few silhouettes, an IPSC target, and a gong. I engaged all four without a problem. The big sights are easy to see and easily align. I went back to 50 yards and launched three rounds that finished the magazine, and each one hit the 10-inch gong.
Iron sights at 50 yards from a .380 into a 10-inch target. That’s downright impressive accuracy. The barrel isn’t fixed but doesn’t move when the slide cycles. Maybe there’s something to that whole fixed-barrel thing.
The trigger handles nicely. I shot for accuracy in single action. As expected, it’s light and crisp. The double action pull rolls quite nicely and is downright impressive. Overall, it’s great and Girsan has done a good job of copying Beretta’s triggers.
Going Fast
Another thing about the quasi-fixed front sight is that it’s super easy to track when you shoot. It doesn’t move as the slide cycles so you can follow it with your eye. That makes it a snap to shoot fast and keep sights on target. The single-action trigger pull also helps keep the gun running quickly and efficiently.
In terms of recoil, well, the blowback system does you no favors. The gun still more or less recoils like a short recoil-operated 9mm. It’s on par with a GLOCK 19. The large beavertail at the rear helps prevent slide bite, but it’s a bit awkward and impacts your hand (mine are large). It won’t make the gun difficult to shoot, but after several hundred rounds, it gets tiresome.
Other than that, the ergonomics are fantastic. The safety is ambidextrous, and the slide lock is massive. The hammer is easy to manually cock, and the gun’s grip is quite nice and svelte. It really feels great in the hand.
The MC 14 T is a really good defensive firearm because it can go plenty fast. The gun runs like a well-made clock. I had no reliability issues.
A Valid Defensive Option
The MC 14T is a competent defensive pistol for a niche set of users…those with poor hand strength. Being able to load the chamber directly makes life much easier for those who have difficulty racking a slide. The tip-up barrel limits you to blowback operation, which makes the recoil rougher than you’d expect for a .380. Still, the recoil is relatively tame overall. And the 4.5-inch barrel helps move those .380 ACP pills and guarantees expansion with quality JHPs.
The Girsan MC 14T is accurate and very easy to shoot. The rail allows for a light, a must-have for the home-defense user. The MC 14T is a surprisingly nice little gun. You might not find it for the bargain price I did, but it’s still a lot of gun for the money.
Specifications: Girsan MC 14T
Caliber: .380 ACP
Capacity: 13+1
Barrel Length: 4.5 inches
Overall Length: 6.8 inches
Weight: 1.4 pounds
MSRP: $498 (about $430 retail)