Overview
As a disclosure, EAA sent this firearm to me to evaluate, and everything mentioned in this review is from a sample size of one gun.
Made by Girsan of Turkey, the MC 14T has a very Disco-era Beretta-ish style to it and resembles the Italian maker's now-iconic original Cheetah series. The EAA gun runs an M1913 Picatinny accessory rail on the dustcover-- which none of the old Cheetahs had-- and sports an easy-to-load "tip up" barrel such as seen on Beretta's "mouse guns" going back to the Minx in the 1950s and was only used on a .380-caliber Cheetah briefly (the single-stack Model 86, sought after by collectors).
The pistol ships in a simple plastic clamshell box and includes a single magazine, a manual, a safety lock, and a cleaning brush. It would be nice if it had a couple of extra mags, but they are a fairly common type – the $40-ish 13-rounders used on the Beretta 84/84F/84FS and clones such as the Tisas Fatih 13 – so the user can shop around for those. The reversible magazine release drops the mag free at the push of a button.
What’s the big deal about a tip-up barrel? Well, in a word, simplicity. All that has to be done to load any pistol that carries the feature is to just activate the release lever on the frame (carried on the right side of the MC 14T), which causes the barrel to tilt up and expose the chamber throat.
This cuts out the problem of overcoming an often-stout recoil spring by brute force, making guns that use the feature ideal for those with low hand strength, arthritis, or issues such as carpal tunnel or repetitive motion injuries that make it hard to physically rack a slide on a semi-auto. Plus, as it has a double-action/single-action trigger pull (more on that below), the MC 14T has less than half the pull weight of common small DAO self-defense revolvers such as an S&W 442/642.
Surface controls include an ambidextrous safety lever that is not a de-cocker, with the lever simply locking the slide and giving the user a "dead" trigger. To de-cock the MC 14T, the user must do the old bit of holding the hammer, depressing the trigger, and easing the hammer forward slowly while having the muzzle in a safe direction, a throwback to guns like the M1911 and Browning Hi-Power. However, as the MC 14T has an easy flip-up barrel, this can be done safely.
The Specs
- Caliber: .380 ACP
- Capacity: 13+1 (10 rounders available in restricted states)
- Trigger Pull (10-pull average): 7.75 pounds double action, 4.4 single
- Weight: 25.8 ounces with an empty 13-round mag
- Barrel Length: 4.5 inch
- Overall Length: 7.54 inches
- Sight Radius: 5.5 inches
- Height: 5 inches from tip of magazine curve to top of sights
- Width: 1.45 inch
- MRD Optic Footprints: None
Features
When it comes to ergonomics, the MC 14T has vertical grooves in the front and rear straps of the grip and a broad beavertail built into the frame to alleviate the threat of trigger bites. The machining on the gun seems very well done and both the fit and finish are decent.
We put almost 500 rounds through it, and I must admit that I hated the fact that I couldn't field strip it afterward to fully get all the gunk out. Also, since there is no extractor (being a blowback action) you cannot eject a live round from the barrel when unloading the gun by cycling the slide. You have to remember to pop that barrel open – at which point the round may have to be manually pulled from the chamber – and drop the mag, then ensure it is clear.
We found the pistol to weigh in at just under 32 ounces when stoked with 14 rounds of Federal Premium Hydra-Shok Deep 99-grain self-defense rounds as well as the LOK Thin grips and the Foxtrot 2 installed.
Trigger
The MC 14T uses a double-action/single-action trigger system of the kind that was common in the 1970s and 80s but is increasingly abandoned these days. While a little complicated to fans of a more "point and shoot" striker-fired gun, the DA/SA arrangement allows for both a fairly heavy "duty" trigger in double action, with a more crisp and responsive target style trigger in single action.
We found the DA trigger to be long but smooth before it came to the wall until breaking at 7.75 pounds on average. The SA pull was much better, breaking at an average of 4.4 pounds with an almost instant wall across a short take-up with a total journey of about a quarter inch. Overall, it is a decent DA/SA trigger.
In action:
Reliability
Well, it seems like the MC 14T we had was a little ammo-sensitive.
We encountered repeated failures to feed when using flat-tipped 95-grain Winchester white box 955 fps FMJs, typically unable to get through an entire magazine. We tried three different magazines to see if it was a mag issue but continued to have the same problem.
A box of Wolf Polyformance 1,010 fps 94-grain steel-cased FMJ fed 50:50.
Another good load we found to run all the time with the MC 14T is Federal's green-boxed American Eagle Indoor Range Lead-Free 70-grain 1,010 fps loads, dropping four boxes through the little pistol with zero issues other than a failure to lock the slide back on empty a couple of times.
When it comes to self-defense loads, we did not have a lot of variety on hand when it came to .380 hollow points. What we did have was a box of nickel-plated Browning X-Point 95-grain JHP (1,000 fps) and four hard-to-open boxes of Federal Premium Hydra-Shok Deep 99-grain 975 fps loads. The results: 100 rounds fired with no issues noted except for the slide failing to lock back on empty a couple of times.
All told, we put about 500 rounds through the pistol, and, other than the Winchester white box problems noted, the MC 14T ran well. That should not be much of a surprise, as straight blowback action guns can often be dependable even without a dedicated ejector, especially when coupled with a lightened open-style slide.
As far as reliability and magazine compatibility, we used the single mag that came with the MC 14T, an aftermarket Mec-Gar, and a Beretta-marked 84 mag in testing. Other than the random issue of failing to lock back now and then on an empty chamber, we had no issues we can blame on the mags.
Accuracy
With the benefit of the pistol having a fixed barrel, the MC 14T proved very accurate. At ranges less than 15 yards, we could usually make groups with most of the rounds touching or near touching.
Pushing back past 15, the fixed three-dot sights and 5.5-inch sight radius started to tell, and the groups got wider. However, even at 25 yards, which is about the peak for most self-defense encounters, the MC 14T was able to keep 28 rounds of American Eagle green box in the 5 and 5X scoring ring of an ICE-QT target.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Tip up barrel for easy loading and unloading.
- 14-shot .380.
- Nice aesthetic and just feels good.
- Some aftermarket support (e.g., mags and grips).
- Good trigger.
- Usable accessory rail.
- Accurate.
Cons
- Ammo-sensitive, so find a load that works and stick with it.
- Cannot field strip for cleaning and maintenance.
- Manual of arms can be confusing.
- Does anyone make a holster?
- Fixed front sight built into the slide.
Conclusion
The MC 14T is a cool concept that seeks to give folks a good option for an easy-to-load .380 with a decent magazine capacity and a workable accessory rail that you can put a light on. This makes it ideal for home defense for someone who may struggle to work the slide on other semi-autos that aren't the S&W EZ or Equalizer. The gun feels good in the hand and the surface controls are where you expect them to be while the trigger is so good that it surprises you a bit.
When it comes to detriments, the fact that I can't seem to find any legitimate holsters for it other than generics would seem to rule out its use as a carry gun, while the inability to break it down for serious cleaning keeps it from being a hard-use handgun that you would, say, take to a 1,000-round week-long pistol course.
But, if you are a fan of interesting designs (especially if you are fond of old-school Berettas) or are just looking for an easy-to-load home defense option, the MC 14T could be just the trick.
