[Ram]

Hi everyone ! Hope everyone is staying warm ! :)
I was thinking of getting a .380 for CCW and looked at the new
Walther P series and I was surprised that the prices are still pretty HI for a SWalther ! I figured since S&W was making them, prices would be a little lower then $458 dollar ! I found a used but in mint condition original Walther .380 for $265 ! Anyways, I stopped and looked at some Bersa's in .380 and was wondering if anyone thought these were good guns or should I stay away ?

Thanks,
Ram

[Bikeguy]

Very good gun for the money, depending on what they are asking. I'd take it over the Walther any day

[Selfdfenz]

Can't say I have one bit of experience with the 380 Bersa but have handled them and they seem well enough put together.
Try going to the search function on THR and type in Bersa. Go to The Firing Line and do the same. There is some info there. Seem to remember several posts that were positive about this pistol.

I would recommend the CZ 83 in 380. Better price and while a bit bigger than the Bersa or Smith and Walther it's an excellent firearm. Great triggers, accurate and very well built, or at least those I've shot were. Another inexpensive but ok pistol in thsi class is the Makarov (sp). Very accurate. Almost suprisingly so. Not to large for CCW either.


Check out Gunbroker.com and Auctionarms.com to get an idea of the asking price. I've heard the CZ is no longer imported. Don't have any facts on that but they are still for sale on the net and I see them a local gunshows.
Good luck.
S-

[38snapcaps]

I have a Bersa Thunder that I carry and I'm very pleased with it.

$230 for a pistol from a company that has been around for forty years and makes handguns for the police and military. Lifetime warranty. Parts are readily available. Spare mags are $30. Ammo runs around $12 for defense HP's to $6 for FMJ practice.

Just last sunday I was trying out some different kinds of ammo with a gym bag for a bench rest. At thirty fieet I fired five rounds of Magtech FMJ and all the holes were touching. Now, I can't do that offhand, but it gives you an idea of the accuracy potential.

I like the controls: decocker which physically blocks the firing pin and doubles as a safety. A real magazine release button, the mag drops free, you don't have to drag it out. And a good old fashioned slide release where a slide release should be. You can make your first shot double action or cock the hammer.

The double action trigger is real smooth, like my S&W revolver, and the single action is light and crisp. I looked real hard at a PPK/S and let me tell you the double action is terrible! You pull and pull and it feels like something is locked up. The single action is nice, tho. But the gun costs $500.

I like this gun so much that I have retired my .38 snub to bedroom shelf duty and have bought an inside waistband and Fobus holster for the Bersa.

Its light for carry but not too light so the recoil isn't bad. Much nicer in both respects than the snub.

So, there you are, my experiences with a Bersa.

I think you'd like one for personal or home defense.

[Steve F]

Another vote for the CZ83:D

[Matthew_Q]

I got the two tone Bersa Thunder .380 in December. Best $200 ever spent on a single item.

I had a PPK/S a few years ago, and traded it off. Loved it, but couldn't afford it and the other pistol I wanted. Anyway, it got to the point where I wanted a small, compact, affordable pistol that could be good for carry, and I remembered the Bersa. Searched high and low, and just about every review by an actual owner was extremely positive. One or two had problems with +p ammo, so avoid it.

Nice trigger, nice worksmanship. I'd definitely recommend it to a friend!

[chaim]

I got a Bersa Thunder in .380 about 8 or 9 months ago and I love it. My only problem is that .380 ammo isn't cheaper so I that I could shoot it more often. It is accurate (very), reliable (no FTF or FTE yet, about 1K rounds), well made, good fit and finish, etc. My only actual problem is that the beavertail of the weapon has a sharp edge that is just at the right place to rub away some of the skin by my thumb. I love the gun so much I put up with it- if I got the blued gun instead of dual tone (the frame is nickel finished) I'd just have it filed in that spot but that would grind away the nickel. Given that one problem I have I'd suggest getting the blued gun so that a dremel tool (or file) and a tube of cold blue would be enough to fix it should you have the same problem (I may eventually get another in blue, in addition to my current one, for just this reason).

I think these are incredible guns and well worth the price. Heck, with the level of quality I think they'd be worth it for about $100 more. I got mine for about $215, but I've noticed prices going much higher over the past several months (only one store around here still has them near that, at about $225, and most start about $250). I think raising the prices would actually be a good marketing decision, I think the low price unnecessarily scares people away from this very fine pistol.

[gbelleh]

My Bersa .380 has been 100% reliable and is very accurate. I got mine new for $209. Great gun for the money.

[PAshooter]

Never owned one myself, but I hear good things about them. Might want to check out:

http://www.gunblast.com/Bersa_Thunder380.htm

[Akurat]

Have a FireStorm(Bersa) Mini 9, and shoot my buddy's .380 all the time. Great quality, low price. Can't beat it.

Have to start calling Bersa "CZ-Argentina" :D

[emann]

Great gun. I'll leave it at that being as last time I took up for Bersa's I got in trouble here. ;)

[Wil Terry]

underrated line of guns imported into the U. S. of A.

Incidently, BERSA is always capitalized as it is an acronym.

[Baron Holbach]

I am a Bersa .380 owner. Great gun for the money. I also own a CZ 83, which I consider the finest .380 in the world.

[Matthew_Q]

Chiam,

I noticed that too! I got the duo tone, and the frame isn't nickel plated, it's 'natrually' that silverish color, as far as I can tell. I used a dremel on the beavertail edges to round them out, and it feels a lot better. Haven't shot it since, but I figure it will be fine.

[chaim]

I noticed that too! I got the duo tone, and the frame isn't nickel plated, it's 'natrually' that silverish color, as far as I can tell. I used a dremel on the beavertail edges to round them out, and it feels a lot better. Really:) , that is good to know. I'll be able to smooth it out without destroying the finish or paying a ton to have it refinished. Cool, now I won't have to buy another in blue to have one I can make perfect that I can fairly easily refinish.

Wait a moment. Darn it!!! There goes my good excuse to buy another, now I'll have to find another reason to justify it to my rational side.:mad:

[91101]

I also have the two tone.... I paid $209 out the door.... Very nice little gun... Completely reliable... For the money you cant beat it...

Michael

P.S. I added a Houge Handall Jr. to it and it made a world of difference.

[CZ 75 BD]

For $199. from what I have just read, that sounds like a great deal.

[BuckeyePPC]

I got lucky around Thanksgiving last year and bid on a Bersa .380 Duotone on Gunbroker. A pawn shop in Tucson had it listed for $125 with holster. I was the only bidder and got it. Went to Tucson and picked it up was only $125 plus tax. I currently use it as my carry weapon and absolutely love it.

[2xTap]

I've got a Bersa Series 95 that I've had for a couple of years now, and it's been nothing but flawless and accurate. I too only paid $209 for mine, and IMO, they are the best .380 out there.

[SteveA]

I work part time in a local gun shop and have been into shooting sports and competition for roughly 40 years. I own and collect a few guns and know a little about them. I also understand ballistics pretty well.

There are those that claim anything smaller than a 9mm [some even claim that's too small] is simply not adequate for CCW and personal protection. To them I say - hogwash. .380 with the correct round is easily adequate.

My wife and I carry PPK/s Walthers with Glaser Safety Slugs. As a personal protection arm in concealed carry, I've always felt they were great. They're reliable, easy to handle, easy to control and easy to conceal. Blah, Blah, Blah.........;)

Now comes the Bersa Thunder 380.

We got one in some time back and I was amazed at the quality and features of this inexpensive little gun. It's lightweight and has a terrific trigger. About 8/10 pounds in DA, near 4 in SA and smooth as butter. Up until just yesterday, I hadn't shot one so I couldn't comment much on them.

Yesterday I went shooting with a buddy that had just bought two, one for himself and one for his wife. He cleaned them up and we went to the range we built behind his place and did some paper in with white box Winnies.

After about 20 rounds or so in each gun, they loosened up some and turned out to be very accurate and easy to shoot. The red dot sights are easy to see and are set properly in the gun for 25 yard and 15 yard targets. It was very easy to stay in the 9 & 10 rings on the NRA 25 Yard Slow-Fire, free handed.

I also like the slide lock on this little gun and wish it were on the PPK. Never gave it much thought on the Walthers before, thinking what's the real need on a small gun but now that I've shot a smaller gun with one - I like it. Slide lock is similar to my Colts but even with a loaded magazine in the gun, pulling the slide back locks it instead of loading the round. You must release the slide with the slide lock to chamber the round and fire.

We did a few boxes between us - probably 60 - 70 rounds in each gun. Pretty sweet for an under $300 gun.

We'd have shot more but I brought my SIG p226 357SIG and a couple others out from some exercise.

Yeah - turned out to be a great day to screw off and waste some ammo......:D

[duncan]

Junk.

Owned a BERSA Thunder .22lr and it was a jammer.

Saw a guy engage a safety on a Thunder .380 and the lever broke. cheap pot metal.

Carry only quality guns.

Now the Mak may be a real option but leave these others alone.

[cqWpa]

Had a Walther PPKS for a while and didn't consider it a great gun to shoot. Traded it off. Purchased a Thunder.380 and found it to be a 'good shooter' right out of the box. I use it for my lighter ccw days. My girlfriend liked it so much I have just bought another on to replace the one on her hip when she cruised off to work today. Very reliable with a reasonable trigger and smooth action. A great deal for the money.

[Javelin]

Bersa is a good firearm. I would be prone to look into Kel-Tec P3AT before purchasing one though. Not trying to steer you one way or the other just saying to take a look for yourself.

:)

http://images.craigslist.org/0102040116130104012008020362d377c317a8ea54e60020f9.jpg

[liveaboard]

I have a Bersa 380 Plus, it has been a great gun w/ no problems, very accurate, the Plus is cool because it has a 15 round capacity. I like it so much I am going to but the Bersa 9mm Ultra Compact, Cheers!

[transformerguru]

Love mine and very accurate. Had a Thunder 40 also really liked it, but I liked a 1903 Springfield. So it became trade bait. Wish I still had it though.

[transformerguru]

sorry double post...

[sd]

Bersa thunder .380 = good gun, prices under $250 new at cabelas. pretty accurate for a small gun, easily concealed. The consensus from other bersa posts seems to be good, inexpensive pistols in general.

[bdg146]

Anyone notice this thread was started almost 5 years ago? Hopefully the OP has come to a decision by now... otherwise they need to really reconsider their decision making process.

I figured since S&W was making them, prices would be a little lower

This line made me chuckle.

[spiroxlii]

I have a BERSA Thunder 380 and a BERSA Thunder 9 Ultra Compact. I love both of them. They're not picky about ammo. I've fed a variety of ball and hollowpoint ammo to each pistol, and they've never failed to function. They're both accurate. They're easy to operate.

With any gun on the market, you will find somebody who has had a bad experience with them, but the vast majority of people who have had the opportunity to own a BERSA end up considering it a really good weapon, especially for the price. I got mine for $180.

I was considering a Keltec P3AT at first, but several things led me to buy the heavier and larger BERSA. First of all, the extra size and weight made recoil easier for me and my girlfriend to manage. Second, the P3AT is double action only, but only the first trigger pull is DA on the BERSA. Third, there may not be as many BERSA owners as Keltec owners, but there are a lot of BERSA .380s out there, and so far I've read a lot less bad stuff about the BERSA than the Keltec. You'll never have to "fluff and buff" your BERSA. Just break it in with ball ammo and clean it periodically.

[NGIB]

My only complaint with the Sig P232 I traded for this weekend is ammo prices. Looked at wallymart and WWB was over $15. Zoomed off to my local gun shop and found Blazer brass for $12. As this thing is real fun to shoot, I ordered a bunch from Wideners...

[Commander Guineapig]

Bought my wife a .380 thunder...she loves it.
talked to the store owner here recently...said he'd been selling them for
11 years, folks love em, and he's never seen one come back for defects.
Pretty hard to beat for the money IMHO.
GP

[Hokkmike]

Love my .380 Thunder in nickel. One of my favorite pistols in fact. Very reliable and comfortable to shoot.

[ScottD]

Slide lock is similar to my Colts but even with a loaded magazine in the gun, pulling the slide back locks it instead of loading the round. You must release the slide with the slide lock to chamber the round and fire.

Huh??? The slide locks back on a FULL magazine? Does it lock back after every shot, too? :confused: