[Pilot]

Mr. Camp's and other's great threads on the Bersa .380 reminded me that I almost bought this same pistol in .22LR several years ago. If memory serves, it was priced around $150, this was probably in 1995 or so. Since then I have not run across another one.

Does anyone have experience with this pistol and know if Bersa still produces it?

[firestar]

I have a Bersa model 23 in nickel which is the one before the Thunder. The Thunder was discontinued a few years ago. $150 would have been a great price. If you come across another one, you should grab it!

Mine is very accurate and is getting more and more reliable the more I shoot it. It had a lot of FTFs at first but it seems to be breaking in. It now is about as reliable as any .22lr pistol I have owned. It will jam every once in a great while but all .22lrs seem to jam on occasion. It seems to jam once every couple of hundred shots which seems average for .22lr autos in my experience.

What is really nice is that is super accurate. It shoots nearly as good as my Ruger 22/45 or MKII. I think it makes a great "kit gun" or trainer. It has a DA/SA trigger with a decocker so you can practice if you carry those types of centerfire pistols.

[firestar]

Here is a pic:

[9x19]

The pistol is still being made by Bersa, and still being imported and sold, New, as the Firestorm .22LR.

Priced similar to the .380 models.

[Johnpl]

I have a model 23 also. I love it-reliable and accurate. I bought new rubber grips from Bersa (the new model grips fit the older model 23) as I hated the original wood grips. Also picked up spare mags from Bersa and on eBay.

[Pilot]

Thanks guys. Good info.

[firestar]

I hate the wood grips also. They are too fat. I need some extra mags but the price is pretty steep, $25!

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. Several years ago, I had one of these little .22 pistols and so long as I used high-velocity .22 ammo, it worked fine. The sights were spot on. I wound up selling it because I usually carry more than a .22, but did manage to shoot one water mocassin with it.

Best.

[New_comer]

The last time I saw one of these Bersa 22's for sale was two years ago...


Being sold too fast, I always end up filling out a useless 'reservation' form, hoping for one at the next show. :fire:

[VictorLouis]

Is the rear sight windage-adjustable?

[firestar]

Is the rear sight windage-adjustable?

Yes it is. As for elevation, mine shoots POA at the distance that I normaly shoot it at (15-30') so I consider it well regulated.

It is one of my all time favorite guns and I take it with me to the range every time I go. I haven't shot my MK II or 22/45 very much since I got it either.

I think it has a Walther P-22 thing going for it. It is fun to shoot and is a great trainer for a "real" gun. The only difference is, it is way more accurate and reliable than any P-22 I have seen. It is a shame people don't know about these guns. If more people had them, maybe mags would be a little cheaper.

[Pilot]

Thanks everyone. If I see one of these little gems for a decent price, I am going to buy it. I should have snapped one up years ago when I saw them, but I didn't know a darned thing about them.