conceal carry

Stick with your glock for carry.

Glocks are probably more solid, but the Bersa .380s are popular as a decent budget-minded carry gun.
Nothing wrong with carrying it if you're comfortable doing so, and it's a better choice than some other things out there.

Welcome to THR, TC Campbell!

TC Campbell said:

... what id like is an opinion from you all do you think this weapon would be good for a conceal carry it is considerably smaller than my glock and is balanced perfectly but does it have what it takes??

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If you find it to be comfortable and can shoot it well with the decent SD ammo of your choice, IMO, it would make a fine conceal carry piece.

From what I have read over the years, the Bersa .380s have a good reputation.

TC, you’ll likely get the full range of opinions so here’s another one: Carry it when your Glock is just too big for the occasion. I’ve had several of the Bersa Thunder 380’s. I would sell them, then regret it and buy another. Bersa has been making this design for decades and my experience is that they are reliable. The internet generally supports that same conclusion. I currently have two: a Bersa Thunder DLX and an older all steel Bersa 83.

(In full disclosure, I carry even smaller handguns when I carry .380, but my 9mm is smaller than the Glock you carry too.)

Take it to the range and practice a lot. If it is uncomfortable for you to use, or if it jams often, then you should not rely on it. That is more important to know than what people say here.

My wife carries a LCP. I don't like it, but it is the right size for her to carry. I prefer a S&W shield 9 because its a good thin 9mm that can be obtained for less than $300.

cjwils said:

Take it to the range and practice a lot. If it is uncomfortable for you to use, or if it jams often, then you should not rely on it. That is more important to know than what people say here.

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I agree. Reliability is critically important. Minimum basic test for a carry gun for me is 500 rounds with zero malfunctions.

Since you're not actually asking: "either/or" I won't address your post in that vein.

Since you're clearly pleased with your initial sense of the Bersa Thunder (I assume Thunder due to hammer comment) I support that take as mine is my favorite Walther derivative EVER unless I stretch the connection to my Sig 230SL. Then, the Bersa is still number two. And number two so strongly that the next contender would actually be number 4 or 5 rather than 3.

So, since it really seems you are asking if .380 "has what it takes"? I'll answer with a resounding yes and will choose to ignore the ballistic utopians who will likely chime in with the same tired nonsense that .380 is somewhere on the ridiculous border between irresponsible and/or dangerous to the owner.

Before the fairly recent ability to buy higher powered autos in "micro" frames, hundreds of thousands of military and cops trusted the .380 for a very long time.

Therefore; considering all you are really asking is whether or not the .380 that you ALREADY have, ALREADY like and have noted is a better concealed fit for YOU is sufficient - yes!

Todd.

TC Campbell said:

My wife bought a Bersa 380 and she is unfamiliar with hammer guns and finally decided no way so i confiscated it ,what id like is an opinion from you all do you think this weapon would be good for a conceal carry it is considerably smaller than my glock and is balanced perfectly but does it have what it takes??

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I don’t know anything about your particular gun but I would only carry a tiny 380 as a back up gun on my weak side. Practice drawing and shooting weak hand only with it if you go that route. If you can easily conceal a large gun then that’s what I would keep as my primary.

My frame allows me to conceal a Glock 21 so I have no reason to carry a micro as my primary. If you can conceal a Glock 19 or bigger, that’s what I’d go with.

I carry a bersa .380cc Thunder all the time . Reliable and accurate. If you insert several bullets into a problem they most likely won't be worried about caliber. Accuracy is what counts.

https://www.military.com/daily-news...w-deep-penetrating-380-hollow-point-ammo.html

I saw this article and thought I'd file it away for a rainy day. I carry a Sig P238 quite often and planned on snatching up some of this ammo when it becomes readily available. With the right ammo (assuming reliability of your weapon and your proficiency with it) the Bersa would be just fine as a carry gun.

Howland937 said:

https://www.military.com/daily-news...w-deep-penetrating-380-hollow-point-ammo.html

I saw this article and thought I'd file it away for a rainy day. I carry a Sig P238 quite often and planned on snatching up some of this ammo when it becomes readily available. With the right ammo (assuming reliability of your weapon and your proficiency with it) the Bersa would be just fine as a carry gun.

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Interesting. I've always stayed away from .380 because I didn't like the cartridge. I've always considered 9mm the minimum. Understand it isn't like I would volunteer to stand in front of one. I just always thought there were better options.

Personally - if you shoot your Thunder well and it's proven reliable, sure, it's a viable choice. The Thunder's longer barrel (3.5") will improve the ballistics to some degree over the usual crop of micro 380s. A quick check of ballisticsbytheinch reminds me that the Thunder will push a 90 grain gold dot to about 1000 fps. And it looks good too

Mike J said:

Interesting. I've always stayed away from .380 because I didn't like the cartridge. I've always considered 9mm the minimum. Understand it isn't like I would volunteer to stand in front of one. I just always thought there were better options.

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Undoubtedly there are better options. IMO, there are better options than 9mm too. I took the OP's question was more toward adequacy than preference though. Seems that the .380s adequacy is what's generally frowned upon, but with a combination of the right ammo and accurate shots, I don't see the gap between it and the 9mm being that large.

Which Glock caliber?

TC Campbell said:

My wife bought a Bersa 380 and she is unfamiliar with hammer guns and finally decided no way so i confiscated it ,what id like is an opinion from you all do you think this weapon would be good for a conceal carry it is considerably smaller than my glock and is balanced perfectly but does it have what it takes??

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Why not? If it's reliable and you shoot it well and are comfortable with it, it's a viable option.

I've examined them and held them.

They seem to be a descendant of the Walther PP, which was designed as a police sidearm.

The ones I've looked at had nice fit and finish.

They have a good reputation overall.

Note, back in the ancient times my first "CC" piece was a Russian Makarov in 380acp, another Walther PP descendant.

A 380 for self defense will do the trick if you see the right ammo. JHP will not reliable expand out of a 380. When I carry my LCP II I use underwood entree penetrator. 14 inches of penetration in gel and a wound cavity that exceeds JHP.

TC Campbell

If you feel comfortable with the Bersa and can transition well enough from the initial double action trigger pull to the single action one, then you should do just fine with it. Practice with it as much as you can and find a quality JHP round that's going to be 100% reliable in your gun.

Have your wife take a look at the results of the American Rifleman's Third Ladies Project; then, take her to a gun shop(s) to try them out... https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2019/4/8/right-for-you-ladies-pistol-project-3-results/

1942bull said:

A 380 for self defense will do the trick if you see the right ammo. JHP will not reliable expand out of a 380. When I carry my LCP II I use underwood entree penetrator. 14 inches of penetration in gel and a wound cavity that exceeds JHP.

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There are some 380 ACP rounds that do expand and penetrate past 12 inches:

TC Campbell said:

My wife bought a Bersa 380 and she is unfamiliar with hammer guns and finally decided no way so i confiscated it ,what id like is an opinion from you all do you think this weapon would be good for a conceal carry it is considerably smaller than my glock and is balanced perfectly but does it have what it takes??

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It will do the job if needed. My buddy carries the combat plus double stacker with two magazines of the Buffalo Bore loads. He has a custom holster that was made by a local leather worker that can be used IWB or configured as a shoulder rig under his ATV riding jacket. I'm considering getting one of those guns for myself.

My wife bought a Bersa Thunderer and carried it for about a year. She liked it and practiced a lot with it. But...For some reason she put it away and replaced it with a Beretta Bobcat. She has been carrying it for the last 2 years and is in love with it. By the way...It's a .22 loaded with CCI Mini-mags.

I guess it beats carrying a sharp stick.

Your thread opener could have read something like "Bersa Thunder for self-defense".

That being said, I have one and carried it for two years (2008-2010.) Loved it, but I found a then-scarce Kel-Tec PF9 for a good price and switched to that. The Bersa is, to me, the better shooter, but I had a lot of experience with the DA/SA trigger mechanism, being an older shooter.

If you have the Bersa and can shoot it, it will serve you well, and there is little anecdotal evidence of it failing to stop attacks that it can be proven that would have been stopped had a 9mm been used. Still, I like to take the 99-percent chance of success and raise it to 99.1 percent if I can, so I carry the 9mm.