Bersa Thunder .380 vs. S&W SD9VE for concealed carry

The Bersa is a DA/SA gun while the Smith is striker fired. The Smith is also a bit bigger as it is a "compact" and not a "subcompact " like the Bersa. As so it doesn't hold as many rounds.

I haven't held a lot of Bersas but my pops has one and it's all metal. Dont know if they all are but that's also something to take into account.

I've shot both and personally my vote would be for the Smith.

Never carried either but I've shot both. The Smith is an outstanding gun aside from the long, heavy trigger. The Bersa has a beavertail that bites me every time I pull the trigger. The Bersa is much smaller and would be easier to carry, but I'd rather shoot the Smith 10 times out of 10.

It's kind of an apples to oranges comparison due to differences in size, caliber, and system of operation,

Bersa is smaller and operates differently. If youcan conceal the SD9VE, do it. They are a well made decent gun, but they do require the owner to invest in some significanct trigger time in order to get used to the trigger press. If you normally shoot double action revolvers you will pick up the SD9VE trigger a lot quicker because they a kind of similar

I own a Bersa 380. It would not be my choice for a carry gun. I do not have any experience with the SD9VE. I would reccomend looking at a Kahr CM9.

Sd9ve is a pretty legit inexpensive 9mm pistol. Mine works quite well and shoots fine, ergonomically I like it better than many of my other guns. For carry, I would be concerned that the magazine release is too easy to depress but otherwise it's compact, blended, lightweight, and recoils softly.

I have shot a bersa thunder .380 on two occasions, owned by a friend, and I would not choose it over the sd9ve for concealed carry. It may be smaller in a few dimensions but has a more obtrusive design, and an unfortunate (imo) slide safety with a da/sa trigger that would be far, far harder to master than the striker fired sd9ve. I don't think the Bersa has any real comparison to the subcompact .380s like the Ruger lcp, Beretta Pico, etc.

Full disclosure, I installed an Apex trigger kit in my sd9ve. It isn't necessary but it does give the trigger a soft rolling break.

I love the Bersa, but I'm a hammer-fired guy (and prefer hammers that can be fired from an at-rest position.) It is indeed all-metal, save for the plastic grip panels. The frame is aluminum; the barrel and slide are steel.

If you're a Glock-guy, or otherwise prefer striker-fireds, you'll be unhappy with the Bersa, and with your performance with it. If you've done well with the Beretta 92/M9, the Bersa will come to you more naturally.

I carried a Bersa in .380 for a couple of months. Small and concealable, but that's about it. Not pleasant to shoot, not accurate. Won't take it again.

Carry whichever you shoot better! They really are about equal all things considered. I have shot both and prefer a Bersa for CCW.

Just my opinion but I believe the Bersa Thunder to be an excellent value and are decent shooters. I have the Bersa Thunder Concealed Carry model and the Thunder Two Tone both in .380 ACP. Also have a Thunder in .22 LR that's just a fun gun to shoot. My wife and her sister (both in their sixties) prefer the Thunder over my Glock 43 and my Walther PPKS and get decent groups at fifteen to twenty feet.
That being said, I'm always in search of a quality carry piece that's lightweight and accurate. I usually carry a Colt Detective snub in .38 SP or a Ruger LCRx in .38 SP +P. I recently bought a S&W Shield EZ .380 and I just can't say enough good things about it. IMO S&W hit a home run with this model. Looking for a good holster now.

I had a Bersa. Liked it alot. The issue I had was it was too heavy for caliber. My Shield and my LC9s are lighter and more potent. That why I dumped mine.
My SD9VE is awesome. No issue concealing it. Go with the S&W

Mr. Mosin said:

The Ruger LCP is too small for my tastes. Difficult to shoot and keep hold of. I want people’s opinions on the Bersa Thunder. Longevity ? Reliability ? Etc ?

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I love my Bersa 380. It has reliably fired any ammo I put through it. I have gotten small bunches of odd sorts of ammo (people leaving magloads of ammo in guns they sell or pawn) and if they don't look like reloads (check for sizing marks on cases with a jeweler's loupe) and just about every maker's ammo has been through my gun's barrel and I've never had an issue so far.

I like the Bersa but not the safety it moves opposite of a 1911 and the PM safety, other than that it seems like a solid pistol.
As for the S&W SD9VE the trigger sucked on the one I shot, couldn't hit anything with that pistol. I guess I could learn to shoot it but would mess up how I shoot my other pistols.

I have an LCP for pocket carry and like it a lot. I think once you move up in pistol size 9mm is a better choice, though. It's not only more effective but quite a bit cheaper.

The Bersa weighs as much as the SD. To get a whole lot more gun with the SD. Sure it's bigger. Not ungodly bigger. And it holds 17 rds of 9mms vs 7 in 380.
I own the SD, had a Bersa. Liked it, but it was trade material.

i liked my bersa thunder more before its decocker snapped off one day at the range. it’s a known problem per the internet. i was also getting slide bite. a $10 new decocker, $20 of gunsmithing and some dremel time on the frame makes it whole again but i don’t 100% trust it any more.

Those two are certainly apples to oranges. Bersa has the BP CC model that's intended for concealed carry (thus the nomenclature). Buds is selling the 8+1 9mm Bersa CC for under $250 currently.

As for the SD9VE, they're wonderful inexpensive pistols. I have the SD9 (same except for a gray frame, black slide) and it's proven to be both accurate and reliable.
Though the SD9/SD9VE can be concealed, as can just about any handgun, I doubt it was intended for this purpose. It's more of a duty-size platform.

I would do this instead (see link below). It's probably cheaper than either of them, or at most about the same price. It's basically a polymer CZ75 "clone" made by a well-respected Turkish manufacturer. The first one I bought was an amazing $229 plus shipping and FFL, probably because it was pink. It was a very nice shooter, but I had to trade it away in order to get a S&W 625 that I really wanted.

I've missed it, so this morning I ordered the stainless version for $249 plus whatever. IMHO that's a heck of a deal. CDNN usually has them, along with plenty of other places.

I've never owned a Bersa, but I've owned very similar 380 pistols... mostly based on the Walther PP. I have liked them just fine and still own several, but the DA triggers tend to be stiff, and they are large/heavy for seven or so rounds of 380acp.

I owned the 40 caliber version of the SD9VE. It functioned perfectly, ate everything, and had nice magazines. However, the trigger was too stiff for me.

I generally dislike the responses when someone asks "A or B?" and someone responds "C". I hope the OP isn't offended. The SAR B6P compact is smaller than the S&W, about the size/weight of the Bersa, holds 13 rounds of 9mm, has nice trigger & ergonomics, and is comparable to or cheaper in price compared to either.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/818643031

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Tallball said:

made by a well-respected Turkish manufacturer

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Though I don't have any other model than my SAR9BL, I bought one on a lark (Sarsilmaz, same Turkish manufacture) for around $265 and liked it so much I bought a second. It's virtually a mating of a VP9 frame on a Glock slide. I love 'em. I'm sure anything Sarsilmaz makes will be a solid choice.

Dang Snowdog, that's a nice-looking pistol. I might have to get me one of those...