Ammo Recommendations for New Bersa .380

[DougB]

I just got a new little Bersa Thunder .380 in nickel. I had a harder than usual time rationalizing this purchase, but all the favorable reports I've read here, the fact that I like the look (I've always been a sucker for these traditonal DA/SA pocket pistols), and the low price pushed me over the edge. My wife doesn't like (and therefore usually won't shoot) anything larger than a .22. She has a small .22 styled similarly to this .380, so I'm hoping I can get her to move up to something slightly more powerful (that's the best rationalization for getting it I could come up with).

So, what would be good, inexpensive ammo for this pistol? I shoot Barnaul and other Russian steel-cased ammo in my Makarovs. I'm inclined to order some in .380, but then I've always bought slightly more expensive brass cased ammo for most of my other pistols (I just figured the Maks were made for the Russian ammo). Any reason not to shoot it in a Bersa?

I also like S&B. I'm going to have a hard time getting excited about the "premium" brands of .380 ammo at 4 or 5 times the price of the Barnaul, although I wouldn't mind getting some cheap, relatively mild practice ammo for my wife to use until she gets comfortable with this (at which point I doubt she would even notice if we switched to something a little hotter and probably more expensive).

Suggestions?

Doug

 

[WonderNine]

I wouldn't owning one myself as a cheap backup coat pocket pistol. Somebody in another thread mentioned that the Santa Barbara surplus ammo is nice and toasty.

 

[cidirkona]

I've only ever shot that American Eagle stuff in mine, I'm going to be trying some Remmington PMC and Winchester white box tomorrow (thank god for cheap wally-world prices!)

-Colin

 

[Safety First]

Dougb, do a search on THR "search" function for Stephen A Camp range report on the bersa 380,very good info on various ammo he tested in the Bersa 380...

 

[clubsoda22]

my bersa eats anything i throw at it. I found a good deal on bulk packs of Dynamit Noble .380. I wanna try them out, but i'd like to hear something about them first.

With regular range ammo you really can't miss with the bersa. SD ammo is what you really need to look closely into.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Here's a link to Stephen Camp's excellent report on the Bersa Thunder .380. I'm pretty sure it's the one Safety First must be referring to.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25882

ChickenHawk

 

[CWatson]

I have shot S&B,American Eagle and what ever else is on sale without any trouble.Try [www.ammoman.com] for good prices.CW

 

[itgoesboom]

Doug,

Like others have mentioned, your Bersa should eat anything and everything that you feed it. I still wouldn't want to load it up with dirty russian ammo, fine for your Mak, fine for an SKS and fine for a AK. Everything else deserves better.

I.G.B.

 

[horge]

Stephen Camp's review is excellent, and I benefited greatly from it.
I tried my hand at a writeup not too long ago

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51948



The Thunder 380 isn't picky at all when it comes to ammo.
My first suggestion is to choose a cartridge that's fairly clean.
There are some cheaper cartridges that'll leave a lot of filth in your Bersa after several magazines, and this can reduce accuracy and even mechanical reliability very quickly.

You've already saved a bundle by choosing the Thunder 380.
I think you should consider using premium defensive ammo.

Lots of ammo brands out there:
I would STRONGLY advise you to try them all, as each will likely produce different perceived recoil and muzzle flip; try them in reduced-light, as each will produce a different fireball (an often-overlooked consideration for night encounters) ...and then you can fairly pick which cartridge makes YOU a better shooter, and your Bersa the best possible defensive weapon it can be.


For myself, I settled on Remington Golden Sabre JHP's for defense:
a nice, heavy bullet, with not a great sacrifice on velocity.

For bulk practice, I'm using Armscor FMJ's --they're not very clean, but come close to approximating the recoil characteristics of the Remington Golden Sabre (for me at least), and are much cheaper. The Remington UMC FMJ comes close too, but isn't cheap as the Armscor --though it's fairly clean.

hth

 

[clubsoda22]

oh yeah, that's the one thing i wouldn't recommend....Wolf. Steel cases do a number on extractors.

 

[ChickenHawk]

OOps! No offense meant there, horge!

Yours is also a top-notch review of the Bersa .380!

Great gun, too.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[horge]

Whuu--??

Geez, Chicken, why would I take offense?

I think the verdict on the Thunder 380 is pretty positive thus far, and while additional reports reinforcing its stature are welcome and needed...what I'd like to see is some enterprising THR'er customizing a tac light or a LAM to fit these little puppies... for those that just GOTTA customize, yes? I'm thinking a LAM is easier to proto since laser diode units are only US$2 each over here, and the power requiremnent is much, much lower vs. an effective TAC light.

I've got small blocks of light aluminum, a ruler and a drill press.
Care to race me to it?
Hee heee




Oooops!!
Didn't mean to hijack the thread...

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