Bersa 380 vs. Makarov

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Another point to consider: hand size.

I've got a Mak and I love it, but I let a buddy with big mitts try it and he got slide bite. The Mak was just a little to small. The beavertail on the Bersa would have kept his hand away from the slide.
 
JohnMc said:
Another point to consider: hand size.

I've got a Mak and I love it, but I let a buddy with big mitts try it and he got slide bite. The Mak was just a little to small. The beavertail on the Bersa would have kept his hand away from the slide.
Click to expand...

Oh.

I have pretty big hands; and I read a lot about the extended tang on the Bersa 380. It extends further than the Walther PPK's?
 
Yes.


And it's a "Magazine release" or "magazine button". A Mag Disconnect is a safety where the gun won't fire with the magazine removed (completely different thing).
 
And now to throw a wrench in the works... :)

40.jpg

The Ugly Duckling of Czechoslovakia, the CZ-83

How does this compare to the Mak and Bersa? What's the price on these things?
 
Dionysusigma said:
And now to throw a wrench in the works... :)

40.jpg

The Ugly Duckling of Czechoslovakia, the CZ-83

How does this compare to the Mak and Bersa? What's the price on these things?
Click to expand...


New: About $310 here in Utah if you shop around.

Used: About $200

I bought mine (thanks to help from CZF) for $150 without mags from Old Sacramento Armoury. After paying shipping and transfer fees it was about $175. I was fortunate to later find a vendor at a gun show who sold me two 13 round mags for a total of $40.

So all in all, it was about $215 with two 13 rd mags.
 
If you can possibly do so, please, fire both before you make your final decision. You cannot go wrong with either - as long as the ergonomics fit you!
 
I think its all been said several times, but, for what it's worth, I own a Bersa .380 and several Bulgarian Makarovs. I like them both a lot, and would hate to have to choose between them. Both have been reliable. I don't think you'll make a mistake with either.

One possible consideration is that Makarovs are inexpensive because they are surplus pistols. At some point, the countries (primarily Bulgaria) selling them will run out, supplies will dry up, and prices will rise on them. This won't likely be sudden, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Makarovs selling for significantly more in five years (but that's just my guess). Look what's happened to the prices of Russian SKSs (roughly tripled in 10 years or so). And that's with Yugo SKSs still avaialble and cheap.

Doug
 
Tomorrow, I go to pickup my new CZ75BD Police (twitchin with excitement tonight) but my only other handgun is a bulgarian makarov. The dang little thing has never jammed, groups tight, and has been serving me wonderfully at IDPA parctice. That mak is running with the big boys and will not quit. I am completely biased and suggest the mak. you will not be disappointed. After I pickup the new plaything, that mak will still be going with me everytime I hit the range. When the new shipment of unissued maks come in, I will be picking up another. The 75 will probably never replace the mak as my preferred CCW piece since I have never owned anything that has been as reliable.......

Just my opinion
 
I've never fired a Bersa, but I do own a Makarov and I can recomend it. My Mak is 100% reliable, has not jammed once. For a carry gun, that is the most important factor. When your life is on the line, you want a gun that will go "bang" every time...

I'd like to get a second Mak sometime, and convert it to .32NAA, just because I think that would be interesting...
 
DougB said:
One possible consideration is that Makarovs are inexpensive because they are surplus pistols. At some point, the countries (primarily Bulgaria) selling them will run out, supplies will dry up, and prices will rise on them. This won't likely be sudden, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Makarovs selling for significantly more in five years (but that's just my guess). Look what's happened to the prices of Russian SKSs (roughly tripled in 10 years or so). And that's with Yugo SKSs still avaialble and cheap.
Click to expand...

That's another factor I took into consideration, and I have been faced with that same factor before when buying bass guitars. Afraid that '75 Reissue Jazz basses would go out of production soon (as I had stopped seeing them in stores, and began seeing more of them on eBay), I went and bought the first one I could find that was in good condition. I'm familiar with that experience... and I would not hesitate to get the Makarov if I found one in superb condition - I am a good-condition freak, I like my stuff to work like new, and look new.

I like the idea of the Bersa, but my decisions are rather split, because I like the Makarov, too! I am slightly leaning towards the Bersa, but if I find a Makarov in near-perfect or perfect condition, then I will probably be more inclined to buy it. I'm not going to buy one if it looks like it has gone thru a wood-chipper though. I wont buy one that has been worn out after years of service. I like them new... that's an upside to buying the Bersa; they're new.

Stupid reasoning? Well, whatever. It's how I am... not afraid to spend an extra buck for better looks.
 
Ryan,

I wouldn't try to talk you out of a Bersa at all (I like mine), but I've seen a lot of "excellent" Makarovs that look new after you clean off the cosmoline. I think most of the excellents I've seen (including several I own) were probably new guns - in the sense of never having been issued, carried, or used. About the only sign of wear I've noticed on most of them is the blue worn off where the safety/decocker goes up and down (I suspect this happens the first few times the lever is moved up and down - a "feature" of the Mak design).

Of course, you won't probably get a warranty - but with an excellent Mak you almost certainly won't need it. With excellent Makarovs so inexpensive, I don't see much reason to buy a used-looking one unless you intentionally want a gun you won't have to worry about scratching (which isn't a bad idea - I have a couple of Maks that do show some finish wear, and they are actually the ones I enjoy the most because I can take them fishing, canoing, camping, etc. without worrying about scratching them...so I shoot them more).

Doug
 
All Makarovs are the same whether they are made in Bulgaria, China, Russia or East Germany. There are some 9x18 Mak calibre weapons (made in Poland and Hungary) that are advertised as Makarovs but are not. The confusion is Makarov is a weapon and a calibre.
 
Here's my Mak with the new CZ75BD Police.

The Mak is a sweet little puppy and you can get them from AIM, or Akron Armoury, if they ever get in the new shipment of unissueds that is....
 
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