Bersa .380 vs. Sig P232

What should I do?

  • Get the P232--it's a better gun

    Votes: 53 44.9%

  • Stick with the Bersa--it does the same thing

    Votes: 55 46.6%

  • Other (post below)

    Votes: 6 5.1%

  • Get that Hi-Point carbine while you still can

    Votes: 4 3.4%
  • Total voters
    118
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dionysusigma

Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Messages
3,671
Location
Okay City
Well, the "new gun" bug is biting again, as it does every spring. This time, though, I've gotten the itch for something a little different.

I love my Bersa .380--carrying it right now at work. But there's the Sig P232, something I think is best described as a refined, more-aesthetically-pleasing, more-substantial gun. Its lines are cleaner, it's a Sig, it fits my hand just as well (although differently) as my Bersa, fires the same round, and for crying out loud--it's a Sig! :D

But I wonder if I'm being redundant in having two small .380s, as I can really only carry one at a time (though I can fire two at once :D ). I also don't know about the Sig's reliability, accuracy, ease of maintenance, and so forth.

So logically, I've turned to THR for guidance. What do y'all think I should do?


And just for the heck of it, some comparison pics...

bersa_thun_380_lite_7.jpg

Bersa Thunder .380

P232.jpg

Sig P232
 
Wait wait wait...Let's do the Sig true justice....

Sig_232_on_vest_1_640.jpg
Btw...not my picture...but stolen with the utmost respect and envy of the photographer!

Seriously...what a gorgeous gun.

Can't add any comments further than aesthetics. I had a P232. In a moment of pure ignorance, I traded it. It was a great gun. I never had any problems out of mine.

I'm sure the Bersa is solid too. My preference is for the Sig though! I doubt you would be displeased with either.
 
Well, you did ASK!

I think I would NOT get something that "takes the place" of the Bersa...
The Bersa is one fine .380......:)

But if you want another gun, look for something else that REALLY appeals to 'ya.
I have several "different" types of pistols, and I like them all for what they can do...

Maybe a nice 9mm, or a kick butt .45?
Or, maybe 'ya should get that Hi-Point carbine while you still can! :what:

Just my 2 cents(or less)....

Pud
 
Out of my experience shooting PPK, P232, and Bersa 380 (rented PPK and P232, borrowed a Bersa) , I like the trigger on the Bersa better than the PPK, and dare I say it, even slightly better than the Sig. Also supposedly the bersa slide bites the least, even though none of them bit me so far.

I can see why you may want to replace a Bersa, out of shear pride, but like other have said Bersa not a bad little pistol.
 
I like .380s. I own several and have owned and sold a few more. One that I ended up selling was the Bersa because in the end it is a OK but not great gun. It costs $200 for a reason. I own Berettas 84 and 85, Sig P232, Sphinx At380M a CZ83 and even a Targa.

Not that the Bersa is a bad gun, but in side by side, smell 'em, touch 'em, shoot 'em comparisons the Sig and Beretta are simply better guns.
.jpg
 
The Sig bites my hand, the Bersa doesn't. The Bersa also has the mag release in the right place and an external slide release.

Don't knock the Bersa because it has the wrong name on the slide. If it is a good reliable gun, keep it. Besides, selling it isn't going to get you a ton of money anyway.
 
While the SIG P232 is very nice, IMHO its way too expensive for a .380. Unless some problem makes shooting anything more powerful than .380 impossible or money is no object, most folks are better off with the Bersa and putting the left over money towards buying something more potent down the road.

--wally.
 
I have both and like both for different reasons. I carry the Bersa when i need a knock around gun and am not afraid to leave it in the truck. Voted for the Sig b/c it fits my hand better and i shoot it slightly better. It is expensive but was worth it to me.
 
The Bersa is a great gun for the money.
The SIG is a great gun.
I carry the SIG daily. It is very easy to carry in a pocket holster in most pants, and is very concealable. Like most SIGs it is a true work of art and a marvel of engineering and design. Its just a wonderful weapon, even in spite of its caliber. I say, sell the Bersa. Get the SIG. Save for another another gun.
-David
 
The SIG P232 is a very elegant, very well-finished weapon but DISGUSTINGLY over-priced for what it is. The P239 isn't much larger but a much better weapon, both to shoot and in terms of power, and it's about the same price in terms of prices I see both here and on the boards. The Bersa will do everything the SIG will except impress gun snobs, and you can buy two for the price of a SIG and have money left over.

Love my Bersa, 1163 rnds so far with no problems.
 
FWIW:

Another old fart's opinion chiming in here..

I don't have a BT/380, in fact no 380's at all.. But I do have a BT9/UC and a Firestorm FS22.. I think Bersa/Firestorms are excellent pistols and imo are undervalued, underpriced, and underappreciated in the American market.

Someone in Argentina who should be marketing the B/F products in the U.S. is asleep at the wheel. (Same for Walther, too.)

I like being a gun snob as well as the next person (I "does" own a Walther P99c/AS, P99/AS and a Sig P239), but truthfully my Bersa Thunder 9/UC with it's 13+1 capacity is a pretty neat firearm. The Bersa/Firestrom designers chose to use the fine Walther PPK & PP mix in designing the BT380 & FS22, and I understand the BT9 (and UC) were designed around the excellent Walther P88. I know my BT9/UC is amazingly accurate, and a pleasure to shoot.

I recommend you keep the BT380, as it won't bring you too much if you sell/trade it anyway, and save for another pistol of "higher ego value".. As I get older I've learned to never sell or trade away a good firearm that I value for another good firearm that I lust after.

You have a very good little pistol in the BT380.. Wanting another firearm is just the nature of the "gun lover" and you probably won't stop with just one. (You can never have too many firearms, and they're making new models every year.)

JMOFO

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy
100_6392_01.jpg
 
I also don't know about the Sig's reliability, accuracy, ease of maintenance, and so forth.
Click to expand...

Reliabilty: Mine has been perfect through 800 rounds
Accuracy: Very!
Ease of maintenance: It's a Sig. Ease is the word.

Oh, and Tydephan, thanks for adding that you borrowed the photo. That's my 232 and photo. Thanks for the compliment. :D
 
Personally i would go with the Bersa because i wasnt too impressed with the SIG. I rented a P232 and found it to be lacking in ergonomics, accuracy and general feel. Also i could have got a bad range gun but the trigger pull sucked in both DA and SA. Its also very expensive and i cant stand a heel mag release. Frankly my mothers Bryco .380 was more accurate and its nowhere near as well made as the SIG.

I could have got a bad example though, and its the only one ive ever fired.
 
Oh, and Tydephan, thanks for adding that you borrowed the photo. That's my 232 and photo. Thanks for the compliment.
Click to expand...

I've posted it about 3 times now when folks talk about the P232. I couldn't remember where I picked it up, but I've always tried to let it be known it wasn't mine.

It is an absolutely gorgeous gun, and a perfect example of what a gun pic should be. Good simple composition, perfectly lit.

I'm totally jealous, in case you couldn't tell.
 
I'll preface by saying I've never fired either of those guns.

It's a little different, but I had a Bersa Mini Thunder .45 a couple of years ago. The gun was very accurate and very reliable, especially for a compact .45. The only problem I had with it, and it was a big enough problem that I traded the gun off, was the monster trigger. It was pretty smooth, but it felt like about a 30lb trigger. If you can get along with that or the .380 doesn't have that problem stick with the Bersa. I'd have trusted my life to mine, but I was afraid I'd hit an innocent bystander with the first shot.

Sigs are very fine guns, though. As good as any on the market, probably.
 
I voted other. The 232 is my least favorite Sig> i Hate the magazine release on the bottom and it just feels weird. I stick with the original 220 platform. I'd get a surplus P6 or P225 in 9mm.
 
Most reports say the Bersa is more reliable, and that Sigs sometimes have to be sent back or find certain ammo they like. That's a bunch of crap, for such an expensive gun. So I voted to keep the Bersa.

Also, the Bersa looks better to my eye, as it is a near copy of the PPK/S that I think is so handsome.

Get something your collection doesn't already have.

A nice revolver, for instance. Or a hand loading set-up, so you don't get raped every time you buy a box of 380.
 
Or your choices, I vote for the P232. It's big for a .380 by today's standards, but it is a sweet honey of a shooter and bee-yoo-tee-ful to boot. I had one at one point and stupidly traded it in. I still kick myself over that one.

But, since you're hot for a .380 (I love 'em myself), why not check out the Sig P238? I have one and it is easily the best feeling and best shooting .380 I've ever tried. Very high quality build and just a pleasure to shoot, and very accurate with the night sights. I've only had it a month and I already love it.

I can't speak to the Bersa, but it's clearly a PPK knock-off, which can't be a bad thing.

Food for thought.
 
I still have a sig P230SL thats had like one clip threw it and yes I would trust it. I carry my 1941 PPK 32acp and trust it also.
 
Do you really need a replacement gun that costs twice as much as the Bersa 380 if the Bersa has been totally reliable? Up to you.

My suggestion would be to buy a nickle Bersa 22 to shoot cheaper than your 380 with the same manual of arms.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/72192


Then

Buy some marschal grips for it or your carry Bersa 380.
http://www.marschalgrips.com/hires/hires.html

Maybe not a SIG but will sure make the Bersa look more expensive. Plus you save a few hundred dollars as you admire your Bersa twins.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
  • Locked
Bersa .380 and the others
Replies
15
Views
998
robctwo
R
D
  • Locked
  • Poll
Bersa, Sig, Walther, or... ?
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
Berg01
B
T
  • Locked
CZ 83 vs Sig P250 vs Bersa plus in 380
Replies
11
Views
2K
hAkron
hAkron
K
  • Locked
Sig 232 vs PPK/s vs Bersa Thunder
2
Replies
36
Views
9K
KevininPa
KevininPa
H
  • Locked
Is the Sig P232 a good concealed carry weapon?
Replies
14
Views
3K
Kind of Blued
K
Back
Top