Bersa Firestorm

[WheelGunMan]

I was at a family function earlier this year and the conversation turned to pistols, revolvers and reloading...a cousin brought out a Bersa Firestorm .380ACP for show and tell. Said he didn't care for it all that much and was in the hunt for a revolver. I handled it, liked the heft and feel and moved on to other things. It reminded me of a Makarov pistol which I really like.

The other night I was going through my gun safe and came across my Ruger LCRx22WMR and realized it had pretty much turned into a safe queen. I have a LCR22WMR that I prefer to shoot because of its size and balance. I recalled the conversation I had had with my cousin and texted him to see if he was interested in making a trade arrangement with his Bersa Firestorm for my Ruger. Well... today I'm the proud new owner of that Bersa Firestorm. He said he owned it for several years and has put less than a half a box of ammo thru it. Said he didn't know how to get it apart for cleaning. Tonight I field stripped it and gave it a thorough cleaning. I can attest to the fact that it was shot very little. One solvent wetted patch thru the barrel brought minimal carbon. The slide and frame was dusty. Wear was minimal everywhere. I really like the DA/SA action. The decocker is a side lever.. I much prefer the button on my HK.

All in all it's a nice little gun.. hope to get some range time with it tomorrow to see if it shoots as well as it feels. It's a fixed barrel blowback operated pistol and can be field stripped in a New York minute. I really liking my latest acquisition.

 

[defjon]

Good little 380, glad your happy. If it was a straight trade depending on any extras it seems slanted towards your cousin. Bersas bring about 200 trade, lcr of most any flavor is 300-350 pre panic. Lgs has the 22lr variant for 460 new right now. Bass pro had the bersa new around 250.

I think maybe the lcrx would bring a little more.

 

[WheelGunMan]

Good little 380, glad your happy. If it was a straight trade depending on any extras it seems slanted towards your cousin. Bersas bring about 200 trade, lcr of most any flavor is 300-350 pre panic. Lgs has the 22lr variant for 460 new right now. Bass pro had the bersa new around 250.

I think maybe the lcrx would bring a little more.

Those are pretty close to the numbers we used. It was an equitable trade to both parties. I forgot to mention it was a 3" LCRx.

The rest of the story...after we established the pricing..we agreed that he'd take it home and get his son's opinion on it, shoot it and show it to his wife (he lives about 4 miles away) and we would finalize it at a later time. That would also give me time to field strip the Firestorm and do a thorough inspection and function test on it. He got home, set it on the dining room table, his wife walked in the room, picked it up and held it informed him that she loved the weight and balance and had just found a new gun for herself. So he called me to say he and her were coming over to finalize the deal and do the paperwork. Now he's back in the hunt for a compact revolver. While we were doing the paperwork I showed him my LCR357.. he wanted to buy it on the spot.. I had to tell him that one wasn't for sale but I would keep my eyes open for one.

 

[defjon]

I'm on the fence between a Ruger lcrx 357 snub or Smith 640!

 

[bikerdoc]

I have a Bersa 380, fantastic gun.
I want a 22 mag but not going trade the Bersa for one.

 

[WheelGunMan]

I'm on the fence between a Ruger lcrx 357 snub or Smith 640!

I own 4 LCR'S...well now 3. My LCR357 is a DAO with an internal hammer. I carried it for several years before going to a semi-auto. Still carry it on occasion. It's a well made little workhorse. I wore it IWB appendix in a Kydex holster from "Just Holster It"... most days I forgot it was there it was so comfortable. The feature I like most on it is the ability to shoot all five shots from inside a pocket if need be. No hammer to get tangled in clothing. It's a compact little gun which I still carry on occasion.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Does anybody know if the metal adjustable rear sight from the Thunder .380 can be a drop-in replacement for the Firestorm's plastic unit?

 

[WheelGunMan]

I have a Bersa 380, fantastic gun.
I want a 22 mag but not going trade the Bersa for one.

He flat out does not like semi-auto's. He has an old injury to the tenons in his arm where it's painful for him to rack the slide. So it was a win/win for everyone. Especially his wife as she ran away with the prize.

 

[WheelGunMan]

Does anybody know if the metal adjustable rear sight from the Thunder .380 can be a drop-in replacement for the Firestorm's plastic unit?

The rear site is a dovetail and I believe the Thunder is too.

 

[bikerdoc]

He flat out does not like semi-auto's. He has an old injury to the tenons in his arm where it's painful for him to rack the slide. So it was a win/win for everyone. Especially his wife as she ran away with the prize.

That is funny! My wife is the same, she never met a snub nose I owned she didnt like!

 

[WheelGunMan]

Took it out today and put a couple of magazines thru it. WOW!! I'm impressed at how accurate it is... something to be said for the fixed barrel. It's a nice shooter. It's definitely going into the carry rotation.