Bersa Thunder Series Pro's and Con's

[huntsman]

In the .380acp world the Bersa always had it's price as an asset but with the new Ruger not so much now, it's still the cheapest thing with the cool European lines and all metal construction so if that matters to you buy it.

The Sig 232 is right around $500. new, more than a Bersa but also a better gun and a used one for $400. or so would be the way I'd go.

 

[MedWheeler]

I agree, Jim. I dislike people telling me to "buy American." Part of being an American is the freedom to buy what I want, when I want, for my purposes. If I am going to be eventually be told to buy only what is "endorsed", well, that's almost like being told I have to buy, I dunno, health insurance?

I own guns from four countries located on three continents. One of those countries is the US. I'm pretty much equally satisfied with all of them.

BTW, your picture is mislabeled; the Thunder .45 sits furthest the right.

 

[shiftyer1]

I've not shot or owned one but I have handled them several times. I have small to medium hands and they feel right. I sell a lot of them and customers seem very happy with them. Only had one bad one.......I think the slide was out of spec or something. It was an oddball

 

[Bill4282]

I have one, my two sons have one, my daughter-in-law has one. No complaints. I have had others that I sold, missed and bought replacements. As for the argument that .380 is inadequate, I haven't ever found someone willing to be shot by a .380 to prove the point.

 

[cwl1862]

I own two Bersa pistols a Thunder 380 Plus and a Thunder 22 both black finish. Both excellent shooters! I have carried the Thunder 380 Plus and never feel under gunned when carrying it.

 

[Z1D2]

Good point Bill4282... I like your comment I may have to share that...

 

[Potatohead]

Bersa is a girly gun! Bersa is a girly gun!



kidding

 

[armedaccountant]

I was interested in a Bersa Thunder until i handled one. It just didn't fit my hand comfortably and i didn't like the trigger. I'm not saying anything bad about them, I would just recommend you at least handle any gun before buying it. What feels good to me might not feel good to you.

 

[Godsgunman]

Arch AngelCD - Your gun collection must be very limited if you confine yourself to American guns. No Glocks, no Springfields, no CZ, H&K, Steyr, ect...only Rugers, Smiths, Hi-Points, Jennings, Cobras, SCCys, and Keltecs for you huh?

On to the question at hand, Bersa is a well built gun IMHO. I have the Thunder Pro UC 9 and couldn't be happier. It is extremely reliable and as accurate as I am. Probably one of the nicest triggers out of the box I've ever shot. I am a DA/SA fan and the DA pull is nice, not to heavy and the SA is the best I've shot. Very light and easy to double tap. I like that everything is ambidextrous and the take down is the easiest out there, can be done with one hand if need be. NOT a womans gun by any means. Some may call it that because of the ease of use and shootability. Parts are cheap and easy to get if you ever need them also. A+ in my book.

 

[Ed Ames]

Second, is the 380 ACP an adequate caliber for self-defense - maybe, but compared to what? Compared to a 45 ACP, no. Compared to a 22 LR, yes. Compared to a 9mm Luger - probably. It is a 9mm bullet just in a lighter weight (.380 - 95 grains, 9mm - 115 grains), shorter case and with 20% less gunpowder. Will the .380 kill, yes, but then so will the 22 LR depending on the placement of the shot and what you are shooting through.

Doesn't it make more sense to relate it to what you are trying to stop rather than other cartridges? E.g. "The .380 is adequate for humans up to about 200lbs, to animals up to maybe 100lbs." After, the existence of .45 doesn't make the .380 any less effective, whereas an extra 100lbs of fat may very well.

I have a coworker who cc's a bersa .380. He is happy with everything about it except the relative scarcity of ammo over the past 4-5 years. I have a kel-tec p3at that I think serves my needs a little better but I'm not sure of the price difference. The p3at is more of a dedicated carry gun.

 

[opto_isolator]

Considering that Bersa won the contract for Argentina's armed forces back in the 90's (and are still in use today) - I feel confident in my decision to purchase one. It's a solid pistol that works very well, for a great price! The mags are the only expensive part....as well as the ammo!

 

[Furncliff]

I have to admit that the first one I handled at a gun show did not impress me, it just seemed cheap. Not too long afterward a friend let me shoot the one he uses as a carry piece. I liked the way it pointed, the trigger was ok, it was accurate and my friend tells me his is reliable. I was wrong about my initial impression, If I were in the market, I would consider it... along with the Makarov and CZ 82, which are in the same category price wise.

 

[WardenWolf]

My complaint? Very heavy and long double action trigger pull. It made my Polish P-64 seem good. The gun is almost the exact same size as a Makarov. Holds the same amount of ammo, too. However, it is lighter due to its alloy frame. Disadvantages over a true Makarov:

1. Awful, awful trigger.

2. Push-to-fire safety versus the Makarov's pull-down safety.

3. Loss of reliability due to it being a commercial design, not a tried and true military pistol.

4. .380 is weaker than 9x18 Mak. You can get good ammo from major manufacturers in both calibers. Buffalo Bore makes 9x18 +P which is well beyond the range of even .380 +P.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Arch AngelCD - Your gun collection must be very limited if you confine yourself to American guns. No Glocks, no Springfields, no CZ, H&K, Steyr, ect...only Rugers, Smiths, Hi-Points, Jennings, Cobras, SCCys, and Keltecs for you huh?

First off I'm really not much of a semi-auto guy although I do have a few. I said to buy an American gun in the same price range for a reason. It seems the foreign guns in the lower price range are cheap, not inexpensive. Also, when you need factory service it's usually easier to get that service from an American company. I wasn't talking about all guns, just the class of gun we are talking about in this thread.

BTW, I do own a Springfield but it's an older 1911, not one of the new plastic XD guns made in Croatia. The other is a Kel-Tec.

 

[MedWheeler]

WardenWolf's points against the Bersa (in his opinion) include:

2. Push-to-fire safety versus the Makarov's pull-down safety.

3. Loss of reliability due to it being a commercial design, not a tried and true military pistol.

Regarding #2: Never bothered me, as I do not use the safety on a double-action pistol carried for defense.

Regarding #3: The Bersa is actually widely used and accepted as a military officer's pistol in Argentina and South America. I'm pretty sure it was developed for military and law enforcement purposes, then later adapted for "commercial" distribution, not the other way around.

Regarding the trigger pull: Your experience is not to be argued, but most people I've read from who have fired both have reported exactly the opposite; that their Polish/Eastern-Bloc guns had all-but-unusable first-shot triggers and that they were impressed with that on the Thunder 380 series. Praise for the Bersa's S/A trigger pull was even more abundant. It may be why spring kits for the PA-63 and P-64 are so popular.
I can't say first-hand either way, as the only Eastern-bloc pistol I own is a FEG AP22, a rimfire version of the PA-63. I do like all-steel guns, though, and this one is very nicely-built and finished. I would not say I'd choose the lighter Bersa (in the lighter cartridge) over the heavier P or PA (in the heavier cartridge) simply because I haven't run them side by side. It would indeed be an interesting comparison.

 

[Z1D2]

Some good points to be considered. Some good posts.

 

[WardenWolf]

I did install a spring kit in my P-64, which was easy to do and cheap. The Bersa owner who shot my P-64 said he loved the trigger. Yes, it's heavy at still 18 pounds, but it's not too long and very controllable. The Bersa's trigger pull is so long that you start to lose strength due to loss of leverage.

 

[jrdolall]

I looked at the Bersa 380 and shot a friends gun and liked it well enough to go and buy one. When I got to the LGS I found a KelTec P3AT that was smaller and less expensive. I bought the KT and carry it on occasion. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the Bersa. It was acceptable in every way in that it felt fine, trigger was OK, it was relatively small. The KT is smaller and was less expensive and that was the deciding factor for me. I have since bought the newer Diamondback .380 that is even smaller than the KT. If size and cartridge are both a consideration then you can buy a KT PF-9(not the PF-11 which is thicker) or the DB 9mm. Both are easily concealed in a pocket and actually smaller than the Bersa in 380. Don't quote me on that as I don't own a Bersa so I have not laid them out side by side.

 

[MICHAEL T]

My complaint? Very heavy and long double action trigger pull. It made my Polish P-64 seem good.

Then you must have put a spring kit in yours I have tried both My Bersa trigger pull on DA is even lighter than my PPK/S .
As for the safety. To me its a decocker . I carry with it off .Bersa has a firing pin block so won't fire till trigger pulled

My Bersa is 2004 is used as a ccw . Been shot a lot by many people. I only met 1 person that could make it jam . He couldn't shoot any semi auto pistol with out problems . I had him try some of my others autos KelTec Compact 1911 Same results. I think he could mess up a revolver

 

[btg3]

The Bersa Thunder is one of the sweetest shooting pistols to be had for the money. It's a must-have for anyone who is recoil sensitive and is nothing like the .380 pocket guns.

The downside is that for a gun that size, you could be shooting a larger caliber.

 

[Z1D2]

Heck ya'll I shot one recently. And so I got a bersa recently. Only complaint I had was I aimed at a single point and shot low and right.
Yes it could be said the size may suit a larger caliber. But the safety features are great. Especially if you have a kid around, or are leaning to a safe, good gun.

 

[SimplyChad]

I had one until the divorce and it was my favorite carry piece. I Loved it

 

[Gary A]

Although I do not currently own a Bersa Thunder 380, I have owned both the regular Thunder and the CC (concealed carry) version and found them to be good guns. The reason I don't own one now, is that I have an S&W made Walther PPK/S-1 that has been flawless since I bought it and I just traded for a German-made Sig P232 in stainless w/nite sights. (Have not fired that one yet.)
Assuming the Sig works well, and based on the performance so far of the PPK/S, I have to opt for no internal lock, no magazine disconnect, steel-frame over aluminum, stainless slide over blued or nickle-plated. The weight difference (to me) is not a significant factor. The PPK/S is actually a wee bit smaller than the Bersa T380cc (though heavier) and the P232 is almost exactly the same size as the standard Bersa Thunder 380. I like the Bersa and it is a great buy but figure if I can swing the higher cost, I prefer the steel pistols.

 

[sfchemist]

I have a .40 XDM but very seldom carry it because it is just too darn heavy for me. I found myself leaving it at home so often that I just recently purchased a Bersa Thunder 380. It is a well built handgun, easy to use and a good decent shooter at an affordable price. And I carry it all the time.

Is a 380 enough for self protection? For me it is because my .40 was usually tucked away in the gun safe. If I'm wondering around where four legged critters might be in the way then I carry the .40---but for normal day-to-day stuff I always carry the Bersa.

Neither one of my handguns are made in the USA, but they were purchased at stores in our country that employ many Americans.

 

[DAP90]

The Bersa's trigger pull is so long that you start to lose strength due to loss of leverage.

I agree. I also found the DA and SA pulls so different I had to adjust my grip when going from one to the other.

That gun also helped me discover I don’t like slide mounted safeties.