As it turns out, I wound up buying a Thunder 9 four days after I posted my first comment in this thread. I had intended to get a blued model but they didn't have one in stock so I wound up with the nickel version. Normally I tend to think in terms of carry weapons so I stay away from the bright finishes. However in this case, I'll probably never carry the Bersa (only because I have "better" guns) and the nickel does look nice. Plus the price difference wasn't bad, $380 (nickel) vs. $360 (blue).
Unfortunately my favorite range closed down for a year of remodeling
so I was limited to a quick session of shooting on a friend's home range. 100 rounds of WWB without a hiccup.
Pretty much the same experience I've always had with Bersas although this is the first one I've shot that was not a .380.
Overall, the gun is solid and manages recoil extremely well. It would be an excellent gun for a new shooter without being one that they would "outgrow". Accuracy appeared to be respectable but hard to judge since I wasn't shooting at standard targets at a fixed distance. Made a pop can jump on a consistant basis however! It seems like it takes me the same amount of time to shoot off a magazine whether it be 10 round or 17 so ammo tends to go pretty fast.
And takedown for routine cleaning is about as simple as it gets.
The only complaint I have with the gun is a very small one. On my gun the bottom "bar" of the trigger guard has very square corners, almost to the point of being sharp. It isn't too bad on the right side, where my trigger finger enters, but the left side was sharper and I suspect that a lefty might be risking a cut on the bottom of his finger while firing. A very minor problem if it exists at all. But it kind of came to mind since the Thunder 9 (or 40) is suited to being fired left handed.
Overall I'm very impressed with the Thunder 9. I think for someone wanting a full-sized 9mm or .40 it's probably the best value on the market.
Tom
