Hello guys..I warn you..it is a long post..LOL
It was a very "emotional" afternoon having to decide which .40 caliber handgun to buy.
As I said in my previous post, my choice was finally reduced to 2 particular guns, a used Beretta 96 in excellent conditions for $455 negotiable or a brand new Bersa Thunder 40 (basically a clone of the Walther P-88) for $330 + tax after heavy negotiation (a total just shy of $360).
My "imperative" was an external hammer, double/single action, ambidx safety, decocker, hi-cap magazine.
I'm particularly fond of the Beretta because of my service years and because it is, in my opinion, a magnificent handgun.
At last minute I re-considered some of the suggestions our friends made in my previous post about the CZ.
I spent the entire day going around gun shops, I like the CZs, after all my Tanfoglio Witness is a beefed up CZ-75 clone.
I could not find any CZ in .40 cal for less than $550 brand new...there was a used CZ 40 compact with 5 mags, a screaming deal at $400 + tax but just didn't feel right, I do not like very compact handguns especially in bigger calibers.
Like someone suggested before, I could have put a .40 kit (slide + barrel + mag) in my Witness for $229 + shipping ($ 7.00) and call the day but I just wanted an other pistol, a blued finishing one in particular way (my Tanfoglio is in Wonder Finish).
I looked at some SIGs and Springfield but IMHO way overpriced for what they are and I do not like much their style anyway.
Eventually, the gun dealer that was selling the Beretta would not take off more than $20 for a total of $435 out of the door. Then I went back to the shop that was selling the Bersa for a close examination.
I really enjoyed the guy, extremely easygoing, old school (ex USMC, served in Vietnam) he did let me take the gun apart (field strip is incredibly easy and fast) and look at every detail.
I really loved the Bersa, fits perfectly in my hand (I have small hands) very ergonomic and balanced and with very good finishing overall (I should say better than my Tanfoglio).
Tolerances very tight, bluing consistent, no sharp edges, apparently high quality materials, very smooth trigger pull.
The pistol is lighter than the Beretta and overall less bulky despite it is a full size semiauto...it can hold 13 rounds in the mag versus 10 or 11 (ban or post ban magazine) for the Beretta 96.
Incidentally, the gun shop sells Beretta and Taurus too, the guy told me that he would love to sell me a brand new 96 or a PT-100 if I wanted too, he said he would have made more money but he strongly suggested the Bersa for price/quality ratio...he said that for the Taurus or the Beretta I would pay a bit more because of the brand..I could not go wrong with Bersa, very reliable, tough and accurate.
Make no mistake, the Thunder 40 is a no frills pistol, it came in a basic card board box, no extra magazine and they do not give to you even a miserable cheap cleaning rod brush.
Lifetime warranty...the only downside so far is very expensive magazines ($40 a pop) and only the original brand are available at the moment, the Thunder 40 is a relatively new model.
The last thing that tipped me over was the fact that the Thunder has an accessory groove in the frame for future laser/light combo installation.
I researched the company and Bersa has been around since the early 20th century...the company is known as Bersa in the last 40 years or so.
I took a deep breath and I bought the gun....we really hit if off with the shop owner (we both love vacation in the Caribbean..eheheh) and eventually he knocked off an other $10 for a total of 320 + tax and gave me a cheap box of .40 ammo for free.
He told me to go through no more than one box of ammo and if I do not like the gun take it back but he is sure I will love it....he sells a lot of them and the little Bersa Thunder 380 go like hotcakes.
I spent almost an hour at home looking at it, handling it, I really love the Thunder aestetically on par with the Beretta and better than any other semi-auto in the same caliber, Tanfoglio included.
The Thunder in 9 mm (identical except for the caliber) is in service in the Argentinian armed forces, Argentinian federal police and several other police forces...so in one way it has some sort of military pedigree.
I hope I made the right choice, I'm still thinking about the Beretta a lot and maybe one day I will buy it.
Cannot wait to go to the range.....I bought a nice ambidx belt holster, which can be used inside or outside with a metal clip, very versatile, for $15 brand new from the same shop.
A question for the experts: The Thunder 40 has a barrel length of 4.3 inches and the Beretta 5 inches...do you think the ballistic performance and accuracy difference will be significant??? Just a hair more than half inch is going to "hurt" a lot???
I could not find an official review for the Thunder 9 or 40, but I read several for the little Thunder 380 and they are all extremely positive.
P.S.
The shop owner, despite being "old guard", he likes the .40 more than the .45 (during our conversation he put definitely to rest any remaining remote desire to buy a .45)
His carry pieces are a SIG P226 in .40 and, when he wants to go very light, a Bersa Thunder 380.
For the first time I saw that in my pistol box there was a sealed bullet fired from the gun that is intended to stay with the shop owner to easily identify firearms used in crimes..I never saw something like that when I bought my Tanfoglio Witness.
Thank all of you for the patience of going through my veeeery long post!!!!
These are the pics of my new toy
My new Bersa Thunder 40 with her "older sister", my gorgeaous Tanfoglio Witness in 10 mm Auto
My Bersa Thunder 40 in her holster
It was a very "emotional" afternoon having to decide which .40 caliber handgun to buy.
As I said in my previous post, my choice was finally reduced to 2 particular guns, a used Beretta 96 in excellent conditions for $455 negotiable or a brand new Bersa Thunder 40 (basically a clone of the Walther P-88) for $330 + tax after heavy negotiation (a total just shy of $360).
My "imperative" was an external hammer, double/single action, ambidx safety, decocker, hi-cap magazine.
I'm particularly fond of the Beretta because of my service years and because it is, in my opinion, a magnificent handgun.
At last minute I re-considered some of the suggestions our friends made in my previous post about the CZ.
I spent the entire day going around gun shops, I like the CZs, after all my Tanfoglio Witness is a beefed up CZ-75 clone.
I could not find any CZ in .40 cal for less than $550 brand new...there was a used CZ 40 compact with 5 mags, a screaming deal at $400 + tax but just didn't feel right, I do not like very compact handguns especially in bigger calibers.
Like someone suggested before, I could have put a .40 kit (slide + barrel + mag) in my Witness for $229 + shipping ($ 7.00) and call the day but I just wanted an other pistol, a blued finishing one in particular way (my Tanfoglio is in Wonder Finish).
I looked at some SIGs and Springfield but IMHO way overpriced for what they are and I do not like much their style anyway.
Eventually, the gun dealer that was selling the Beretta would not take off more than $20 for a total of $435 out of the door. Then I went back to the shop that was selling the Bersa for a close examination.
I really enjoyed the guy, extremely easygoing, old school (ex USMC, served in Vietnam) he did let me take the gun apart (field strip is incredibly easy and fast) and look at every detail.
I really loved the Bersa, fits perfectly in my hand (I have small hands) very ergonomic and balanced and with very good finishing overall (I should say better than my Tanfoglio).
Tolerances very tight, bluing consistent, no sharp edges, apparently high quality materials, very smooth trigger pull.
The pistol is lighter than the Beretta and overall less bulky despite it is a full size semiauto...it can hold 13 rounds in the mag versus 10 or 11 (ban or post ban magazine) for the Beretta 96.
Incidentally, the gun shop sells Beretta and Taurus too, the guy told me that he would love to sell me a brand new 96 or a PT-100 if I wanted too, he said he would have made more money but he strongly suggested the Bersa for price/quality ratio...he said that for the Taurus or the Beretta I would pay a bit more because of the brand..I could not go wrong with Bersa, very reliable, tough and accurate.
Make no mistake, the Thunder 40 is a no frills pistol, it came in a basic card board box, no extra magazine and they do not give to you even a miserable cheap cleaning rod brush.
Lifetime warranty...the only downside so far is very expensive magazines ($40 a pop) and only the original brand are available at the moment, the Thunder 40 is a relatively new model.
The last thing that tipped me over was the fact that the Thunder has an accessory groove in the frame for future laser/light combo installation.
I researched the company and Bersa has been around since the early 20th century...the company is known as Bersa in the last 40 years or so.
I took a deep breath and I bought the gun....we really hit if off with the shop owner (we both love vacation in the Caribbean..eheheh) and eventually he knocked off an other $10 for a total of 320 + tax and gave me a cheap box of .40 ammo for free.
He told me to go through no more than one box of ammo and if I do not like the gun take it back but he is sure I will love it....he sells a lot of them and the little Bersa Thunder 380 go like hotcakes.
I spent almost an hour at home looking at it, handling it, I really love the Thunder aestetically on par with the Beretta and better than any other semi-auto in the same caliber, Tanfoglio included.
The Thunder in 9 mm (identical except for the caliber) is in service in the Argentinian armed forces, Argentinian federal police and several other police forces...so in one way it has some sort of military pedigree.
I hope I made the right choice, I'm still thinking about the Beretta a lot and maybe one day I will buy it.
Cannot wait to go to the range.....I bought a nice ambidx belt holster, which can be used inside or outside with a metal clip, very versatile, for $15 brand new from the same shop.
A question for the experts: The Thunder 40 has a barrel length of 4.3 inches and the Beretta 5 inches...do you think the ballistic performance and accuracy difference will be significant??? Just a hair more than half inch is going to "hurt" a lot???
I could not find an official review for the Thunder 9 or 40, but I read several for the little Thunder 380 and they are all extremely positive.
P.S.
The shop owner, despite being "old guard", he likes the .40 more than the .45 (during our conversation he put definitely to rest any remaining remote desire to buy a .45)
His carry pieces are a SIG P226 in .40 and, when he wants to go very light, a Bersa Thunder 380.
For the first time I saw that in my pistol box there was a sealed bullet fired from the gun that is intended to stay with the shop owner to easily identify firearms used in crimes..I never saw something like that when I bought my Tanfoglio Witness.
Thank all of you for the patience of going through my veeeery long post!!!!
These are the pics of my new toy
My new Bersa Thunder 40 with her "older sister", my gorgeaous Tanfoglio Witness in 10 mm Auto
My Bersa Thunder 40 in her holster
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