If there could be only one?

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police123

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bersa thunder 380 cc or kel tec pf9, if you can only get one which would it be. Think of it as if it were going to be your only hand gun.
 
Bersa is better made & shoots better (IME & all that) but 9x19 is a better cartridge. Any particular reason these two only or might other possibilities exist?
 
I have other guns. These two just struck my fancy. When i buy a gun i look at it as if it were my only gun because i want to shoot them not send them off for repair every few hundred rounds. Both of these get pretty good reviews. Also i wont go to ktog or bersachat, simply because they are loyal to the guns the sight is dedicated to.
 
I own both. Well, not the Thunder CC, but the "original" Thunder .380. This would be a tough choice indeed. For me, a slight edge tips in favor of the PF9, and that is due to the relative affordability of the ammunition for it, that ammunition's greater potency, and the gun's greater ease of carry.

But the Bersa is definitely a more-solid-feeling gun, with an all-metal (aluminum frame, steel slide) construction, and the .380 is certainly a capable defense round. It's also more fun to spend time with at the range, albeit at a higher cost.

My PF9 is my EDC, and has been since it arrived about a year after the Bersa did. Both of my guns, though, have been superb performers for me.
 
But the Bersa is definitely a more-solid-feeling gun, with an all-metal (aluminum frame, steel slide) construction, and the .380 is certainly a capable defense round. It's also more fun to spend time with at the range, albeit at a higher cost.
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The 9mm is a better and less expensive round and I'd rather carry the PF9. But, if this was going to be my "only" hand gun I would take the Bersa Thunder 380 for pretty much the same reasons MedWheeler stated, but not in the CC version. If the CC version was the only Bersa option I'd opt for the Keltec PF9 and be satisfied with it's better carry qualities.
 
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tough one. had both at one time.if just one - Bersa. Its gotta be the best bang for the buck. Reliable, ergonomic, and very solid. can you really say the pf9 is better even it is a 9mm. thats a real tough one cause i liked the keltec too.
 
"If only one" I would choose the Bersa. It's a half price copy of the PPK and the heavy frame dampens the recoil quite a bit. A very reliable weapon and design.

LD
 
PF-9. The Bersa is a better range gun, but the PF-9 is far superior as a CC firearm.

Quaity of the two is similar, really. Both are solid but utilitarian handguns, not finely crafted shootin' irons. KT gets the nod for customer service, though. They are truly unrivaled in that department. Seriously, what other company will send you replacement parts for free when you admittedly lost that part? I was "de-linting" my P3 at the shop I was working for at the time, hit it with 160 PSI air pressure and blew the ejector out into the middle of a high traffic 6-lane avenue. Called KT, they sent a new one plus a couple extra recoil springs at no charge (not even shipping).
 
My answer really depends on the shooters ability.

For the novice the bersa is better. They're far more shootable, have a more beginner friendly safety a better trigger and ime are much more accurate.

For someone more experienced that's up to speed on what it takes to carry a dao firearm with no safety and can control a fist full o fury that is the pf9 and make hits with it it does provide more power in a very ccw friendly package.




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R.W.Dale said:
My answer really depends on the shooters ability.

For the novice the bersa is better. They're far more shootable, have a more beginner friendly safety a better trigger and ime are much more accurate.

For someone more experienced that's up to speed on what it takes to carry a dao firearm with no safety and can control a fist full o fury that is the pf9 and make hits with it it does provide more power in a very ccw friendly package.

posted via that mobile app with the sig lines everyone complaints about
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Wow, I have to completely disagree with you on that one. I feel a DAO pistol is better for an inexperienced shooter than a Walther-type DA pistol due its much simpler operation. With both guns you load a magazine, insert the magazine into the gun and then chamber a round.

With the Bersa/Walther, your choices are then:

If the safety was off when the round was chambered, leave the gun as it is, hammer cocked and safety off (not advisable unless you’re immediately ready to shoot.)
Decock the gun with the decocker and leave the safety on.
Decock the gun with the decocker and take the safety off.
Decock the gun manually with your thumb on the hammer and leave the safety off.
Decock the gun manually and put the safety on.

If the safety was on when you chambered a round, the hammer will follow the slide and the gun will be on-safe with the hammer down.
You can then leave it as it is, safety on and hammer down.
You can disengage the safety and leave the hammer down.
You can disengage the safety and cock the hammer with your thumb.

Then to fire:
If the hammer is cocked and the safety is off, pull the trigger in single-action mode.
If the hammer is down and the safety is off, pull the trigger in double-action mode.
If the hammer is down and the safety is on, disengage the safety and pull the trigger in DA mode.

Once you’ve fired your first shot, you may then do any of the things in the first part above, and not necessarily the same thing you did before. Or you can shoot again in SA mode.


With the Kel-Tec, once you’ve loaded a round your choices are then:

Keep your finger off the trigger and don’t shoot.
Pull the trigger DAO and shoot.

Same choices once you’ve fired your first shot. Finger off the trigger and don’t shoot, or pull the trigger DAO and shoot.


I'll agree that the Bersa is easier to shoot at the range, but I think the Kel-Tec is a *better carry gun.

*Your mileage may vary. :)
 
Kel-tec guns just feel cheaply made to me, more so then Bersa.

I have no qualms about the .380acp as a carry gun and for awhile I only had a .380 (BDA). My P-11 is ok,nothing to get excited about and I don't carry it, so get the Bersa ;)
 
Having had both, I'd take the Bersa over the PF9 any day. The PF9 was reliable but I didn't like shooting it one bit. The Bersa was reliable, accurate and just as easy to conceal. Get some hot .380 ammo and you'll be fine
 
Wow, I have to completely disagree with you on that one. I feel a DAO pistol is better for an inexperienced shooter than a Walther-type DA pistol due its much simpler operation
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First, the PF-9 is not a really a DAO gun. The hammer is partially cocked by the slide, and there is no second strike capability. This is why the PF-9's trigger is much better than the P11.

Secondly, the reason RW said that is not because of the manual of arms. It's the shootability of the two. The PF-9 is half the weight with near double the power, and that is very evident in the recoil of the 12 ounce gun. They are not especially pleasant for anyone, downright painful for some. They're meant to be carried a lot and shot little, just like other micro-sized, ultra-light handguns. The Bersa is just small and light enough for comfortable CCW, but has enough heft to it to be comfortable for extended shooting sessions.

Go put a box of rounds through each and see if you still think the PF9 is a better gun for the beginning shooter.
 
Whichever of the two is more reliable (goes bang each and every time) and I really don't know which that would be. SWAT magazine did a test on a number of 380 pistols a few years ago. Most of them seemed to lack reliablility (at least that was my takeaway).
 
Never owned or shot either one, but if those were my 2 choices it would be the pf9. I like the looks and design of the bersa better and if it was chambered in 9x19 I would definitely go with the bersa but since its a .380 there's no way in my mind. More expesive ammo for less power, not for me. I had a S&W Bodyguard .380 and it was just not for me the ammo price compared to the luger did me in. Again this is just my personal .02 worth if its even worth that :p.
 
did i miss something in the title of this thread? like "if there could only be one autoloader?" maybe i'm just too old, but where are the revolvers?

my one would be a 4" s&w 686 of ruger gp`100, .357 magnum. defense, small/larger game, availability of ammo, ruggedness.
 
I am so tempted to say NEITHER!

If I was forced, I'd choose the metal frame over the plastic frame (in this comparison only).

No offense to anyone intended, but I don't know why I even bothered to read this thread to the end, much less answer.
 
I ued to own both but sold them long ago,I Would choose the PF9 for one reason only,Im not a huge fan of the 380,I own some but if it was to be my main pistole it would be the 9mm over the 380.
 
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