Inconsistant reload action on Bersa Thunder 380

[ohbythebay]

Okay, so I have a Bersa Thunder 380 for CC. Its only a month old but I have detected something inconsistent as have other owners.

Shoot a mag and when finished, the slide retracts and locks as it should. Slide a mag in "gently" and you have to release the slide. Slap one in and 70% of the time it automatically releases the slide, chambering a round. Safety on or off doesn't matter (except with the safety on you would have to cock the gun to fire or double action the trigger).

It would be a nice action IF it was consistent. Technically, it is not supposed to do it all (I think) but the concern is the consistency.

I did some tests yesterday after the gun had been completely cleaned and lubed. Ran about 8 mags, slapped them in, the slide stayed in place. After that though, almost every mag change resulted in the slot unlocking, shooting forward and chambering a round.

I guess I will give Bersa a heads up...

 

[GLOOB]

Firstly, you should make sure that the slide lock lever is engaging all the way. When the slidelock occurs, physically look at the lever to rule out weak ammo and/or weak mag springs.

Failing other issues, this exact problem happens to a lot of guns. It's all about the slide to slidelock interface. This tends to change slightly over time, due to break-in and wear.

This is "fixable" with a stone file and basic understanding of geometry. Failing that you can sent it to Bersa if you want to eat the shipping and turnaround time. Or you could take it to a local gunsmith. But depending on how soft/wear-resistant the steel is, this fix may not last too long, anyway. So maybe you should not worry about it until/unless the slide stops locking 100% to begin with.

It would be a nice action IF it was consistent.

After another couple hundred releases, it might get to the point where it automatically releases all the time. So that's another option.

 

[ohbythebay]

Yeah...

Just talked to my local gun guy. This is not uncommon with ALOT of guns..so Its something to be mindful of. Thanks

 

[AnthemBassMan]

My Smith SD40-VE does the same thing. If I put a fresh mag in with the slide locked back, it stays locked back unless I seat the mag with extra force. Then it will chamber round without me using the slide release...

L8R,
Matt

 

[hardluk1]

Ease the mags in and it may allways stay open. Slap a mag hard in to place and most time the slide will release and chamber a round. As covered Many will do that. Makes reloads slick and quick !!

 

[astra600]

It's interesting to keep seeing this subject. Nothing against the posters, as it's usually a new thing for them. I have semiautos ranging from 103 years to a few months old and none of them have ever done this. European or American.
Maybe the companies need to slow the machines down a few seconds to make sure the cuts are done well.

 

[kokapelli]

Yep my Bersa thunder does it too and I like it. Just one less motion when shooting.

 

[MedWheeler]

Mine as well. I'm left-handed. If I were right-handed and didn't want the slide to close, I'd nudge upward on the slide-release lever when inserting a magazine.

But, I've gotten myself used to it. Only time I "slam" magazines in is at the range.

It is a great gun, by the way. One that impressed me thoroughly when I first got it, and I carried as an EDC for abut two years before a Kel-Tec PF9 I wasn't even seeking found its way to me. Still have the Thunder, though.

 

[ohbythebay]

Me too..

I can pretty much control what she does now...

And I too think its pretty awesome. Very accurate, very stable. If it has any flaw (and maybe its just the ammo), but after about 150 rounds or so it will fail to feed (that on reload ammo) every other mag so it requires cleaning. Then its good to go again.

I have not run 150 rounds in one shot of "good ammo" but I will shortly as I have some arriving this week. Will be interesting to see how different ammo works with it.

It is really a pretty incredible CC handgun..a Walther PPK clone but well made.

I did however buy a Glock 19 yesterday so...LOL...The Bersa may get jealous. I wish I had a chance to fire the Bersa Thunder Pro HC 9mm - 17 rounds..same shape design..but I wanted something else ...

 

[ohbythebay]

Interesting you say that because at the range, the guys there indicated a lot of these (various brands) can do that. Just depends. Hmmm...I agree though, better machining so it is one way or the other, every time..not "depends on the phase of the moon"...lol

 

[1911 guy]

It's not just a Bersa problem. Not a majority, but quite a few lightweight autoloaders that use heavy magazines (when loaded) will intermittently go into battery depending n the force used to seat a magazine.

Now how about a fix?

Pay attention to the pistol. Be prepared to put the pistol into battery, but be observant when manipulating the pistol. If it's already in battery, get it back out in front of you.