Lighter, smaller BERSA Thunder 380 "Concealed Carry"

[horge]

From GunBlast magazine online.
(Please support GunBlast with a visit!)

The new, shortened and much-lightened 7-round Thunder 380
(US launch has been pushed back to June-July 2005) at SHOT.

US importer Eagle claims BERSA has shaved off nearly 25% of the Thunder 380's weight.
Check out the frontstrap contour, shortened rear-tang, sights(?)....



Just sharing

 

[Pilot]

Jorge, looks like a winner, but I don't see the article in Gunblast. I even looked in the archives and only saw the piece on the full size Bersa 380. The smaller version seems like a perfect gun for my wife.

 

[Spot77]

Wow, as if the gun wasn't good enough already........

I think the ONLY bad thing people could justifiably say about the Bersa 380 was it's weight (although I can't ccw in my state, so I have NO idea what a good weight is on average), but it sure seemed light enough as a pocket gun while working in the yard and around the house.

 

[MrAcheson]

The picture is on this page at Gunblast. The picture is halfway down the page.

Dunno I liked the fact that the Bersa had a healthy tang and a longer barrel. I've been bitten by one of the competitors guns (Sig) and I like the little boost in muzzle velocity in the .380. But as long as they keep selling the standard Thunder 380, I'll be happy.

 

[gbelleh]

I wonder if it will be priced like the standard Bersa .380? If it's not too much more, I'll buy one!

 

[Flashpoint]

What are the size differences between the new and the old?

Bersa is going to keep it up and become a powerful presence in the handgun market.

What I'm really interested in, is the crimson trace for Glocks and whether or not they'll fit on a Steyr.

Here's a link that will work.

http://www.gunblast.com/SHOT_2005_2.htm

 

[kokapelli]

I like my Bersa very much, but it is not a pocket pistol and IMO, shortening it a little and cutting the tang length a little will not make it pocket pistol!
The P-3AT at only 3/4 of an inch thick and weighing in at only 7-1/2 ounces is what I call a pocket pistol and it shoots the same cartridge as the Bersa!

 

[horge]

I can't take credit for any scoop on the Thunder 380 Concealed Carry.
Again, GunBlast reported with pic, and then "BersaThunder_CCW" reposted it over at
the Bersa Thunder Chapterhouse forum.

Eagle's website seems to host some wrong specs on the 'CoCa',
if the specs apply to the pistol in the photograph.
Here are the differences I perceive offhand, although what is pictured above
and described elsewhere may only be of a prototype:

1. Overall Length (OAL) reduced from 6.625" to 5.6-odd"
2. Overall Height (unloaded) reduced from 4.75" to 4.65"
3. Barrel Length reduced from 3.54" to 2.78"
3. Hammer redesigned for cleaner non-snag, overall profile
4. Magazine bottom "finger extension" removed, to print less
5. Frontstrap contoured for a more secure grip (compensating for the lost finger-extension)
6. Lower profile grip panels (to slightly reduce overall width?)
7. Lower profile snag-free disassembly lever (to slightly reduce overall width?)
8. Lower profile snag-free slide catch lever, I suppose (to slightly reduce overall width?)
9. Lower profile, snag-free ("guttersnipe"? Nooooo!) sights
etc. etc. etc...

I think, compared to the original Thunder 380...
The CoCa's going to be easier to carry. I agree with Jerry-- it'll never be
a true pocket pistol like the P3AT, which has a lock on the pocket market.
It's still going to be BERSA-dead-nuts-reliable,
It's going to be snappier-recoiling, which will affect ROF.
The ballistics/terminal performance will almost mirror Kel-Tec's P3AT.
(some JHP losing a bit of expansion, with terminal velocities south of the sweet spot)

I'm particularly concerned with the CoCa's sights.
The Thunder 380 was already at a disadvantage against the Firestorm variant's
Novak-style three-dots. Maybe the SHOT show model isn't all that representative
of the final product?

Just rambling.


Horge

 

[MICHAEL T]

Thats coming on the market about same time as Corbon new 380 round this should be a perfect match. As the round is being tested in a Keltec

 

[ExtremeDooty]

You need a pair of 5.11 pants and a good pocket holster. The Bersa rides and hides well in a back pocket of the 5.11's.

 

[usp9]

Bersa CoCA disappeared

Does anyone know the status of the Bersa Concealed Carry? Why was it not produced? There is nothing on the Bersa web site. This looked like a interesting project, and as popular as the Thunder is, one would think the CoCA would be a winner.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

There were several guns supposedly intended for 2005 release that were shown at the SHOT show this year. Apparently gun manufacturers view release dates as fluid.

 

[otomik]

I think it missed the mark, things I might want in a carry Bersa:

1. thin grips (maybe with a window to check the mag)
2. make it lighter, shorten it but also fewer mimed parts (like the trigger)
3. safety/decocker thats easier to use quickly, how about you put in on the frame instead of the slide that way I have more gripping area. even better would be as a DAO, very little controls cluttering the side.
4. smooth out the contours a bit, no finger groves (especially not on the frame itself), and a round trigger gaurd like on the Firestorm version.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

make it lighter, shorten it but also fewer mimed parts (like the trigger)

I know the MIM parts aren't pretty to look at, but I am unaware of a single failure of MIM parts used in any Bersa.

 

[otomik]

I know the MIM parts aren't pretty to look at, but I am unaware of a single failure of MIM parts used in any Bersa.

mim isn't as strong, that's why anything mimed intelligently built a little thicker and heavier. there a reports of mimed parts failing, I've heard that the safety lever is rather weak and by the looks of it I believe it is. but was i was really talking about is the big mimed trigger, it's probably the most noticeable and ugly mimed part of the whole gun which is really pretty goodlooking on the whole.

the worst part of this offering is the finger grooves and hooked trigger gaurd.
what people really wanted was some checkering on the frontstrap and maybe backstrap.

 

[KONY]

What I'm really interested in, is the crimson trace for Glocks and whether or not they'll fit on a Steyr.

I really doubt it will because IIRC, the Glock and Steyr pistols still differ too much in grip angle/contour to make it happen. However, maybe its just a matter of doing some modding. I know the folks at steyrclub.com are hoping this is the case.