Might have blown my butt off today in MacDonald's

[Yoda]

OK, here's the background. I'm used to carrying a 1911 in the "cocked and locked" mode. Some time ago, a very sick co-worker sold me her Bersa, and today, I thought I'd carry that.

So, I insert the magazine, let the slide go forward and chamber a round, put the safety on, remove the magazine and put another round in it to replace the "joker" round, then reinsert the magazine. Safety is on, gun is secure in a Fobus paddle holster, and the hammer is cocked. All I need to do to go into action is draw and flip the safety up. Everything is covered by a long shirt.

I'm out and about, and I need to handle a nature call. I drop into a Mickey-D's, step into the stall, and start to pull the holster around to the small of my back so i can remove it and drop my drawers.

Click.

My hand brushed the hammer, and it fell.

If the safety had been off, it might have gone BANG... or not. Does the Bersa require that the trigger be pulled in order to fire?

I think I'll just stick with the 1911.

- - - Yoda

 

[sig228]

I'm not a gunsmith, but I would say that if the gun's hammer dropped as a result of your hand brushing against it......there's probably something wrong with your gun.

BTW, pretty much sure these guns are not designed to be carried cocked and locked anyway.

 

[Frozen North]

The safety decocks my Bersa. You may wish to have it checked out.....

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Sounds like it just got decocked actually.

 

[R.W.Dale]

The hammer should have fell when you applied the safety originally

 

[Yoda]

Lesson for me is...

... is KNOW YOUR GUN. I know 1911, or at least I think I do. Obviously, I don't know Bersa.

- - - Yoda

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

you get what you pay for.

 

[Bonesinium]

Sounds like when you flipped up the safety, it should have decocked, but something prevented the hammer from dropping. When you hit it, whatever the case, it allowed it to finally fall forward and decock as it should have earlier. Something is faulty.

http://www.bersa.com/forum/showthread.php/331-New-Bersa-Thunder-380-with-Decock-issues

Looks like it might be a common issue.

 

[Frozen North]

I would take the gun out of service until you get it fixed. If the hammer fails to fall with the safety, it may also fail to fall when the boogie man needs a shootin...

Bersa makes a quality pistol, just get it repaired.

 

[Yoda]

Good advice from all...

...and I'll follow it.

Meanwhile, back to my tried and true 1911.

- - - Yoda

 

[MedWheeler]

To which Bersa model are you referring? The Thunder 380 cannot be carried "cocked and locked". Putting the safety on lowers the hammer. I'd venture that other models operate the same way. I carried mine for two years, until I switched to a PF-9 (Kel-Tec.)

Edit: I just saw the link posted in reply #7.. though it is the only case I've heard of, that guy and you might have found identical issues.

 

[ROGER4314]

The name "Bersa" strikes terror in my heart. About 6 months ago, I was range officer on our pistol range and I had to call an emergency "cease fire". The reason? My friend was happily shooting his Bersa when the slide took off and shot about 20 feet down range. We secured the shooters and went searching for the parts in the grass. I'm sorry but there are some things I just can't live with and having the gun toss critical parts down range is at the top of the list! Now, I read about your experiences with Bersa. Oh boy, that sure makes me want to buy one of the little stinkers!

Flash

 

[Yoda]

It was a Thunder .380.

I was impressed with it at the range. Reasonable accuracy, no failures to feed, fire, or eject. Good overall feel.

- - - Yoda

 

[robinkevin]

I have heard of this happening to a lot of different pistols. Usually is a case of not reassembly tightly and the pin works loose upon recoil. I have never own a bersa but know many people swear by them.

as for the OP... its not design to be carried cocked and locked... its a DA/SA pistol with a safety/decocker. Which it does seem that something is wrong with the decocker...

 

[toivo]

I have a Thunder .380, and I was able to replicate your condition (using a snap cap, of course) only when the pistol was not fully in battery. Here's how it worked:

1) put decocker/safety lever down -- "safe"
2) insert magazine (loaded with snap cap)
3) rack the slide, but guide it forward rather than letting it fly -- it will hang up just short of battery
4) hammer is now "cocked" but safety is on -- a condition that shouldn't normally be possible with this pistol

In this condition, light pressure on the back of the slide will cause it to go fully into battery. The hammer will drop because the decocker is down. Because the safety is on, the pistol will not fire.

Is it possible that this is what happened to you? You may have actually brushed the back of the slide, not the hammer, when you were adjusting your belt.

 

[Frozen North]

I just replicated toivo's experiment with mine. I had to let the slide ahead with extreme finesse, but it did stay out of battery and the hammer stayed up. The slightest nudge sent the slide into battery and dropped the hammer.

Is this gun next to new? Maybe it just need a couple hundred rounds sent down range to loosen things up.

 

[Jurist]

Not a 1911

You should read and understand the owners manual,before you load and carry any firearm.Don't blame the dog,blame its owner.You got off easy.

 

[Pyro]

Does the Bersa have a "half-cock" position to catch the hammer if it were to fall accidentally?

 

[Frozen North]

There is a chunk of steel to stop the hammer from falling with the safety on. OP was in no danger of a ND.

But yes, it can be half cocked. I doubt it is drop safe in this condition though.

 

[saturno_v]

you get what you pay for.

Ignorant comment that does not add anything to this discussion....

The name "Bersa" strikes terror in my heart. About 6 months ago, I was range officer on our pistol range and I had to call an emergency "cease fire". The reason? My friend was happily shooting his Bersa when the slide took off and shot about 20 feet down range. We secured the shooters and went searching for the parts in the grass. I'm sorry but there are some things I just can't live with and having the gun toss critical parts down range is at the top of the list! Now, I read about your experiences with Bersa. Oh boy, that sure makes me want to buy one of the little stinkers!

It can happen with any manufacturer....actually I trust more my full size Bersa, which is actually used by some Police and Military Forces, than a Kimber.....

To the OP

Bersa are DA/SA pistols, if yours did not decock when you dropped the safety something was wrong with the gun...yes it is actually very good to know your weapon well before start carrying it.

They are meant to be carried decocked (and better with the safety left engaged), no point trying to replicate the condition of a functionally inferior platform (IMHO).

 

[toivo]

Does the Bersa have a "half-cock" position to catch the hammer if it were to fall accidentally?

No, but it was never meant to carried cocked: it's a DA/SA with a decocker. You can't put the safety on without the hammer dropping. I would never, repeat NEVER, carry this pistol cocked because there is no safety when it's cocked.

The experiment we were talking about above is when the pistol isn't fully in battery: it's really a "non-function" situation. It looks like "cocked and locked," but it isn't really cocked. The pistol cannot fire; first, it's not in battery, and second, even if you do put it into battery, it will automatically fall into decocked mode. If that's what really happened to him, then he was never in any danger, unless you count the danger of having a non-functional pistol in the event that he really needed to defend himself. Even so, tap-and-rack (or even just tap) would have put him back in action.

EDIT TO ADD: OK, I see now that Frozen North is right. There is a little semi-cock position that the hammer goes to when you switch from "fire" to "safe" when the hammer is down (DA mode). I believe the rest of what I wrote above is accurate.

 

[JustSomeDude]

The hammer should have fell when you applied the safety originally

This.

The hammer was just stuck in the cocked position. I second the idea of having it checked out. At least see if you can replicate it (with the chamber empty, of course.) I can't get mine to do this in any way. I also agree that the OP was not in any danger of an AD/ND, if the safety was indeed in the on position.

 

[Pyro]

But yes, it can be half cocked. I doubt it is drop safe in this condition though.

The only way for the half-cock safety to work is for the first (primary) sear to fail and allow the hammer spring to push the half-cock position up to catch it. You cannot place it from cocked to half-cock from the trigger mechanism. I might be wrong though. Isn't that safety supposed to be drop safe?

 

[saturno_v]

Isn't that safety supposed to be drop safe?

I don't know the little 380s but the Bersa Thunder full size are drop safe

 

[MICHAEL T]

Have it checked Unless as people stated was slighty out of battery Should have never happened. Never ride a slide on a Bersa or any semi auto .
If you didn't ride slide then ship to warrenty center.

As for parts going down range The Colt Officer had its share or parts flying down range . Not just Bersa. All brands have had a problen of one kind or another.

http://bersachat.com lots of happy owners many with Lots of rounds fired One member just reported his passed 8000 and has yet to have any type of failuer