New Bersa Woes

[TheNoob]

Hey, folks. TheNoob, here. That is, fairly new to guns.

Anyway, just today I picked up a Bersa Thunder 380 DuoTone with Crimson Trace grip laser from a big box store who shall remain nameless. I won't get into price, but let's just say that now I know better.

I get the gun home and clean out some of the gunk.

When I go to reassemble it, the slide won't go back into place. I know what I have to do...pull the disassembly piece down and clear, lift and push the slide to the rear, push the slide down and it should go forward. The process is the same as with my PPK/S, save it's the trigger guard that gets manipulated and not a dedicated knob.

Everything but the last step worked well, but it simply refused to slide forward and back into it's normal position.

I reread the owner's manual and browsed youtube but I seemed to be doing everything by the book.

Eventually, I started pushing and tapping the slide thinking that it needed to be "broken in". Well, that didn't go so well. The slide completely flew off the gun and onto the floor almost taking my hand with it.

After that fiasco, I got on the horn with Bersa's customer service. After following their instructions, we discovered that:

1. There was burring inside the slide that prevented it from seating into the frame properly than thus not returning to it's normal fully forward position.

2. At some point, the extractor rammed forward and into the barrel removing a large chunk of the barrel.

I called the store and they wanted me to bring it back in, so I did.

The on staff "gun smith" wrestled with it and was also unable to get it reassembled.

After discussion with management, it was decided to send it back to Bersa for warranty work.


Given that the Bersa forums are slow traficked, I'm posting here for advice about how the warranty process works and about how long it should take. I've read some real horror stories that number into the years awaiting the return of a Bersa.

Anyway, first day of owning unfired Thunder and already experiencing :banghead:

Thankfully I have three other new pistols to play with while I'm waiting on this one to come back, but the trigger pull of the PPK is too much for Mrs.Noob. This was the gun she anticipated using for an upcoming handgun class.

 

[gsreimers]

I have the same gun and had the same trouble. Try changing the position on the safety (decock) and try it again. I had a hell of a time and then if I remember right, I flipped the safety and it went right back together.

I hope you can figure it out. I bet you will like the gun if you do. Mine makes it into the bag every trip to the range. It's a ball to shoot with the crimson trace. good luck

 

[TheNoob]

If it were in my hands I could give it a try. However, it's back at the store waiting to be shipped out for warranty work.

My reason for posting was to get a feel for Bersa customer service and an idea of how long I'll need to wait.

 

[usp9]

It's a rite of passage with the Thunder. Why it is so tight the first few times is a mystery to me but after reassembling a couple times it is easier. The burr theory makes sense. These are not the finest examples of machining found in the gun maker world. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[kokapelli]

You have to really squeeze the back of the slide down against the frame. I usually put the pistol between my knees with the rear top of the slide against one knee and the bottom of the grip against the other and squeeze and it goes right into position.

After a few times the pistol loosens up and goes together much easier.

 

[PGT]

of all the pistols I own, the only two that feel "jewel like" in their finish work are a Beretta and a Sig. The Bersa, Tanfoglio, Browning and Ruger all feel rough around the edges. From racking the slide to the square edges...definitely one step below the Beretta and Sig.

 

[mesinge2]

I had my Bersa repaired twice. The first time was at the warranty center in Baton Rouge, LA named Reynerson's and the repair took 3 months and it broke again in the same fashion shortly afterward.

The second repair was at Colorado Gunworks in Lyons, IN and I received the gun back it two weeks and it was fixed for good. I highly recommend Colorado Gunworks for Bersa warranty service.

 

[TheNoob]

Thanks for the advice.

For simplicity's sake, I was going to buy a matching but less expensive Thunder to have a his and hers pair while my wife's PPK/S gravitates toward being more a safe queen and less a regular shooter. The rationale being that we'd then both have pistols with interchangeable magazines and common feel and features to make training easier.

I'm going to seriously be rethinking that now.

 

[Hometeached1]

Hi TheNoob, welcome to THR! Sorry to hear about your trouble with bersa, I've not shot one, but a few people I know like them. If you really want a .380 that you and your wife could both shoot, I'd look at a Glock 42, a Ruger LC380 or a SIG P232. I've shot the p232 and it's a very accurate, kind of pricey, but I think it's worth it. You could PM Vodoun da vinci about his Glock 42 he bought for his wife, he could tell you more about how it shoots. Hope you get your bersa back soon.

 

[TheNoob]

Thanks for the advice, hometeach.

I don't want to get into a Glock/ 1911 debate but let's say that my wife and I are comfortable with the SA/DA and decocker workflow. There aren't too many of those in .380.

I've hear that Bersa's customer service is good. We'll put it to the test and see.

In the meantime, we have 9mms as range guns. These .380s were to be our concealed carry pieces. So although it's disheartening, it's not the end of the world. We'll still be able to have fun.

 

[TheNoob]

Update:

I heard back from the big box store's regional gunsmith last week.

As I suspected, there were burrs on the slide which prevented it from fully engaging the frame. When I racked it forward, the slide slipped from the rail and the ejector mangled the barrel.

The slide and ejector have been repaired, but that particular shop doesn't have the means to press in the new barrel. So it will have to be sent to yet another shop with an estimated turn around time of additional 4-5 weeks.

If that holds, the total repair period will be in the 6-8 week range including shipping to various entities.

 

[hardluk1]

In the future never , never take a firearm back to a gun shop for anything. Nothing . Call the maker or importer , EAGLE Import in this case and let them send it where they want to for TLC.

 

[kokapelli]

Very, very good advice.