ebenw
Member
Sorry, no picture.
Some weeks back, I was looking for a good comfort/carry piece. MN has a new law...a good one.
I was looking around at a local gun store and found this sized-right Bersa Thunder .380 and asked to see it. The price was low, considering the other options they had. (this store does not tend to carry junk ...Hi Point, Llama to name a couple.)
This little number runs about $230 (average).. it can cost a lot less, but you'll have to look around.
The fit and finish were pretty good and their were no noticeable flaws in the workmanship. I was surprised to see this in a gun at that price.
So I went home and looked for other folks' opinions on it. Overall, they were favorable, so I returned several days later and bought it.
Now, after finally getting to test it, I can say that it seems to work very well, is accurate (not that it's much of an issue considering it's intended use and the circumstances that would require such use) and feeds well with cor-bon hollowpoints. Federal ball had no problem either.
However, Winchester FMJ wadcutters would sometimes produce a jam that was difficult to clear. The cartridge would tips upwards too far before it could slide into the chamber and hold postition, keeping the breech halfway open and creating tension against the magazine (spring). Attempting to cycle the slide didn't do anything, as you may have guessed, since the barrel is fixed to the frame (blowback). The only way to clear this jam was to press the mag release (very hard) while tugging at the floorplate to get the mag out. Then cycle the slide to drop out the jammed cartridge. This is indeed the worst type of jam I've encountered with a handgun to date.
Not one review ever said that this gun would take anything....
...but winchester factory loads???
Other than that, I think it was a good purchase with money well spent (and at least as much saved over the competition).
If I had more money to throw around, I might have instead considered a sig P 230 or 232.
I hope this helps those who are considering.
Some weeks back, I was looking for a good comfort/carry piece. MN has a new law...a good one.
I was looking around at a local gun store and found this sized-right Bersa Thunder .380 and asked to see it. The price was low, considering the other options they had. (this store does not tend to carry junk ...Hi Point, Llama to name a couple.)
This little number runs about $230 (average).. it can cost a lot less, but you'll have to look around.
The fit and finish were pretty good and their were no noticeable flaws in the workmanship. I was surprised to see this in a gun at that price.
So I went home and looked for other folks' opinions on it. Overall, they were favorable, so I returned several days later and bought it.
Now, after finally getting to test it, I can say that it seems to work very well, is accurate (not that it's much of an issue considering it's intended use and the circumstances that would require such use) and feeds well with cor-bon hollowpoints. Federal ball had no problem either.
However, Winchester FMJ wadcutters would sometimes produce a jam that was difficult to clear. The cartridge would tips upwards too far before it could slide into the chamber and hold postition, keeping the breech halfway open and creating tension against the magazine (spring). Attempting to cycle the slide didn't do anything, as you may have guessed, since the barrel is fixed to the frame (blowback). The only way to clear this jam was to press the mag release (very hard) while tugging at the floorplate to get the mag out. Then cycle the slide to drop out the jammed cartridge. This is indeed the worst type of jam I've encountered with a handgun to date.
Not one review ever said that this gun would take anything....
...but winchester factory loads???
Other than that, I think it was a good purchase with money well spent (and at least as much saved over the competition).
If I had more money to throw around, I might have instead considered a sig P 230 or 232.
I hope this helps those who are considering.
. I was looking for a reasonably priced .380 as it was gonna be a carry and they were the smaller (non Kahr) guns back then....I studied, read, researched, rented, borrowed, stole (not really but sounds good) and shot every 380 I could....over 20 of them were shot extensively....I owned a BDA in college and was looking for its equal for a much better price...divorce is expensive (still is 
