Bersa?

L

LeeCQC

Joined
Oct 30, 2007
Messages
617
I'm thinking about picking up a .380 to try the round out. I saw what looks like a pretty decent price on one, a Bersa Thunder .380, but I'm unfamiliar with the name. Anybody have any experience, thoughts, or opinions?
 
I have a bersa thunder .380. It is a great gun it has always functioned well and I like the feel of it in my hand...However, it sees WAY more shelf time than anything. It is too big to be my primary carry gun and the ammo is just too expensive to use as a plinker. I also do not like the safety. On my gun it is nearly impossible to manipulate it with one hand.

The real question is why do you want to a .380. I originally purchased mine for the wife. She didn't like it so it just kind of turned into something I throw in the BOB for an emergency. I have since purchased myself a Kel-Tec P3AT that I use for my EDC. I also have a Khar MK9 (9MM), but it is just too heavy to carry all the time. In my opinion it is better to have a gun that you will carry, rather than a gun that stays in the safe.

I would not discourage you from buying the gun, but I would not encourage you either.

Here is a decent review as well. http://www.gunblast.com/Bersa_Thunder380.htm

Billyp
 
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I don't have any experience with Bersa. I know a guy that really loves his, and I know people that turn their nose up.

I will say that the Bersa I looked at for my wife was big for a .380. You can get a smaller or same size gun in 9mm. I think .380 can be a viable tool with the right ammo, but 9mm is as small as I would want to go.
 
i agree with shootist 16 the bersa is kinda big and heavy for a .380, if i wanted a .380 i would want a small .380 like a keltech P3AT, IIRC it wouldnt be much higher than a bersa either.

but, all in all, besides the size/weight thing, bersa isnt too bad, the ones i have had some experience with were fine with ball ammo but IIRC werent the most reliable with HP ammo, or the HP ammo we were using anyway.
 
LeeCQC said:
I'm thinking about picking up a .380 to try the round out. I saw what looks like a pretty decent price on one, a Bersa Thunder .380, but I'm unfamiliar with the name. Anybody have any experience, thoughts, or opinions?
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Bersa is a well established name in the firearms business. They are located in Argentina and have been in business for about 40 years. They do have a number of US repair centers and offer a lifetime warranty. We sold quite a few of these and seldom had any problems with them. You didn't say what a "pretty decent price" was but I would say from just taking a quick look on gunbroker.com that the price should be $200.00-225.00 or there abouts.

The Bersa was designed in a time period when it was considered to be one of the smaller .380s on the market, however today that isn't the case. As was said above there are smaller .380s available and some 9mm that are as small or smaller. It will be more expensive to shoot than a 9mm as well even using discount ammo. It is underpowered for it's size and would not qualify as a primary carry gun in my opinion and it is too large for the role of a BUG or a hideout. If I were to look at a .380 today I would probably go with a Colt Pony Pocketlight, they are at least lightweight enough to qualify as hideout or pocket gun.
 
One of the things that makes the Bersa Thunder so reliable is that the line from the magazine to the chamber is almost straight-through -- there's very little ramp that the round must travel to get into the chamber.
 
i've had a couple of bersa's, pre thunder, and it was an exc gun for the money. the main thing i seem to remember reading about them is to stick with a Bersa magazine don't buy aftermarket mags. also as with any auto make sure it's reliable with you particular round. the only problem with this type of .380 is that now you can get a gun the same size or smaller that shoots a full 9mm or 40 both of these are more effective rounds for defensive use. anyway good luck and let us know what you do.
 
you could get a keltec P11 or taurus PT111 9MM and have a lighter pistol which is about the same size, which is a 9MM, at about the same price,
 
SIFU1A said:
you could get a keltec P11 or taurus PT111 9MM and have a lighter pistol which is about the same size, which is a 9MM, at about the same price,
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I would tend to agree but any 9mm that small is going to be a handful! I have a PF9 and its not a fun gun to shoot for a long time (you know, like practice). A comparable 380 might just be the ticket for someone not ready for the "commitment" a tiny 9 requires.
 
i dont know a 9mm doesnt have much recoil imho, esp with std velocity ammo, i could shoot my kahr P9 or PM9 all day long with no probs, of course i have shot a lotta .45ACP and such so i might be used to it to a degree, but i could hardly call any 9MM a handfull........
 
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