New pistol inbound

C

Charlie_K

Joined
Jul 16, 2012
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Bersa Thunder .380 on the way, should be here early next week. It's one of the older models without the stupid external lock.
 
Cool. I ccw a .380 as well. Sig Sauer P232.

p232.jpg
 
You definitely got the nicer model.

I've read a lot of good things about the Bersa, but I've also read some bad things. Always makes me nervous when I'm buying something like this.
 
I haven't fired one myself just held and compared to a walther and a sig, and the thing i liked about the bersa was the slide didn't graze the webbing between my thumb and index finger when pulled back. The others did as did my feg walther clone which was a great gun but I sold it because the slide would carve a groove in my hand after 20 rounds.

I was looking at the bersa thunder combat which is hard to fond but pretty sweet. Ended up spending my money on a car instead so no new toys for me for a while, alas.
 
Charlie_K said:
Bersa Thunder .380 on the way, should be here early next week. It's one of the older models without the stupid external lock.
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I hate locks on guns, but the Bersas are fairly good guns. The only thing about the older ones is how old it is and if you can find mags for it or not
 
My CCW is a Bersa BP9cc, and I *love* it. Granted, it is a different animal, but it's the third carry gun I've had over the past three years, and by far my favorite. I missed a chance for a Thunder in .45 and kick myself for that.
 
Congrats and you bought a quality weapon! I have owned several Bersa .380's in my life and my wife has one as her EDC choice. They are well made and dependable- I learned about them from a dear friend who is a gunsmith and he held Bersa pistols in high regard. The fit and finish will never be on par with Walther PPK, but they will take a beating and go bang whenever you need them to. I have 3-4 friends who bought Bersa .380s after shooting the one my wife owns. I see them used on some of the gun forums I frequent in the $250 range- they came from the factory with one mag but that's about the only negative and it has nothing to do with quality, only economy to keep the NIB price reasonable. Bonus is that PPK holsters fit the Bersa Thunder so lots of choices for carrying.
 
Okay so I got the Thunder today. Haven't had the chance to test fire it yet, but it feels pretty good in the hands. No loose rattle, everything seems tight. The safety/hammer decocker takes a little getting used to. The only thing I'm not all that keen on is the slide doesn't always slam shut all the way if you try and manually ride it back.
 
Bersa does seem to be a very popular CCW gun. You should always let the slide go back into battery on its own. Manually riding it is always a bad idea.
 
Charlie_K said:
Okay so I got the Thunder today. Haven't had the chance to test fire it yet, but it feels pretty good in the hands. No loose rattle, everything seems tight. The safety/hammer decocker takes a little getting used to. The only thing I'm not all that keen on is the slide doesn't always slam shut all the way if you try and manually ride it back.
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That is because of the way it locks up. Don't worry about that. It is good and tight, as it should be.

One thing on the Bersa, like the Walthers, the Bersas do not always like every brand or type of ammo. Try several kinds and make certain it will run at least 200 rounds of it without a malfunction. Those kinds of defense ammo that closely mimic ball ammo may be your best bet.
 
DocT said:
One thing on the Bersa, like the Walthers, the Bersas do not always like every brand or type of ammo. Try several kinds and make certain it will run at least 200 rounds of it without a malfunction. Those kinds of defense ammo that closely mimic ball ammo may be your best bet.
Click to expand...

When the Box o' Truth forums were up and running, nobody who used a .380 had managed to find a brand of hollow point ammo that expanded to any meaningful degree. With such facts in mind, ball ammo was recommended for maximum penetration, and reliability.
 
I managed to get decently lucky today. I found a spare factory magazine for a good price, and it should be here by early next week.
 
Well folks, I wound up proving that I'm a complete idiot. When I got the Bersa, what's the first thing I did? Polished the feed ramp. Unfortunately I also polished the portion of the feed ramp that's part of the aluminum receiver. I only just recently researched the subject of polishing up Bersas, and learned that the process removes the adonization from the surface, leaving the aluminum soft and vulnerable to damage from basic use.

I ruined my new gun, a pre-key version no less, and never even got the chance to shoot it first.
 
Since it is too short to make a good tomato stake, suggest you shoot it UNTIL it fails to feed ...and then finish your smithin' job with a hammer and recycle the scrap.

General rule on new firearms is to CLEAN, then SHOOT.

Sorry for your loss.
 
DocT said:
One thing on the Bersa, like the Walthers, the Bersas do not always like every brand or type of ammo.
Click to expand...
My son had a compact Bersa in 9mm. Feed and cycled every cartridge we could get our hands on. No smithing required. It was definitely a reliable pistol. He sold it to fund something else.

Never (permanently) modify a pistol until AFTER you've put it through its paces.
 
When i was nearing 21 i was looking at the .380 bersas.... never ended up getting one. My buddy got one and it had a lot of malfunctions during the break in. Also the promag magazines sucked for it.

You could always try to send the gun to get coated with something that will prevent wear. Not sure what it would be but im sure its possible. Plus, it could be worse. You could have ruined a $1500 1911 or something.
 
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