littledane
Bearcat
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 12
Im looking at purchasing a Bersa Thunder .380 for my CC. i was planing on an LCP however the price of the Bersa cant be beat. How are Bersa's? are they reliable? thanks for any help.
its not a ruger but....
- Thread starter littledane
- Start date
BigBlue
Single-Sixer
littledane said:
Mine is! For practice I use Magtech ammo and for carry CorBon's excellent 80gr. DPX ammo. I don't think I've ever owned a gun that fit my hand better. Mine is the basic Thunder 380 with the original plastic grips. I had originally thought about replacing the grips with some nice walnut grips, but these just fit my hand so much better.
Don
pisgah
Buckeye
I have owned 3, and all were great little pistols, as was the .22 I had for years until giving it to my son along with one of the .380s.
littledane said:
my little bro has one, its a neat little pistol, but his isn't reliable. From what I have read about the pistol, it SHOULD be, but his isn't... *shrug*. How much cheaper is the bersa than the ruger? If you are looking for a small light inexpensive CCW, check out the kel-tec PF9... its 9mm, but is smaller and lighter than the bersa thunder.... once my little brother saw my pF9,, he decided to sell his bersa and get a kel-tec...
If you are worried about recoil, I would class them about the same, though I have not shot both in the same session. When I shot the bersa thunder i was surprised at how much it kicked being a .380. When I shot my PF9 for the first time I was surprised at how little it kicked for being a 9mm and so small... the difference is due to the bersa being straight blowback and the pf9 being locked breech....my PF9 was $279 at the LGS, though depending on where you live (or if you are willing to buy online), you can get one around $250. I would not recommend getting a used one unless its a recent SN, as the PF9 had some teething problems (which have been resolved now) and you dont want to inherit a gun with problems.... They have a lifetime warranty so you would get it taken care of, but that means sending it to the factory... I wouldn't buy one unless it had the first two digits in the SN as letters... if the first or second digit is a number, its an older gun.... unless the price is REALLY right, id pass on an older one....
You could also check out the kel-tec P3AT... some say the LCP design was ripped off from kel-tec, I dont know but I can see they are basically the same gun, though the ruger looks more "refined". It will definitely recoil less than a bersa thunder. It can be had for not much over $200, but I dont have any first hand experience with it....
BigBlue
Single-Sixer
I have both the Kel-Tec PF-9 and the Bersa 380. Just my opinion, but the Bersa is much easier to shoot accurately. Both have been very reliable.
Don
Don
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Gizmo42 said:
not really... its lighter, A fully loaded sr9c is close to 29 ounces, vs 22 for the bersa. The bersa is nearly and inch shorter in "height", while the length is indeed pretty close, and the width is close as well. the slide is a little thinner on the bersa, while the grips are a little fatter, which is odd since the bersa is single stack and the ruger is double stack.. thats of course due to the polymer frame on the ruger vs alloy frame w/removable grips on the bersa.
Holding them side by side though, the difference seems bigger than the specs would suggest... the bersa is quite a bit smaller at the muzzle than the ruger, being sort of triangle shaped from the grip to the end of the muzzle, while the ruger is rectangle shaped. The ruger has a whole lot more "volume" than the bersa....
OP
littledane
Bearcat
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 12
so it wasn't a Thunder .380 but a model 83 with walnut grips. i still bought it for $100 ( didnt think that was too bad). It is in excellent shape still has the original box and all original paper work. Even came with an Uncle Mikes holster.
Cheesewhiz
Hunter
Seems like a real nice deal, littledane. The Bersa 83 was the version before it was changed to the Thunderererer.
...but this post means nothing without some pictures!!!!!!
I like gun pics.
...but this post means nothing without some pictures!!!!!!
I like gun pics.
OP
littledane
Bearcat
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 12
Cheesewhiz
Hunter
littledane said:
Beautiful, looks great, I had one about 10 years ago, nice little gun.
SkepticalChymist
Bearcat
My first CC gun is / was a Bersa Thunder 380. I still own it and when my wife carries, this is what she carries. Carried it for about 2 years. Its reliable to a point. Because its blowback operated user error can cause jams. If you shoot it with a limp wrist its prone to jamming.
Also I noticed at the range that toward the end of my practice sessions it tends to jam. I don't know if this is because I'm getting lazy and causing the jams or if its because it does not like getting too hot.
Its a great little gun for its price though. I conciser it reliable enough to carry. I also think its a little large for a 380. I carry an SR9c and its basically the same size, tho heavier.
Also of note is the lifetime warrant. All you have to do is send it to an authorized repair shop and they will fix any problems with it for free.
Also if you buy a new one, it will need a break in period for sure before its reliable. This was a frequent topic on bersatalk and I experienced this with mine as well. First 200 rounds or so through the gun had more jams and malfunctions then the next 2000 i shot through it.
Also I noticed at the range that toward the end of my practice sessions it tends to jam. I don't know if this is because I'm getting lazy and causing the jams or if its because it does not like getting too hot.
Its a great little gun for its price though. I conciser it reliable enough to carry. I also think its a little large for a 380. I carry an SR9c and its basically the same size, tho heavier.
Also of note is the lifetime warrant. All you have to do is send it to an authorized repair shop and they will fix any problems with it for free.
Also if you buy a new one, it will need a break in period for sure before its reliable. This was a frequent topic on bersatalk and I experienced this with mine as well. First 200 rounds or so through the gun had more jams and malfunctions then the next 2000 i shot through it.
Cheesewhiz
Hunter
Cheesewhiz said:Seems like a real nice deal, littledane. The Bersa 83 was the version before it was changed to the Thunderererer.
...but this post means nothing without some pictures!!!!!!
I like gun pics.
Cheesewhiz, you wouldn't know a Bersa 83 from a toothbrush, the 83 was an all steel gun and the aluminum framed 95 was the next in line before the Thundererer, get your facts straight, ya jerk. The 83 is old school, the Bersa 95 is super awesome and the Thunderererer is even more super awesomererer, did I call you a jerk yet?
I realy hate finding fault with my statements. Mine was a steel framed 83, really a nice little gun.
BigBlue
Single-Sixer
I had the all steel version years ago and it was built like a tank, very dependable, wood grips looked great but were a bit wide and the pistol was very heavy. I sold it and of course regretted that decision, but it all worked out for the best because the 380 Thunder I now have is everything the steel version was, without the weight. I love wood grips, but the new plastic grips feel so much better. Either way they are great little pistols at a very very good price.
Don
Don
