Bersa carry

[silkworm]

I was at the shop yesterday and saw a couple of the Bersa Thunders in .380 under the glass. Honestly the thing that drew my eye was the price tag, $280-$310 depending on finish. There were a couple of the smaller Sig's and the Ruger lasermax looked sweet but I have chronic "working man" hands and they kind of float around in my palm and feel too small when I hold them.

Does anybody have any experience with these? I've only heard of the company in conversation once or twice, and this was the first time actually seeing one of their guns. I'm not expecting them to be on par with the Rugers or Walthers. But are they worth that price, or just a complicated paper weight.

PS- I googled them and they hit as being the sidearm of the Ecuadorian airforce to which my brother stated "Well with the endorsement of such a prestigious military unit as that how can you go wrong?" Jackass

[BDK]

I'll have one for here for a bit longer till I get unlazy and take it in for trade.


Its not a bad gun, I loved it for CC but trying to consolidate down to 1-2 calibers and can't see me owning too many .380s.

Its a great shooter, it can be a bit hard on the web of your hand when shooting, its one of the complants about it I've seen the most. But thats about the only one I've heard.

[silkworm]

I'll have one for here for a bit longer till I get unlazy and take it in for trade.


Its not a bad gun, I loved it for CC but trying to consolidate down to 1-2 calibers and can't see me owning too many .380s.

Its a great shooter, it can be a bit hard on the web of your hand when shooting, its one of the complants about it I've seen the most. But thats about the only one I've heard.

When you say it's hard on the hand, do you mean the recoil? Because I've had some pistols (namely a norinco 9mm) slice the top of my hand when the slide moves. It doesn't hurt much, but the guys at the range give you a weird look when you're bleeding all over their lanes.

[GunGirl610]

When you say it's hard on the hand, do you mean the recoil? Because I've had some pistols (namely a norinco 9mm) slice the top of my hand when the slide moves. It doesn't hurt much, but the guys at the range give you a weird look when you're bleeding all over their lanes.

did you cross your thumbs?

[spblademaker]

They are worth the price. You should be able to get them under $300. The 380 round is a snappy little guy. The fit and finish on the version I used was excellent. I've been looking at the Thunder in 22lr since testing the 380. And who would question the 15 guys in the Ecuadorian airforce!!

[harold63]

Does anybody have any experience with these?

This was my wife's first carry pistol. It had a ton of great reviews when we bought it and it still does. The symptoms that the gun had in the reviews translated to the one we bought, as well (tight with a stiff recoil spring). This was one of the first guns I did "Dinner and a Movie, while I hand rack my pistol 2 or 3 hundred times," after I checked the mag follower to be sure it was coming all the way to the top. The few FTF/FTE that we had with it completely went away after that. If you get one and don't want to do the recliner break in, be sure you shoot it with a stiff wrist for a couple hundred rounds, or it will aggravate the you know what out of you. We only sold it because she wanted a 9mm and I could not find a Bersa anywhere in that caliber. It was a very good pistol.

FTR, I handrack my pistols a lot before I shoot them because I hate having misfeeds and wasting ammo.

[Park]

I don't have nor shot the 380, but have Bersas in both 9mm and .40. Both shoot great. I have shot with friends with Kimbers that had more FTEs. Also, although I'm not a big Gander Mountain shopper, they are a certified repair center for Bersa.

[lemko]

I have one and it's an excellent firearm, especially for its reasonable price. I typically purchase Glocks, Berettas, and S&Ws, but decided to take a chance on this lower cost pistol because of good things I've heard and read about it. I've been taking mine to the range for the last couple of months and have yet to experience any malfunctions. I've used USA Ammo, Remington, and Winchester white box with no problems whatsoever. There is hardly any recoil and it shoots in tight groups. I highly recommend the Bersa Thunder .380 to the firearms buyer on a budget.

Mine is a duotone model I carry in an in-the-pants holster. I purchase it at the last Valley Forge show new for $289. I was considering a Sig .380 that I liked, but didn't feel like spending close to $600 for one. Here's a pic of my Bersa:

[Mush]

Great pistol for the $$. Just try one and you will see.

[BDK]

When you say it's hard on the hand, do you mean the recoil? Because I've had some pistols (namely a norinco 9mm) slice the top of my hand when the slide moves. It doesn't hurt much, but the guys at the range give you a weird look when you're bleeding all over their lanes.

The back strap digs in a bit on the web of my hand, makes it a bit tough to shoot long sessions, but I enjoy it. Never cut my hand.