From looking around on the internet and owning one I see very little negative comments about them. Never had any issues with mine but I hardly shot it. Bersa thunder .380. If I see one used for a reasonable price I would not hesitate.
If your heart is set on .380 it's hard to go wrong with the Bersa Thunder. I've fired several and own one myself. Back before things got crazy you could buy a new one for 275. I haven't looked recently but at least that gives you a starting point of where they used to be priced.
I'd give you the thumbs up on that, but something went wrong with mine. I know the issue is very simple, but I just haven't gotten around to getting it fixed. If it makes you feel any better, I am the only person I know who has had an issue with his Thunder .380. It shot like a dream. You can't go wrong for the money.
Of course, instead of paying the shipping costs back to Bersa, I went out and bought a Kahr P380. That's a fine piece!
I have a Bersa 380 CC which carries one extra round in the magazine than the regular Thunder. I recently went back to carrying it since I lent my P3AT to my daughter for purse carry.
Between those two guns, the Bersa is fun to shoot at the range and the P3AT is not but the real difference is in weight with the P3AT easy for true pocket carry.
The Bersa is very similar to the Walther but is not known to bite the shooter like the Walther does. For the money, Bersa's are great firearms and the low price does not reflect the true quality. They also have a lifetime guarantee but you will pay for shipping.
After I bought the CC, I ended up buying the Bersa 9MM high capacity handgun and it is one of my favorites.
Bersa Thunder .380 is a mighty fine piece. If you have small hands, you can also look at the Walther PK380 (about $360ish with buy-it-now for new ones on Gunbroker). My wife carries the Walther and really likes shooting it.
The primary differences between the Bersa and the Walther (they are similar in size with the Bersa being a hair smaller), the Bersa is a blowback design and the Walther is a locked breech design (Browning tilt-barrel). So, in theory, the Walther has less felt-recoil than the Bersa (Sig P230/232, Walther PPK, CZ83 are a few other blowback design). Not saying one design is superior to the other, just telling you the main difference in the two handguns.
Bersa makes a great gun. I've owned several Bersa 380s and was very happy with them. I had one that had an issue and even though I was up front about buying it used, they honored the warranty and sent me a brand new gun. The biggest problem with the Bersas I've owned is that when I lend them to family members, I don't get them back. My brother has had my 380CC for about 7 months now after borrowing it to see how he liked it.
On another positive note for Bersa, Colorado Gun Works, which is a factory repair center with excellent service, moved from Colorado to Indiana about a year ago. They are now located down near Linton, IN between Vincennes and Bloomington.
When my sister decided to buy her first handgun, she bought a Bersa 380. I was really wanting a Bersa 380 in stainless (no such thing exists) so I bought a PPK instead. The Bersa is twice the gun at half the money as the PPK. It took well over 400 rounds and some tuning to get the PPK to work well, where as the Bersa's simply work right out of the box.
I'm partial to my Walther PK380. It has to be one of the most comfortable pistols (for me) Ive ever held and shot. Its my ccw and even being on the larger size, with my Fobus holster its very comfortable and dont really notice its there most of the time. Some people complain about the spring being too hard to get back in after cleaning.....I never had one apart before mine and it took me all of about 45 seconds to put it all back together. Some people also complain about the magazine release being on the trigger guard (well half the guard,lol) but its very easy to get used to. When my With and I were at a local gun show, she paid 360.00, I bought mine at Gander Mountain a couple weeks later (dont ask!) for 419.00 both new. I wish it had more capacity, maybe like 10+1 as they are 8+1.
Good choice!! I had one and loved it. Only reason for selling is because I'm a 9mm kinda guy. If I ever run across a Bersa in 9mm I'll most likely buy it.
They are decent guns. If you're dead set on a cheaper (price wise) .380 pistol, I don't think you can go wrong. Plenty of decent reviews.
If you plan to CC: I'd say save up for a Kahr in 9mm or switch sizes to an Ruger LCP/ Keltec P3AT. It'll make more sense if you see all guns in person, side by side. Size does make a difference.