bersa good hand gun or no?

[hunter962]

thanks guys im looking at getting a 9mm or 45acp which of these 2 are better in the bersa? the 380 i dont mind but i want more punch then that
reason for wanting one is self defence but the 9mm seem to be best choice so far

 

[Roadie]

thanks guys im looking at getting a 9mm or 45acp which of these 2 are better in the bersa? the 380 i dont mind but i want more punch then that
reason for wanting one is self defence but the 9mm seem to be best choice so far

Now that is a different can of worms all together. You will hear multiple opinions on both sides of that issue.

If you are talking about the UC model it is 13rds in the 9mm, vs. 7rds for the 45. Some will say you are better off with higher capacity, some will say you are better off with higher stopping power.

I chose the 9 due to capacity and lower cost of rounds. Personally, I feel that shot placement, and capacity, can make up for any differences in "stopping power" of a single round.

 

[Bronsonbull]

thanks guys im looking at getting a 9mm or 45acp which of these 2 are better in the bersa? the 380 i dont mind but i want more punch then that
reason for wanting one is self defence but the 9mm seem to be best choice so far

Either one. They are both great shooters.

 

[RogerB]

I have the BT45UC and think it's a great CC gun. Fits my paw nicely and came with two mags at/around $300.

If we ever find ourselves at the same range, your more than welcome to shoot it.

 

[JohnN]

I personally feel that they are more than "Hobby Pistols". I would trust my life to my Bersa .45 UC, in fact I have. I've also used it in two training classes and it held up great. I've heard the 9mm Bersas are the best of the bunch and someday I may just get one ($299 at SOG right now). There are numerous reports of 100% reliability well over 5,000 rounds. Team Bersa has been winning a lot of IPSC competitions lately which has surprised many.
How many rounds did you put downrange during your class Bronson? If I may ask, who was the instructor? I Googled Team Bersa IPSC but didn't get much info except a mention in Wikipedia. Let's face it, if you are buying a Bersa because of cost you probably aren't going to shoot it that much ecspecially with the cost of ammo nowadays. So there are probably many reviews on internet forums extolling the virtues of a particular gun after digesting 50 flawless rounds. Not my idea of an acid test.

I can also accept JohnN's opinion especially if he has seen some fail in real life (during training classes). I'm sure if you hang out around enough training classes you'll see $1,000 pistols fail. If I saw a certain brand fail over and over I would also have a negative opinion.

I used to be into 1911's, you bet I saw a bunch of expensive pistols fail and still do. I have shot plenty of IDPA and have seen several Bersa fail miserably. Does that mean all Bersa are bad, no, but they fail a little too much for my tastes.

Are they the best tool for the job??? That's debatable, but I think they are the best tool in the sub $350 price range for what you get. You are normally not buying a Bersa if you have an unlimited budget. However, there are plenty of very "high end" guns that have issues as well.

If you can buy a used Glock 17 or 19 for $350-400 it would seem to me to be a no brainer. Yeah I know, the Bersa Gun Owners club will now tell us how there Glocks and M&P's failed but their Bersa's are flawless. Whatever.

 

[JohnN]

You see, the difference is, other posters based their opinion on real world experiences and facts. You heard somewhere that Bersas were inferior weapons, and that became fact to you. Supposedly you saw 2 Bersa 9mms fail, yet, thousands of other reviews on the Internet are to the contrary.

I would bet that you saw someone with a Bersa 380 from the production run that had a disconnector spring issue. However, even though there are cases of Glocks and M&Ps failing all over the internet, you still carry those, right?

No they were 9mm's. Are you seriously comparing Bersa to Glock and M&P's? That told me all I need to know.

You dismiss the fact that thousands of LEOs carry them, JUST because they are in Argentina?

I don't know about anything about Argentina other than they got their *** kicked by the Brits years ago. They probably use Bersa because it is manufactured there.

Opinions are fine, but most rational people base their opinions on facts, and are open to changing those opinions when presented with evidence to the contrary.
Welcome to INGO

Again, the OP ask for opinions and I gave mine. Ask any reputable trainer what he thinks of Bersa's as a primary self defense tool and I think you will get a similar answer. If not, keep asking I am sure you will find one.

 

[JohnP82]

Great guns for the money in my opinion. Good luck in your decision.

 

[hunter962]

Now that is a different can of worms all together. You will hear multiple opinions on both sides of that issue.

If you are talking about the UC model it is 13rds in the 9mm, vs. 7rds for the 45. Some will say you are better off with higher capacity, some will say you are better off with higher stopping power.

I chose the 9 due to capacity and lower cost of rounds. Personally, I feel that shot placement, and capacity, can make up for any differences in "stopping power" of a single round.

i agree thanks 9mm it is

 

[88E30M50]

I have a couple of Bersa 9s and my son has a 45UC. Both are great pistols. The 45 had a couple of FTF in the first 100 rounds and I attribute that to break in, but in all honesty, he was shooting one of the first batches of 45 reloads I did, so that probably contributed to them. Since then, it has eaten everything fed to it including reloads and commercial with no complaint. My 9s have done very well from the start, but, since I don't reload 9mm, they live on commercial ammo.

JohnN is entitled to his opinion, but it's usually a better opinion if there is first hand experience involved. When a bunch of owners say they love a weapon, then someone who has very little experience with one trashes it based on what they heard, you are going to touch a nerve. If reliability and accuracy don't constitute a good defense weapon, then I don't know what does.

Even if you have the $600 to spend on a weapon, my opinion is that you are better off buying a good $350 gun and $250 ammunition to practice with than a good $600 gun. Sure, everyone has their favorites, but be careful not to trash what you don't know about because it's not your favorite.

 

[Bronsonbull]

If you can buy a used Glock 17 or 19 for $350-400 it would seem to me to be a no brainer. Yeah I know, the Bersa Gun Owners club will now tell us how there Glocks and M&P's failed but their Bersa's are flawless. Whatever.

Dude,

You need to chill out. I see that you are new to the site. Are you trying to **** everyone off?

I said in my post that you have a valid opinion because you saw some Bersas puke in training classes. I'm not disputing that. I'm a Bersa fan and I can handle you talking bad about them.

The last class I took was in Texas. It was a Tactical Pistol Operators course taught by Paul Howe. It is a legit class (maybe not in your esteemed eyes), just Google it and Google "Paul Howe" or CombatShootingandTactics.com. I took my Smith MP9 and my Bersa .45. I shot 700 rounds over the two days and both ran fine.

As far as Team Bersa goes, I read a couple articles about some recent IPSC wins that they have had (on the bersatalk.com forum).

 

[Roadie]

Again, the OP ask for opinions and I gave mine. Ask any reputable trainer what he thinks of Bersa's as a primary self defense tool and I think you will get a similar answer. If not, keep asking I am sure you will find one.

 

[92FS]

Bersa Thunder 380 - first hand facts.

Brand new to the range, trigger stopped working after 17 rounds.

Returned to place of purchase, Plainfield Shooting Supplies, and Rex returned the trigger spring to it's proper position in under 10 minutes.

Exactly 1,015 rounds in seven months since the repair without any further malfunctions.

 

[pudly]

Again, the OP ask for opinions and I gave mine. Ask any reputable trainer what he thinks of Bersa's as a primary self defense tool and I think you will get a similar answer. If not, keep asking I am sure you will find one.

Actually he was asking for information about the Bersa 9, not uninformed opinions. Slamming a brand without providing any supporting information is an all too common behavior of Internet trolls. You shouldn't be surprised at the reaction you are getting here.

 

[KDUBCR250]

Bersa is good to go.

 

[Mad Man]

I've got an older Bersa Model 85 380 double stack mag. I've put numerious rounds through it over the years. I bought the pistol new back in the early 90's before the hi-cap ban. I've had a few FTF over the years but not enough to cause me worry, ie: cheap ammo or reloads. I would purchase a new one today and not think twice about it. Actually I'm considering either a 9mm or a .45

 

[JohnN]

Dude,

You need to chill out. I see that you are new to the site. Are you trying to **** everyone off?

I said in my post that you have a valid opinion because you saw some Bersas puke in training classes. I'm not disputing that. I'm a Bersa fan and I can handle you talking bad about them.

The last class I took was in Texas. It was a Tactical Pistol Operators course taught by Paul Howe. It is a legit class (maybe not in your esteemed eyes), just Google it and Google "Paul Howe" or CombatShootingandTactics.com. I took my Smith MP9 and my Bersa .45. I shot 700 rounds over the two days and both ran fine.

As far as Team Bersa goes, I read a couple articles about some recent IPSC wins that they have had (on the bersatalk.com forum).

Thanks for the information Bronson. Yes, I am familiar with Paul Howe and he is a great instructor. I am curious as to how many of the 700 rds was shot from the Bersa?

So far you are the only one on the forum who has given me concrete information. I know too many people who have guns, shoot a couple of boxes and declare them good to go. Not really in my estimation.

 

[JohnN]

Actually he was asking for information about the Bersa 9, not uninformed opinions. Slamming a brand without providing any supporting information is an all too common behavior of Internet trolls. You shouldn't be surprised at the reaction you are getting here.

Oh I am not surprised by the reaction it happens on most internet forums regarding all makes not just Bersa. If you want to get a nasty reaction go to a 1911 forum and talk Glocks up.

Exactly what kind of supporting evidence would you like? I've seen several in competition and at the range choke big time. I've seen it not read about it.

 

[Joe Williams]

Oh I am not surprised by the reaction it happens on most internet forums regarding all makes not just Bersa. If you want to get a nasty reaction go to a 1911 forum and talk Glocks up.

I guess what stuck in my craw was how Bersa was being talked up as being as reliable as other Tier 1 defensive guns. Again, shooting a couple of hundred or a couple of thousand rounds does not really test the reliabilty.

Exactly what kind of supporting evidence would you like? I've seen several in competition and at the range choke big time. I've seen it not read about it.

I once owned a Glock 23 that was utterly unreliable. Had you been at the range watching it jam once or twice every 50 rounds (which it did even with FMJ ammo), would you now be proclaiming them to be garbage because you saw it choking at the range big time?

 

[JohnN]

Witty comeback.

As I said before, I was merely giving my opinion in reference to a question asking for an opinion. That's when feelings got hurt and the discussion went off track.

Sorry, enough bandwidth has been wasted on this discussion I think we have hit an impasse.

 

[Roadie]

Oh I am not surprised by the reaction it happens on most internet forums regarding all makes not just Bersa. If you want to get a nasty reaction go to a 1911 forum and talk Glocks up.

Exactly what kind of supporting evidence would you like? I've seen several in competition and at the range choke big time. I've seen it not read about it.

What you don't get is that I did not take offense to your opinion of Bersas, you are entitled to it. I took offense to your presenting your opinion as if it was fact, and that anyone who used a Bersa for self defense was a fool. See the difference? Probably not.

You have (supposedly) seen Bersas choke in training, and choke in competition, but oddly enough, you seem to be just about the only person on the Internet to have seen such a thing. In contrast, you can find MANY instances of Glock failures on the internet, a few of them here.

You see, the problem here is, that you are coming across as a know it all hypocrite. If you truly based your "opinion" on a few so called failures, you would not own a Glock, would you?

Personally, I think since you are new here, you decided you would try to show us all how knowledgeable you are, and when faced with facts to the contrary, you are just making crap up.