A while back I purchased a Bersa Thunder 380 duotone used for $200 at a shop; supposedly with less than 50 rounds through it. Bore looked good, I'd read good things about them as reliable inexpensive concealable pieces and it seemed like a reasonable deal. It was actually issued as an officer sidearm in some South American armed services, God knows why - what with about a zillion high quality service designs out there.
What with one thing and another I didn't get around to shooting it for a while after buying it, though I did clean and lube it. When I finally got to the range with it, it turned out to be reliable all right - I could rely on having at least two FTF problems out of every seven round mag, with the round sort of hanging up on the feed ramp, kind of stovepiping-like. I thought okay, let's try different mags, and bought two new Bersa factory maps and disassembled, cleaned and lubed all three mags. Same results; 2-3 rounds and FTF. This was with American Eagle and Blazer Brass FMJ ammunition in all cases; no hollowpoints.
Bersa explicitly recommends against tearing the piece down other than field stripping except by a qualified gunsmith, which some might say is a warning sign right off the bat. After doing some reading on the Bersa Talk website, I finally ended up throwing up my hands and sent the piece and the mags off to a place called Colorado Gun Works, which does warranty work on Bersas. Kudos to Bersa, they do offer a lifetime warranty. (Cost sixty some dollars to ship it; thankyewverymuch FedEx.) They fixed it (supposedly) and fired thirty test rounds through it (also supposedly) and sent it back. Took it to the range full of anticipation of a nice shooting session and - wait for it - got exactly the same result, 2-3 rounds and it locked up the same way. Now I know that straight blowback operated autos are very sensitive to limp wristed shooters, but I don't think that's the problem - I mostly shoot 1911s and my shooting technique is okay (not perfect, I know I'm not Jack Weaver or Jeff Cooper).
I like the Bersa's feel and have no problems with carrying a 380 - it's a whole lot more comfortable than lugging around a 1911 and when it does off, it's pretty accurate. But if it can't be relied upon to go bang, I don't want to carry it - might take more than two rounds to make a bad guy go away, unlike a .45 - I'll put up with some physical discomfort if I have to in exchange for the peace of mind that goes with a 1911, weight, size and all.
What with the warranty shipping and the new mags, I've got around a hundred bucks into a piece that cost me two hundred to begin with and it...still...doesn't...work. (Through gritted teeth, like you can't tell. And before anyone says it, I already know the moral of this story - if you're going to buy an inexpensive, i.e. less than $300 piece, BUY NEW. Every good story has a moral, right?)
Are there any Bersa owners out there who have any ideas, before I put this problem child on the For Sale board? If need be I'll sell it for $175 and chalk up the loss as a learning experience, but I really don't want to. I also don't want to spend any more money sending it back to the warranty place, they done "fixed it" once already.
What with one thing and another I didn't get around to shooting it for a while after buying it, though I did clean and lube it. When I finally got to the range with it, it turned out to be reliable all right - I could rely on having at least two FTF problems out of every seven round mag, with the round sort of hanging up on the feed ramp, kind of stovepiping-like. I thought okay, let's try different mags, and bought two new Bersa factory maps and disassembled, cleaned and lubed all three mags. Same results; 2-3 rounds and FTF. This was with American Eagle and Blazer Brass FMJ ammunition in all cases; no hollowpoints.
Bersa explicitly recommends against tearing the piece down other than field stripping except by a qualified gunsmith, which some might say is a warning sign right off the bat. After doing some reading on the Bersa Talk website, I finally ended up throwing up my hands and sent the piece and the mags off to a place called Colorado Gun Works, which does warranty work on Bersas. Kudos to Bersa, they do offer a lifetime warranty. (Cost sixty some dollars to ship it; thankyewverymuch FedEx.) They fixed it (supposedly) and fired thirty test rounds through it (also supposedly) and sent it back. Took it to the range full of anticipation of a nice shooting session and - wait for it - got exactly the same result, 2-3 rounds and it locked up the same way. Now I know that straight blowback operated autos are very sensitive to limp wristed shooters, but I don't think that's the problem - I mostly shoot 1911s and my shooting technique is okay (not perfect, I know I'm not Jack Weaver or Jeff Cooper).
I like the Bersa's feel and have no problems with carrying a 380 - it's a whole lot more comfortable than lugging around a 1911 and when it does off, it's pretty accurate. But if it can't be relied upon to go bang, I don't want to carry it - might take more than two rounds to make a bad guy go away, unlike a .45 - I'll put up with some physical discomfort if I have to in exchange for the peace of mind that goes with a 1911, weight, size and all.
What with the warranty shipping and the new mags, I've got around a hundred bucks into a piece that cost me two hundred to begin with and it...still...doesn't...work. (Through gritted teeth, like you can't tell. And before anyone says it, I already know the moral of this story - if you're going to buy an inexpensive, i.e. less than $300 piece, BUY NEW. Every good story has a moral, right?)
Are there any Bersa owners out there who have any ideas, before I put this problem child on the For Sale board? If need be I'll sell it for $175 and chalk up the loss as a learning experience, but I really don't want to. I also don't want to spend any more money sending it back to the warranty place, they done "fixed it" once already.
Sorry about that. 
