Tell me about the Bersa Thunder 380?

[Bluedragon]

I have been trying to look for a back up gun for my carry Glock 19. But have had no luck so far. Then I came across one of these. I wanna know, are bersa's decently made guns? Also can they shoot hollow point ammo out of the box? Pretty much wanna know how good of a carry pistol it would be. I am debating between this and a Makarov PM.

 

[VUPDblue]

They are wonderful little guns and they have quite the fan following. You can't really go wrong with one IMHO, and I have one that feeds everything (most do!).

 

[22rssix]

The fan following is major. :: Bersa Talk :: - Forums

The folks that I have seen at the range love them.

 

[cosermann]

The Bersas are a good value in a full-size .380, but why carry a backup in a different caliber than your primary handgun if you don't have to?

Somelike like the Kahr CW9 is as small (and lighter) than the Bersa, and takes the same ammo as your G19, which, BTW, is usually cheaper, more available, and more effective than 380 acp.

 

[CombatVet]

Yeah, finding .380 ammo isn't easy/cheap. I'm wishing I had spent a 100 or so more dollars and bought a 9mm. Finding a holster for my specific one too has been a PITA.

 

[Bluedragon]

Well I have some 380acp Federal hydra shock laying around, enough for two or so mags, and I just bought a couple boxes of 380acp hardball made by Remington from Walmart for $17 dollars each. So I have 380 on hand. I plan to get a Kahr 9mm eventually but right now I wanna get a 380acp to go with the ammo I have.

 

[clfergus]

I bought one earlier in the year as a carry gun for my wife. She liked the fact that it had a safety.

I was super excited about it..got it brand new. Put about 40 rounds through it and it was awesome. Then the trigger went limp. Turned out to be the disconnector spring under the grip. It slipped out of its slot. found out via Bersa talk that many were having the issue with guns produced mid 2008- early 2009. I sent mine back to get fixed a few times and it always popped out again. I lost confidence and luckily was able to trade for another gun at the dealer.

I haven't visited the bersa talk forum since i got rid of the gun so I have no idea if its an issue still. I can tell you if you get one don't waste your time sending it to the Colorado Gun works who is a service center. They never fixed my issues.

Check out the bersa talk forum and see what others are saying.

 

[Bluedragon]

Hmm I will be sure to check the bersa talk and see what they have to say. I really have my eye on this one nickel Bersa that is about 300 or so new.

Also another reason I like the Bersa, is because it is similar to PPK'S. I liked my old Interarms but I hated that it wouldn't feed/chamber hallow points. I also like how the Bersa series has an actual slide stop and take down lever, as opposed to using the trigger gaurd to release the slide.

Also does anyone know of a cheap yet workable ankle holster? I have never carried a firearm in an ankle holster. So I would like to get an "entry" level holster to see if I like carrying via the ankle. I can't carry it IWB. Because that is where my Glock goes with it's Uncle Mike's holster.

 

[pute62]

I like mine and don't seem to have a problem with ammo, either finding it or the gun shooting it. I picked mine up just to carry in the summer months but think it will be my backup gun for the winter. Mine is an older gun and handles hollow points just fine but I can't say about one "right out of the box" I plan on at some point buying the silver version of it.

 

[clfergus]

Hmm I will be sure to check the bersa talk and see what they have to say. I really have my eye on this one nickel Bersa that is about 300 or so new.

Also another reason I like the Bersa, is because it is similar to PPK'S. I liked my old Interarms but I hated that it wouldn't feed/chamber hallow points. I also like how the Bersa series has an actual slide stop and take down lever, as opposed to using the trigger gaurd to release the slide.

Also does anyone know of a cheap yet workable ankle holster? I have never carried a firearm in an ankle holster. So I would like to get an "entry" level holster to see if I like carrying via the ankle. I can't carry it IWB. Because that is where my Glock goes with it's Uncle Mike's holster.

Yeah..keep in mind that was just my experience as well as others. Guy at Gander Mountain said he had gotten a couple back due to the issue as well in casual conversation. I would never buy one again but it happened to me so there you go. I am sure 1,000 will be sold today and none may have issues at all. It was just a pain in my you know what and warranted a heads up.

 

[jd3772000]

I own one. With about 300 rounds through it I have only experienced the dreaded spring popping out one time. Terry at the range was able to put it back in for me and its worked fine since.

Feeds gold dot jhp's fine. That's the only jhp that I have tried to put through it.

Hope this helps.

 

[Shoots4Fun]

I picked up a used one so I'm not sure of the total round count through it but it shoots terrific. I haven't found any ammo that it won't shoot nicely, even the cheap stuff. It is accurate and fun to shoot. I would definitely buy another, but I haven't had the same issues as others. I sometimes find myself carrying it in place of my Glock because of its size and weight.

For the money, I don't think you can go wrong.

My ...

 

[Bluedragon]

Thanks for all the positive feedback. I feel more confident about getting one of these.

Now I just need to know what kind of ankle holster to get for it...

 

[Interloper]

Buy one! It is a sweet shooter. The only problem is finding enough 380 to keep it fed!

 

[dhw9am]

I can only tell you, that my Bersa Thunder 380, was purchased in Feb 2008.
It has been a flawless performer, and more accurate than I had hoped
for.
This pistol is worth far more than they sell them for, in my opinion.
Having said that, I would buy a 9mm if I had to do it over. 380 ammo
her is so hard to get, where 9mm is plentiful, and cheaper.

 

[Roadie]

I miss my 380. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my Bersa 9mm, but that lil 380 was such a sweet lil thing. Thin, reliable, comfortable, easy to shoot, easy to disassemble and clean. FUN to shoot.

There is a pretty good deal on one in the classifieds here right now with ammo, a spare mag, and a holster. I tried to talk my wife into letting me buy it, that's how bad I miss my old one

One word of warning. Most people will tell you not to use the non-Bersa magazines for carry, as they tend not to be as reliable as the real thing. For the range however, they should not be a problem.

 

[m2steven]

I have 4 .380 handguns. All of them hurt some part of my hand except the bersa. It's somewhat a clone of the Walther PPK but it shoots nothing like the ppk. It shoots extremely well, reliably, and is a great pleasure to shoot. The walther is a pleasure to shoot with a glove. No slide bite, it just rubs the skin off the web of your hand.

You'll probably like the Bersa if you get one. It's a great shooting pistol.