Was at the local gun shop today, taking a look at the Bersa .380...given the price, I'm assuming it's far from the best of weapons, but there's something about it I like...that having been said, does anyone have experience with these? Are they reliable performers, or are they junk?
Bersa .380
- Thread starter Aahzz
- Start date
I have the Super Thunder 15 rounder. The problem I had was the grip pushing the disconnector which activates the magazine safety. I solved the problem by putting pads around the disconnector. It won't feed reliably on reloads but have no problems with factory ammo. Nice little shooter and acurate too. My son (13 yrs old) could handle it well. Like Rob, I opted to sell it before but lucky me I was able to read the feedbacks from other owners. Hope this help.
vega
vega
I put a couple thousand rounds thru a 
I even use it for CCW at times. It has never failed brandon_h3
Moderator
Very good gun!
I own one, wouldn't give it up for any Glock or Beretta or anything! It's small. reliable, controlable, and you don't need to sell the house to afford to shoot it! My only question was about the .380's knockdown power, but several people seem to say shot placement is much more important that shot size. I would recommend it!
I own one, wouldn't give it up for any Glock or Beretta or anything! It's small. reliable, controlable, and you don't need to sell the house to afford to shoot it! My only question was about the .380's knockdown power, but several people seem to say shot placement is much more important that shot size. I would recommend it!
Rickmeister
New member
I have owned a Bersa Thunder 380 for a couple of months now, and if I had only one thing to say, it would be that I am very pleased with it. So far, I have put some 500 rounds through it without a single problem.
Inexpensive, reliable and accurate, it'll eat practically any standard-pressure FML and JHP factory load you feed it, including Federal Hydra-Shoks. But I wouldn't try reloads or +P ammo, as they are not recommended by Bersa and may void the warranty.
Incidentally, this was my pistol of choice for the Texas CCW proficency test. I scored 235 points with it---right out of the box!
That's right, I had never fired it before (The risk of erring on the short side of 170 and not passing the test due to a malfunction or my lack of experience with it was a deliberate attempt on my part to bolster my confidence in the face of uncertainty). And yet, I was stunned by its awsome performance. Made me look like I'd been training with it for years! Almost as if it knew where to put the bullet!
(The rear sight on mine seems a gnat's whisker off-center; but for all I know, this could be an intentional factory adjustment---one of those quality control things necessary to compensate for tiny misalignments in the barrel or something. The sight radius, on the other hand, is so short that you can easily miss your target at ten yards if you don't align the dots with your strong eye. But then, that's what you're supposed to do.)
Compared with the Walther, I would say this is one of those typical blue-moon instances where South American craftsmanship beats German engineering hands down. Or is there any difference? Whatever the case, I think it would at least be safe to say that the Bersa is what you'd normally EXPECT the Walther to be---at half the price!
One word of caution, though: The slide-mounted safety lever is small---too small, in my opinion---and may feel a bit stubborn without adequate lubrication. I practice drawing my gun as fast as I can under simulated stress, and still fail 25% of the time putting it in firing mode (i.e., flicking the safety upward with the grip-side of my thumb). Where seconds count, this is not very reassuring. But that's me. Someone else might have no trouble at all.
As far as concealed carry goes, those of you who are considering using the Bersa as your primary or backup weapon are probably wondering if it's a good stopper. I don't know, I've never dropped mine in the tub
Seriously. You've heard it before: stopping power is more a function of placement and bullet type rather than caliber. A wimpy .22 round-tip through an eye socket or between the forth and fifth rib will wreak more havoc than a ferocious 158-grain .357 magnum hollowpoint though the tip of a finger. Personally, I don't think any alley-ape who doesn't relish the thought of plucking a 90-grain lead mushroom with a hard center post out of his frickin' a** will want to pluck out two or more, if you know what I mean. But if you still want 100% stopping power, get a rocket launcher.
All things considered, Bersas are fine little guns.
Buy one. You won't regret it.
Inexpensive, reliable and accurate, it'll eat practically any standard-pressure FML and JHP factory load you feed it, including Federal Hydra-Shoks. But I wouldn't try reloads or +P ammo, as they are not recommended by Bersa and may void the warranty.
Incidentally, this was my pistol of choice for the Texas CCW proficency test. I scored 235 points with it---right out of the box!
That's right, I had never fired it before (The risk of erring on the short side of 170 and not passing the test due to a malfunction or my lack of experience with it was a deliberate attempt on my part to bolster my confidence in the face of uncertainty). And yet, I was stunned by its awsome performance. Made me look like I'd been training with it for years! Almost as if it knew where to put the bullet! (The rear sight on mine seems a gnat's whisker off-center; but for all I know, this could be an intentional factory adjustment---one of those quality control things necessary to compensate for tiny misalignments in the barrel or something. The sight radius, on the other hand, is so short that you can easily miss your target at ten yards if you don't align the dots with your strong eye. But then, that's what you're supposed to do.)
Compared with the Walther, I would say this is one of those typical blue-moon instances where South American craftsmanship beats German engineering hands down. Or is there any difference? Whatever the case, I think it would at least be safe to say that the Bersa is what you'd normally EXPECT the Walther to be---at half the price!
One word of caution, though: The slide-mounted safety lever is small---too small, in my opinion---and may feel a bit stubborn without adequate lubrication. I practice drawing my gun as fast as I can under simulated stress, and still fail 25% of the time putting it in firing mode (i.e., flicking the safety upward with the grip-side of my thumb). Where seconds count, this is not very reassuring. But that's me. Someone else might have no trouble at all.
As far as concealed carry goes, those of you who are considering using the Bersa as your primary or backup weapon are probably wondering if it's a good stopper. I don't know, I've never dropped mine in the tub
Seriously. You've heard it before: stopping power is more a function of placement and bullet type rather than caliber. A wimpy .22 round-tip through an eye socket or between the forth and fifth rib will wreak more havoc than a ferocious 158-grain .357 magnum hollowpoint though the tip of a finger. Personally, I don't think any alley-ape who doesn't relish the thought of plucking a 90-grain lead mushroom with a hard center post out of his frickin' a** will want to pluck out two or more, if you know what I mean. But if you still want 100% stopping power, get a rocket launcher.
All things considered, Bersas are fine little guns.
Buy one. You won't regret it.
Last edited:
rugerfreak
New member
One of my buddies has had one for about 4 years now----no problems that I can recall.
brandon_h3
Moderator
Very concealable
I find them very concealable. I have a picture on my yahoo profile http://profiles.yahoo.com/brandon_h3 that shows me carrying the gun concealed. I'm not sure how it rates next to the Kel-Tec P-11 on size, but on quality it isn't even in the same ballpark. That's like putting a Toyota against a Yugo. I carry every time I go in Wal-Mart and have never had anyone tell me anything. And no, those things at the door aren't metal detectors, they're anti-theft devices that WILL NOT go off if you carry concealed into the store.
I find them very concealable. I have a picture on my yahoo profile http://profiles.yahoo.com/brandon_h3 that shows me carrying the gun concealed. I'm not sure how it rates next to the Kel-Tec P-11 on size, but on quality it isn't even in the same ballpark. That's like putting a Toyota against a Yugo. I carry every time I go in Wal-Mart and have never had anyone tell me anything. And no, those things at the door aren't metal detectors, they're anti-theft devices that WILL NOT go off if you carry concealed into the store.
Toyota against a Yugo???
Brandon, thanks for the reply.
I'm confused about your "quality" statement as it doesn't appear that you have any personal experience with them. The P11 is the smallest and lightest 9mm made and there have been plenty of people who have had good luck with them. If you are referring to past bad press, i have heard just as many mixed things about the Bersa as the P11. Most have suggested that i buy a Walther.
All that aside, the Walther/Bersa style is pretty cool looking and appear to be pretty concealable. I am also considering a Kahr K9 for deeper concealment when i can't carry my G30 or Beretta Custom Carry.
Anyway, sounds like you like yours a lot.
Brandon, thanks for the reply.
I'm confused about your "quality" statement as it doesn't appear that you have any personal experience with them. The P11 is the smallest and lightest 9mm made and there have been plenty of people who have had good luck with them. If you are referring to past bad press, i have heard just as many mixed things about the Bersa as the P11. Most have suggested that i buy a Walther.
All that aside, the Walther/Bersa style is pretty cool looking and appear to be pretty concealable. I am also considering a Kahr K9 for deeper concealment when i can't carry my G30 or Beretta Custom Carry.
Anyway, sounds like you like yours a lot.
Stopping Power
Brandon, i just read your previous post.
<<wouldn't give it up for any Glock or Beretta>>
That is funny. You have slighted all three of my handguns with your posts
Brandon, most of the current stopping power debates seem to be questioning whether the 9mm is enough for self-defense (not much about the 380 any more).
Most of the testing is conducted in the lab to prove which caliber makes bigger holes and which hits the hardest. They generally involve one shot stopping power. Personally i train at least to double tap so with a 10 round clip, i hope i can hit more than just once.
The real question in my mind is; can you hit well enough with what you've got, and will you have it with you when you need it. It's great that i own a Glock 30 (45 caliber), but it doesn't do me much good if i need it while running or biking and i left it at home because i can't conceal it or it's too heavy.
Back to your question... there was an article written by Evan Marshall called: One Shot Stop. His study started in the early 70's and continued for 20 years. He gathered data on real life shootings and recorded what calibers were responsible for stopping advesaries with one shot.
Here is the data for the .380 ACP
Federal Hydra Shok 90 gr 71%
Cor Bon JHP 90 gr 70%
Federal JHP 90 gr 69%
Winchester Silver Tip 85 gr 61%
The numbers are in low 90's for the 9mm and
mid 90's for the 45 caliber. I have a B-e-r-e-t-t-a 9mm and a G30 (referring to your last post), but i wouldn't be concerned about carrying a 380 if i liked it and could shoot it well. I might even consider getting a Bersa. I would most likely pay cash as oppossed to doing an even swap with one of my guns though.
Another interesting thing in the article were the reports on people being shot multiple times with a large caliber weapon and not going down, but others being dropped in one shot with a 22, 25, 32 caliber.
Made a good argument for shot placement.
I hope my humor didn't offend you and the info was at least interesting if not informative.
Brandon, i just read your previous post.
<<wouldn't give it up for any Glock or Beretta>>
That is funny. You have slighted all three of my handguns with your posts
Brandon, most of the current stopping power debates seem to be questioning whether the 9mm is enough for self-defense (not much about the 380 any more).
Most of the testing is conducted in the lab to prove which caliber makes bigger holes and which hits the hardest. They generally involve one shot stopping power. Personally i train at least to double tap so with a 10 round clip, i hope i can hit more than just once.
The real question in my mind is; can you hit well enough with what you've got, and will you have it with you when you need it. It's great that i own a Glock 30 (45 caliber), but it doesn't do me much good if i need it while running or biking and i left it at home because i can't conceal it or it's too heavy.
Back to your question... there was an article written by Evan Marshall called: One Shot Stop. His study started in the early 70's and continued for 20 years. He gathered data on real life shootings and recorded what calibers were responsible for stopping advesaries with one shot.
Here is the data for the .380 ACP
Federal Hydra Shok 90 gr 71%
Cor Bon JHP 90 gr 70%
Federal JHP 90 gr 69%
Winchester Silver Tip 85 gr 61%
The numbers are in low 90's for the 9mm and
mid 90's for the 45 caliber. I have a B-e-r-e-t-t-a 9mm and a G30
(referring to your last post), but i wouldn't be concerned about carrying a 380 if i liked it and could shoot it well. I might even consider getting a Bersa. I would most likely pay cash as oppossed to doing an even swap with one of my guns though. Another interesting thing in the article were the reports on people being shot multiple times with a large caliber weapon and not going down, but others being dropped in one shot with a 22, 25, 32 caliber.
Made a good argument for shot placement.
I hope my humor didn't offend you and the info was at least interesting if not informative.
The Bersa .380 is made by Llama/Bersa in spain. Alot of LE carry
the Bersa as a back up weapon. I like the pistol, I rented one
at a range a while back. Very accurate, dependable etc.
Someone mentioned an FEG..pmk/smc .380 again...very nice
pistol. The pmk is patterned after the ppks walther 7+1
and is alittle easier to hold. The smc is 6+1 and is very concealable. Both are wonderful pistols, I even found an smc
918 which is a makarov version of the little one. Its the littlest
pistol made for the makarov caliber....
PLEASE look at the CZ 83 if you are going to look into a .380
they are in the top .380's in the world. Browning bda, Sig 230*232...are all of the best and the cz beats them in comparisons. You can find 13 rnd magazines for them (I have
2) and you wont be happier with your choice...they are a little
more than the FEG and Bersa..but you wont go wrong.
Which ever you carry, placement and bullet style are critical.
I shoot corbon, speer gd,hydrashocks in all of my calibers..
.380, 9m, .40 s&w and .357. I carry all of them..and feel
very confident with my .380 ...which ever gun you choose
get very familiar with it, how it groups at different distances
with different ammo. Play with it until you can field strip it
in a dark room. If you know your gun and how it does every
thing, you are more likely to be successful in the event you
may have to use it...which none of us want.
Good luck, which ever gun you choose. Shoot well
the Bersa as a back up weapon. I like the pistol, I rented one
at a range a while back. Very accurate, dependable etc.
Someone mentioned an FEG..pmk/smc .380 again...very nice
pistol. The pmk is patterned after the ppks walther 7+1
and is alittle easier to hold. The smc is 6+1 and is very concealable. Both are wonderful pistols, I even found an smc
918 which is a makarov version of the little one. Its the littlest
pistol made for the makarov caliber....
PLEASE look at the CZ 83 if you are going to look into a .380
they are in the top .380's in the world. Browning bda, Sig 230*232...are all of the best and the cz beats them in comparisons. You can find 13 rnd magazines for them (I have
2) and you wont be happier with your choice...they are a little
more than the FEG and Bersa..but you wont go wrong.
Which ever you carry, placement and bullet style are critical.
I shoot corbon, speer gd,hydrashocks in all of my calibers..
.380, 9m, .40 s&w and .357. I carry all of them..and feel
very confident with my .380 ...which ever gun you choose
get very familiar with it, how it groups at different distances
with different ammo. Play with it until you can field strip it
in a dark room. If you know your gun and how it does every
thing, you are more likely to be successful in the event you
may have to use it...which none of us want.
Good luck, which ever gun you choose. Shoot well
Just get a Makarov
Nothing wrong with the Bersa .380. They have (or had) a .22 version of this gun that I wish I had bought when I saw it. Same design concept at the Beretta 87. A .22 in a .380 package. Neat.
Do not fret if you don't get the Bersa, there is always the Makarov. Get a Mak in either 9x18 (preferred) or .380. You will not regret it and they can still be had for under $150.
Nothing wrong with the Bersa .380. They have (or had) a .22 version of this gun that I wish I had bought when I saw it. Same design concept at the Beretta 87. A .22 in a .380 package. Neat.
Do not fret if you don't get the Bersa, there is always the Makarov. Get a Mak in either 9x18 (preferred) or .380. You will not regret it and they can still be had for under $150.
Pointblank2K
New member
Bought a Bersa Thunder .380 for my wife to protect herself while i'm away on business...I shoot it as much as she does...it's a great little gun! NO problems with factory loads or re-loads...tight little groups out to about 15 feet...I will keep it for a good "bag" gun when going on long trips in the car...because now the wife wants a (gulp) bigger gun!
Tony.
Tony.