Just picked up my new Bersa Thunder .380 today.

C

chaim

New member
I got to pick up my Bersa today. Results are mixed.

It seems like a nice gun. Solid, accurate once I got used to it, good looking (I like the two tone, nickel frame, blued slide), decent trigger pull and 100% flawless feeding and extracting (I used 150 rounds of UMC FMJ and 20 rounds of Federal HydraShoks).

The one problem was the SA trigger. Between 20 and 70 rounds it occasionally didn't want to work. Pull the trigger once and nothing (it also didn't feel right when it didn't want to work), on the second pull it worked. Oddly, the DA pull always worked and when I used the decocker to shoot DA for the first shot the subsequent SA shots worked fine (it only happened, with one or two exceptions, when I started a mag with a SA first shot). Midway through I took it apart, wiped it down and re-oiled it and it still did it for a while. For the last 100 rounds I had no problems whatsoever.

I'm used to the idea that guns often need breaking in but this seems odd. Isn't it usually the feeding or extracting that is the problem during break in? It almost seems that this would have to be an indicator of some other problem (I guess this is what a warrantee is for). I will try working the action and dry firing it for a while to see if it clears up or if it starts again. I'll let you know how it goes on my next range trip (I'm scheduled to go with a buddy who is picking up his first gun, a CZ 85 Combat, on Thurs).
 
Chaim,
Congrats on the new purchase...I really enjoy mine. I had a little problem...mostly cosmetic...with the mag release screw sticking out farther than it should...I e-mailed Eagle imports and got a very quick response...Dee is in charge of customer service and they just about bend over backwards to make sure you're a happy customer! they sent out replacement parts right away and problem solved...I wish all the distributors took care of their customers that way (KBI) :mad: give Dee a call and tell her whats up (732) 493-0333 New Jersey...good luck,
Tony.
 
It happened to me when I got my Bersa. It seems that the rubber grip is pushing the disconnector (?), right side, along the frame. I solved the problem by putting an insert so that the grip will not touch that part. No amount of oiling will solve that problem

Hope you could solve your problem. Enjoy your Bersa.

vega
 
I'm glad you (mostly) like your new Bersa. I think this is a very under-rated pistol.
I got mine in Nov '2000 and it has plastic grips, not rubber. I've never had any malfunctions of any kind; FTF, FTE, or the kind you described. THis after approx. 1500 rounds of various ammo.

Enjoy your Bersa!
Gillman
 
Hit..ring,
Have you ever shot a Bersa? If not, try renting one from a Shooting Range (yes, I know that's spending money) and I think you'll see that these are a "decent" gun. Not a high-priced Sig, H&K, Walter, etc.... but a good gun for the money.

Mine's never failed me and until I recently got my Glock G26, it was my carry piece for every day. Just my opinion 'cause I got a great little gun for the $200 that I've got invested in it.

Gillman
 
The Bersa .380 is a quality little pistol for the money.
Most work 100% and they shoot very good.

The trigger on some of these are really good.

I would rather have a known good Bersa .380 than the Sig .380.

I know I have had several of both.
 
Chaim, whether you end up keeping the Bersa .380 or not, or liking the gun or not; you should check out a surplus 9x18 Bulgarian Pistolet Makarova (Makarov, as they are known).

All steel gun, accurate, built like a tank!

That's all I'm going to say about it . . . check one of those pistols out!
 
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Bersa Thunder .380 rating

Ok, after reading all these comments about the Bersa .380, I am kinda interested in getting one new for $199 new at a pawn shop. Question....is it made of steel? and how good is the workmanship. I have a German made ppk but don't want to shoot it too often, I'd like to use hot reloads in the Bersa. Any Comments. Thanks
 
Check out the two web-sites in the post by mguffey.
They will answer any / all questions about this pistol, but here goes; the frame is aluminum and the slide is made of steel.
I've never shot any "hot" loads through my Bersa, just standard factory ammo. All varieties, FMJ & HP, of various manufacturers and this gun handled it all without a hitch.
It was my first handgun purchase and I'll probably never get rid of it for that reason alone. But it's been a great, reliable gun too.
So why even think about ditching it....?
Happy shooting!
Gillman
 
The danger of using "hot loads" in an aluminum
framed pistol is warping the frame. Even though
the bore/barrel may not have a problem, repeated
use of ammo for which the gun is not rated poses
this risk.

Typically, frame warp occurs over time and with
repeated use of "hot loads" but there have been
instances reported where the frame failed
suddenly and cracked rather than warped. One
such report I read about was on a Bersa and I
believe it was here on TFL.

In any case, avoid "hot loads" that have been
reloaded. Such ammo may be inconsistent and
some rounds may be far too powerful.
 
Two excellent 380's, Makarov and the
FEG smc380, tough, (steel) accurate.
Not trashing the Bersa but try the above.
 
What?

Cornbread 2 said, " I would rather have a known good Bersa .380, than a Sig .380".
Click to expand...

Please explain your process of elimination, my friend?

In my way of thinking, while the little Bersa .380's are most
definitely good firearm's for the most part; there is no way
to compare them to Sig's P230 or P232. Grant it, the Sig's
are high dollar firearm's; but there is most definitely a big
difference in their quality also.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Chaim, whether you end up keeping the Bersa .380 or not, or liking the gun or not; you should check out a surplus 9x18 Bulgarian Pistolet Makarova (Makarov, as they are known).
Click to expand...

Oh, I'm sorry some of you got the impression that I may get rid of it. I know that Bersa actually makes quite a good gun, and at $215 it would be hard to beat the value. The way I see it, it isn't uncommon for guns, cars, electronics, etc. to have problems right after purchase. That is what a warrantee is for. If it is broken I will simply get it fixed (though I don't want to send it off to the manufacturer and be without it for a few weeks if I don't have to).

My concern is whether this is just a breaking in issue or if it is broken. Even if the gun never does it again I am concerned due to it being the trigger (pulling it sometimes doesn't trigger the hammer). Is this something that is likely, or even possible, to be a break in issue? If not, even if it works flawlessly from here out it may have hinted at a problem that I should get fixed before I ever need the gun. If it is possibly a break in issue, and it doesn't do it again then no problem.

Oh, I didn't get to the range with my buddy on Thurs after all (I ended up having a date). I will be going in about 2 hours. I'll let you know how the gun goes. I have dry fired it and I did replicate the problem but only a small percentage of the time (no hammer fall after pulling the trigger but only when starting with a SA first shot) so I'm still not sure what to make of it yet.

As to the last part, yes I do plan to eventually buy a Mak. I shot one recently that was a very nice gun, though I would need some time to get used to the small sights.
 
I know this is off-topic but...

Your community looks interesting, but...

Some of us have reservations about using MS Passport,
activating a Hotmail account (or adding any other
new e-mail accounts). Reasons are many but here's
the question: can your community be accessed without
Passport, a hotmail account, or activating MS .NET?

Thanks.

Best regards
 
I only shot 50 rounds out of my Bersa at the range. I went with my buddy who brought his new CZ 85 Combat so I brought my CZ 75 for comparison as well as my snub since I needed practice so I only had time for those 50 out of the Bersa. Most of my dry firing lately (with only a few isolated exceptions) were fine and in those 50 rounds the trigger worked fine. I'll be keeping an eye on it but I am starting to think that it may have just been a break in thing.


mguffey,

Unfortunately I think that Microsoft requires all members of MSN communities to join through the use of one of their services (I use hotmail). I went with them because for the free services they seemed to have the best features (I certainly like their message boards much better than the Yahoo Groups for instance).

It is possible to set it up so anyone can post but I wanted members only. While I won't automatically ban antis (debate is good especially if someone can be convinced) but I recognize that some would probably get out of hand so I wanted the ability to delete them and not just their posts. It simply makes it easier to control antis or others who try to be overly nasty or disrespectful.
 
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