One full year

B

BOOGIE the oily

New member
Yep. That's how long it took.
10 months saving.
20 days waiting.
And 1 1/2 month waiting for my beloved government to move their collective rear ends, and get me the permit.

And now, one full year later, I finally have my very first gun: a Bersa Thunder 9 Pro XT.

And here she is:



Now, the reason i could buy it after "only" saving for 10 months, is because Bersashop has started selling pistols with "cosmetic details", at a lower price. In this case, I paid 850 dollars, for a pistol that, in gun shops is about $1000 to $1100.
Now, upon inspecting it, here's the "details" I found:



Now, I need to start saving to get some bullets...:o
 
Congratulations on your new acquisition!

I think I'd be willing to tolerate that kind of cosmetic detail if it saved me $150 to $250.

Can you just buy ammunition in a store or do you need a permit for that as well?
 
Thank you.
Yeah, that's exactly what I think. Initially I feared the "details" could be something more than just cosmetics. Even when I saw them, I thought the gun might get rust in those spots, until I remembered the frame is aluminum.
In any case, the bluing on the slide and barrel is also pretty crappy, so I'm thinking on hard chroming the whole gun, once I get the money.

About the bullets, I already have the permit for them. In a few hours I'm gonna talk with Bersa's engineer, to see if the gun can take +P+ ammo, and if it does, I'll buy a box of JHP's, for home defense. Then, maybe next month, I'll get some FMJ's for the range. Problem is everything is expensive here. The cheapest available brand is Magtech, and the 50ct. box is about U$S 30, so I guess I'm gonna have to be patient...

I can see a lot of dry firing in my near future...:D
 
Congrats and I agree, cosmetic just that - if the pistol will function to defend you and your family, ugly is good. Look at all the people who carry Glocks... :D Sorry, couldn't help it.
 
I've bought older/used shotguns that make your pistol look like a thing of beauty!:D
Nuttin' a little cover up won't fix!:cool:
 
Bersa Thunder is a fine pistol."Poor man's Walther PPK". If you shoot one you will probably buy one. Available in all black but I love the two tone like yours (and mine).

My only complaint is the rear sight blade has gone disappearo on me and I can't find a replacement. If I had the specs I would just make one. Have Dremel will travel.
 
Congratulations sir. One year?! That's perseverance. I like the adjustable sight. You'll be able to zero your gun with whatever ammo you're able to obtain.

A lot of us here in the USA are probably a bit spoiled, me included, because we have so many firearms available at reasonable prices with few restrictions on buying.

Enjoy that pistol sir, you've certainly earned it.
 
It's awesome when someone is rewarded for their hard work, savings, & patience... thanks for sharing, & congratulations on your new Bersa!! Hope it serves you well for many, many years.
 
Very nice piece, now enjoy shooting the heck out of it . After a while you will be adding your own marks on the gun , gives it character. Holster wear , scratches. Just like a baseball glove , much better when its broken in , even looks better. Most maybe fancy grips.
One year is a long time to wait . Good Luck with the gun , Be Safe out there.
Chris
 
Thank you all!

Yeah, it's been one long, and sometimes frustrating year. But now that's all said and done, I don't know if I would change a thing. It's a really awesome feeling to finally have the fruits of such effort in your hands, and, even when I haven't shot it yet, the enjoyment I get just from looking at it, and dry firing it every day, makes it all worthwhile.

A couple of days ago I finally disassembled it and gave it a wash with gasoline, especially the barrel and the firing pin, to get rid of all the packing grease, and then lubed everything (EXCEPT barrel and firing pin, of course) with ATF, and light grease on the rails. Not surprisingly, the gun got a bit smoother than before. Now I'm really itching to test fire it.

armoredman said:
...ugly is good. Look at all the people who carry Glocks... :D
Click to expand...

:D SHHHH!!! That's not ugliness..., that's "perfection".:D

@arquebus357: you don't say which thunder you have. In any case, I looked it up in Bersashop for the thunder .380 and .380cc, and they don't have the piece. Either way, remember Bersas have a lifetime warranty, so if you send them the gun, they should get you a new sight for free.

@cw308: yep, fancy grips are coming. Got a few pieces of American oak, especially one with a very nice grain, just waiting for me to get some free time... :cool:
 
It looks like perseverance paid off. I like the feel of the larger-framed Bersa auto-loaders. So long as everything else is fine, I wouldn't worry about a few surface imperfections in the aluminum. That said, aluminum is good and light but not as tough as steel. It may get a little more wear and tear over the years and I wouldn't worry about that either. You could get it plated with hard chrome but aluminum is trickier than steel and that money might be better spent on other things. I look forward to seeing your range report once you get a chance to break it in.
 
Congrats. Just to let everyone know there are parts of the US(NY suburbs) were a permit can take a year or even longer to get. Those of you you in free states dont know how good you have it. Please dont tell me to move because I have family and a decent job here.
 
lubed everything (EXCEPT barrel and firing pin, of course)
Click to expand...

I agree about the firing pin, but I always lube the barrels of my pistols. There is motion there relative to other parts, and unless there is something about the mechanics of the Bersa of which I am unaware, little opportunity for fouling.
 
Those of you you in free states dont know how good you have it. Please dont tell me to move because I have family and a decent job here.
Click to expand...

The ball of tyranny always wants to roll over us. People in those "free states" are just lucky enough to be higher up the slope. We all have to pitch in to keep our rights from getting flattened. We all need to be active to take or regain ground. Whether time or treasure, just make sure to do it and please, bring a friend.
 
Congrats on your acquisition. The Bersa is a fine weapon. Enjoy it and take good care of it. Force of habit since 1970, I alway field strip and clean my Pistols & revolvers after a day at the range after i've shot 100 to 150 round.
 
Thank you all. :)
Been busy these last few days. Made myself an inertial bullet puller (the cheapest one here is U$S 60. I made mine for U$S 5.25), and slugged the barrel. Now I'm in the process of building a magazine loader. Yep, life is good... :cool:

TailGator said:
lubed everything (EXCEPT barrel and firing pin, of course)
Click to expand...
I agree about the firing pin, but I always lube the barrels of my pistols. There is motion there relative to other parts, and unless there is something about the mechanics of the Bersa of which I am unaware, little opportunity for fouling.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should've been more specific. I did apply a light coat of grease to the outside of the barrel, and to the channel the lug slides in (sorry, don't know the name).
Now, I've read a lot about lubing the inside of the barrel, and thanks, but no, thanks. The case seals the chamber by friction, while the bullet's in the barrel. Lubing it may cause the case to slide off the chamber prematurely, allowing hot gases to escape, possibly damaging the gun and the shooter's hands (which happen to be mine). Besides, the weapon's manual explicitly says not to do it.
 
Nice choice. In your other thread I mentioned that I have a Bersa Thunder 45 UC, which is a similar gun but smaller and in .45. The original design is based off of the Walther P-88 for these guns.

The bluing on my Thunder 45 was not especially a thing of beauty either. Sort of a mottled matte black appearance. But you know what, it doesn't matter at all. The gun shoots great. Never had a jam or failure to fire with maybe 500 or so rounds through it.

I think you'll like that 9mm.
 
arquebus357 said:
Bersa Thunder is a fine pistol."Poor man's Walther PPK". If you shoot one you will probably buy one. Available in all black but I love the two tone like yours (and mine).

My only complaint is the rear sight blade has gone disappearo on me and I can't find a replacement. If I had the specs I would just make one. Have Dremel will travel.
Click to expand...

You can get spare Bersa parts from their US dealer, Eagle Imports:

https://bersa.eagleimportsinc.com/b...ries/thunder-380-matte-parts/rear-sight-blade

Two bucks (assuming yours is the Thunder 380).
 
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