PPK/S or Bersa: More comfortable shooting?

D

Dr. J

New member
This past weekend I was shooting a Walther PPK/S. It seemed both accurate and reliable; however, it was a bit hard on the hand.

So I was wondering, is this harshness a function of the design and are the clones, specifically the Bersa Thunder, any easier on the hand?
 
I own the Bersa Series 95 and find it great to shoot. With the extended tang you don't get the hammer bite that you get with the Walther.
 
Dr.J, I have a Bersa 83A and have had no problems. I think it's a great little gun for a .380 and fun to shoot. Also would have to say the same about my MAK. :)

Happy Shooting :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
 
Having owned them both, I think the Bersa is more comfortable.

I still have, and enjoy, a Bersa 223DA in .22LR. Good guns.

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Make mine lean, mean, and 9x19!
 
The bersa is one of the most soft shooting blowback pistols I have ever handled. It was even softer shooting than a Sig 232 I shot.

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I bought a Bersa Thunder about 6 months ago and am very pleased with it. Recoil is mild, muzzle flip is practically nil, and it shoots to point of aim out to 15 yards. No reservations about recommending them. :)
 
It's my opinion the BERSA pistols are the most underrated line of guns sold in the USA. My BER M23 22LR is well over 16,000 rounds and has never malfed; NOT ONCE. This 22 is accurate enough to pick off blackbirds out past 30 yards. All the BER.380's I've owned [ 7 ] have been exceptional shooters.The 2 liteweight 380's shoot great with our 380 seconds with vels. around 1140FPS. These 380's also make delightful little trail guns with 88 to 90gr JHP's. My favorite ammo for such endeavors is BLASER's; the weeds can have those cases. TM
 
Walther's are great guns, but...the Walther "bite" is well-known and a real fact of life. To eliminate it, you can have a beavertail installed by any one of a number of competant smiths.
 
Another Walther "clone" to consider is the FEG APK or APK Mk II. Imported by Interarms, same people who import the PPK. The FEG has the extended "beavertail" so no biting. Probably priced similar to the Bersa.
 
I don't understand what you meant by "it was a bit hard on the hand".

I have a Bersa Super Thunder Series and don't have any complaints. As for PPK, haven't shot one yet so I can't compare.

vega
 
I just got a new Bersa Thunder .380. The gun is a pleasure to shoot, and accurate to boot. It carries and conceals well. I plan to shoot a lot of rounds through this beauty. I even got a compliment on its good looks from a proud new Glock owner.

Also, I believe I paid about 35% of what a new Walther would cost.

In fairness, I've never shot a PPK/S, but I'm thrilled with my Bersa.
 
Vega,

Because the PPK/S (and all PP's, I'm told) recoil straight back instead of the more usual muzzle rise, the pistol causes some pain the web of your hand in between the thumb and the forefinger, particularly after 50 rounds or so. This is far more noticeable in the .380 than the .32.

Having only shot the PPK/S, I didn't know if the Bersa (or any of the clones, for that matter) shared the same problem.
 
Hey! Are you guys trying to run up the price of Bersa????? I only have 3 of them - and I'm terribly happy with them - but I have to buy about 15 or 20 more before I can stop. So let's keep their praises amongst ourselves, OK?
Thanks, Terry
 
Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned is that the grip on the Bersa is a bit wider than that on the Walther. While the Walther grip is the ultimate for concealed carry, it is rather narrow and thus digs into the web of the hand during recoil. The Bersa's grip seems more rounded and thus seems to do a better job of spreading the force out over a greater area of the hand and thus reducing the felt recoil.

I haven't had a problem with hammer bite on the Walther. Thing that gets me is that the bottom of the slide is razor sharp. The slide on my boss's PPK/S cut my thumb pretty good the first time I shot it. Now I am well aware of it and adjust my grip accordingly. It would be easy to fix, however, with a little filing and polishing.

Good shooting.
 
Out of fairness to the PPK it is a tight and accurate gun out of the box and the 'thumb low' position is natural and easy to learn. The .32 is easy to shoot one handed. I've not shot a .380 version but hope to within a few months.
 
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