Your experiences with Bersa

[BOOGIE the oily]

Thank you all. Sorry I took so long to reply, life's been getting in the way.

Pinky Carruthers: 5 Bersas...?
I guess you do like them.

I just put my money down for my very own Bersa, a Thunder 9 Pro XT. Now I have to wait for the permit. Can't wait to start shootin'

 

[Corona]

Recently picked up a Bersa 22. Before purchasing, I had looked also at the Ruger SR22 and the Walther (Umarex) PPK/s. At the end of the day, the Bersa won on style points and useful sights. The Walther, with the highest cool factor, had nearly unseeable and therefore unusable sights. The Ruger seems boringly reliable but generic in design. Not bashing Ruger, as I have a Mk III 22/45 that is a real tack driver.

I got the Bersa for fun. And has exceeded my expectations. It is comfortable in my hand, pretty good and functional sights, and just a hoot to shoot. It's not as accurate as my 22/45 but it's not a target pistol. I do expect my groups to get better as I become more accustomed to the shorter sight radius, tho.

Bottom line, I've put about 300 rounds through this pistol with only a couple of failures to eject, but no failures to fire. Of course, I've used only CCI mini mags.

I did clean it thoroughly and lube it before my first session. And, because the mag was a little gritty for the mag buttons, I did disassemble and lightly sand and dry lube the button channels. Much smoother now. Will probably be looking for a second mag.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the BT380 is next on my list to acquire.

 

[Inazone]

I realize that the original purpose of the thread was served already, although apparently not as intended, but I'll give my belated response anyway. I'm not going to rate the various categories, for reasons that will become clear . . .


1. Do you (or did you) own a Bersa pistol? Which one? BP9cc

2. What do (did) you use it for? Concealed carry

3. What's your opinion of it? Pros and cons? I initially loved my BP9 and was 100% satisfied with it in its role as a concealed carry gun. However, I injured my trigger finger in such a way that, after supposed "maximum medical improvement" still have some issues. One of the side effects was that I feel recoil far more than prior to my injury, and with a lightweight polymer-framed compact like the BP9, it became unpleasant to shoot. I switched to a Sig Sauer P239 for my carry gun. I do miss the BP9 because it was practically invisible with a leather IWB holster, and I was quite accurate with it.

4. Have you had any issues with it? Unfortunately, I did start having some feeding issues after roughly 1000 rounds, and it came back from warranty service in worse shape than it had been. Trigger problems started popping up, no doubt exacerbated by the aforementioned injury. Further warranty service (different warranty center) would just lead to some different issue. Bersa eventually replaced the gun, but the replacement is still sitting new in the box after a few months, as I've been happy with my P239 instead.

5. Would you trust your life to it? Prior to the chain of warranty work, yes. I feel that the first warranty provider did more harm than good, the second just compounded the problems of the first, and the third/final warranty provider rightly agreed with me that it was time for a replacement. Maybe I'll start shooting the replacement BP9 at some point, and if it functions reliably, I would keep an open mind about carrying it in the future.

 

[CajunBass]

I bought a Bersa 22 for my wife many years ago. I forget what it was called back then, but it was a sort of Walther lookalike. Good little gun. She was new to shooting and was sort of intimidated by bigger guns, but she shot that little Bersa like a champ. It would malfunction with run of the mill 22 ammo, but with CCI mini mags it ran like a Swiss watch. We got her an extra magazine and she used it for a carry gun for a couple of years until she got up enough confidence in her ability with something else to move up to a 9mm (Glock 19).

Quality was pretty good for an inexpensive gun. It was no Smith & Wesson Model 27 or anything, but it was acceptable. I forget what I paid for it, but it was pretty inexpensive. She got great use out of it for a couple of years, before we sold it to buy something else.

I'd buy another one.

 

[great scot]

I have a nickel Bersa Thunder CC....

..and I've been very happy with it. The reliability has been flawless, accuracy is good for a compact .380, and recoil is mild for a blowback pistol. I use it as a car gun, and it tucks inside my belt with a Remora holster. Only possible cons are that it ships with only 1 mag and it has a magazine safety. I bought another mag off Amazon and mag safeties are fine when you know it's part of your gun. You carry accordingly. I'd recommend the Bersa as a solid ccw.

 

[cluznar]

Just as I thought. You get a lot of good comments on Bersa guns. For not a lot of money you get a reliable gun. Nothing wrong with Bersa.

 

[OldScout]

I have a Bersa 9UC. Bought it in 2010 and it hasn't missed a lick. It's a great pistol, but I would not use it for ccw, it's just a little to big and heavy. From what I know, the 380 models are their best sellers, so it's natural that they would have more problems. Also if someone has a Bersa 9UC and does not like the point and shoot sights, Sig #8 sights will fit it.

 

[dean1818]

Had a Bersa 40UC

Nice little gun It seemed to transfer the 40 recoil more than the other 40s I had.

 

[JC57]

2 Bersas here - Thunder 380 and 45UC. No problems with either of them. Reliable and accurate. No complaints.

 

[chardin]

1. Do you (or did you) own a Bersa pistol? Which one?

Bersa FireStorm in 22 LR. I don't think this model is made any more.

2. What do (did) you use it for?

It's convenient to take with me when wandering the woods with a rifle or shotgun. I've never needed it to finish off a game animal, but that is its most probable use. Other than that, I mainly take it to the range now and again.

3. What's your opinion of it? Pros and cons?

Pros:

• Cheap.
• Works well with high-velicity hollow points, as do most pocket 22s.
• Surprisingly good accuracy for a pocket pistol.

Cons:

• Poor reliability with standard velocity solids. (Good luck finding a pistol that size that does any better.)
• No automatic safety cam; the pistol can drop the hammer when the slide is not in battery. Largely a theoretical risk.
• Not the best metallurgy. Pins peen easily.

4. Have you had any issues with it?

At first, yes. Resurrecting it after 20+ years of disuse was a pain. After I got it going a little,
the thing jammed in ways I didn't like. However, after I sent it to John Lott for a warranty repair, it came back working much better.

5. Would you trust your life to it?

That is not its role. It is reliable for a small 22 auto, but I can think of none of those I'd like to trust to save my life.

6. Would you buy Bersa again?

Yes, I'd at least consider it.

And could you please rate it (1 to 10) on:

• Reliability -- 7 (as good as any pocket 22)
• Accuracy -- 8
• Overall quality -- 6
• Value -- 9

 

[BOOGIE the oily]

Thank you all.
With any luck, I should get my very first Bersa (which also happens to be my very first gun) tomorrow morning, so I'm pretty excited about it, and any and all information is always welcome.