Re: Bersa Thunder 380
I have a Bersa Thunder 380. And, not to get into the 'gotcha' debate of .380 vs 9mm, it does what it's intended to do.
I initially got this as my CCW but have since opted to something else. Discrete is my main concern.
Some thoughts on the Thunder 380.
It is a double-stack magazine, 15 rounds. Only one comes with the pistol (I hate that). A spare cost me $51.95 (including S&H) from SGS Importers (SGS/Bersa Firearms USA.)
Somewhere in this thread there is mention of plastic grips. As you can see this pistol has some nice rubber-type wrap-around grips.
Now, this is no target pistol. It is advertised to have adjustable (for windage) rear sight. IMHO, these “adjustable” sights are tacky at best. In a thread somewhere in MSGunOwners someone mentioned losing the adjustment screw from the rear sight. I can attest to that. Probably my fault. Trying to improve windage I may have backed the bolt out a bit too far. The action of the slide did the rest. It was gone. I ordered two sets of rear sight blade, rear sight spring, and rear sight screw from SGS/Bersa Firearms USA, $11 including S&H.
BTW, I got a nice black nylon shoulder holster for it through Amazon.com, $27.94 including S&H.
Somewhere in this thread I believe someone compared the Bersa to the Walther PPK. And, yes, they’re almost identical. Last week at the range a friend brought his Walther and I had the opportunity to run them side-by-side, so to speak. IMHO, the Bersa has the better trigger. The PPK was stainless and, both being empty, significantly outweighed the Bersa. If the lighter pistol is no problem. I believe I’d opt for the Bersa on a utility basis. If I were concerned with snob appeal, I guess I’d pick the PPK.
I think I read some comments on stoppages with this pistol. In my experience, the first box or so that I ran through it, I did have some stoppages. At the time I was using Wolf and blamed the ammo. But things have settled down and the Bersa feeds well and does not seem to be terribly picky.
Here’s on more little tidbit to keep in mind. Slide is locked back and you insert the magazine. Then you give the mag a nice smart hit with your palm to seat it. Too often for comfort the Bersa will unlock itself and load a round. Could be a safety issue. Just be careful.
I expect to be out to the range again this week. If I don’t forget (and that’s a gamble) I’ll shoot a sample target.
