Wife's potential cc pistol

[cgjohnst]

Hey everyone. My wife and I have been looking for her first handgun. I really want her to have at least a 9mm, but she is pretty set on the .380 in the Bersa Thunder (pink one with the breast cancer awareness kit). I was trying to push her a little towards the Sig P238 or the XD-S 9m, but she really likes the feel of the Bersa and how easily she can rack the slide. Obviously it's for her so it needs to be what she likes. Is the Bersa a reliable handgun? I've read a lot of good reviews about it, but for the price it seems to be lumped in with many cheaper guns. I just want to make sure my wife is going to have a reliable weapon to protect herself. Any experience with this company or the thunder? Thanks.

[Auto5]

IMO, Bersa is one of the most under rated gunmakers. I have the BP9CC. I would rate it at least equal to the Kahr CW9, S&W Shield or Beretta Nano. The Thunder .380 has a great reputation and is easier to shoot than a Bodyguard or LCP.

[subhuman]

I have shot a few of them , it is a better gun than what you have to spend on it in my opinion

[RodTheWrench]

Buy it. Good gun. If she handles it well, go for it!

[Marty8613]

This is my 380 carry. It groups well enough at 15 yards. My wife also likes the feel of this one. Really light recoil.

[Waspinator]

I have a Bersa (9mm) and think it is a great gun. Wouldn't hesitate to buy the .380 model from what I've seen thus far.

[cgjohnst]

Awesome. Thanks guys. We are moving to New Mexico on Saturday, so we'll ahve to wait until we get there and get our first bill to get it, but I'm really looking forward to it. Apparently the only thing to do where we are moving is shoot guns. It's exciting to have a wife interested in shooting, to know she's safe and just someone to shoot with. Plus I won't get in as much trouble for buying guns haha.

[loose_holster_dan]

they knocked the thunder 380 out of the park. it's one of those rare occasions when you get more than you pay for.

[gotthegoods]

I had the Thunder "Plus" which is their 15round, double stack .380

Grips were not fat in my hand nor did it reduce IWB concealability.

2 reasons for trading: only .380 and more expensive to shoot than my stable of 9mm's and used it to fund another gun.

[Spats McGee]

How in the world did we get this far without a reference to The Cornered Cat?

[9miller]

Just bought that gun for my wife to be in January as her first gun, I as well wanted her to have a 9mm but she was dead set on the thunder 380. She has good taste it turns out. Even I like shooting it, tact driver in SA

[g527]

I had a Thunder 380 & traded it for the same gun but smaller version, the Bersa CC. It even carries 1 more round, 8, than the bigger gun.

Definitely have her try the Ruger LC 380 as it is the easiest to rack & the lightest recoil of any 380 or even 32 that I have. Also as suggested the Sig 238 or Mustang are great. The Mustang & LC 380 are locked breech so that makes them easier to rack than even the Bersa. The Bersa does have the best trigger of most any DA/SA gun on the market. I do like the Bersa better than any of my 380's except the LC 380. You can also get the Lasermax laser for the LC for about $75. They are great.

I will add to the list a PPK 380 or 32 . Both are more expensive & harder to get. I would definitely get a used Interarms PPK as I don't like the S&W PPK products in 380. The PPK 380 does have a very hard slide rack but a super SA trigger, but the DA is heavy.

I have, or have owned, all these guns so what I am telling you is based on my own use of them including the laser.

[aarondhgraham]

Mine gets shot quite a bit,,,
It's a gun I always take for new people to shoot.

Mine has well over 2,000 trouble free rounds through it,,,
BTW, the Thunder 22 is just as nice and reliable,,,
It's cheaper for practice if you can find .22 LR.

And, they are just pretty little things.



Aarond

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[David spargenator]

Never even heard of that brand so I'm not gonna speak to it. 380 will PROBABLY have enough power to get the job done. But 9mm would be a better choice. Take her to a range, and see how she likes the 9mm pocket pistols. You can rent them at a lot of ranges. They don't have much recoil and are easy to shoot I think.

[kraigwy]

I wifey wants to pick the gun she wants to carry LET HER

My wife doesn't tell me what gun is best for me, and I'm certainly not going to tell her what gun is best for her.

This is one of the reasons I don't allow hubbies and boyfriends in my Ladies Only firearms class.

[cls12vg30]

A Bersa is one of those guns that has always been in the back of my mind, often in my hand at gun shops and shows, but I've never ended up buying. In the years I've been shooting and talking about guns, I've heard only great things about the Thunder series.

Back when I was buying my first carry gun, I had just about decided on a Thunder before I learned about Makarovs. Later, when I wanted something more compact, I almost pulled the trigger on a Thunder CC, but then my year-long search for an FEG SMC-918 bore fruit, and I got that instead.

It seems like it's hard to go wrong with a Bersa. Who knows maybe I'll pick up one of the .22 sometime.

[Sabrewolfe]

In and of itself, the Bersa Thunder is a good quality gun, especially for the price. While it is not quite a clone of the venerable Walther PPK, it is VERY similar, albeit with a few improvements. The bore axis is higher, which marginally impacts recoil, however this allows for a larger, lower beavertail, which fixes the slide bite issues endemic to the PPK. The Thunder also has a slide lock, a nice feature the PPK does not have. And the take down is facilitated by a dedicated dissembly lever, rather than pulling the trigger guard down and to the side. Finally, thanks to an aluminum frame, it is lighter than a PPK.

That said, it is still not a gun I would recommend for concealed defensive carry. Because of the blowback design, the felt recoil is still harsher than a comparable 9mm (e.g. the M&P Shield and, my fav, the Walther PPS are nearly identical in size to the Thunder): you are suffering a substantial loss in power for an INCREASE in felt recoil. There is also the hammer and beavertail to worry about getting snagged in clothing with the Thunder: a significant consideration for concealment. And lets not forget, pink is not exactly a color well suited to concealment (to say nothing of reducing the resale market if she ever decides to trade in for a different gun).

As far as DA/SA vs striker fire for a carry gun, while I prefer striker, that is really a personal preference/training concern, and not a legitimate gripe, so that I'm leaving well enough alone.

Finally, there is the ammo. 9mm ammunition is 2/3 to 1/2 the cost of .380, is easier to find, and offers much more in the way of options for cherry picking a load to fit both the gun and person. Assuming premium JHP's, 9mm is able to consistently meet the FBI penetration ideal of 12-18 inches, while the .380 struggles.

In the end, for her to be happy, it will have to be her choice. But have her test drive the Thunder side by side with something like the Shield and/or PPS. And make sure she is taking into account all the factors that will impact consistently carrying the weapon, concealing it, and using it if the fecal matter impacts the rotary air impeller.

[Rinspeed]

I own three .380s but I have no idea why anyone would buy one today with the cost of ammo and how ineffective the cartridge is compared to the 9mm. Just my opinion of course.

[bedbugbilly]

Nothing wrong with the Bersas - I had a .380 Thunder CC and it functioned without a flaw.

More importantly . . . is this going to be your gun or your wife's? She's the one who is going to use it, shoot it and carry it. If she's comfortable with a .380 and she likes the Bersa . . then that's what she needs. After all . . . do you pick out her clothes and handbags?

As far as the age old "the .380 is no good" . . bunk! They've been carried for years. Not everybody feels that they have to carry a 44 Mag. :roll eyes:t

The important thing is . . . whatever SHE decides she wants and gets . . . is to practice and then practice some more . . . "learn" her handgun and become proficient with it. Right now . . . all ammo is too high . . . not just the .380. I can't think of a better excuse to start rolling your own . . .

[9miller]

The important thing is . . . whatever SHE decides she wants and gets . . . is to practice and then practice some more . . . "learn" her handgun and become proficient with it. Right now . . . all ammo is too high . . . not just the .380. I can't think of a better excuse to start rolling your own . . .

well said, that's why I reload for my wifey's pistol as well as my calibers

[Sabrewolfe]

The issue isn't that .380 is a "junk" caliber. It's not. It is more than capable of dissuading an attacker, even killing them with the right shot placement.

The issue with .380 and smaller calibers for primary defensive carry is that performance is not consistent with regard to penetration. The FBI penetration requirement of 12-18" is the industry standard for a reason. Very few shots go straight in on an attacker, instead hitting at an angle and requiring more penetration to reach vital organs. Further, "intermediate barriers" doesn't necessarily refer to windshields or car doors: think arms. During the "Miami Massacre" firefight in 1986 that resulted in the current penetration reqs, the first pistol shot to hit Michael Platt failed to penetrate his heart/aorta because it had first passed through the 'intermediate barrier' of his upper arm: had the round penetrated adequately, it is unlikely the fight would have ended as badly as it did.

Now, in the past, the .380 retained a useful place in the arsenal because it allowed for substantially improved concealability over weapons in larger calibers, allowing for a gun to be carried in situations that would otherwise be difficult or impractical. This, however, is no longer the case. There are a number of 9mm handguns with nearly identical size and concealability to the Thunder .380: the M&P Shield and Walther PPS in striker fire, or the Sig 239 if you prefer DA/SA are examples. And the 9mm round IS a consistent performer in penetration.

What about recoil? With so much less powder in the casing, recoil should at least be better, right? Sadly, not so much. Unless you lucked out and managed to get a Glock 42, pretty much all .380s use straight blowback recoil. Which is great for reliable cycling of lower power rounds, but sucks on felt recoil. Compared to a similarly sized 9mm, which nearly all use short recoil actions, blowback .380s have a noticeably harsher recoil and that means lower accuracy on repeat shots. I don't know about anyone else, but I am NEVER going to count on the bad guy going down or giving up after a single shot.

So if ammo consistency is worse, size is no longer a factor, and recoil is worse, BY COMPARISON the .380 is an inadequate caliber. Can it be made to work? Yes. Is it better than nothing? Duh! But why settle for a COMPARABLY substandard round when you can get a weapon in 9mm that will do the job it is intended for better and cost you less in ammo to boot?

[ROCK6]

My wife had a selection of pistols about 10 years ago and I too would have preferred her picking a 9mm; her choice was the Bersa 380. She like the way it felt, controls and after shooting it she was comfortable and accurate with it…that’s been her primary CCW since then.

The Bersa and similar-sized 380’s are about as small as you want to go for a first gun. Smaller pocket pistols are not too enjoyable to shoot for most women if they’re just getting started.

The good news is my wife just decided to try the Ruger LC9 in 9mm and is planning to replace the Bersa. She has the larger SR9c and loves it, but it’s just too big for most carrying situations; she loves his little Kel-Tech P3AT for deeper concealment and backpacking, but she really doesn’t like to practice with it much at the range or at least shoot it much because of the discomfort of prolonged shooting. The LC9 upgrade may be a good choice, but we’ll see how she does.

Her Bersa has been trouble free and she’s loved that gun. She’s used Crossbreed IWB, Flash-bang and shoulder holsters for different situations. The only downside is the cost of the magazines. They are very well made, but quite expensive. She has about a dozen magazines as I usually pick them up for Christmas stockings or B-Day gifts. I do recommend magazines loading device as they are difficult to load without practice.

Good luck to your wife, I really think she’s going to enjoy it. As for the .380 ACP, it’s a non-issue if the shooter doesn’t carry, doesn’t practice or isn’t accurate. I think most would agree 9mm or 38 SPL would be better choices, but it’s not “our” choice and I personally don’t wear the kinds of clothes a woman typically wears and have to try and conceal a 1911.

ROCK6

[Tomac]

Take a look at the SIG P250 subcompact .380. The slide is very easy to rack, recoil is mild, double-stack 12rd mag and it has a superb DAO trigger so no safety to sweat finding/manipulating under stress.
The P250sc .380 is the wife's nightstand/range gun.
Tomac