Pros and Cons: Bersa Thunder .380?

[Sparks1957]

Hi all,

Thinking very seriously about picking up one of these as another alternative to my Kahr CW9 for a carry weapon. I know the .380 round is considered a bit weak for CCW, but it's served a lot of people in that role for a long time.

I fell in love with the ergonomics of the Thunder .22, and and it is difficult to beat the value of these pistols. My wife loves them too, and I have the feeling we might need a couple of them eventually. ;)

I'd be curious to get your feedback before I pull the trigger on this, however.

[shootniron]

I have the Thunder .380 CT, model that came from the factory with Crimson Trace grips and I am very pleased with it even though it has a relatively low round count through it. It has been flawless with every type and brand of ammo that I have tried with the exception of S&B ball that will FTF at the rate of 1 in 10.

I like the size and weight of it and it is very accurate. It is actually of a size that I can and do pocket carry it on occasion when wearing cargo jeans. It is very easy to clean and seems to run well when not pristinely clean. Overall, I have been pleased with it and I feel that it is a good value.

[dsk]

I had one for a short time. Pros, it feels good in the hand and is reliable. Cons, being a lightweight blowback .380 it might pound your hand more than you expected. The latter is the reason why I sold it.

[Tom Servo]

It's a little snappy, but it's more pleasant than the PPK. It could have something to do with the Bersa's more rounded grip.

I've found the Bersa pistols to be surprisingly accurate and reliable.

[mhmiller62]

I had a Bersa .380 a couple years back. I put about 300 rounds through it and then started having problems. The maganize disconnect spring would pop out of its slot and render the pistol useless. When it worked it was very accurate and reliable. I didn't bother sending to the factory for repair. I just traded it for a ruger single six.

[Evil Monkey]

S&B ball that will FTF at the rate of 1 in 10

when you say FTF, do you mean failure to feed or fire?

[shootniron]

when you say FTF, do you mean failure to feed or fire?

Failure to feed. It fired them with no issue once they were chambered. It actually did this with two 50rd boxes, so I am thinking that it will have the same issue will all of them...but I do not know for sure.

[BrittB]

I've came close to buying one on more than one occassion. The only reason I didn't get one this last time is because I got my old FEG PA 63 back which is exactly the same size and shoots 9mm Makarov. Maybe in the future!:D

[franco45]

I own both the Thunder 380 and the Kahr CW9. They are almost exactly the same size but the Kahr is considerably lighter. I love my Bersa but carry my Kahr.

[Sevens]

Pro:
Good lookin pistol
Low price point
fixed barrel results in really decent accuracy
build quality is also good at this price point
fairly popular means holster selection not horrible
one I had and 3 others I've known have fed very well
service and warranty backing is decent
can be carried hammer down, safety off for long DA pull (and should be)
not a bad SA trigger, DA pull is serviceable

Con:
fairly large in size for a .380
.380 chambering NOT a lot of pistol for defense, in my opinion
.380 ammo also not as cheap as 9mm
single stack means not a heap of ammo on board
annoying magazine disconnector safety
unlocked breech/blowback makes it a snappy little pistol, not all too pleasant
safety is stiff, doesn't loosen up much and difficult to swipe
early models have trigger bar/reset flaw where spring breaks and needs to be serviced

Bottom line: the price is low and for that low dough, it's a pretty good pistol. But it's a .380 and that's just a hard sell, IMO. More expensive to shoot than 9mm, not as capable, and it's not tiny enough to be a pocket gun where the .380 seems to have found it's niche. Also, it's just not that comfortable to shoot even amongst other .380s and that can't be overlooked.

[TennJed]

single stack means not a heap of ammo on board

They do make a double stack. I held both the single and double stack the other day. Not alot of felt difference in width (to me)

[BlueOvalFitter]

I have the Thunder Duo-Tone.It is my ankle carry piece.

[schnarrgj]

There are 2 BT380s in the family. Both are very accurate and reliable. Got the first one for my CCW and the wife decided she liked it better so I had to get another. At the range, she will put 2-300 rounds thru it before she gets tired. She does not like the snappier recoil of the 9s. Yes I do reload.

The pros are the they are a great value, accurate, easy to clean, and a lifetime warranty. The finish is not the high grade blue but is perfectly acceptable for a work gun which ours are.

Having loved the BT380s, I wound up also getting the 9UCpro and the 45UCpro. Having a few thousand round thru the 380s and about the same in the other two, I whole heartedly recommend the Bersas.

There is a site for them at http://www.bersachat.com/forums/forum.php.

[graysmoke]

I have always owned a Bersa Thunder in .380...Awesome dependable pistol, that shoots any brand ammo with no problems....Those few that say the .380 is not a good self defence load - ARE CLUELESS. I wonder if they were asked to stand 10 yards away, and be shot with a .380 in JHP....would they.?

[Sevens]

I wonder if they were asked to stand 10 yards away, and be shot with a .380 in JHP....would they.?
That is absolutely brilliant.

Thanks so much for adding to the quality of this forum.

[Shadi Khalil]

I think the Bersa's are neat little guns and seem to be a decent gun for the price. Have you considered a Kahr P380? It would make a good companion to your CW9.

[mittymak]

I CCW my Bersa Thunder Deluxe .380 its 9+1 I took it to the range, Cleaned but NOT lubed.. No problems at all! I just pulled it out of my IWB holster, pointed, flicked off the safety and pulled the trigger. BANG!! I think that its am AMAZING gun for 250$ the person above me said safety is hard to flick, mine isnt hard at all. My mom first time shooting it says its more accurate than the colt.. lol idk about that!!

[Billy Shears]

...one more minor item for the "CON" column...the Bersas are not Lefty friendly.

Nice little pistols for the price though.

[BlueOvalFitter]

I shoot lefty and have no problems. :)

[triumph666]

i have the bersa 380 concealed carry model and i will say it has been 110% percent reliable and my pocket cary for over a year


smooth reliable and my only complaint about the concealed carry model is the sights are too LOW profile....butt that sucker is not going to get stuck coming out of your pocket or a holster :)

[JC57]

I have the Bersa Thunder 380 and my experience and observations are exactly the same as shootniron's.

- It has been completely reliable with all ammo, EXCEPT Sellier & Bellot FMJ, which causes failure-to-feed jams usually once per mag. It runs fine with PMC, Magtech, generic range-sold reloads, Buffalo Bore flat-nose hard-cast lead, and every JHP I have tried with it.

- It is very accurate and fun to shoot. Comfortable in my hand and points naturally for me.

- I can pocket carry it using a Galco pocket holster, and often do, though it's really a bit large for that.

That being said, if I had a Kahr CW-9 I'd probably carry it over the Bersa. While a .380 with good ammo is probably acceptable for the typical civilian self-defense situation, I personally prefer a 9mm or better.

[Jim243]

Thanks so much for adding to the quality of this forum.


Sevens, I was going to disagree with you on the Bersa and then read the coment just before yours.

I totally agree with you on this.

As to the Bersa, it is a good 380 that is accurate, and I don't mind the mag disconnect on mine.

Good Luck
Jim

[Scorpion8]

I fell in love with the ergonomics of the Thunder .22,...

That's probably the main factor in the "pro" column, that you have and practice regularly with another identical pistol. The commonality will help in times of stress. There are a LOT of good .380's out there though, so consider others in your search.

[Walklightly]

Over the years, it seem's I can't recall anybody saying it's a bad working gun.

I've heard some Internet experts on gunboards say it's made of cheap pot metel, so run as fast as you can, it will blow up in your face the first shot you shoot through it.:D

TBS, I'd consider buying one if I wanted a steel .380. I even have ammo for one. Don't ask.

[Sparks1957]

Thanks for all the info and feedback, all sounds pretty positive overall.

Just placed an order for one through Bud's, should be here in a few days. Will let you know how it goes!