Bersa 380 for my first pistol

[Ethan.G]

I am thinking about buying a Bersa Thunder 380CC or "combat" variants for, target/hd/possibly CC. And im wondering what any of you have to say about its reliability and accuracy. i had a chance to shoot a thunder last week and absolutely loved the way it shot and felt.

PS., no you can not convince me that a 9mm is better, thanks in advance

[Noreaster]

Many guys I work with purchased Bersa 380s for off duty. The Bersa 380 performed better then the Interarms Ppks and on par with Sig P232. One of the State Patrol guys had an FFL and he sold Bersa 380s to his guys with the same results. Very solid pistol.

[sourdough44]

Don't know much about that pistol, though I do have a few 380s. They are easy to CC, not the best choice for extended range use or even 'home defense'. If you do get one use some quality ammo for carry, Speer 90 grn GD, or Hornady. You can use cheaper stuff for most prectice. I like the round, but it needs all the help it can get when it comes to ballistics.

[sarge83]

I have a bersa .380, nice piece. Waited around for a trade in to get the metal trigger instead of the plastic. I think I paid around $180 or $200 for mine maybe but again it was a used one.

The local shop had a copy of the .380 version in .22 a month or so back meant to give it a good look but it disappeared quickly. $350+ tag on it.

[loose_holster_dan]

fantastic choice (for a 380). very accurate in the right hands. very reliable with the right ammo.

[wbw]

I've got the 380CC because it could be put in a pocket if necessary. Most of the time it sits on a shelf where I could get to it easily for home defense.

The 380CC is no fun to shoot, in my opinion. I don't think I've even put 50 rounds through mine in a couple of years. It just doesn't get taken to the range. In my opinion, if you're looking for a small concealable gun for possible carry, then it's a great pistol. For range fun, there are many other options that are way better. But if that's what floats your boat, then go for it.
Maybe get that for SD if that is your priority and later on get a larger pistol (in 9mm ) for range use. You'll have more fun and be more accurate.

[michael t]

I have 2 Bersa Thunders. I like them so much gave Bersa its own board.

http://bersachat.com

Come visit.

[Ethan.G]

ya for ammo im thinking about getting glaser slugs or the most gnarly hollow points available to keep in it (i feel like it doesnt matter how big the hole is as long as its accurate and i can get it to a lung or brain) and then ill reload LRN range ammo, i plan on shooting it twice a month as is my normal shooting schedule

wbw - what did you find "no fun" about shooting it?? i shot a standard model and i found recoil to be very manage able and it fit my hand perfectly (but im 5'2 120lbs)

michael t - awesome i will have to look it up thanks


thank you to everyone else for the encouraging words, this forum is awesome

[HShack]

I had one, liked it a lot. I found it a little heavy for pocket carry, sights are almost non-existant, and I had to de-horn a few rough spots.

You will probably need to run a couple hundred rounds thru it before feeding gets reliable.

For ammo, I like Corbon DPX.

[wbw]

I found the 380 CC to be way too snappy.

I said it was a great concealable SD pistol. But for target shooting at the range, no thanks. I've got many other 9mm pistols that are much more fun to use.

[Skadoosh]

I had Thunder that broke twice: trigger first...a year later, the hammer broke.

[aarondhgraham]

I have a Thunder 380 and over 500 rounds through it,,,
It has not had one malfunction as yet.

I've used many different brands of ammo,,,
Full metal jacket or hollow points,,,
All of them ran perfectly.

I do not find the recoil objectionable at all,,,
It much more gentle than a Ruger LCP.

I'm a fanboy because the little gun just works.

Aarond

.

[Hansam]

You could do far worse for a first pistol. I'd go with the Bersa Thunder 380 and NOT the 380 CC if its your first pistol. It has less felt recoil and is easier to shoot. My wife loved that gun and has been mad at me ever since I sold it. Now I'm in the market for another one to appease her.

Good luck.

[barstoolguru]

as long as you don't use it for CCW your alright; 380's are weak

[ecole]

Try to shoot the CC before you buy it, it has much more kick than it's bigger brother. They are both great little guns!

[Sparks1957]

I'm a fanboy because the little gun just works

I'm with Aarond on that one, it's a reliable little pistol that puts lead where you want it to go. Very easy to carry and conceal, it's what I carry quite a bit of the time, depending on what I'm wearing.

.380acp has a reputation of being on the lower edge of effectiveness as a caliber, but I'm convinced it will do the job if I ever need to defend myself.

[Fargazer]

A Bersa Thunder Plus 380 (double stack, 15 shots) is one of the only firearm impulse buys I've ever had - I held it, liked the feel, rented it to test shoot it, and bought it. If you are going with a .380 caliber, Bersa makes some of the best guns to choose from.

I personally prefer the 9mm for caliber - it has more punch, and it's significantly cheaper to buy ammo for to practice with. For a first gun, I recommend something you can shoot a lot to gain experience; I'd recommend a .22 - either a Ruger Mark III or a Browning Buckmark - first, practice technique with that, then go up to a 9mm because it is the cheapest center fire cartridge to shoot.

In spite of that recommendation, even a small caliber pistol can save your life - this article impressed me when I read it. Was it the ideal caliber - heck no. But it's what he had, and he used it.

The big thing I took away from the article was there is truth to the old saw "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog".

[BGutzman]

Bersa is a lot of gun for the money...

[group17]

I have had mine for a few years and had zero problems. Bought a 22 version for cheap practice same manual of arms. Great sized pistol.

[Ethan.G]

i think i misstated my shooting experience when i titled this thread hahaha despite this being my first pistol i have Very extensive shooting practice, im mainly a rifle guy but for pistols iv shot just about everything from .22 to 5.7 to 45 long colt. the reason i prefer .380 is because the guns utilize this round done need a locking mechanism and therefore have less moving parts And Therefore less likely to jam, and are lighter, and in my humble opinion better then a 9mm. Also i believe if i get someone in the lung (or skull) with a 380, they will be Very combat ineffective.
in the past year iv been focusing on pistols since im about to turn 21 and need to buy one, my best friend has a 1911a1 and .22 revolver that i shoot every weekend. (in return i reload her ammo and detail her guns) im able to throw down fist size groups at 10m with the 1911 one handed and even better with the revolver.
Sooo what i was asking in this threads was your experience with this firearm and iv loved every response iv gotten so far, only a pair of bad reviews (trigger broke? not a problem ill buy a metal one) and i am defiantly thinking of going with a different model then the CC

Thank you gentlemen for the encouraging words, i hope to have one by the end of the month

[k511]

I have had great luck with my Bersa .380. My wife shoots it mostly, but i shoot it a bit aswell. We have well over 1,000 rounds through it without failure, it rarely gets cheap ammo but it will eat it without failure, and its easy enough to maintain that the wife can clean it herself Great pistol for the money IMO...i wouldnt say my bersa is more reliable than my PPk, but the Bersa will eat the cheap ammo if needed and the PPk likes the good stuff only



we went with the duo tone cause thats what she liked, the ruger is hoggin most of the pic, but the little bersa is still there

[Ethan.G]

nice pic, and im glad to hear its not too picky about ammo because i intend on loading my own once i save up enough brass, although my hand loads are usually better then factory, iv only loaded pistol rounds for revolvers (i guss it still counts to say never had a failure to feed with my pistol ammo? )

[JJW]

Ethan, For what it's worth I carried a Walther PPK/S for several years as a LEO, off duty and in plain clothes. When I retired I sold it. That was ten years ago and I still miss it. But due to the price of a Walther I decided to try a Bersa Thunder 380. I have found that Bersa has preformed better from the box than the Walther did. It is comfortable to shoot, accurate, and has never failed to load,fire,eject. I am so happy with it that I have just taken delivery of my 3rd Bersa. Bersa Thunder 380 - Bersa BP9CC and today I picked up my Bersa 380 CC. As someone previously said they are "a lot of gun for the money" Lifetime service to the original purchaser. Having just picked up my CC version, I have not had an opportunity to fire it so I can't address the reports of felt recoil.

[Erikbal]

Honestly I think that the 380 is a fine round for personal protection. It sounds like the gun you're looking at has a pretty good reputation and if you like it and it fits you well then go for it and enjoy!

[Ethan.G]

JJW, please do let me know how the CC compares to the other thunder 380s, either on here or via private message. I actually found the Bersa because i was looking for how much a PPK/S would be (a fan of the old James Bond you see) and all the reviews i found said that they dont make them like they used to and they are a little expensive for my taste.

Erikbal, i couldnt agree more, i see more people with guns that dont fit there hands, small hands with glock 45s dont make a good combo