Bersa Firestorm 380 review

[rumble phish]

Just picked up my Bersa Firestorm from PRK in Turlock. Picked up an extra 7 round Bersa mag while I was in there. Can't wait to get it to the range in the next couple of days and give a go.

[Ogrewagon]

I picked one of these up last year. I really like shooting it.
Yes, it will take thunder magazines. I picked one up off of someone, and it works flawlessly.

Totally concealable, and I don't know about recoil... It's less than the Bodyguard .380... and way less than the 9mm and .45acp pistols I have in my collection. lol

[Lonestargrizzly]

I want another one now..

[Flouncer]

Bump

I am going to throw one in Jail tomorrow so I want to bump this thread so I can find it

[larkja]

Bersa has a lifetime warranty, I would call them if FTF continue.

[Ksmash01]

Try flipping your recoil spring around.

I have one of these. I thought about selling it until I took it to the range and fired it again. I don't think it's going anywhere. My 7-factory mags, 7 round pro mags, and 9 round factory mags all feed and eject flawlessly. The pro mags don't always lock back, but I haven't had a feeding failure.

[larkja]

Try flipping your recoil spring around.

I have one of these. I thought about selling it until I took it to the range and fired it again. I don't think it's going anywhere. My 7-factory mags, 7 round pro mags, and 9 round factory mags all feed and eject flawlessly. The pro mags don't always lock back, but I haven't had a feeding failure.

Why would flipping the recoil spring make a difference? Also, how would that help with keyholing?

[rumble phish]

Finally took my Bersa Firestorm out to the range today, put about 50 rounds though it and this is what I have to say about this gun...


Best damn gun for the money I have EVER purchased. PERIOD.

Accurate, comfortable, no issues, jams, or stove pipes and did I mention accurate?

At 15 yards, once I had put two mags through it to feel it out, I placed all 7 rounds in semi-rapid fire inside of a 2 inch group. I was shooting 90g fmj PMC.

Since I purchased this gun I had been kicking around the idea of selling it, as I really didn't have a need for it. But after actually shooting it I can say with absolute certainty that I will NOT be selling this gun anytime soon. It's just too much of a joy to shoot. The double action pull is decent, but where this baby really shines is on the single action. Fantastic trigger even at twice the price.

Anyway, there it is folks. If you haven't picked one up and your in the market for a sub-compact carry piece, do not over look this little gem.

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[Germ1]

Shooting a gun one time, probably about 50-100 rounds is not a good recommendation. Not trying to be a dick here, but you should have a high round count through the gun to see if parts are going to break, etc before you go recommending a firearm to other people. At least 5,000+. You can't "review" a firearm after shooting it one time.

This is a review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsZ3vMKSfy4

[rumble phish]

Germ1, not trying to be a dick yet succeeding lol... j/k

True, we'll see how it runs over time but I've yet to hear many horror stories about Bersa guns falling apart. That being said, my experience with the first 50 rounds through this gun has been better than at least half of the guns I have purchased in the past. I've experienced many problems with handguns within the first 50 rounds. Poor cylinder timing with revolvers, horrible triggers, slide-to-frame fitment issues (too tight, company gives you the "you have to put 500 rounds through it to "break it in"" bs), and so on. All I can say about this Bersa Firestorm is that for $269 + tax/DROS you just can't go wrong. Now, can you get a lemon? Sure you can, but that happens with ANY product. As far as I'm concerned, I'm ranking the Bersa Firestorm as a 9.5 out of 10 on initial customer satisfaction and performance. If anything goes south on this gun, I'll be sure to post it up.

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[rumble phish]

omg, I couldn't get past the minute and a half intro to that review Germ1. Regular guy doing his best "operator" impersonation. I laughed especially hard at the end of the intro when he did the "pull the gun back and scan left and right and behind for potential threats with a tactical scowl" move. Hilarious!!

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[rumble phish]

I have heard, but not shot a LC380 , that they are very snappy. I was also shooting 9mm, 45 and 357 sig today, so maybe my perception is low recoil. I have a Sig P238 also and find it quite comparable though the Sig is smaller.

I will tell you from personal experience that the recoil of LC380 feels about the same in comparison to the LC9s, which I was shooting today. The Bersa Firestorm, in my estimation, felt about the same as the LC9s as well even though the Bersa is a .380ACP. However in comparison to, say, the Ruger SR9c both the Bersa and the LC9s' recoil felt substantially lower. What I found most interesting is that the LC9s manages recoil extremely well. Also, the LC9s' trigger is far and away superior to that of the LC380. I sold my LC380 due to the absolutely horrible trigger.

Back to the Firestorm, it was a joy to shoot. I am extremely happy that I gave into a moment of weakness and purchased it. If you're thinking about a .380ACP do yourself a favor and seriously consider the Bersa. The LC380 cannot hold a candle to it (and I'm a dyed in the wool Ruger fan boy!).

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[Flouncer]

I bumped this thread a ways back up and a few weeks ago. I shot the weapon tonight and I am puzzled and dismayed. This is the only handgun I have ever shot that keyholes. This is a new out of the box pistol. The ammo is Federal Eagle 95g FMJ. I have shot rifles and reloaded since 1996. For semi autos I have always used factory ammo. Never had a problem like this in any weapon. I also noticed the case mouths have irregular soot on the sides, maybe not a factor with low pressure pistol rounds (?). Anyways, if you do truly know, would you agree that in this case it is not a break in problem, a weak spring, a dirty bore, etc ? A random keyhole comes from either the wrong bullet or a bore that is seriously out of spec (at 7 yards). The spread on the shots is at least a foot also.

Anyone ?

The shop said, " If there is any problem bring it back". So I intend to do exactly that. I love this little pistol. It feels and points nice. For me recoil is nonexistent. !!! Thank you for your input.

[NorcalGSG]

Well follow up for my recoil spring try. My new replacement one was longer than the stock one I took out. But coil count and wire diameter was exactly the same. After about 20 rounds with the new spring, it was the same length as the stock one. And the recoil was still just as snappy. Way more painful than an LC380. So either I got a second faulty recoil spring or I just need to find a heavier one. I emailed wolfe springs about this a week ago, and haven't heard back so I'll try calling them after the holiday.
My experience was the same as posted earlier by one other owner who said if you hold it slightly lower than the beaver tail, it seems to shoot fine and not hurt your hand. So i don't know, I'm wanting to grind down the beavertail to try that, but kinda hesitant since its a little Bubba.

[Flouncer]

After searching other "Keyhole" threads here on CG. Maybe I am thinking too hard. Here is the back of the paper ranger target(s). Might be the paper tear ? The from entry points all have a circular entry point, the familiar one, then the oblique rectangular dog ear tear. I can check by shooting the same ammo into a cardboard target, no loose paper flopping around in the range fan breeze.