Bersa Question

[golfrj]

Hey Gang, I noticed Turners has the Bersa Firestorm on the ad for a Really Inexpensive price and could use a smaller house gun to have laying around (live alone).. Anyone have any experience with one? Thanks in advance for your comments..

PS... I am aware it's Not a Sig or HK....

[Mmearle]

GET IT! Imho the best bersa out there.

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[plumbum]

People always have good things to say about the Bersa/Firestorm pistols. Great house gun in my opinion, triggers are pretty good for their price point and they just feel right in your hand.

[Mytmoss]

Here is my report from awhile ago. Buy it !

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1189989

[tmh1]

The Firestorm works just great, but like most blowback 380 ACP pistols, it makes one (at least me) hate shooting the 380 round. Which in turn causes one not to want to practice with the pistol - not a great situation if you want to use it for a home defense gun.

OTOH my Sig P238 HD is an absolute joy to shoot. Being recoil operated/locked breech as opposed to straight blowback provides a very pleasant shooting experience with a small 380 pistol of the same weight.

Since getting the P238, the Firestorm has never come out of the safe.

Is the Firestorm economical, yes. Smart economy? You need to be the judge. My opinion is to save up more money and buy a P238.

[TMB 1]

I have a Bersa Thunder 380 and my daughter has a Bersa Firestorm 380 I got her for her 21rst birthday. I bought both new and both have been very reliable and accurate.

[Mytmoss]

I should add I have the P238 too and I love it. If size matters, the P238 is much better. They both shoot great. But the P238 is almost twice the price and it's not twice the gun (kinda 1/2 the gun given the size). Just like the 9mm round has improved, so has the 380. There are a number of excellent 380 rounds being made.

[NorcalGSG]

Search function. I just detailed how to greatly reduce the felt recoil on these for about $20 and some time. Great value IMHO.

[Strykeback]

The only one I've shot beat the hell out of the web of my hand from that odd beaver tail shape

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[jstert]

Bersa Question

i got a gently used singlestack bersa thunder 380acp a few years ago, my first semiauto centerfire pistol since an army m1911 in the early 70s.

this revolver guy thinks that the bersa is overall ok. easy to fieldstrip and clean. 380acp is a useful round, becoming more popular and cheaper. be careful of hold to avoid bad web bite. safety lever snapped off while shooting; internet revealed not uncommon, bersa sent new one for $10.

my son has a sig p238, twice the cost and a better piece. if i had to do it over i would probably pass on the bersa, but i say that more as a revolver guy than being anti bersa. i can put rounds on target better with a revolver using speedloaders than with a semiauto, but that is just me. the bersa is not on my "only 3 gun" list but is ok for the price and better if you prefer semiauto pistols.


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[Pofoo]

For the price, not a bad gun. My cousin's shoots fine, after a trip back for warrantee work.
For defense?? Shoot it a lot to make sure it's reliable.

[trackcage]

I've had mine for 6 months and shot about 350-400 rounds through it. Majority of those were the cheapest FMJs I could find, and one 50-round box of Federal hydra-shok. Short answer: would definitely buy it again. But it has some small things in the negative column - at least to me. None of which are reliability-related, but read on...

Big for caliber. Many people will claim this isn't a pocket gun. I pocket carry this almost daily when I walk the dogs in basketball shorts. I can even pocket carry it in jeans, but I'm 6'4", 220lbs, so YMMV. But while we're on the subject of big for caliber, let me mention that this firearm kicks more than it should. It's a blowback thing. I find the recoil impulse snappy - and not unpleasant - but not as pleasant as shooting a polymer wondernine. My point here is that you wouldn't expect this kind of kick from the little .380, as least I didn't. My petite fiance shoots the Bersa all the time and doesn't complain about it, so maybe I'm being a sensitive girly-man. You decide.

Shootability. So right after I bash the firearm for being snappy, let me say that it is very shootable. No issues connecting with it, and sights that are MUCH better than most in it's category. Since others have mentioned the P238, that firearm also has nice sights, but most pocket guns or .380's in general don't have much in the sight department. Not the case with the Bersa.

I also feel that the DA pull is very smooth, especially for a cheap gun. No stacking whatsoever, and not a particularly heavy pull weight either. This DA pull helped sell the gun for me. I carry round in the chamber, hammer down, safety off. If the gun has a crappy DA pull, I probably wouldn't have bought it.

P.S., I have a MecGar mag for it that holds 8 instead of the factory 7. I have had no issues with this mag, and would recommend. I also shaved down the pinky extension so I have 8+1 in a flush fitting mag. Makes a pretty big difference in printing, especially in your pocket. Also given the fact that we are limited to 10 rounds in capacity, it makes a lot of sense to carry the Bersa with 8+1 then my G19 (significantly larger) with only two more rounds. But maybe that's just me.

My perspective - buy with confidence. My father also has one and he really likes his.

[lightsunglasses]

Not to thread hijack. But has anyone else notice their bersa hates steel cased ammo?