Bersa Firestorm vs S&W Shield

[Mtndewking]

Bersa is a great gun! Steel is real. Shoots anything you put through it after the break in period. Easy to clean and maintain. Double/single is an awesome safety feature as already noted. Capable Self defense .380 ammo is crazy available these days. Only problem is concealment. Bersa is big for a .380. It would be challenge to conceal, say compared to a kahr or a ruger lcp in .380

[SVGUY]

Is the Firestorm any better than the BERSA THUNDER.
Seems Firestorm is CA only, while Thunder is more widely available in other states.

[plumbum]

Is the Firestorm any better than the BERSA THUNDER.
Seems Firestorm is CA only, while Thunder is more widely available in other states.

Firestorm is assembled in USA from parts made in Argentina. Thunder is manufactured in Argentina. Firestorm just happens to still be on the roster.

[TMB 1]

Is the Firestorm any better than the BERSA THUNDER.
Seems Firestorm is CA only, while Thunder is more widely available in other states.

Bersa Thunder has square trigger guard, built in lock, no finger groove grip and three dot sights. Firestorm has round trigger guard, no lock, sights are a little different and it has finger groove grips.

[TMB 1]

Firestorm/Bersa, Kahr and S&W are all good guns.

[golfish]

One can conceal a full-size 1911 under a T-shirt.

What’s magic about the G26? It’s only about 0.8” taller (grip) than the G19, and a lot of folks recommend a finger extension to aid the grip on the G26, so that’s pretty even. Since 15 round mags were available for purchase this year, the G19 loadout is better. Even if you stay with the 10-round mags, you don’t have to add an aftermarket extension to achieve the same result.:

In hindsight, I would have rather bought at G19 over the G26. Really, the only plus is that the G26 can handle all of the glock 9mm mags where the 19 and 17 can't, I would give that up for a little longer barrel .

[1911_Mitch]

45 > 9mm >.380 (never less than 9mm for CCW)

Glock > Kahr > Shield > Bersa

[Old4eyes]

I own both a Firestorm and a Thunder. Fun guns but the recoil stings. The 380 is a marginal cartridge for self defense. You can go smaller in 380 like the Sig P238 which although lighter than the Bersa has less recoil since it is not a blowback. Go with the Shield or some other sized 9mm. The Bersa's are fun but there are better choices for either small size or better stopping power.

And good luck on getting a CCW in California.

[steelholder]

Another happy Shield owner. Trigger seems fine to me. Daughter also has one as her CCW primary. Not one jam during her quals.

Right? Love mine as well and I have no issues with the stock trigger, works just fine for me and at least 3 other people I know that have them.

Several people had jams on their shields? Same gun?same ammo? what type of jam? Maybe they were begging rs and limp wristing? These guns are known to be extremely reliable. Just this weekend I helped someone break in a brand new shield in 9mm, 480 rounds down the pipe within a couple hours, flawless.

[Flouncer]

I have the Bersa Firestorm. It is solid, no plastic (grips are soft). After several hundred rounds I have adjusted to it and can shoot reasonably well. I don't have experience with the other weapons, but I would not hesitate to purchase and shoot and defend with a Bersa in .380. With FMJ ammo a .380 will shoot a .355mm hole clean through a Human. The various hollowpoint and expanding bullet options make wound channels that go wider and shallower just like a 9mm. Hope that helps. Never heard it was assembled in USA. My CA purchase Firestorm is labeled " Made in Argentina" and Ramos Mejia Argentina Imported by RSA Enterprises INC Ocean NJ

The Firestorm is the only one of the mentioned that is SA/DA. ie it has a hammer and can be fired or decocked by thumb on the hammer. The trigger pull is noticeably lighter in SA with the hammer cocked if that maters to you. The others are simply pull wiggle pull pull pull BANG. The SA trigger pull HAS to be better.

Any substantiation to the assembled in USA ? Where ? Who ?

[DB>]

The Firestorm is on CA roster, the Thunder is not (and has a built in trigger lock), other than that they are practically identical. Parts are literally interchangeable. 8 round mags run just fine (7 is "factory" supplied).

The Bersas shoot very accurately for me, I think the blowback design helps with that, and it does make the gun a bit snappier, but nothing bad IMO. Maybe a bit big for CC - they do make an actual "380CC" model that is smaller and similar in design (nothing interchangeable with the Firestorm/Thunder lines). It's not on roster, so good luck finding one... I snagged one in the CG marketplace, but haven't seen any listed since.

As others have suggested, take a good look at a Sig P238, more $$ (OK, about double the Bersas), but a better more concealable firearm.

[Tiberius]

Bersas are great guns with a bit of a cult following - there are dedicated forums out there. One thing not mentioned is that you can get extended mags for the Bersa, and so carry 9+1. Also, the Bersa is DA/SA and has a safety. Perhaps because of the blowback design, but the Bersas and Sig 232s (very similar) I've seen in action tend to be very very accurate. And the Bersas can be about $300. On sale, tho, Shields are just a bit more.

From the complaints above, handle each and compare the trigger. The Bersa also has almost a full size grip but is still compact. Neither Shield nor Bersa are really a pocket gun - for that, look at a Sig P238 or other .380s.

[Rocktalk79]

Thanks for the info and opinions everyone. Right now I'm leaning towards a PM9 or CW9. So on Tuesday I'm going to the range to rent those two and try them. If I like one of those I'll buy one. If not I'll try out a shield and possibly a firestorm. There is PM9 with black slide and night sights I want to get if I like shooting one at the range.

[eddy 600]

I have the Bersa firestorm,shield & a Kahr pm9.I shoot the shield the best the only thing i don't like about it is the magazines.The follower seems to come out of alignment but it hasn't caused any problems. They all shoot well pick the one that works the best for you.

[Pofoo]

Maybe you can find a deal on a used P238, which in my opinion is a good pocket pistol.

This bit more expensive, but this is the one that I ended up carrying. It is also pleasant and fun to shoot. I have the aluminum frame one which is lighter than the SS frame one.
I have Kahr's (trigger is hard to get used to and shoot accurately) and Walther PP, PPKs (which the Bursa is a cheaper copy of, but is heavy to carry).