Bersa .380 Thunder

[stich]

I'm thinking of picking up one of these for my wife to get her used to a semi auto. She's getting her CCW and has a .38 Special now. I think I'd like her to carry an auto tho. The Bersa has an easy slide pull and thats important as she has small hands. My gunsmith buddy has one as a pocket gun and really likes it. Say's he can put anything down the pipe and no FTF or problems so far. He can get one for me for under $200 on sale now. What do you guys think? Anyone else have one? Likes ond dislikes?

[RedDawn]

Great little gun, I enjoyed shooting it when I had mine. It was stolen about 5 years ago, and I've been meaning to pickup another one.

[glockman19]

I bought one for my wife too. Not enough punch for me.

Smallest caliber I'll carry is .38 special.

inexpensive gun, shoots well.

[CA357]

You can't go wrong, especially for that price. I had one and would own another in a heartbeat. They're retailing for around $300. right now. However, the issue with the Bersa is that while she'll gain capacity, she'll lose power/size of the round.

Personally, I prefer the .38 over the .380 for a defensive round. Buy it anyway, it's a great pistol and at that price, it's an excellent deal.

[WyoDuner]

I've had a Bersa .380 Thunder for probably 8 or more years now. The gun is very reliable and a pretty good shooter. It has a decocker and is DA/SA. Great gun for the money. I have thousands of rounds through mine. It is now my wife's CCW gun.

But.... While this gun has been 100% reliable for me it is not 100% reliable for my wife. If you limp wrist it it will jam and FTF. Not every time but every so often. The woman's grip isn't as strong as a man's and that is the problem. My wife is fairly petite so that's part of the problem. The only other issue with the gun - ANY gun that small and light - is the fairly sharp recoil. Since this, like pretty much all .380s, is a straight blowback operation so you are going to get a sharper recoil.

I'm not trying to dissuade you but you should be aware of the recoil and limp wrist issues you may have with any of these small .380 pistols.

All things considered, I say get the gun and have your wife get plenty of range time. It's a super value and a great pistol.

[stich]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll get it just because the price is so good. Then after she tries it and finds out she doesn't like it as much as her .38, I can still keep it for a backup or pocket gun.

[WyoDuner]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll get it just because the price is so good. Then after she tries it and finds out she doesn't like it as much as her .38, I can still keep it for a backup or pocket gun.

Kind of like buying your wife a bowling ball for her birthday - you know it will be yours pretty soon.

Good call getting it. It's a great gun and at that price you can't loose.