Bersa 380

[XD9JEN]

I was also shopping for a CCW gun and I was trying to decide between the Kahr PM9, Bersa 380, Sig P6 and CZ RAMI. I'm a slim guy and it's hard to wear a gun on my hip without it printing. I took a look at all these guns and it came down to the Bersa .380 and the CZ RAMI because they both seemed smaller and easier to carry for me. I ended up buying the CZ RAMI in 9mm because I already have another 9mm pistol and the ammo is easy to find unlike the .380. The CZ is about the same dimensions as the Bersa, but it feels just a little bit bulkier.

I still may buy a Bersa Thunder .380 in the future (that's what my wife wants anyway), but the CZ RAMI is a pretty good subcompact that I'd recommend checking out if you can.

I will check it out now that my trip to Turners has been delayed til tomorrow.

[Old4eyes]

The Bersa Thunder .380 is a great bargain. Unlike a couple of postings here I haven't had feed or ejections problems and was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy at 25 yards. The are a few things to watch out for in this pistol:

1. It's a blowback with a sharp component to the recoil. I've talked to two other owners an they agree there is sharpness to the recoil. I put a different grip on mine which helped a little.

2. When you field strip it, the recoil spring is not symmetrical. The opening of one end is slightly smaller (and thus tighter) than the other end. The tight end goes to the breech side of the pistol, the larger end to the muzzle. Reportedly getting it swapped will lead to reliability issues.

3. If you get the Lipsey model with the black/gold trim, the gold does not like Gun Scrubber.

4. The Decock lever is usually quite gritty - I put some Gun Butter on it and worked cycled it a lot to break it in.

5. The slide lock mechanism is reported to be easily worn out. I don't use the slide lock to release the slide, I sling shot it.

6. I've heard factory magazines are a must.

The 380 cartridge itself is certainly less powerful than 9mm. The issue is one of penetration. There is a lot of discussion on whether or not to simply use hardball rather than self defense ammo to get penetration while sacrificing expansion.

And the biggest problem - finding ammo.

Here's a couple of links:

http://www.bersatalk.com/forum/ Then scroll down to the 380 section.

Need grips, magazines, holster:

http://www.condorsflight.com/

I've gotten magazines and the rubber wrap around grip from the condors flight site. Been several years but if they are as good as they were when I did business with them, it's a good source.

[CGK60]

Sold one and should of kept it. thinking of getting another one.

[evidens83]

The Bersa .380 is an excellent reliable pocket pistol at an affordable price. I regret selling mine as well.

[ZombieTactics]

If concealability is your concern then the G26 is smaller than the SR9c in every dimension. ...

I'd rethink this notion, go to a gunstore, hold the two up to each other and compare every dimension.

The published specifications of both guns - and the way they are measured - might be leading you to conclusions which evaporate the moment you physically compare the two. For instance: Glock measures "width" as being the width of the slide itself, while Ruger measures at the point of the slide releases. The actual slide of the SR9C is a tad bit slimmer, and the grip even more so. Perhaps it's some kind of odd illusion that makes it appear/feel so, but it sure looks/feels that way when you are standing there with both guns in your hand.

More to the topic: the Bersa 380 is an awesome little gun.

[jdewolf]

I'd rethink this notion, go to a gunstore, hold the two up to each other and compare every dimension.

I'll have to do that. I'm looking to either buy a full sized 45 or a sub/compact 9mm.

[C_1]

Nothing wrong with a Bersa 380 but ammo is a little harder to find and more expensive (than 9mm). If you want a slim handgun, check out the Kahr pistols. After the break in, they are reliable. And Kahr's CS is good so if you have any problems, just hit em up.

I would recommend the Kahr CW9, P9 and PM9. They also have it in 380 acp, 40sw and 45 acp.

[robert101]

I just purchased a Bersa 380 for my daughter just yesterday. It looks like a fine gun. I can't wait to get it in 9 days and feed a bunch of ammo through it.

[XD9JEN]

Nothing wrong with a Bersa 380 but ammo is a little harder to find and more expensive (than 9mm). If you want a slim handgun, check out the Kahr pistols. After the break in, they are reliable. And Kahr's CS is good so if you have any problems, just hit em up.

I would recommend the Kahr CW9, P9 and PM9. They also have it in 380 acp, 40sw and 45 acp.

Checked out the SR9C and the Glock 26 verses the Bersa and size wise the Bersa beat them out for what I'm looking for. Now they had a kahr 40 and it was pretty slim but they didn't have a 9 to show me which the guy said was a tiny bit smaller than the 40. I liked the Kahr but it's also the price of the Bersa...just can't beat it.

[C_1]

Initial cost between the Bersa and Kahr is definitely something to think about but in the long run, once you factor in ammo, the Kahr is, for lack of a better description, more "practical."

But it's up to you. Just make sure it fits you well and you can shoot it comfortably.

[XD9JEN]

Initial cost between the Bersa and Kahr is definitely something to think about but in the long run, once you factor in ammo, the Kahr is, for lack of a better description, more "practical."

But it's up to you. Just make sure it fits you well and you can shoot it comfortably.

For sure and when I asked the guy how much for .380 ammo he said 18.00 per 50 box...wasn't thrilled about that but it was also the gun store prices. Btw, I started a thread on what's the best site for buying ammo online and have had no responses yet. I have bought 9mm and .22 online before, a buddy and I go in on it together and that makes it cheaper.

[The Duke]

I too have heard that Bersas are not the most 'shootable' guns, but I think that's personal preference. I've also heard that they have problems with certain kinds of ammo. Those two have been enough to scare me away from the gun. I know that's unjustified, but if it's my carry weapon, which my life might very well depend on some day, that's all I need to be a little chicken. On top of that, is the .380 issue. I know it 'should' do the job, but personally, as an old guy, if I get into trouble, I want the most punch that I can handle, since I might only get one shot and want it to be the biggest caliber possible.

[GunLover]

I shot the Bersa at the range a while ago. Better than i expected for such a small package. I think you will be happy with it. For me I like to go minimum 9mm for ccw.

[Old4eyes]

My Bersa is great. It can be a little finnicky with ammo I've found though.

What ammo gave you problems? I've used Remington, Federal and Magtech hardball and Golden Saber in my Bersa 380, nary a problem.

[testosteroneOD]

A friend has a Bersa and I have shot it alot. For the price, I thought it to be an excellent pistol. It fit her hands perfect and she was able to control and shoot it perfect