Bersa Thunder 380...reliable?

[gpsjon]

I have several larger caliber pistols and wheel guns so i'm not really looking for opinions on caliber for a CCW but more opinion on the value in this cute little pistol in .380 ACP.
Most of what i read says it is pretty reliable and the price point is appealing along with it's small size as a CCW carry piece. It feels good in my big mitt and i hope to shoot it next week if the stars align with our plans.
What are your experiences with this little gun...good and bad, expecially the BAD are greatly appreciated?!
Thanks in advance!

Cheers, be safe and shoot straight!

GPSJon

[MaHoTex]

I have heard really good things about the Bersa Thunder. However, you must put a few downrange before it operates trouble free. I am considering getting one of these myself.

[glockman19]

Yes it is reliable...mine eats all ammo I feed it but I wouldn't use it as a carry weapon. I prefer a larger caliber. At very least a .38+p, better is a 9mm and even better is a .45 ACP.

[eldonvieira]

Mine has worked great and I carry it when I can't carry my 45

[JSpin]

i dont own one personally, but i've spent a lot of time with my dads. i think they're one of, if not THE best deal in handguns right now. finish work isn't as good as the walther, but more than acceptable in my book. ive never experienced any feeding or jamming issues with it, and i believe my dad has very few in a few thousand rounds.

get it!

[Honeydos]

I was just handling one today and was actually impressed with the overall feel of it. Seems to me you couldn't go wrong for the price. I've never shot one, but they seem fairly well built. Lots of feature for such an inexpensive pistol. Magazine disconnect, decocker....
If you buy one and hate it maybe I'll buy it from you...for half price of course.

[Bellehood]

Yes it is reliable...mine eats all ammo I feed it but I wouldn't use it as a carry weapon. I prefer a larger caliber. At very least a .38+p, better is a 9mm and even better is a .45 ACP.

just doing my part to help defeat internet myths; The most powerful .380 acp loads (Cor-Bon's 90-grain JHP for example) fired from, say, the 3.5" barrel of the Bersa thunder, will have significantly higher velocity and muzzle energy than ANY .38 load (+p or not) fired from your average, concealed carry, 2" snubby.

food for thought.

[jgorman]

I have had one for about a year now, and love it. It eats anything i feed it and after about 500 rounds i have yet to have a FTF or FTE problem. It truly was money well spent. .380 ammo is alittle costly but thats life. It is a blowback so there is alittle bit more felt recoil but its very manageable. Overall I love mine, not sure if i would CCW with it though.

[Old4eyes]

The Bersa Thunder 380 is a good deal as far as price goes. Mine has shot several brands of FMJ and Gold Dots for HP, all without a hiccup.

Some things to be aware of:

1. The safety/decocker can be pretty stiff. You have to manually cycle it a lot to break it in. Some have pulled it out and polished it with jeweler's rouge. I did not have to go that far.

2. The recoil spring is NOT SYMMETRICAL. One end is slightly tighter than the other, that's the end that goes towards the breach end of the barrel. Getting that reversed supposedly will cause malfunctions.

3. The gun supposedly only runs well on factory mags. I picked up extra mags and a different grip from: http://www.condorsflight.com/

4. If you get the model with gold accents, be careful with Gunscrubber, it trashed the gold accents on mine.

I find the recoil to have a sharp component. the rubber wrap around grips with finger grooves (got it from condors flight) eases that a little bit, but it is still there. I've talked to other folks who own the same gun and we all agree this little beast will get your attention with that sharp recoil. It is the one gun (9mm, 45acp, 357) I own that I will put a glove on to shoot at the range. It's not a powerful recoil, it just stings the webbing of my hand.

Trigger is not the best or worst you'll encounter. I've been told it is better than a Walther PPK.
One review that compared the Walther PPK to the Bersa noted that the beavertail on the Bersa was larger which greatly reduced the possibility of slide bite.

I found the gun to be accurate.
I enjoy the gun and do not regret getting it.

[ibmenace]

I had one of these a while back and it was one of the most reliable firearms i have ever owned.It would fire any ammo you put in it and was really accurate. A great light weight easy to conceal and operate firearm. I highly reccomend.

[xxsleepyxx]

Bersa's blow up. I was a fan before but I'm skeptical now. Granted this was an older model and maybe 1 out of a million.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1pUCeeplnY

[Blackmon]

My wife bought one a few years ago. As far as I can remember we have never had any issues and it is fun to shoot.

[makaio]

I've had mine for 11 years never one problem.

[Donny1]

Bersa's blow up. I was a fan before but I'm skeptical now. Granted this was an older model and maybe 1 out of a million.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1pUCeeplnY

I can't remember watching and listening to a more educated and eloquent spokesperson.

So which is it? He says it's from the 80's but then he says it's brand new, WTH! I don't think I would put much in to what this guy says.

[glockman19]

I can get any gun to blow up...shoot over charged reloads will do it all the time no matter what gun you are shooting.