Bought another one...

[drifter2be]

Since I recently started reloading 380acp for my GF to have plinking/practice ammo for the Sig P238 I gave her I decided that I needed to get myself a .380 plinker gun to take to the range with me.

Had planned on picking up a CZ-83, but I have had ZERO luck finding one locally, and they are out of production so I was never going to find a new one.

Been a while since I had taken a look at Bersa, and I found their Thunder 380 Combat model.



Definitely much better looking than the standard Thunder 380 models. I like the look of the wider slide serrations, and apparently now Bersa is cutting a dovetail in the slide for the front sight, rather than staking it on.

I feel like I am taking a bit of a risk, my experience with Bersa has been 50/50. My first Bersa was a complete pile, constant FTF, FTE issues and the trigger would plain stop working occasionally due to a issue with the mag disconnect. My GF had a Thunder 380CC, ran great, but I hated the sights. My 2nd Bersa ran alright, occasional jam with hollow points, but ran perfectly with ball.

So here I am again. Hoping, since this gun is pretty much exclusively for range use that I shouldn't have any worries. Although I will run some Golden Sabers through it after the first few hundred rounds just to check functionality with hollow points, in case I ever feel like carrying a gun that is slightly larger and shoots an less powerful cartridge than my Beretta Nano.

Placed my order earlier today, $298 shipped, my FFL will be charging me $25, so $323 out the door. Hoping it will ship in time for me to shoot it next weekend, but we shall see.

[SonofWWIIDI]

Nice!

[bsg]

congrats.

[sbcfd]

Very unique looking gun congrats

[Gottmituns]

Wow!!! Congratulations. Great gun. I hvae a Bersa Thunder 380.
Reliable and accurate guns. You'll love it.
There is an article on the net that has a Bersa Thunder 380 with 50,000 documented rounds and still keeps on going.

[trigger945]

Congrats! Seems like you are a fan and the risk is worth taking if this is not your first. Enjoy!

[Bongos]

Is the new Bersa a delayed blow back design like the P238? The recoil will be a big difference (more on the Bersa.. the older ones were stationary barrel design)

[drifter2be]

Is the new Bersa a delayed blow back design like the P238? The recoil will be a big difference (more on the Bersa.. the older ones were stationary barrel design)

I'm pretty sure this is a fixed barrel blowback design like the old ones were.

On a side note, just got an email from Grabagun, shipping out today, so I'll have it by Thursday maybe Friday at the latest.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Che762x39]

Since I recently started reloading 380acp ...

I reloaded for an Astra Constable 380 and my brother had a Walther.

You will find the JHPs will provide significantly better accuracy than FMJ or LRN. The downside was after 1000 reloads that Astra would rattle. The rear sight had to be put back on and even the grip screws would not stay tight. A gunsmith mentioned that 380s were not meant to be shot that much.

[Bongos]

fixed barrel blowback design like the old ones were.

Was afraid of that, you will feel significant snap in the recoil, possibly to a point you will not like shooting it.. the Sig P238 with delayed blow back cushions the harsh recoil to manageable level.. personally I never did like the old fixed barrel designs like the Walther PPK, Makarov, bersa designs.

[den888]

Congrats!

[sealocan]

I've also heard mixed things about them, though that picture of the combat model looks better.

give us a quick review of its function when you get it.

[Gottmituns]

I reloaded for an Astra Constable 380 and my brother had a Walther.

You will find the JHPs will provide significantly better accuracy than FMJ or LRN. The downside was after 1000 reloads that Astra would rattle. The rear sight had to be put back on and even the grip screws would not stay tight. A gunsmith mentioned that 380s were not meant to be shot that much.

http://www.guns.com/review/2011/11/11/how-it-breaks-problems-with-the-bersa-thunder-380/

How It Breaks: Bersa Thunder 380

11/11/11 | by Derek Odom
The Thunder 380 is Bersa’s best-selling handgun. It is known for its light weight and extremely compact size, making it a great candidate for concealed carry. It can be found at most retailers for $300 or less – something that adds to its appeal. The aim of this article is not to bash Bersa or the Thunder 380, but rather to highlight any of the Thunder 380′s problems.

The folks at Dave’s Gun and Archery in San Bernardino, CA, used to rent this gun out to potential buyers. They’re in a unique position to see the beginning, middle and end of a gun’s life.

According to the guys at Dave’s, the trigger spring on their Thunder finally wore out after 50,000 rounds (50,000!). Rental guns are run hard and often, though, and that takes its toll. It would likely take a regular gun owner many, many years for their own Thunder 380 to reach that kind of number.

With the trigger spring damaged, the gun would not shoot in a regular firing position. Instead, it prefers to shoot while on its side (gangster style) and actually moving in order to make the hammer fall (see video).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bzB073aATLw

Needless to say, this is not something we see every day; in fact, it was downright funny watching it being dry fired.

There have been other reports of other Thunder 380s failing to feed and other trigger problems, but like this instance, they’re few and far between with the culprit being limp-wristing, crappy ammo, or an actual defective model (which Bersa will more than likely assist if you bought it new).

Of course, to give the gun some props, it has had 50,000 rounds pumped through it, the pistol is broken, and yet still actually fires. That’s really pretty amazing, to be honest. One does not encounter that very often.

Not to say that every Thunder 380 will incur the same exact discrepancy, but more than likely it will function in a strange way after 50,000 documented rounds. However, don’t let this discourage you from buying a Thunder 380. If you ask me, losing a trigger spring after that much shooting is good for any pistol, much less a cheaper, smaller one. So, although it broke, two thumbs-up for the Bersa Thunder 380.

[acpbrain]

A combat 380
how cute is that

[Gottmituns]

BTW, a Bersa trigger spring is about $4