Opinions on Bersa Thunder .380 sought

G

GTNerd

The Practitioner
I'm looking for opinions from those of you who have the Bersa .380 Thunder. Do you like it? In your opinion, what are it's strengths and weaknesses? What do you carry it in?

I'll be heading to my local range to shoot one in the near future, but I also wanted to get some feedback from owners. Thanls on advance for your answers!
 
It's super compact (CC version), affordable, and reliable; only thing I didn't like was the sting on the recoil.
 
I have one and carry it a few times a week. I either carry it in a crossbreed super tuck or a Bianchi OWD minimal holster.

As for strengths, it is super light and super easy to manage. Break-down is a snap. The barrel is pinned onto the frame and cleaning is very easy.

The biggest downfall I have is the safety. It had a decocker style safety. As in there is a lever on the top right side that will decock the hammer and also put a physical obstruction in front of the firing pin. I do not like that as the safety. I would prefer to carry hammer cocked with an engaged safety. So instead I just carry with the hammer down and one in the chamber.
It also has a magazine interlock safety. Which is good and bad, but basically of there is no magazine inserted, the firing mechanism is disengaged.

I have not had a single ftf, stovepipe, or any other issue with the Bersa.

By the way I have a Thunder Two-tone. Ask away with any other questions.
 
Consider the Ruger LCP, easier to conceal. Or the LC9, about the same size as the Thunder and in a 9mm. 9mm has more punch, and is cheaper at the range. I do like the way the Thunder fits your hand.
 
The first handgun I got was a two-tone Bersa Thunder 380, and it remains my favorite. Smooth as can be, perfect for concealment, very easy to clean, and never once has jammed, misfired, etc.
 
I love mine.I carry it daily in an ankle holster.It's light,manageable and accurate.It tears down easy and is easy to clean.I can't think of anything about it I don't like.I am thinking about getting a Ruger LC9 when I can though as a main carry and use the 380 as a back up.
 
I love mine and think it is a lot better than the more pocket sized .380's out there. A nice medium in easily concealed pistols.
I carry in a simple pouch style IWB leather holster/
I'm always amazed at how well it feels and shoots compared to my Glock 19 and Springfield Loaded 1911 for the price.
 
One of the better .380s out there, great size, very accurate, and easy to conceal, only downside I have, which was stated earlier, is the decocker safety, kind of a pain. I mostly carry my Glock 26 but have no reservations about the Bersa when situations dictate the need to carry smaller. Due to lower "stopping power" as compared to larger caliber firearms, I always use a FMJ round.
 
My Bersa sub compact 9mm is a GREAT gun. I love the comfort of shooting it. It is very accurate, and considerably less to shoot in 9mm than the .380.

I have a Bersa Thunder 380 in double stack and it is among the most comfortable and accurate guns that I have ever fired. Other than the arugments you get about 380 not being enough stopping power, it's a great gun.

I have 3 Bersa products and feel they are all among the greatest value in gun market. I would recomment them to anyone. My wife has a 380 Thunder with CT's and she loves to fire it and I would hate to have her shooting at me with it.

Good luck and safe shooting!
 
Beautiful little gun...It's my bug. Nothing wrong with mine. It shoots bang! everytime I pull the trigger, very smooth. Love the recoil.
 
Thanks for the feedback y'all! Right now my criteria for selecting a gun is price, size, and caliber, in that order.

Roughly how much is the LC9?

How big is the Bersa 9mm? On their website, it looked like it was just as big as my P30 (4.25" barrel with a 13+1 double stack weighing in at 27oz). A friend of mine had a Bersa 380 and was saying that with DPXs or PowerBalls, it had enough power to be a viable defensive gun (speaking of which, does anyone know if the Thunder 380 can handle +P ammo adaquately?). One other question I had involved the size if the handle. Do any of you with large hands have problems getting your hands around the gun?
 
The LC9 runs around $340 without the laser. I have the Bersa Thunder and the Bersa 380 CC. Both are outstanding guns. The Thunder's grip is a bit bigger than the CC and better for larger hands. I am not aware of any commercially available ammo that is truly designated as +P. As far as defensive rounds goes, Hornaday 90g critical defense is good and what I use in my .380's.
 
Ben I have the same weapon in duotone...shoots really good with independence target rounds and hornady personal defense.....mine just a lil more of a recoil to it than I expected when I first got it but fits in my big bear like hands pretty good....I wear a gun vest when ridin my bike when I carry it when i dont feel like carrying my taurus 24/7 oss .45 in my shoulder rig
 
most everyone here seems to like the Bersa .380, I have ordered 3 now for customers. What I have found is that when brand new they seem to have very stiff safety/decocker levers. What I have done for my customers is to do a thorough cleaning and polish the axle on the safety lever so that it works smoothly. As with all the guns I sell, they are all gone through,cleaned,lubed function checked before the customer see's them. The reason I do this is that I have on several occassions recieved guns that are less than what I would want if I ordered them new. Not that they are bad, just say a little dirty and a bit of surface rust. All of the 380's I have sold are working great with no problems that I have been made aware of. They are a good value and reliable.
 
Only problem I ever had with mine is the grip screws backing out but an email to Bersa got me some new screws which were much better.
I did recently replace the plastic grip panels with the Bersa rubber grips with finger grooves which are very nice.
 
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