Bersa Thunder 380;

[mod1911a]

Hey BS'ers. I just picked up a Bersa Thunder 380 off the Marketplace. Excellent condition, looks like it was fired little, and according to the seller it's over 10 yrs old.
I'm a long time gun aficionado but have zero experience with the Bersa. Did research and, as expected, came up with just as many negative reviews as positive ones.
Just wondering if anyone out there wanted to share their thoughts or experiences with the Bersa Thunder 380
Thanks for any input you may have.

 

[andmess14]

They always seem to work when I see them. Only time I ever saw one have an issue was when it was bone dry. Oil did the trick

 

[Jstudz220]

I don’t think I’d carry one as a primary carry gun with so many, in my opinion better options available but I don’t think it’s a bad gun. Bring it to the range at least once or twice and get a feel for it. After putting a few hundred rounds through it that should tell you everything you need to know about it. I’ve always kind of admired them but never pulled the trigger on buying one for myself.

 

[Murgatroyd]

They generally work pretty well. In my experience .380s tend to be generally more sensitive to ammo selection than guns chambered in 9x19mm or 45acp. Find a type of ammo that it shoots reliably and stock up on that.

 

[mod1911a]

They generally work pretty well. In my experience .380s tend to be generally more sensitive to ammo selection than guns chambered in 9x19mm or 45acp. Find a type of ammo that it shoots reliably and stock up on that.

Thanks. Only other 380 I've owned was a Kahr CT380 that I just sold a month ago. Bought it for the wife years ago but the recoil spring was so hard; due to the snappy round and light weight of the gun, I realized she could've never operated it--hell, I could hardly work the slide. Handled hard ball pretty reliably, but you had to hold tight else you'd get stovepipes.
This little blow back Bersa's slide is quite different. Gotta get out and shoot it.
Thanks again.

 

[mod1911a]

I don’t think I’d carry one as a primary carry gun with so many, in my opinion better options available but I don’t think it’s a bad gun. Bring it to the range at least once or twice and get a feel for it. After putting a few hundred rounds through it that should tell you everything you need to know about it. I’ve always kind of admired them but never pulled the trigger on buying one for myself.

Thanks. No it wouldn't be primary carry. I like my Kimber Micro 9. I bought the Bersa cuz......well, I'm just an addict. Also has a CT laser grip.
The trigger--double and single modes--are really surprising.
Thanks again.

 

[BillnLA]

Needs at least a 2-300 rounds of ball run through it to break in. Might give feed problems at first using flat nosed ammo if it is indeed fairly low round count. As others posted, keep it well lubed while breaking in. Have owned a few in 380, 9MM, and 40. None of them have had any issues.

 

[mod1911a]

Needs at least a 2-300 rounds of ball run through it to break in. Might give feed problems at first using flat nosed ammo if it is indeed fairly low round count. As others posted, keep it well lubed while breaking in. Have owned a few in 380, 9MM, and 40. None of them have had any issues.

Thanks. Sounds encouraging. I keep every moving part and bearing surface of a firearm shining with oil.
Question: (save me research time) The 9mm and 40 Bersas can't be simple blowback like the 380, right?

 

[hotbiggun]

I owned several decades ago when they were very cheap. Alway went bang but kind of stiff to rack back if i remeber right. I would have no issue carrying one.

 

[Kraut]

Never had a Bersa either, but have thought about it, they seem like fairly nice guns. I own quite a few guns that many consider "cheap" as referring to quality more so than price, and have found them quite reliable, but as several above have noted, before relying on it, put a fair amount and variety of ammo through it. I learned this through personal experience. I once bought, back when I was young and quite a bit less knowledgeable about guns, a Bryco/Jennings .380 because it seemed "solid," and was pretty damned affordable, and I wanted something I would be less upset about losing in a vehicle burglary as there were frequent occurrences where I worked, and the only other convenient handgun I owned at the time was a Beretta that was 4x the cost of the Jennings. I shot most of a box of ammo through it, keeping enough to load it and the spare mag, and kept it in my car. It actually got missed when my car was indeed burglarized while I was at work, ironically. But shooting it some more later, it suddenly stopped firing, and I discovered the firing pin had broken. This was with somewhere around 200-250 rounds total through the gun (a few different times to the range over a couple years). When I called, they sent me TWO firing pins free, as if I should anticipate the first replacement breaking as well. I installed it, but never relied on that pistol again, and eventually, after becoming a police officer, removed the firing pin and donated it to our academy for use as a "red gun." It's not that lesser brand/lesser cost guns aren't a viable option, but just make sure you're certain enough for your own comfort level that you can rely on it. This goes for better brand/higher cost guns as well, as I bought a Colt Mustang Pocketlite (for a pretty penny before they were re-introduced and had polymer frame versions) and had to go through several types of ammunition to find one that would reliably feed, basically only seemed to work with Remington 88 gr. hollow points, anything with a broader shoulder or longer nose to the bullet jammed on the regular. My Kel-Tec P3AT gobbles up anything I feed it, and I've heard lots of people gripe about those. Of course anything can happen at any time, and the best high-dollar fancy BBQ gun can take a dump on you with a freak accident of manufacturing, handling, or ammo failure, just don't buy it and load it and carry it with the assumption that it will be fine, and yes, plenty of people do so all the time.

 

[mod1911a]

Update:
I fired the little Bersa. One failure to feed with some steel case Monarch 94gr. No biggie. Functioned flawlessly with some Fiocchi 102gr FMJ and some expensive Remington 102gr JHP Ultimate Defense.
SA trigger leaves a lot to be desired. Didn't shoot it DA from the de-cocked position.

A couple of reviews I had read reported problem with the slide not locking in the open position after the last round was fired. Well, I experienced just that 80% of the time during firing. But it locks open 100% of the time when operated manually with the empty mag. Wonder what's up with that? Weak mag spring I'd guess--doesn't force the follower up fast enough to operate the hold-open gizmo.

Only Gripe: Shoots 1" lower than point-of-aim at 6 yds. The sights are 3 white dot, so filing the front sight down wouldn't seem practical. The gun came with a CT laser grip, so instead of adjusting the laser to co-witness with the sights, I just adjusted the laser a little low to compensate.
Not bad for a $250 outlay. Don't think I'd trust my life to it.
Thanks for all the replies.