New Bersa Thunder .380

CaptRon956 · May 19, 2015

Ordered a new Bersa thunder .380 from Bud's gun shop & it should arrive at my FFL tomorrow (5/20). I've heard so many good things about the Bersa & tried so hard to find one locally and could not, they were always sold out... What attracts me so much to the Thunder .380 is the all metal construction, longer 3.5" barrell that is pinned to the frame & finally the decocker which I think makes the pistol perfect for CC.

Currently the only .380 I have is my M&P .380 bodyguard which in all honesty has not failed me and is proven reliable. I plan on keeping it & on occasion will carry it when the need for deep concealment is required. In the meantime I placed another order with Alien Gear holsters for a cloak tuck 2.0 IWB for the Bersa and I also picked up a couple extra 7 round mags for it. I will post pics once the Bersa arrives at my FFL...

Protected One · May 19, 2015

Did you order the CC (concealed carry) version?

CaptRon956 · May 19, 2015

Protected One said:
Did you order the CC (concealed carry) version?

I wanted the CC but everyone & his uncle was sold out so I opted for the regular Bersa Thunder .380. For my purpose, it will serve me well.

mustangman · May 20, 2015

Congrats on the new Bersa 380. I hope it serves you well.

Rustyt1953 · May 20, 2015

I've had my duo-tone for 10 years. It is my daily carry. It is well built and feels solid in my hand. It is faithful and runs true.

I am well pleased. Hope you are too.

BearBio · May 20, 2015

My wife carried the Thunder 380 in her concealed carry purse for about a year. She also has the 22 Thunder for practice. I will be posting a "for Sale" add on both soon (wife went to a 9mm and I'm having some custom gun work done that needs to be paid for).

No complaints except the 22 does need high velocity rather than standard.

old&slow · May 20, 2015

I have a friend that has a Bersa 380. He liked it but the price of 380 ammo kept him from playing with it as much as he liked. So, he purchased the Bersa 22 to go along with the .380.

I shot his Bersa 22 and liked it so much I purchased one..

I have several .22's , but the little Bersa is probably in the range bag with me more often than the others. Except maybe the S&W 617.

The only problem I had with my Bersa was I thought the safety was a bit gritty. A little TLC took care of that.. Fun little gun at a reasonable price. And I've even thought about getting the .380 to go along with my .22.

eddie68 · May 20, 2015

I purchased a Bersa .380 Thunder Combat last fall. tickled pink with it. Shoots very well, reasonably concealable for a fat man, just fit it in a roll.
Eddie

CaptRon956 · May 21, 2015

I got a call from my LGS (my FFL) My Bersa Thunder .380 is in! Kuddo's to Buds gun shop for the killer delivery time. My Bersa came in totally soaked in oil...Took it home, field stripped it, wiped it down & drop of Rem oil here & there and I was back at the range and sent 150 rounds of Remington UMC thru it... First 20-30 rounds was flawless then I had a FTF. Out of 150 rnds I had maybe 3-4 that didnt feed while shooting or when releasing the slide lock to load a round. No FTF when slingshooting the slide though... Accuracy was dead on at 3-7 yards, just as good as my Shield 9mm. After 130 rnds it began to not lock the slide back on the last round. I attributed that to being a new pistol and shooting 100+ rounds fouling up somewhere. But it did go bang with each trigger pull.

Overall I'm impressed with the Bersa, its reliable enough and it will probably be about 400-600 rounds for break in before I consider it for carry. I ordered another holster from Alien Gear, a Cloak Tuck 2.0 for the Bersa. In the mean time it fits perfectly in my DeSantis Sof Tuck #106.... Tomorrow I'm going back to the range & put another 200 rounds thru it...

Horn · May 21, 2015

Agree About Bersa Thunder

CaptRon956 said:
Ordered a new Bersa thunder .380 from Bud's gun shop & it should arrive at my FFL tomorrow (5/20). I've heard so many good things about the Bersa & tried so hard to find one locally and could not, they were always sold out... What attracts me so much to the Thunder .380 is the all metal construction, longer 3.5" barrell that is pinned to the frame & finally the decocker which I think makes the pistol perfect for CC.

Currently the only .380 I have is my M&P .380 bodyguard which in all honesty has not failed me and is proven reliable. I plan on keeping it & on occasion will carry it when the need for deep concealment is required. In the meantime I placed another order with Alien Gear holsters for a cloak tuck 2.0 IWB for the Bersa and I also picked up a couple extra 7 round mags for it. I will post pics once the Bersa arrives at my FFL...

I think you are going to really enjoy that Bersa Thunder 380. I have one and a Sig P232. Firing them side by side the Bersa does really well. I prefer the no manual safety of the P232 but fit and finish and the Bersa is pretty well equal. I paid under $300 for my Bersa two years ago. Those (I heard someplace) German gun designers have done a great job on the entire line of Bersa pistols
from different posters on other sites and reviewers have given them high marks. They are truly a quality fire arm and a bargain.
I keep mine loaded __first round Buffalo Bore +P 100 gr. hard cast flat nose (So long as you are not concerned about over penetration) and all following Geco FMJ (standard European pressure)
I haven't had a single issue with either the Bersa or the P232.

Shorty 45 MK2 · May 21, 2015

Congrats on your newest!

hardluk1 · May 21, 2015

We have 2 of the bersa 380 CC models and a 15 round Thunder plus . Great little pistols . Just use a really good fmj for the first 50 or 100 rounds then try whats ever your wallet can stand .

CaptRon956 · May 21, 2015

hardluk1 said:
We have 2 of the bersa 380 CC models and a 15 round Thunder plus . Great little pistols . Just use a really good fmj for the first 50 or 100 rounds then try whats ever your wallet can stand .

I bought a couple 250rnd range packs of Remington UMC over the winter so I wanted to use those up first naturally. I know it's not the best FMJ out there, personally I like Monarch sold at my local Academy store however they've been sold out for awhile. It's quite possible that the UMC may be partially the cause of my few "failures"... Well, I wouldn't classify them as failure because each round did go bang, not one light strike, in fact the Bersa really drills into the primers with authority. I had 3-5 times out of 150 rounds of UMC that either releasing the slide the round would'nt feed and get jammed up by the next round under it or the empty brass would get caught in the slide. And out of 150 rnds the last 20-25 rounds the slide wouldnt lock open after the last round. I attribute that to being new and buildup of soot after shooting X number of rounds. I believe Bersa says that it will take at least 200 rounds before break in...

After yesterdays shoot, I took it home, broke it down and gave it a good cleaning. I will say this much, the Argentinians know how to make a .380 bore. The rifling is cut nice & sharp and is so shiney I swear I could see my reflection. Going back to the range again this afternoon, I think I'm gonna put a couple boxes of Federal american eagle & Hornady Critical defense thru it this time...

hardluk1 · May 21, 2015

I like speers lawman and try to keep a few box's around as a control load IF problems pop up. Remington express line always shot well, dirty but shot well and georgia arms canned heat for part of that breakin.

Bersa my not be as purdy as a walther but they tend to run better and for 1/3rd the cost .

CaptRon956 · May 21, 2015

I ran another 100 rounds of mixed Federal American Eagle & Remington UMC with no failures & I determined the issue with the slide not locking back on me last time due to one of the Pro Mag 7 rnd magazine's I was using. The pistol functioned beautifully using Hornady critical defense. Each time I take it to the range & clean it afterwards it seems to get smoother & smoother...

hardluk1 · May 21, 2015

Yep promags are not the best mags out there . You maybe luck it works as well as it does

jmace57 · May 21, 2015

It was my every day carry for about 4 years. I switched to a 642. Both are great for front pocket carry.

TX-Dennis · May 22, 2015

Yup . . . I have two Bersa Thunder .380s, three factory mags, and two Promags. The Promags feed well, but they often fail to lock the slide open on the last round. That's a common issue with them. Factory mags are difficult to find, and they can be fairly pricey, but worth it for the improved performance.

Now you need the rubber wraparound grip they sell on the Bersa site. I think it's $30 plus shipping. It fills the hand better and is less slippery than the stock plastic grips. I find it really does make a difference due to the fairly thin grip on the Bersas.

Reliability has been decent, but one of them has been in for (very fast and free) service twice. Once because it lost the little ring that holds the trigger mechanism together, and the second time because the takedown lever stopped latching the slide on at the same time that the decocker lever broke. However, that one has about ten thousand rounds through it currently, and it's still going strong. Well, the service wasn't completely free. I did have to pay to ship it to John's Guns in east Texas both times, but I disregarded UPS's "rule" that firearms have to go overnight, and just dropped it off at the local UPS store. Cost less than $20 per trip.

CaptRon956 · May 23, 2015

I put another 100 rounds thru the BT 380 this evening. Zero failures and it's turning out to be a really good shooter. One bad thing happened... I lost the rear set screw for the sight. My first time shooting, the rear sight blade came out however I was able to find it, the little spring & the set screw. This time, nope, set screw is gone... I'm gonna give their CS a call & see if they can send me a replacement & if not, I'll order one up, it's only 2 bux...

Frizzman · May 23, 2015

I had one with the satin nickel finish. It was a good pistol and was similar to my PPK but cheaper and lighter. I loned it to my elderly uncle who liked it a lot. He died unexpectedly a couple years ago and his predatory second wife kept it but I would get another if I needed a compact .380.

New Bersa Thunder .380

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