Bersa Thunder .380

[The Courier]

I'm on the fence right now mine had lots of light strikes and then the saftey lever sheared off and hit my GF in the head, I'm glad the failure wasn't worse. Depending on how RSA treats us with repairs will determine if I buy another.

 

[fxdc]

I agree, I have introduced many to pistol shooting with the Bersa. It is comfortable, accurate and low recoil

So true!
Love doing a hi cap mag dump into a pepper popper at 10 yards and hearing each hit!

Huge fun!

 

[JamesG]

Bersa makes a great gun for under $300. I wish they would come out with a single stack 9 with a hammer.
Thanks:
James

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Bersa makes a great gun for under $300. I wish they would come out with a single stack 9 with a hammer.
Thanks:
James

Me too

 

[fxdc]

Me too

That's the model 85.
90's version
It's what I have also the 86.
They run great

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

That's the model 85.
90's version
It's what I have also the 86.
They run great

Aren't those 380?

 

[bbbass]

My friend has a Thunder that he let me shoot a bit. Hefted like a 9mm... I thought it was nice since I don't like the feel of .380 pocket pistols. The controls were a bit difficult for my thumb arthritis, but if you don't have that, no worries.

My brother has an older Bersa. He loves it. Had only 1 brand of ammo it didn't like... fixed it with mag lip adjustment and feed ramp polishing. Had to do that with the wife's pocket pistol but it turns out you really gotta have an iron grip on those little guns or they will limp-wrist jam on you. I like the Bersa better because it is easier to get a full grip on.

 

[fxdc]

Aren't those 380?

Whoops
That they are.
Thought this was about .380

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Whoops
That they are.
Thought this was about .380

I thought you were responding bring to my "me to" comment that I wished they made it in 9mm version.. lol I thought you were saying you had a 9mm version doh

 

[fxdc]

I thought you were responding bring to my "me to" comment that I wished they made it in 9mm version.. lol I thought you were saying you had a 9mm version doh

LOL
I'm still recovering and on pain meds......

The model 85 was an approved back up for sparks NV pd and that's why I got one, back in the early 90's this size was the compact hide out.

Dept would not accept a colt 380 mustang as a backup ... double / single was ok. AMT 380's
Along with the s&w 638 and 642 were OK.

 

[oremike]

Is a Bersa thunder and a Firestorm the same pistol with different badging?

 

[albin25]

The Bersa 380cc unlike the regular Bersa Thunder has finger groves on the grip that can improve your hold. The stock plastic grips however are thin and flat somewhat negating the effectiveness of those grooves.
Because of those grooves, aftermarket grips are hard to find compared to grips for the regular Thunder.
I really lucked out in finding thicker, rounded, grips that also molded into the extended pinky grip mags that make it now fit the hand perfectly(haven't seen any like them for sale ever again).....
...and the dark maroon looks great too.

 

[MilitantBEEMER]

Is a Bersa thunder and a Firestorm the same pistol with different badging?

Good question here is what my google skills uncovered

.380 Thunder vs .380 Firestorm - Bersa Firearms Forum

 

[JamesG]

I had an Interarms Walther PPK and a Bersa Thunder .380 and took them both to the range and for me the Bersa was more accurate. The back sights are adjustable on the Bersa and that made a big difference. My Daughter shot most of the .380s I have owned and she settled on the Bersa CC model. They are simple to clean and breakdown plus they rarely have a feeding issue. The one she bough was used but it came with 3 mags.
Thanks:
James

 

[oremike]

Good question here is what my google skills uncovered
.380 Thunder vs .380 Firestorm - Bersa Firearms Forum

Thank you for that, what I parsed out of that was they are basically the same but the Firestorm is out of production, so bring on the Thunder for me.

 

[Alexx1401]

I'm on the fence right now mine had lots of light strikes and then the saftey lever sheared off and hit my GF in the head, I'm glad the failure wasn't worse. Depending on how RSA treats us with repairs will determine if I buy another.

This is another example of what I have said many times. There is no such thing as a mass manufactured gun that does not let out a bad one. No matter what name or price this will happen. It's always a big suck when you get the unlucky one. It makes zero sense to buy or not buy off this though. Now the customer service, that is IMPORTANT. While I put zero weight in stories of a gun being defective, I do pay attention to how the company treats the person who got the bad one.

 

[Alexx1401]

The Berea 380cc unlike the regular Berea Thunder has finger groves on the grip that can improve your hold. The stock plastic grips however are thin and flat somewhat negating the effectiveness of those grooves.
Because of those grooves, aftermarket grips are hard to find compared to grips for the regular Thunder.
I really lucked out in finding thicker, rounded, grips that also molded into the extended pinky grip mags that make it now fit the hand perfectly(haven't seen any like them for sale ever again).....
...and the dark maroon looks great too.
View attachment 334963

When you posted that pic before I searched all over and could not find those grips. Whoever came out with them it's too bad they did not keep making them. They look like they would be a hit. I would LOVE it if they came out with those in rubber like the Pachmayr.

 

[Landcruiser]

I had one and liked it at the time...until I bought other higher quality pistols. The Bersa does fine but is as large as a Glock 19 and holds less than half the rounds in a marginal at best caliber. Don't often regret getting rid of it.

 

[deathfromabove]

I had a Bersa Thunder CC and it ate everything I fed it. It was fairly heavy for a carry gun, but the extra weight helped minimize felt recoil. The reason that I got rid of the CC was that using the slide stop as a slide release actually rounded the edge of the rear indent in the slide to where the slide stop would not engage and hold the slide open anymore. I bought a new slide and immediately sold it. I ended up getting a M&P Shield in .40 S&W to take the Bersa's place. The Thunder CC sure did shoot nice though.

 

[SynapticSilence]

A lot of people haven't had experience with Bersa's polymer framed striker fired single stack pistol. It now comes in 9mm, .40S&W, and .380. The .380 version is the BP380CC. I had it in 9mm and it was a completely reliable, light, extremely thin, and concealable pistol. It's a bit larger than the Thunder 380 pistols, but it's only .9 inches wide and disappears in an IWB holster. I think it's a vastly overlooked and underappreciated firearm. Budsgunshop has it for $331 at present. Regardless of how you go, Bersa offers an unlimited lifetime warranty on its firearms and has service centers in the U.S., so you don't end up having to ship your gun to Argentina and hope it makes it back to your door. You can check out a shooting review by clicking here.