Bersa Thunder .380

[Rockgod1619]

I'm looking at getting my CCW this summer, and was wondering what this forum's members thought of the Bersa Thunder .380. I've read some reviews online but was wondering what you guys thought about it.

[crashdive123]

Not familiar with that one.

[Rockgod1619]

Saw it today when I went to Academy. Seems pretty solid, and less than half the cost of a Glock.

[MatthewnOK]

Be prepared to fill out MANY long forums. It takes longer to buy one gun at academy that two somewhere else.

[Rockgod1619]

Haha, well I'll probably go somewhere other than Academy then! Thanks for the tip Matthew! How are the forms at Bass Pro?

[MatthewnOK]

I've never actually been to one of those. You mileage at academy may very. It took my Father almost an hour of forums to buy a .22. The next week we went to a pawn shop and picked up his Taurus Judge. It took maybe twenty minutes at the most.

[Rockgod1619]

Hmmm. Well I'll definitely take that into consideration when I finally look into buying my handgun, which won't be until this summer.

[SARKY]

The bersa is OK... not great. There are so many small Nines out there now that are the same size as the Bersa, I don't know why anyone would carry a .380 when they can carry something the same size but with more power.

[Rockgod1619]

Thanks for in the info SARKY. One of the main reasons I'm looking at the Bersa is that I heard they were good guns for the money and were good for CCW.

[Rick]

Rockgod - Are you wanting it for personal protection? The CCW thing sort of says yes. I have the same opinion as Sarky on the .380. Take a look at the Kel-Tec PF9. It's the smallest 9mm on the market. I carry it for CCW. It's sitting next to me watching me type.

[Rockgod1619]

Hmmm. I'll definitely keep the PF9 in mind when I'm shopping around. Seems kind of light, but I'd have to hold it in hand to know for sure. Thanks for the info Rick!

Edit: And yes, for personal protection, whether in the city or the woods.

[SARKY]

Remember... this is a firearm you carry lots and fire a little. Not the other way around.

[Rockgod1619]

This is true. The more I've read about the PF9, the more I like it. Who knows, may have to get two. One for me and one for the wife. I'm gonna have her get her CCW this summer too...

[Rick]

Your wife probably won't like the PF9. Because of it's size it kicks worse than my .45. And you sure don't want to limp wrist it. You'll jam for sure if you do that. You want to give it good solid support.

[chiye tanka]

The Bersa is a great gun for the money, several of the guys I work with carry that off duty.
I agree with Rick and Sarky though, 9mm would be better. The Kel-Tec is very good, is American made, and has a lifetime warrenty.


BTW, Rick I got you! The smallest 9mm is the Rohrbaugh. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. :lol: It is the cheepest, the Rohrbaugh's dealer cost is $900.00.

[sgtdraino]

I'm looking at getting my CCW this summer, and was wondering what this forum's members thought of the Bersa Thunder .380. I've read some reviews online but was wondering what you guys thought about it.

My wife owned one for a while. Like others have said, pretty good value for money, but can't really be called a "great gun." It is big and heavy for a .380.

I too would recommend some of the smaller Kel-tec/Ruger entries, like the PF-9 or the P3AT, though my present personal preference is the Kahr PM series, possibly the best power to size/weight ratio out there right now. The PM9 is fairly time-tested at this point, I've been happy with the PM40 I carry, and I am thinking about swapping out for a PM45.

However, Kahr is not in the same price range as Bersa.

[EastCoast]

I have one that I purchased for the same reason. Dollar for dollar,its a good deal for the money. The .380 is a little lighter load than the 9mm, but in the right hands at 10 to 50 ft its sufficient. I can usually maintain an 8 to 10 inch group at 45 ft. Its made in Argintina,modled after the Walther PPK. All metal frame,no plastic except for the grips. it has a good weight to recoil ratio. Breaks down for cleaning easily. Has a good fullgrip and balances well. I looked at the KEL-TEK 9mm, Its a good gun, their well made for the money, but a little too light. The grips to short unless you get an extended mag, w/ an extended grip.At that point the thunder is a better fit. The small KEL-TEK 9,is ideal if space to carry is limited. It fits well in a pocket, but the 9mm is a heavy load for a gun that does not fit your hand well, and is hard to be accurate with at more than 20ft.

[loki]

I have one that I purchased for the same reason. Dollar for dollar,its a good deal for the money. The .380 is a little lighter load than the 9mm, but in the right hands at 10 to 50 ft its sufficient. I can usually maintain an 8 to 10 inch group at 45 ft. Its made in Argintina,modled after the Walther PPK. All metal frame,no plastic except for the grips. it has a good weight to recoil ratio. Breaks down for cleaning easily. Has a good fullgrip and balances well. I looked at the KEL-TEK 9mm, Its a good gun, their well made for the money, but a little too light. The grips to short unless you get an extended mag, w/ an extended grip.At that point the thunder is a better fit. The small KEL-TEK 9,is ideal if space to carry is limited. It fits well in a pocket, but the 9mm is a heavy load for a gun that does not fit your hand well, and is hard to be accurate with at more than 20ft.

I also have one and the reason I bought mine was for some of the same reasons metal frame, good weight, full grip plus I like the fact that I have can fire double or single action if I choose. I have the thunder plus so I have 15rounds of .380 in a medium size package and it cost me half of what a glock would have cost. I like mine plus since I leave it in my glove compartment a lot while at work, I don't want some 500 dollar plus gun to get stolen. Most of my firearms like my knives are working tools not relics or show pieces and like accordingly each has their own little niche that they fit in to make me carry that one on that particular day for a particular reason. I don't know what anybodys told you, but at under 15ft with shots to the head chest, and stomach the .380 works too.

[Rick]

Ooops, Chiya, The Rohrbaugh unloaded is 12.8 while the PF9 unloaded is 12.7. Close, though. Mighty close. I'll call that a draw.

[Pict]

I can't comment on the Bersa Thunder directly but I have heard good things about them. I did carry a Walther PPK/S for a while and I wasn't enamored with the .380 round. There is less of a selection of ammo whenever you go to buy it. In terms of power factor 9mm is a significant step upwards, it is much easier to find good loads, and the guns are just as small as many .380's especially the Bersa. I traded my PPK/S in for a Kahr K-9 (all steel) and never looked back. Mac

[loki]

I can't comment on the Bersa Thunder directly but I have heard good things about them. I did carry a Walther PPK/S for a while and I wasn't enamored with the .380 round. There is less of a selection of ammo whenever you go to buy it. In terms of power factor 9mm is a significant step upwards, it is much easier to find good loads, and the guns are just as small as many .380's especially the Bersa. I traded my PPK/S in for a Kahr K-9 (all steel) and never looked back. Mac


I am not saying that a Kahr and Walther are not good firearms in fact they are very good, but as I said mine is pretty much designated as a truck glove compartment gun both the walther and the kahr are at least in my area 500 plus US dollars. The Bersa I walked out the door 348 US dollars. It is not the best round by far and I know its limitations, that is why I got the 15 rounder vs the 7 round version less power just means I put more rounds down range. Accompanied with good shot placement I do not feel undergunned in normal everyday life. You are correct in stating there are not many variations of loads for this round but knowing it limitations means that you do not need a lot of different loads. I think the KISS method works well here I use Speer ball to increase penetration and there are many European manufacturers such as wolf and bear that make them. I think Remmington and Corbon also has a line of .380 ammunition with Corbon being the absolute best if you can find any of it. Not one seller in my area carries Corbon products. I have not seen a box of Corbon ammunition since I lived in North Carolina. Somebody send me a box.

[Pict]

I carried the Corbon +P load in my PPK/S. IIRC it sent a 95 grain hp out the barrel at 1050 fps. That's not bad for a gun that size, but consider that standard pressure 9mm will launch a 115 or 125 grain hp at 1150-1250 fps. Because of the locked breech of a 9mm pistol the +P loads have much more top end. The .380, by its blowback design is limited for creating hot loads. The Corbon is about the best out there but if a 9mm load was made with those numbers nobody would even look at it.

I don't say this to denigrate the .380 or the Bersa Thunder. The .380 became popular because you can make a fairly compact gun to fire it. It also hangs on today because pretty much all of South America limits civilians to shooting it so there are guns like the 15 shot Thunder that are chambered for it. Glock makes the 25, a blowback .380 built on the 19 frame but they don't even offer it for sale in the US. It was made for civilian use in countries that limit citizens to the .380, like Brazil.

My only point is that from a power standpoint there is no reason to go with a .380 to get a compact auto. If you get a good deal on the Thunder and want to go for it you will have a good shooting, economic, high capacity .380. I wouldn't want to get shot with one. Mac

CZ-82 (http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Czech_CZ-82_9x18_Pistol.html) If you're really serious about this type of firearm one economical choice would be the CZ-82 chambered in 9mm Makarov. The 9mm Mak standard pressure is about the same as the +P .380 loads and the guns are cheap as dirt right now.

From a website - "The standard Russian round (9mm Makarov) is the 57-N-181S which uses a 95gr bullet at around 1,033fps."

That compares very favorably with the +P Corbon.

[SARKY]

Is it the CZ 82 or 83 that has the 12 round capacity? And if you don't like 9mm Makarov you can always rebarrel to .380 or possibly .32NAA

[glockcop]

i'm Looking At Getting My Ccw This Summer, And Was Wondering What This Forum's Members Thought Of The Bersa Thunder .380. I've Read Some Reviews Online But Was Wondering What You Guys Thought About It.

One Of The Best Of The Cheap Guns. Makarov = Better. Both More Accurate Than You And I. Go Ahead And Get One Before You Cant Buy Guns Anymore. Half He Price Of Glock Because Its Not A Glock In Form Or Function. Ya Gets What Ya Pay For!