Bersa Thunder .380 Handgun Review
Best Buy
UPDATE 12/17/2009: The Bersa I reviewed below and the ones manufactured prior to that model were excellent guns. When the huge demand for guns hit after the presidential election, small company Bersa, like all other gun manufacturers had to step up production. Unfortunately for Bersa that evidently resulted in big quality control issues that remain today. I recently wrote a blog post about two new Bersas - a .380 and a .45 that a friend bought and we had problems with both of them in a single shooting session. Failures to feed and fire and a broken trigger spring on the .45. The web is now rife with complaints about these guns today and I continue to get complaints from people who are getting these new guns and having endless problems with them. Bersa has tragically resurrected its early days with a reputation as a trash gun maker. It can't have been worth the effort to put out more guns to trash what was once a very good, dependable firearm. If they don't catch these issues pretty quickly the damage done to the company will be irreversible. If you can get a pre-2008 gun they will likely serve you well. If not, now is not the time to buy a new one.
The Bersa Thunder .380 semi auto pistol is easily one of the best buys in the concealed handgun world. Developed specifically for that reason, the Bersa is a straight shooting, easily concealable, dependable personal protection tool. The gun is a single action / double action firearm with external safety and decocker.
This gun is first and foremost a shooter. Any gun that you cannot grip, obtain a sight picture, control and shoot well will not serve you well for it's primary purpose which is to protect you. This gun does it in the shooting department. In spite of it's small size the magazine sports an extension that allows the pinky finger to grip the gun which is important to those of us who hate "3 fingered grips" of handguns. It will fit a wide range of hands with the extension and the model with the rubber grips is very comfortable to hold and shoot.
When handling the Bersa, you have the correct impression that this is a quality firearm, correct in it's size for what it is manufactured for, but heavy enough to let you know it is a serious gun that will get the job done. The Thunder .380 is a fixed barrel design that lends itself to increased accuracy, important in a gun this size. The gun sports a rear sight that has a broad white outline and front sight that has a large white dot. The sights are very visible and easy to align. The grip, fixed barrel, and good sights make for a small gun that is actually startling in it's accuracy for a gun this size. After I had owned mine for a while, I would practice using a full size gun, then holstering that one, drawing the Bersa and emptying the magazine as backup gun practice. It became sport to me just to see what it would take to miss with this little gun.
There are two primary operational safety features you need to be familiar with when using the gun. The first is the magazine disconnect, which makes the trigger inert when the magazine is removed from the pistol (the gun won't fire). The trigger simply goes "limp" and will not move the firing mechanism until the magazine is reinserted.
The other Bersa Thunder safety feature you need to become intimately acquainted with is the safety / decocker located on the left hand side of the slide. The safety is not intuitive and requires practice to use it effectively. When the first round is chambered, the hammer is back in single action mode. To carry the gun safely the gun should be pointed in a safe direction and the decocker pushed down. This will cause the hammer to safely drop down with the firing pin blocked. The gun can then be placed safely in purse or pocket. Leaving the safety lever in the down position provides a double, but unnecessary, level of safety. Taking the safety off when decocked puts the gun in double action mode ready to fire, but safe to carry. Be advised however, that the first shot will have a long, double action trigger pull (about like a small revolver), followed by the rest of the shots in single action.
For more Bersa Thunder details and safety features, download the manual on Bersa's web site.
BOTTOM LINE: The Bersa Thunder .380 is a great handgun in this size and caliber. It will serve you well with dependable performance (mine has over 300 rounds through it), accuracy and concealability. And at around $220.00 (real world price) it is easily one of the best tactical handgun values that you will find from any manufacturer.
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TECHNICAL DATA Model Thunder 380, Caliber: .380 ACP, System of operation: Semiautomatic Length: 6.61 inches, Height: 4.92 inches. Width: 1.34 inches Barrel length: 3.5 inches, Weight: 20 ounces, Rear sight: Notched bar, dovetailed Front sight: Blade, integral with slide, Magazine capacity: 7 cartridges Safety features: Firing pin / magazine, Grip: Polymer Finish: Blue/ Nickel/ Duotone |
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