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Bersa Thunder .380 Review
Bersa Thunder .380:
I picked this duo-tone Bersa Thunder .380 at a pawn shop for $200, used. I found nearly zero wear on the exterior and bore, and gladly paid the man. I have had it about two and a half years now, and wanted to share my thoughts of this gem with you folks.
The Bersa Thunder .380 is more or less, loosely based on the Walther PPK. Its blowback operated, fixed barrel design aids accuracy, something I can attest to. The frame is a lightweight aluminum alloy. The chamber and topmost cartridge are almost directly aligned, resulting in reliable feeding and cycling.
The sights are white 3-dots, and adjustable for windage. I find the sights excellent and easily visible especially for a smaller pistol. The slide mounted safety lever doubles as a decocker, something often left to be desired on pistols in this price range. The Thunder .380 also features a magazine disconnect safety, and an integral key lock, similar to the Taurus Security System.
The magazine release is located behind the trigger, within easy reach of a right-handed shooter’s thumb, or a left-handed shooter’s trigger finger. The slide release is right above the mag release. The slide automatically releases when inserting a magazine containing bullets, therefore automatically chambering a round. The factory grips are plastic, but wood, rubber and Crimson Trace laser grips are available.
Field stripping is simple. Push the takedown lever down, pull the slide back and up. The slide comes off, and the recoil spring simply pulls off of the barrel. That’s it. Reverse the steps to reassemble. Dirt simple.
The first round is fired with a long double action pull, unless the user thumbs the hammer back first. Subsequent shots are single action. Well respected firearm reviewer Jeff Quinn stated the Bersa Thunder .380 “has, without a doubt, the smoothest double-action trigger pull that I have ever felt on an auto pistol, regardless of price”. His Gunblast.com review posts a single action trigger pull of 3 pounds, and double action pull of seven pounds.
In my experience, I can get five inch groups at roughly 15 yards. I handed the little Bersa to a guy at the range once to let him try it out. A much better marksman than me, he managed a two inch group at 15 yards, with three rounds, the first and only shots he ever fired from a Bersa Thunder. He was impressed, and I was proud of my little Bersa.
Recoil is snappy, and a tad painful. This is not a firearm you would want to shoot 200 rounds through in one sitting. The frame has a tab which protects the web of the thumb from slide bite. The standard seven round mags have a finger rest, which seals the deal in creating an excellent fit to the hand.
I received one factory mag and I bought an aftermarket ProMag for about $14 from Cheaper Than Dirt. The ProMag does require break in, but I have never had a failure to feed from either magazine.
In fact I have never had a failure to feed or a failure to fire from this $200 South American wonder. If I were able to carry concealed, the Bersa would go everywhere with me. Sure, there’s newer compact .380s out there that are lighter, thinner, and smaller. But at 23 ounces, the Bersa seems just right for concealed carry. And it always goes “BANG!”
As far as zombie stopping power, the .380 round is not quite as effective as a 9mm, but definitely hits harder than a .22. I wouldn’t want the Bersa to be my only line of defense against a horde of zombies, but it would make an excellent backup gun.
So as far as the Zombie Apocalypse is concerned, I give the Bersa Thunder .380...
I would happliy award it a full five zombie heads pertaining to concealed carry.
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I picked this duo-tone Bersa Thunder .380 at a pawn shop for $200, used. I found nearly zero wear on the exterior and bore, and gladly paid the man. I have had it about two and a half years now, and wanted to share my thoughts of this gem with you folks. The Bersa Thunder .380 is more or less, loosely based on the Walther PPK. Its blowback operated, fixed barrel design aids accuracy, something I can attest to. The frame is a lightweight aluminum alloy. The chamber and topmost cartridge are almost directly aligned, resulting in reliable feeding and cycling.
The sights are white 3-dots, and adjustable for windage. I find the sights excellent and easily visible especially for a smaller pistol. The slide mounted safety lever doubles as a decocker, something often left to be desired on pistols in this price range. The Thunder .380 also features a magazine disconnect safety, and an integral key lock, similar to the Taurus Security System. The magazine release is located behind the trigger, within easy reach of a right-handed shooter’s thumb, or a left-handed shooter’s trigger finger. The slide release is right above the mag release. The slide automatically releases when inserting a magazine containing bullets, therefore automatically chambering a round. The factory grips are plastic, but wood, rubber and Crimson Trace laser grips are available.
Field stripping is simple. Push the takedown lever down, pull the slide back and up. The slide comes off, and the recoil spring simply pulls off of the barrel. That’s it. Reverse the steps to reassemble. Dirt simple.
The first round is fired with a long double action pull, unless the user thumbs the hammer back first. Subsequent shots are single action. Well respected firearm reviewer Jeff Quinn stated the Bersa Thunder .380 “has, without a doubt, the smoothest double-action trigger pull that I have ever felt on an auto pistol, regardless of price”. His Gunblast.com review posts a single action trigger pull of 3 pounds, and double action pull of seven pounds.
In my experience, I can get five inch groups at roughly 15 yards. I handed the little Bersa to a guy at the range once to let him try it out. A much better marksman than me, he managed a two inch group at 15 yards, with three rounds, the first and only shots he ever fired from a Bersa Thunder. He was impressed, and I was proud of my little Bersa.
Recoil is snappy, and a tad painful. This is not a firearm you would want to shoot 200 rounds through in one sitting. The frame has a tab which protects the web of the thumb from slide bite. The standard seven round mags have a finger rest, which seals the deal in creating an excellent fit to the hand.
I received one factory mag and I bought an aftermarket ProMag for about $14 from Cheaper Than Dirt. The ProMag does require break in, but I have never had a failure to feed from either magazine.
In fact I have never had a failure to feed or a failure to fire from this $200 South American wonder. If I were able to carry concealed, the Bersa would go everywhere with me. Sure, there’s newer compact .380s out there that are lighter, thinner, and smaller. But at 23 ounces, the Bersa seems just right for concealed carry. And it always goes “BANG!”
As far as zombie stopping power, the .380 round is not quite as effective as a 9mm, but definitely hits harder than a .22. I wouldn’t want the Bersa to be my only line of defense against a horde of zombies, but it would make an excellent backup gun.
So as far as the Zombie Apocalypse is concerned, I give the Bersa Thunder .380...
I would happliy award it a full five zombie heads pertaining to concealed carry.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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