[Tucson Joe]

Hi,
I recently bought a used 45 UC Pro. After putting 2 mags thru it I could't get the mag to drop. I had to partially disassemble the gun to get it to drop. Found that the Mag Catch Bushing was broken. I bought 2 of them (just in case) from Eagle Imports, installed one, and now after running another 10 mags thru the gun, the same Catch Bushing has broken again!

When I load a new mag I always hit it with the palm of my left hand to ensure the magazine is seated correctly in the gun. Can I be hitting it too hard? I'm not that big a guy!

Is there a known problem with the Mag Catch Bushing (P/N 58 on the schematic)? Is there a stronger part available elsewhere?

Thanx,
Tucson Joe

 

[Tony1990]

Welcome to the Bersa Pistol Forum Tucson Joe, from Tony in the Lone Star State.
I don't have a 45 but with my 22-32-380 and 9mm I use a pushing action until I hear a click to load my mag for over 20 years now without a problem. That was how I was trained by a E5 while in the US Air Force. I am not sure what a Mag Catch Bushing does since I am more of a User and not a Gunsmith but slamming the mag in may be your problem if you are slamming the mag in.
The mag is loaded and push in with a single motion. The mag is not placed in the pistol and then it is hit into the pistol with the palm. Also make sure the bullet is push back in the mag and not sticking out the front which also may cause a problem.
Hope this helps but if there is another cause of your problem please pass it on.

Best of luck and enjoy your range time.

 

[Tony1990]

Check out this Video.

https://youtu.be/m9UDlyT4lHM

 

[Tucson Joe]

Hi Tony1990-
Thanx for the quick reply! I appreciate your insight and the tip on magazine loading. Please note that I don't (at least I think I don't) slam the mag into the pistol. What I believe I'm doing is pushing the mag in and then giving it a solid tap with the palm of my left hand to make sure it's seated properly. I've been doing this with all my handguns and the Bersa is the only one that's had a problem with me. Thinking more about what you said and what I'm doing, the Bersa is also the only gun I have with an ambidextrous release so that may be why it's breaking when I load the gun. I've ordered complete mag release assemblies, not just the bushing from Numrich, one blued and one nickel to see if there's a difference in material. Regardless, I will take your advice and load without the palm tap in the future and hopefully avoid this problem altogether!

As an FYI, I included a pic of the assembly with the broken catch underneath the replacement one.
Thanx again for your help!

Welcome to the Bersa Pistol Forum Tucson Joe, from Tony in the Lone Star State.
I don't have a 45 but with my 22-32-380 and 9mm I use a pushing action until I hear a click to load my mag for over 20 years now without a problem. That was how I was trained by a E5 while in the US Air Force. I am not sure what a Mag Catch Bushing does since I am more of a User and not a Gunsmith but slamming the mag in may be your problem if you are slamming the mag in.
The mag is loaded and push in with a single motion. The mag is not placed in the pistol and then it is hit into the pistol with the palm. Also make sure the bullet is push back in the mag and not sticking out the front which also may cause a problem.
Hope this helps but if there is another cause of your problem please pass it on.

Best of luck and enjoy your range time.

View attachment 408

 

[Tony1990]

I hope the new complete mag release assy you have on order solves your problem. You may be correct about the difference in material the mag release assy is made of. From the looks of the broken part in your picture it looks like it is made of cast iron and not machined metal. Can you use a magnet to check if the broken part is iron or some kind of composite material. I have seen cast iron break that way before but it took a lot of force.

Please let us know.