Bersa Owners still happy?

Interesting thread. I've heard that the newer T380s take more break in to fire reliably than the older models did. True?? Who knows. My personal experience almost had me taking the pistol back after the first box of 50 rounds. 20 failures to feed, fire or extract (and yes, it was thoroughly cleaned before range time). Second box was 12 failures, third box 7, fourth box 5, fifth box 3.

In the 2000+ rounds since then, there hasn't been a single issue except one failure to fire. A subsequent DA pull and the round fired. That happened over 900 rounds ago and I attribute that to ammunition.

This pistol is a 'tack driver' and is my current daily carry. My deep concealment is an NAA .25.

As for the .380 round being effective, with todays technology, the only thing that might inhibit its effectiveness is shooter competence. I strive to perforate a lemon sized spot in the bullseye at 30 feet. Don't always get there, but an Israeli Colonel we crosstrained with, could consistantly do it with a Beretta .25, so it IS possible.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

i'm not sure if this has been covered in this thread, but her goes.

some suggestions for BT 380 owners.

1...thoroughly clean mags & clean & lightly lube gun before first range trip.

2...avoid steel case ammo.

3...run 200-300 rds of FMJ before attempting hollow points. WWB has a flat nose which resembles hollow points & can cause issues if used for break in. mine shoots Remington, Am. Eagle & Magtech & now WWB with no problem.

4... use only Bersa factory mags. pro-mags are totally unreliable. they're ok for range but don't trust them for CC.

i own 4 bersa & they have all been great pistols. best bang for the buck on the market, & don't forget the life time warranty.

TB

First off the lifetime warranty is ok if you are the original purchaser but not for subsequent owners....

I've had 2 Bersa 380 Duo Tones and both are gone to new owners...both had the famous "disconnect spring" issues that plagued the 380's for some time...they were both "fixed" by a Bersa warranty station in Colorado but I paid the freight to get the guns there for repair. I'll make a comparison here that I made when making my decision to get rid of the Bersa's. I can buy a surplus Makarov (any manufacture except Chinese or Polish) for a couple of hundred bucks...they shoot the 9x18 Mak or 380 depending on the model...they are all steel, about the size of a Bersa 380....are solid as a rock...will fire any ammo thrown at them (they were weaned on Wolf steel case ammo and shoot Silver bear hollow points all day without any issues....a Bersa will fall apart with Silver Bear in short time). The Bersa was a decent little range gun... I'd never use it for a defensive weapon as the disconnect spring issue is intermittant and leaves you with a weapon that is not usable...and the safety when the magazine is out is nothing I want in a defensive weapon....look at the posts about the magazine falling out that have been posted. If you drop the mag you can't shoot....another case of protecting us from ourselves. I don't know about the 9 and 45 cal and would think they might be a better choice for s/d based on what I've read...I personally think the 380 is not suitable for a s/d weapon that needs to be 100% reliable. I was told to fire 200-300 rounds to get it "broken in"....at 300 rounds the galling wear on the slide really concerned me (yes I properly lubed and cared for the pistol)...I'm just not a fan....the thread was how many have kept them...and I'm one that didn't and won't buy another.