Met a gentleman tonight who brought his Bersa T380 to me because it was jamming far too much. I haven't had much of a jamming issue with mine, so I broke his down to have a look. His magazine seemed to be alright and nothing seemed to off internally. He said he also tried a few different kinds of ammo. Any suggestions on what else could be wrong? I told him to check how he was holding the gun, but when I watched him he didn't seem to be making any errors. I'm stumped.
Jamming
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i had a bersa 380 awhile back. never once jammed on me in over 2000 rounds, but did jam on a few 'new' shooters that i let use it. all failure to feed issues. i assume this was because they were all kinda scared of the gun and jerked the trigger limp-wrist style. maybe suggest he try a different more solid grip and stance while shooting.
After looking around inside it I did suggest he watch his grip on the gun. At least one other person suggested it back on the range, too. I also told him the first 100 rounds on most guns was not enough to judge the weapon as a whole. I don't think I've had a single weapon that didn't do weird things in the first 250 rounds or so (my shotgun being the weirdest, since it stunk up the range like a dead skunk on a hot summer day). Heck, my Sig wouldn't lock open after the last round until it had passed 200 rounds. He said he'd report back to me when the gun hit 500 rounds.
I agree with the Big Dutchman and I would also try a new mag spring. Sometimes they are a litte on the weak side even when you get a new gun. If that don't work then it's time for a smith. Polish the feed ramp and slick it up some. Good luck.
Best,Baldy.
Best,Baldy.
This may sound elementary, but was the gun properly lubricated? I have seen new shooters with bone-dry guns that malfunctioned, only to be "cured" with a couple drops of oil.
Did you ask him what kinds of malfunctions he was suffering? A failure to feed can mean different things than a failure to eject.
Did you ask him what kinds of malfunctions he was suffering? A failure to feed can mean different things than a failure to eject.
One of the main reasons for "jams" with a new Bersa owner deals with the recoil spring. When I first got mine, the first thing I did was field strip it and give it a good cleaning. Upon reassembly, I put the main spring on backwards! There is a front and back to the spring! The tight end should face the breech. It is a very subtle difference but enough to make a big difference in feeding/ejecting issues.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
Actually, I think he was over doing it on the lubricant. I'm not sure if that would play a roll, but I told him to chill out on the lubricant a little. It was tough keeping hold of the slide! LOL!
He didn't know what it was doing, all he knew was that it was "jamming." It was one of those issues where the guy probably just didn't even watch. One of the range guys said it looked like mostly failure to feed with a few ejection issues, but they really can't see too well from their stand point.
Hm. I may need to check that if he brings it to me again. I didn't even think of that.
All the areas mentioned are very important. I would like to add two others to check and correct if found.
One is the ramp and the way it is created at the factory leaves mechine marks that run across the face of the ramp. As a round is in process to start the loading sequence the front edge of the bullet and front case edge move across this ramp and encounter resistance.
Bersa Chapterhouse has good information on cleaning and the caution of not polishing the ramp so deeply that the anodizing coating is removed from the alloy frame.
http://www.geocities.com/bersa_thunder/index.html
The second area of concern is the face of the bolt "breechface" that mates up with the back of the cartridge during the chambering process. If you field strip the slide and look where the fireing pin hole is do you see mechine "swirl marks" on the face that mates with the cartridge? If so think of this that added resistance will slow the process and can cause jam's resulting if FTF. Smooth and polish this area to reduce resistance
My T 380 originally had FTF problems and after correcting the areas of resistance all the feed problems and ejection problems are now gone. I have no doubt that if I need to pull the trigger that a round will fly down the barrel toward the target.
Another site that you can find the why information is at KTOG
http://www.ktog.org/tecwerks.htm
They have a lot of good information of fluff and buff of any pistol and how to make it work better.
If you do not have the experience or feel confident to fix your problem take it to your favorite gun smith or send it to one of the available authorized repair centers for their tender loving care of your Bersa.
I hope this helps and oh yes by the way I love my Bersa T-380 and is one of my primary carry pistols. Have a great day
One is the ramp and the way it is created at the factory leaves mechine marks that run across the face of the ramp. As a round is in process to start the loading sequence the front edge of the bullet and front case edge move across this ramp and encounter resistance.
Bersa Chapterhouse has good information on cleaning and the caution of not polishing the ramp so deeply that the anodizing coating is removed from the alloy frame.
http://www.geocities.com/bersa_thunder/index.html
The second area of concern is the face of the bolt "breechface" that mates up with the back of the cartridge during the chambering process. If you field strip the slide and look where the fireing pin hole is do you see mechine "swirl marks" on the face that mates with the cartridge? If so think of this that added resistance will slow the process and can cause jam's resulting if FTF. Smooth and polish this area to reduce resistance
My T 380 originally had FTF problems and after correcting the areas of resistance all the feed problems and ejection problems are now gone. I have no doubt that if I need to pull the trigger that a round will fly down the barrel toward the target.
Another site that you can find the why information is at KTOG
http://www.ktog.org/tecwerks.htm
They have a lot of good information of fluff and buff of any pistol and how to make it work better.
If you do not have the experience or feel confident to fix your problem take it to your favorite gun smith or send it to one of the available authorized repair centers for their tender loving care of your Bersa.
I hope this helps and oh yes by the way I love my Bersa T-380 and is one of my primary carry pistols. Have a great day
New Bersa....
I just bought a new Bersa Thunder and I really like this gun. I shot a box of ammo through it without doing anything to it. The gun jammed about four times while firing this box. Gonna break her down and clean it. Nice gun!
I just bought a new Bersa Thunder and I really like this gun. I shot a box of ammo through it without doing anything to it. The gun jammed about four times while firing this box. Gonna break her down and clean it. Nice gun!
A couple years back I bought a new two-tone Bersa Thunder in .380acp. As I recall I only paid $200 for it. I put about 300 rounds of various brands of ammuntion through it without a hitch. At the time I was an LEO and had access to the department range. My best friend on the department also shot the heck out of it. I bought additional magazines and never had a single malfunction. Another officer, who wasn't what you'd call a "gun guy" was interested in it. I let he borrow it to try it out. He had nothing but jams. I believe the reason is what is called "limp wristing". The Thunder is very light and you have to hold onto it and provide resistance against the recoil for it to function properly. I think it's a real jewel.
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I agree with the "limp wristing" suggestion. I have a Bersa 380 which I didn't have any problems with. Then all of a sudden I started having failure to feeds. I tried everything and would still get a jam. I finally became very conscious of how I was holding the gun and now I rarely have a problem. I think I had gotten too confident and was not holding the gun firm enough. I will jam sometimes with my Glock 19 when I have shot a lot of rounds. I think I get fatigued.
i know that they come greased to the hilt out of the box. i handled a new one recently and we needed a rag on hand just to wipe the sucker down so that i could look at it, it was just covered in oil... i have been told it is good idea to clean the gun before trying it out on the range...
Before everybody panics, I love my BERSA duotone Thunder .380 amd will keep it just for fun. But I noticed (after extensive smithing on send backs to factory) that I had FTFeeds every time I went to range. My practice is up close and fast, as I see this as the most likely scenario for SD in my case. This includes shooting from close to body positions where I won't have time to get my arm out to a locked position.
I carried Semiauto for 30 years (USMC) and I am a Gunsite grad (used Colts, 1911 types), so I do know all the arguments and stances. I just don't see myself involved in 25-75 yard gunfights. I do see myself as being caught up close and by surprise ( as surprised as you can get in Condition Yellow!) Neat stances and range perfect grips will be gone.
This isn't just a problem with the BERSA, it is inherent in any SemiAuto. I have a really neat "Homeland Defense" G23 that I would love to CCW, but it also has FTF in "less than perfect" situations.
So I EDC S&W J- Frames (can't seem to find any K-frames under 700-800 dollars (new ones seem to available only) when I really would rather carry a 10-15 shot Semiauto.
Please don't tell me that all I need to practice, I have been practicing for 40+ years. Practice isn't going to change the reality of the situation. If you get slammed up against a wall, knife at your throat by some Zombie coming out door behind you at Walmart, I want to see you go into a Weaver stance! If your answer is to wait until you are alone going out the door, you will die of old age at most Walmarts!
In short. BERSA is a really neat little gun and reliable under the right conditions. Where it is challenged, all other semiautos are too. Buying a more expensive semiauto is not the answer. If you are going to carry a semiauto, then the Thunder is a real nice purchase.
I carried Semiauto for 30 years (USMC) and I am a Gunsite grad (used Colts, 1911 types), so I do know all the arguments and stances. I just don't see myself involved in 25-75 yard gunfights. I do see myself as being caught up close and by surprise ( as surprised as you can get in Condition Yellow!) Neat stances and range perfect grips will be gone.
This isn't just a problem with the BERSA, it is inherent in any SemiAuto. I have a really neat "Homeland Defense" G23 that I would love to CCW, but it also has FTF in "less than perfect" situations.
So I EDC S&W J- Frames (can't seem to find any K-frames under 700-800 dollars (new ones seem to available only) when I really would rather carry a 10-15 shot Semiauto.
Please don't tell me that all I need to practice, I have been practicing for 40+ years. Practice isn't going to change the reality of the situation. If you get slammed up against a wall, knife at your throat by some Zombie coming out door behind you at Walmart, I want to see you go into a Weaver stance! If your answer is to wait until you are alone going out the door, you will die of old age at most Walmarts!
In short. BERSA is a really neat little gun and reliable under the right conditions. Where it is challenged, all other semiautos are too. Buying a more expensive semiauto is not the answer. If you are going to carry a semiauto, then the Thunder is a real nice purchase.
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