[Willboat]

I've got an itch for a new toy and I've been reading whatever I could find about the Bersa Thunder .380 and I haven't found anything bad about it. I like the look and feel of it in my hand. It's half the price of the Walther PPK after which it was fashioned without the hand biting due to the lower profile slide and it's only 20 oz. with the alloy frame. My usual carry in casual clothing is a Kimber Ultra CDP II, but it can be a bit bulky in a suit. Don't bother arguing about the .380 round being less than manly. Well placed shots from an easily controlled pistol wins over fliers from an overpowered pistol any day of the week. Any comments on accuracy, dependability, finish durability, and value would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Will

 

[gbusmech]

I have owned a Bersa .380 Thunder Duo-tone for several years and have burned up hundreds of rounds through it. If there is a problem with it it would be that the high end holster makers do not stock holsters for the Bersa and I had to wait while one was made for it. The best thing about it has got to be the trigger, out of the box it was better than 95% of the other factory triggers and after a thousand rounds or so it has gotten even better....

 

[Valent]

I have 380CC. Haven't shot more than 150 rounds, but without any problems. Likes Remington UMC, Blazer brass, and Hornady CD for selfdefense round. Other reports validate Corbon DPX as a selfdefense round. I find CC to be very accurate. Mine was reliable ot of the box so far, did not have to polish ramp, or anything else. It is very concealable, soft and controlable to shoot, great choice for ladies with weaker hand grip.

It remains to be seen what kind of performance will Bersa provide on a longer run. Given all the reports, it can be hit and miss performance based on the draw of the luck principle. Bersa QC department should stay on top of it and keep the mishaps at the apsolute minimum.

CC is advantagous 8+1 capacitywise package. At the same time, I was very displeased with the fact it came with one magazine only and would have not bought it if I had known prior to purchase. If I had known, I would have purchased something else, maybe BP9, even at a higher price. The only dislike I have is the ergonomics of the trigger and trigger guard. Feels somewhat too small and uncomfortable if you have a medium to bigger fingers. Bottom of the trigger diggs into forefinger. Once trigger is pulled half way, everything is OK. Double action is good, single even better. On the scale of 10, it's 7 stars from me. Redesigned trigger ergonomics and two mags at delivery would bring it to 9 stars. Long term reliabilty accros bigger statistical sample would move it to 10 stars.

 

[Tony1990]

I have both a Bersa Thunder 380 and a Bersa 380CC and I enjoy them and feel safe carrying either one. However I only fire my 380CC once in a while to make sure it is in good shape. I have fired over 400 rounds thru it so far. My Bersa Thunder 380 is fired almost every week and a couple thousand rounds has gone thru it. One problem I had was with the ammo and now I am using PMC Bronze ammo which took care of the feed problem. Also I had a problem with a couple of Magazines ( not clip ) I purchased ( I also only got one Magazine with gun ) that did not say Bersa on them. The package they came in said " for Bersa 380 guns ". Make sure all magazines you buy are from Bersa and they will said Bersa on them " Bersa cal.. 380 ACP Industria Argentina will be printed on the magazine". Accuracy and dependability of my Bersa are very good.

 

[Catchsumair]

I put a hundred rounds through my new 380 last weekend. So far I used federal and Independence ammo (one box each). Both boxes went flawless. I was at an outdoor range at 25 yards and it seems to be shooting about 12-14 inches to the right. I want to make sure it isnt me before I make any sight adjustments. (Its been 30 yrs since I shot a handgun)........My guess is thats it's probably me.....lol.....golfballs to the left - bullets to the right.........Mine only came with one magazine....local dealer said he couldn't get Bersa mags...I was able to order one through eagle imports....supposed to ship tomorrow - keeping my fingers crossed...

 

[Tony1990]

Please make sure you get a real Bersa magazine not a genetic magazine which may not work properly. Also check the attachment it may help you solve your shooting problem. It s chart that may tell your what you are doing wrong.
I can tell if the attachment is there. If not let me know and I will try again.

 

[Catchsumair]

I think I am using to much finger on the trigger rather than the pad of the fingertip (also anticipating recoil a little)...Thanks - this will help me get bacck into the swing....also - yes I ordered the Bersa mag.....hoping to get to an indoor range in the next week or so - temps outside dropped back below freezing..

 

[Tony1990]

Great. By the way is St Joseph close to St Clair, Mo??

 

[Catchsumair]

St Joe is north of KC - I think St Clair is over by St Louis.....

 

[9UC]

Even though I had switched from a BT-380 to a BT-9UC Pro as my primary carry, I bought my second BT-380, a used one, several months later. Reason, best value and quality for the dollar. The original one is my secondary carry when I am concerned about concealability and the second is my under the pillow gun. My original concern was that the grip was a little to small for my broad hands. The "discovery" of the DLX 9 round mags was the cure. The finish could be better and off the rack holsters are a problem, I tried several before going with a hand made UBG holster. The quality of the leather and the workmanship is far better than any off the rack I've seen to date and I have a UBG for my 9UC .

 

[bersastud]

380 Thunder is a great pistol bought mine in 2003 . 2 things If you adjust the real sight loctight (blue) it. Comes that way and if you adjust you will soon have missing blade and spring. The grip screws work loose when shooting Remove mag. Place drop blue loctight on screw. Wait till tacly and reinstall grips. Make sure R/grip isn't over tight as will cause trigger not to work correctly.

If you need spare mags Contact Eagle imports . They are the importer of Bersa pistols and American Classic 1911's They have factory mags . Another place to get factory mags, name brand holsters and other Bersa items is called condorsflight.com . They have factory mags also. If out of a mag order any way . as soon in stock they will ship to list first.

My Bersa is a great pistol and has served me well. It has a better trigger than my Interarms PPK/S and just as accurate for 1/2 the price.

 

[9UC]

380 Thunder is a great pistol bought mine in 2003 . 2 things If you adjust the real sight loctight (blue) it. Comes that way and if you adjust you will soon have missing blade and spring. The grip screws work loose when shooting Remove mag. Place drop blue loctight on screw. Wait till tacly and reinstall grips. Make sure R/grip isn't over tight as will cause trigger not to work correctly.

If you need spare mags Contact Eagle imports . They are the importer of Bersa pistols and American Classic 1911's They have factory mags . Another place to get factory mags, name brand holsters and other Bersa items is called condorsflight.com . They have factory mags also. If out of a mag order any way . as soon in stock they will ship to list first.

My Bersa is a great pistol and has served me well. It has a better trigger than my Interarms PPK/S and just as accurate for 1/2 the price.

Thanks, did that to the grip panels and went brain dead on the sight and I've had to have it replaced once.

 

[jimmy3sticks]

I ran 100 rnds through my new BT380 last weekend. Smooth as silk. Ordered my second mag from condorsflight.com. Everything Bersa factory made from Bersa. This gun is really fast , 8 rnds in 2 seconds. Speed and +P bring the380 almost in line with my T9UCP.

 

[Gretschguy]

One thing, and it is so minor that I bought the BT-380 anyway. The safety is in the wrong place and it operates backwards. Being on the slide, there's no Condition One carry. Also, being the Walther type, it "flicks" up, not down ala the Browning design. When grabbing the weapon for a quick presentation, it isn't natural to push the thumb up.
Keep in mind also, that I haven't had the oportunity to to do any "Draw-and-shoot" drills with it, so I can't definitively claim that this might slow down that first and most important shot.
One of the several reasons that I bought it anyway is because the platform is small enough that the backward Safety isn't that critical. It's numerous other features outweigh this one minor design glitch. Many people carry these with the Safety Disengaged anyway. After all it is a D.A./S.A. sidearm. That's just not my style.
I do have two other pistols with this Safety type, but they are both .22's and are range toys, so there's no "urgency" there.

 

[Keltyke]

I've got an itch for a new toy and I've been reading whatever I could find about the Bersa Thunder .380 and I haven't found anything bad about it. I like the look and feel of it in my hand. It's half the price of the Walther PPK after which it was fashioned without the hand biting due to the lower profile slide and it's only 20 oz. with the alloy frame. My usual carry in casual clothing is a Kimber Ultra CDP II, but it can be a bit bulky in a suit. Don't bother arguing about the .380 round being less than manly. Well placed shots from an easily controlled pistol wins over fliers from an overpowered pistol any day of the week. Any comments on accuracy, dependability, finish durability, and value would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Will
View attachment 27

My EDC is a Springfield XD9SC, but my Bersa Thunder .380 is a viable backup. It's 100% reliable, damned accurate, and easy to conceal. The recoil is non-existent, and I LOVE the DA/SA capability. The little thing always makes me feel like James Bond. LOL! You could do a lot worse.

 

[daft_vagrant]

I owned a T380 Plus and now own a T380 Combat. Likes include reliability, trigger, a full 3.5" barrel and the added weight of the alloy frames. As for dislikes, while not a big deal for me being a lefty and struggling with no ambi guns anyhow, the safety operates oddly. Could be an issue for those that carry with safety on, I don't have my CHL yet but plan to carry safety off and at half-cock. Ambi safety, the Plus had it, the Combat does not probably due to safety locations. The finish, both the nickel and the matte were not near as good as most other firearms but then again most other firearms cost much more.

Edit: Sorry, didn't mean ambi safety on the Plus, meant ambi mag release.