Bersa Pistols and Quality

i cant speak of today's locked guns, but the pre-locked guns in .380acp were great guns.

 

I don't have any Bersa guns but I have friends who do. From what they say and what I've noted when shooting them they are solid firearms for the money. They're nothing fancy and the trigger is straight out of a horror novel but they certainly are usable and so far as I know reliable. I wouldn't pay anywhere near $550 for one though. At that price you might as well look into something like a Glock, XD, or Smith and Wesson M&P.

With that said if you're looking for a cheap and reliable carry gun take a look at the FEG PA-63. It's a Hungarian clone of the Walther PPK minus the feeding problems. The guns are sub $200 and the ammunition they use (9x18 Makarov) is cheap. Hollow point ammunition can be found and the 9x18 is generally agreed to have slightly better ballistics than the .380. On top of all that the guns are bullet proof.

 

They are good little guns for the money. But the money should be around $350. At least it is around here anyway, no clue where you live. For $550, as said earlier, get a Glock.

 

I have an older 380 and it is fine. However, if I were going to have a budget of $550 I would be in the market for something a little more substantial. A small Glock or even a used Kahr woudl fit the bill and provide more peace of mind.

If you are concerned about the quality before you make the purchase decision, a combination of buyers remorse and unanswered questions will always make you less comfortable with your carry piece. If you aren't 100% comfortable in what you are carrying, better not to carry it at all...

Just my 2 pennies

 

Mine is great. Can't say enough nice things about it. No failures of any kind, even when my wife shot for the first time in her life. Anytime I qualify around someone new, they have to comment about how well it seems to shoot.

Disadvantage - It's a .380 and ammo supplies still aren't that convenient. I am not getting rid of mine because eventually my wife better start carrying it and I like it too much. I will be buying another small pistol when she does and will consider another Bersa. I will also look at something in a small 9mm.

On price, I assume you just meant generally you want to stay under $550. There is now way a Bersa should run that much.

 

I just walked in the door from the range with my several week old Bersa Thunder Ultra Compact Pro 9mm. I paid $325 for mine, it was a private sale. Mine was born on 11/16/09.

I have several hundred rounds through it without one single hiccup. It's gone bang every time I've pulled the trigger with both factory ammo and my own reloads.

I would recommend one if you can get it for $350 or less. If it's going to cost you more than that, I recommend you join GSSF for $35 and buy yourself a Glock 19 for $398.

I didn't really need it when I bought it, but I had heard many good reports with Bersa. I decided to give it a try. I would recommend with above stipulations.

 

Worst gun I've ever owned. Just literally would not run through one magazine without a hangup of some kind- a lot of the time, it was basically a single-shot .380.

I tried everything I could think of to get it to run right- polished the feed ramp, different mags, different ammo, new recoil spring- nothing seemed to work. The last straw came when I took the rubber grips off to clean it, and this little C-clip fell out. In my humble opinion, no gun worth your life is held together with freakin' C-clips.

People have told me I just got a lemon, and should have sent it in to the manufacturer, but I'd just had it by then, and just wanted to be rid of the thing.

I gladly sold that piece of **** for $150 about a year ago, and was glad to get it.


That's just my story, though. You may get one that runs perfectly. Or not. Like others have said, I'd be leaning towards a Glock if I were you. Good luck!

 

Do not be discourage to hear one bad advise, its like any firearm that not every single one produced is going to be perfect. I was on the market for a 380 about a year and a half ago and after doing plenty of research ended up with a Bersa Thunder .380. I am so glad I did, it has been 100% reliable, very accurate, and my daily carry gun. And even with the shortage of .380 ammo I would not get rid of it.

 

Picked up a fully chromed used Bersa .380 for $238 bucks, total!

Decent gun. Works fine after a bit of shooting.

Luckly for me I reload .380s! Got plenty of ammo.

And guys, I'm a Glock man, so let me say if you can't afford a Glock and need something very compact, the Bersa will do.

Oh, and Bersa makes a .22 version, in case you want to practice alot.

Deaf

 

A Compact Thunder 9mm should be around $350 a friend owns one and he never had a problem with it.

Here's the new model:

 

I had a Bersa Thunderer and for the $195 I paid for it...well lets just say it didn't hurt as bad as a more expensive gun when it didn't work. I won't own one again.

 

I never had an issue with my Thunder CC.

 

I have a Bersa CC 380. I really like it, but haven't shot it a lot because of the 380 ammo situation. I also have a glock, kahr, ruger and S&W. The Bersa is just as much fun to shoot as any. I would look into the Bersa 9mm ultr-compact, ammo being much cheaper, more plentiful, and more punch. Anyway here is a link to an online dealer who has some good deals on the Bersa's. http://shop.tmjtrading.com/Firearms_c2.htm
Good luck with whatever you choose and get what you will enjoy.

 

With a budget of $550 US, I wouldnt consider a Bersa. You can buy a really good handgun for $550. Bersa is just "okay". Spend the full $550, and buy a good, dependable gun. Start a thread "what handgun for $550" and you will learn alot about your choices.

For what its worth, Bersa makes a decent compact carry piece, in the $250 to $300 price range. But IMHO, there are better choices, even at this price.

 

Normally I would agree, but.....

I own THREE Bersa pistols (two .380s and a 9mm Ultra Compact) and I will be adding #4 this year as soon as the BP9cc hits the market! My dad has the Mini-.45 Bersa and it too is a joy to shoot!

This is what you shoud do if you can wait just a bit longer:

Save your $550 and when the BP9cc hits the shelves, spend $350 for the gun and the other $200 on 1000 rounds of ammo. If you have any money left over, get a decent IWB holster.

That is my best advice.

TGG

 

I have a Bersa 45 and it's great! It's a truly reliable subcompact 45 and recoils less than my Sig p220. $400 tops.

 

Me too , my Bersa thunder 380 conceal carry is in my ccw rotation and has been great. I think the Bersa ultra compact pro9mm is a great buy and good pistol.

 

I am a fan of the Bersa Thunder .380s... they seem like good simple and reliable semi-autos. I actually like the Bersa Thunder better than the similar and much higher priced Walther PPK.

I paid about $180 used for my Bersa Thunder a couple years at a gun show.