[RYT 2BER]

I’ll keep it short here.

Was helping a friend pick a firearm and for whatever reason they were drawn to the bersa thunder.

I said “ok well that’s reasonable and from what I know they’re reliable, not terribly expensive and heavy (weight) for a 380 so likely not hard to handle for a new female shooter”.

Moving right along I go to locate one. The gun is basically “not available”. Period. I can’t find a single one that is in a “buyable” version (vs auctions for a few here or there).

I mean like I get that firearms are in demand but I’ve never seen a pistol such as “this kind” that cannot be located!?

Did I miss something?? Are they that great? Are they they hard to get? I mean my God I literally have not ever seen a standard market firearm that could not be located.

Anyone know what gives???

me <——- confused

 

[DocCasualty]

 

[ronin.45]

All guns are in short supply. Many of the new buyers are looking for an inexpensive gun just to have something. The Bersa definitely falls into the "something" category.
This has been going on for a while now.

 

[TheDreadnought]

Tell you friend to get a .380 EZ instead. Better pistol and you’re more likely to find one.

 

[GeorgiaGlocker]

I use to own a Bersa Thunder 380 several years ago. I enjoyed it but my wife could not shoot the thing without a slide bite. It didn't matter how she held the gun, it would happen. It just did not fit her hands. I sold it due to that reason. There is a gun forum for Bersa Thunder and perhaps they can give you some suggestions on where to find one.

www.bersachat.com

 

[papershoot]

We are having a huge run on guns, ammo, and components this year. The shelves are getting bare, prices are going up, and the demand is not being met. I assume you were looking for one in .380 ACP. It is a very decent gun and mine has been totally reliable. My preference is for all metal, hammer fired, double/single action pistols.
The 380 caliber is a bit too weak to suit me. If you were local, I would be willing to sell mine along with several hundred rounds of ammo.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JITC1fo2HA

 

[Glockman4]

Skip the Bersa and get a Beretta 85F or 85BB. There’s a few online right now for very reasonable prices

 

[billy_56081]

Ammo might be a problem.

 

[Mugsie1]

People are panicking. The other day my club was doing an orientation for new members, there must have been 100+ of them! Last month the same thing. Some newbies are buying whatever goes bang without any thought as to suitability etc. Guns, ammo, components, everything is being or has been gobbled up.
Best of luck in your search.

 

[familyman357]

Well, you see, first we had this pandemic, then we had civil unrest, then we had a Presidential election where the wrong guy (2A-wise at least) may have won. On top of that, the pandemic is heating up again and even though there's been a lull in the civil unrest most people probably expect it to kick off again if the President ends up re-elected. So yeah. People are in a gun-buying mood and have been for most of a year. Bersa pistols are generally serviceable and less expensive than many makes, so it's not really a surprise that they're tough to find now.

Really, I'm only surprised that you're surprised.

 

[RYT 2BER]

Thanks for the input all.

I’ll look at the beretta 85f for her. Also the Taurus g2 seems to get good overall marks. It’s inexpensive and mostly available.

don’t know if the 9mm is too hot for her but shes Capable enough.

many thanks !!

 

[RYT 2BER]

Well, you see, first we had this pandemic, then we had civil unrest, then we had a Presidential election where the wrong guy (2A-wise at least) may have won. On top of that, the pandemic is heating up again and even though there's been a lull in the civil unrest most people probably expect it to kick off again if the President ends up re-elected. So yeah. People are in a gun-buying mood and have been for most of a year. Bersa pistols are generally serviceable and less expensive than many makes, so it's not really a surprise that they're tough to find now.

Really, I'm only surprised that you're surprised.

I’m only surprised because I’ve yet to ever see something that can’t be solved by throwing money at.

in other words even if I was willing to pay 50% over msrp for her to get what she wanted I can’t even do it. ??

 

[Nestor]

Blowback pistols tend to kick more. In the end some of the 9mm pistols with more traditional setup may produce less recoil.

 

[familyman357]

I’m only surprised because I’ve yet to ever see something that can’t be solved by throwing money at.

in other words even if I was willing to pay 50% over msrp for her to get what she wanted I can’t even do it. ??

You're probably going to be out of luck at a regular gun shop. You'll probably have to go online. A quick perusal of GunBroker shows that with careful shopping you can get a new one for about $400 shipped. Whether that's worth it to you or her, I can't answer that.

 

[Terry G]

I bought a BERSA .380 for my Daughter. She liked it fine, never a problem. But the gun was too large and heavy for every day carry and she switched (read that as got the old man to buy for her) an LCPII. Might look into that.

 

[ChuteTheMall]

Don't buy her a Bersa without checking out a S&W Shield EZ.
The warranty is by Americans.

 

[JArthurD]

One of the best handguns I’ve owned. Period.

 

[RYT 2BER]

Blowback pistols tend to kick more. In the end some of the 9mm pistols with more traditional setup may produce less recoil.

I think this for me is really valuable. I think the draw was that it’s a 380 but not a tiny 380 so it’s not going to kick like a mule. This reasoning makes me say “ok as a blowback (which I forgot) this guns recoil will be on par with a 20oz 9mm. For that why not just a Taurus g2. Readily available. Inexpensive and good track record. No fan of Taurus here but in this case it may offer the best option

 

[hardluk1]

You do know bersa has a thunder plus model with a 15 round mag and the smaller 16.4oz 380CC model bersa also has a BPCC series in 380 , 9mm and 40 .

To heavy !! If any lighter than a 16.4 oz 380CC Bersa a small or softer female might not like the recoil regardless of the action type . MY youngest when 17 years old 5"-2 and just under 100 lb's liked shooting momma's 380CC enough to still buy one for her first CC when she turned 21 .

Bersa Thunder pistols tend to be very reliable with a long production history for the DA/SA models .

Now finding one , start by calling EAGLE IMPORTS about availability and thru who .

 

[unit1069]

I've never shot or owned a Bersa but I've liked every one I've handled. I came this close to buying a 13-round capacity 9mm Thunder but passed.

Bersa made a 9mm BP9CC single stack (one of the first on the market IIRC) and it disappeared almost as fast as it was introduced. I've read that it was a fine CCW pistol.