So I took the thunder 32 out and shot a box of 50 Remington FMJ's. The gun was very simple and quick to disassemble, clean and reassemble. The gun seemed to operate fine before actual firing i.e. slide slid back and forth without a hitch of any kind, no burrs on the weapon anywhere, magazine catch, slide stop, take-down lever and de-cocker all functioned as designed. Then I took it out and loaded it. Here we got to the one and only problem with the gun.
If you load more than eight rounds in the ten round magazine, when you pull back the slide and release it, the slide will not load the ninth and tenth rounds without a forward assist from your palm. If there are only eight or fewer rounds in the mag, the gun functions normally, but the last two rounds seem to be in the mag just a little too tight for the slide to peel out of the mag. Once you get the round in the chamber by means of the aforementioned manual forward assist, doesn't matter if it's the ninth or the tenth, firing the gun will peel off the rounds out of the mag and the gun will fire all eight or nine successive rounds normally, that is to say that manually operating the slide might not peel off those last two rounds from the mag, but operation of the slide when the gun is fired will. Now to the rest of the report...
The trigger pull isn't heavy, in fact it's quite comfortable on the first DA pull and the successive SA trigger pull is magnificently easy. The sights are a nice three dot arrangement that makes quick aiming easy, the slide stayed open after every mag full, de-cocker and other moving parts all worked as flawlessly in the field as they did when tested before firing. The pistol is very accurate at ranges 20 yards and under. Groups begin to expand a bit after that, which I don't consider bad at all considering the nature of this firearm, it's size, and it's intended purpose which is close quarters self defense. For such small bullets (about the size of a large pea), they readily penetrate things like half-inch plywood, the steel body of a discarded shop-vac, dog food cans, old tennis shoes etc. with ease. I have no problems believing they could penetrate heavy clothing at close range if need be. The gun, overall seems adequate to it's appointed task, which is being utilized to protect my life in a "gravest extreme" scenario.
I just wish I could figure out why the slide won't peel the ninth and tenth rounds when released by hand. Perhaps I'll order a new mag from Bersa and see if that alleviates the problem. Once I get that little problem ironed out, I would CCW this pistol with confidence, and use it to defend my home as well.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
.32 is a decent (better than nothing) SD round I carry a Walther PP as my backup, (XD45 4" is my primary) but HP rounds are not the best, I prefer to carry FMJ,HP,FMJ.HP ect. The thing that I like about the pistols like yours and mine is the barrels are a little longer so if will give just a little more umff to that caliber compaired to some of the new micro .32s that are comming out now.
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Anything said here is my PERSONAL opinion nothing more
Ballbearing, are you sure you have a 10 round magazine? I thought the Bersa Thunder series was designed for 8 round magazines.
I agree, they are nice little guns. But I can't get past the lawyer lock on the frame, so I won't have one.
Yes, the magazine is listed as holding 10 rounds, and it will. But if you load more than eight, you have to palm the back of the slide to get it to close, at least with the Remington rounds I shot the other day. I loaded it with nine of the Magtech fmj rounds yesterday evening, and the slide loaded the ninth just fine, I didn't try a tenth though. I'm starting to think it might have something to do with the way Remington contours the cartridge rims. The Magtech rounds have a teeny reverse bevel on the top side of the rim and the Remington's are sharp on the top side. The .32 is a semi-rimmed round, so I might just have to pick my ammo a little more carefully.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
.32 is a decent (better than nothing) SD round I carry a Walther PP as my backup, (XD45 4" is my primary) but HP rounds are not the best, I prefer to carry FMJ,HP,FMJ.HP ect. The thing that I like about the pistols like yours and mine is the barrels are a little longer so if will give just a little more umff to that caliber compaired to some of the new micro .32s that are comming out now.
I agree with you on the barrel length issue. In fact, I wish the Bersa had another half inch for an even 4" inches. It wouldn't make the gun any harder to conceal, it's rail thin and feather light. I recently watched the movie "Dirty Harry" with Clint Eastwood. If he can conceal an N-Frame adjustable sight Smith&Wesson with a 6" inch barrel, I can conceal the little Bersa, no problem!
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
Wonder if they ran short of the right one or had a mix up and put the wrong spring in the mag body? Not like near identical parts ever get mixed up on a production floor.
Wonder if they ran short of the right one or had a mix up and put the wrong spring in the mag body? Not like near identical parts ever get mixed up on a production floor.
Could be. I'll order another mag soon and see if it has the same issue, if it does, I'll telephone Bersa or e-mail them about it.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
Just to let you guys know, the magazine problem corrected itself after the first 125 rounds. It works just fine now. I figure the mag had to be "worn in" kind of like a good pair of shoes.
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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.' -Sherlock Holmes
