Hey guys. Like the title says I am curious about what you guys think of the Bersa .380. I myself have no personal experience with them so figured I would come to you guys lol.
It will mainly be used for my wife for a CCW. The only thing that makes her nervous about it so far is if it jams or fails to feed frequently. Because she is not as up to par on her ftf drills as she should be.
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"Strength is not in numbers, it's in singular determination."
The Bersa Thunder .380 was my wife's first pistol, and still her favorite. Expect some ftf when new, until it gets broken in. At least that's what my gunsmith told me. So far the wife's Bersa has been flawless. She actually wanted a PPK but the Bersa does everything the PPK does for alot cheaper. She paid $279.95 for it, new in the box. She also has bought a Kel-tec Pf-9 in 9mm but has yet to fire it. She also picked up, at my urging, a FN 1922 and a German P-38.
I have a Bersa .380 and 3 of my co-workers have them as well. I have never had a problem out of it. The only problem now is finding .380 ammo. You might want to check out a snubbie .357 for your wife to carry. She can carry it with 38 ammo if she finds the .357 ammo a little to much to handle. It is less likely to fail to fire or jam. I carry a .357 snubbie and my Bersa in the warmer months because they are easier to conceal while wearing a T-shirt.
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We were actually comparing the Bersa .380 to a Taurus ultra lite .38 while we were at Cabelas. The Taurus was a little more money and only held 5 shots. She was actually leaning towards the Taurus though.
In my opinion I just don't like the Taurus ultra lite. Don't get me wrong it may be a fine gun but my only experience with it is not great.
My brother in law carries one and had a spring break that holds everything together when you pop out the cylinder to reload. He ordered a new spring months ago from Taurus and still has not gotten it in.......so not too impressed with Taurus customer service on that one. Also the first time you look over a gun, and it falls apart in your hands is kinda definitive on your opinion of that firearm lol.
But on the other hand I think my wife was for the Taurus because her dad has some no-name .380 that jams about ever 2-3 rounds. But then again I think I was the last person to clean that gun (cleaned it because of its constant jams, and he had no idea when it had been cleaned last) and that was 2 years ago. And yes it gets shot occasionally with no cleaning done to it......This guy drives me nuts with how he maintains his guns.....but that is for a different time when I need to rant lol.
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"Strength is not in numbers, it's in singular determination."
Bersa's fine--have helped several folks learn how to shoot it.
A TDA demands specific training and practice--especially when it doesn't function quite right.
I might suggest as well a small .38 revolver. Maybe a Smith 442/642 or a 638. These are small, light, well built revolvers which are very reliable and can shoot some pretty powerful ammo (Buffalo Bore, etc.). They also don't have the ammo sensitivity of an autoloader--especially a small one.
Good Luck !
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God gives us free will; the statist tries to take it away
i agree with the other people....my bersa .380 acp is an allaround dependable pistol...i have a nickel-finish one and my dad has one.....we both choose to carry them over any of our other ones....theyre concealable and very small...just make sure that u clean them regularly....other than that...u should b good
take care of ur gun and they will take care of you
Love my Bersa's, but prefer to carry the Kel-Tek P3AT to the Thunder .380 if I'm going to carry a .380. The P3AT disappears in your pocket and you don't have the weight of the Thunder. Both are reliable and reasonably accurate.
I have shot a friend's Bersa .380 several times and it was a fine gun. He carries it everyday and has for years. You also mentioned she likes the Taurus Ultralite. I have a Taurus Titanium Untralite hammerless .357 that I often carry and love it. She won't go wrong with either. How does she normally dress? The bersa is a lot smaller, thinner and easier to conceal.
We have two Bersa 380s for my wife. Its the only gun that she has tried so far and really liked (and she is a pretty good shot with it). I had taken her to an indoor range that rented guns so that she could try out all different types. The Bersa was the only one she really liked.
Out of the two we have had, we have had no issues with them at all. They have been completely reliable.
We also had 2" snub nose revolvers in 357 mag (6 shot). My wife did not care for it because she had trouble firing it in double action and staying on target. When she got her first Bersa and we went to the range I was shocked at how well she was able to shoot it!
We have two Bersa 380s for my wife. Its the only gun that she has tried so far and really liked (and she is a pretty good shot with it). I had taken her to an indoor range that rented guns so that she could try out all different types. The Bersa was the only one she really liked.
Out of the two we have had, we have had no issues with them at all. They have been completely reliable.
We also had 2" snub nose revolvers in 357 mag (6 shot). My wife did not care for it because she had trouble firing it in double action and staying on target. When she got her first Bersa and we went to the range I was shocked at how well she was able to shoot it!
Wow, how did I get tricked into posting to such an old thread??
The main thing is that SHE, & SHE ALONE, must have confidence in the pistol. As you/she will find out as you read this & other forums, it is a reliable pistol but just knowing that may not be enough. She should get involved in it's break-in. Shooting it, learning to clear any jams if they occur, field stripping & cleaning it herself, is the way that she will get to KNOW the pistol & gain confidence in it to the point that she trusts her life to it's operation.
My wife's Thunder 380 has never hiccup'd. Others report them to be picky about ammo until broken in. Sometimes flat-nosed ammo, like the Winchester White Box, and hollow points are a problem until after 150 rounds or so. But, once this is done, eat anything they feed it. In my wife's case, she has arthritus in her hands & finds it hard to rack the slide, but keeps it loaded with one in the chamber & the safety off. On the chance that it might pick the wrong time to have it's first jam, she can clear it, just painful to do so. I've offered to get her a revolver or let her have my Bersa UC9 because it's slide is easier to rack, but she likes her Bersa 380.
Another thing about the Bersa 380 is the ease to reload if necessary. The slide locks back on the last round of a magazine. If you slam the fresh mag home with sufficient force, the slide automatically closes, chambering the first round.
I've offered to get her a revolver or let her have my Bersa UC9 because it's slide is easier to rack, but she likes her Bersa 380.
Mitch, just curious as to why your wife preferred the Bersa 380 over the UC9. My wife also had a hard time racking slides - and the Bersa 380 is what she found the easiest. We never looked at a UC9, though. I was just wondering what your wife's opinion of it was.
Last week my wife tried a friends Ruger LCP. She didn't seem to like it very much. Even though it shoots the same .380 round, I think because it is sooo small and light that she might have felt that the recoil was a bit harsh for her compared to the Bersa 380. How does the UC9 compare?
Mitch, just curious as to why your wife preferred the Bersa 380 over the UC9. My wife also had a hard time racking slides - and the Bersa 380 is what she found the easiest. We never looked at a UC9, though. I was just wondering what your wife's opinion of it was.
Last week my wife tried a friends Ruger LCP. She didn't seem to like it very much. Even though it shoots the same .380 round, I think because it is sooo small and light that she might have felt that the recoil was a bit harsh for her compared to the Bersa 380. How does the UC9 compare?
First, I must tell you that my wife wanted no interference/advice from me on her selection Even after she decided what she wanted, she resented me trying to help her find it. I was a salesman & had the opportunity to browse guns stores all over east Texas while on my lunch break (often didn't actually eat lunch for this reason), but she very politely told me to buzz off!
Anyway, she opted for the 380 because of perceived lower recoil on her arthitic hands. Also I was looking for a pistol for myself, but larger caliber, and there were none (Bersa) available anywhere in east Texas!! It was several months after she found hers that I was able to find a 40S&W Bersa Firestorm & bought it. That was almost 3 years ago & I just got my 9mm pistols in the last 6 months. Hind sight being 20/20, the UC9 would have been the best choice for her. It is small enough for her small hands and, because of being slightly heavier plus not being the blow-back type, the recoil doesn't seem to be much more, if any, than the 380. The slide, once broken in, seems to be easier to rack.
Now having said that, I have offered to swap with her & she says no! So, go figure!! Of course, she probably knows that if she does swap, it'll give me an ideal reason to buy another pistol to replace my 9mm.
I have about 800 rounds, through my Bersa Thunder 380. It did have a couple of "hiccups" in the first 50 or so rounds, but after that, it has been completely reliable. However, "limp wristing" will quite often cause a "fail to load" (bullet jams, at an angle, part way into the barrel) I have had this happen several times, when I let somebody shoot my Thunder 380. I explained what they were doing wrong & no more problem, provided they gripped the gun tightly, with a "stiff" wrist. Recently I picked up a Bersa Thunder 9uc & other than the Parkerized finish, I like it a lot. With it using the "stronger" 9mm bullet, I would have thought the recoil would be "harsh", but the locked breech action makes the recoil almost identical to the Thunder 380. I was quite surprised at how nice the SA trigger is! It is much "softer" that other 9mm autos that I have, or have fired. If somebody complains about the Bersa trigger, I arrange for them to shoot a Kelted P-11. Now there is a comparison that really "shows off" how nice, light & smooth, the Bersa triggers are.
Even after she decided what she wanted, she resented me trying to help her find it. I was a salesman & had the opportunity to browse guns stores all over east Texas while on my lunch break (often didn't actually eat lunch for this reason), but she very politely told me to buzz off!
