Quick review on 3 common CC Pistols

[LPMan59]

i'll try to keep this short and sweet. keep in my mind that i am just a noob with some guns and that ymmv.

The Guns:
Glock 26 w/grip extension mag and Meprolight sights
Taurus PT709 Slim
Bersa Thunder .380

The Ammo:
WWB 115gr 9mm FMJ and Federal 115gr 9mm FMJ
Brass Kings 95gr .380 FMJ reloads i bought

Range: Self defense range- about 15 to 20 feet.

So the wife ok'd me getting a new gun, so I bought the Bersa due to its good reviews. So I took it out with my Glock 26 and 709 for comparison.

Grip: The Bersa wins this one. Very comfortable to hold, slide is the easiest to operate (which is good 'cause the wife is prolly gonna use this as a bedside piece Edit: My wife isnt too keen on handling guns. She isn't anti by any means, but just hasn't had enough range time- though she can shoot my 1911s pretty well. lol The only one she actually likes to shoot though is my Beretta 22LR, but she (!) told me she wanted something with more oomph) She has handled the Bersa and seemed to be ok with working it and expressed the grip to be comfortable. I am hoping to get her to the point that she can feel comfortable carrying, but baby steps. For reasons explained below, she has not tried this pistol yet). The Glock comes in second; without the extension on the mag, the grip kinda sucks. The 709 grip would also be vastly improved by a finger extension, but in typical Taurus fashion, there are no plans for one yet.

Trigger: Toss up on this one between the Glock and the Bersa. The DA on the Bersa is actually pretty nice. the SA is very smooth. The worst is the 709, hands down. It is so long and mushy. Even though it's a Glock style trigger, it is definitely NOT a Glock trigger.

Capacity: Glock wins.

Reliability: Not a single hiccup from any of them. I do realize that 100 rounds isn't the big picture.

Accuracy: For me, the Glock. But it does have aftermarket night sights. The Bersa seemed to be shooting a little low for me. The Taurus at close range was dead center, but at the 20 foot range, I wasn't very good with it.

Recoil: Obviously the Bersa would probably have less recoil as it is a weaker caliber. The Glock seemed to have the bigger boom factor, but the extra mass of the gun made it easily controllable. The loser here was the 709. Coupled with its bad trigger and not so great grip, shooting the 709 really reminded me of shooting a 38 snub.

Deep Concealability: Toss up here,but I personally think he 709 has the edge. It fits in my pocket using a High Noon Pocket Grabber with minimal printing (but it doesn't look like a gun, just that i have something in my pocket). I have a High Noon tuckable IWB holster on order, so i may change my mind.

Price: Bersa wins at about $230-250. Stock Glock 26 is about $480, the 709 $350-380.

Other factors to consider: Price and availability of mags and ammo as well as spare parts, night sights, etc. Glock wins IMO.

After considering all of the above, the Glock is my favorite but it's not always practical for me to carry. The 709 fits this part nicely, but it is not pleasant for me to shoot. Assuming that I can find the ammo, I think the Bersa Thunder .380 is an excellent alternative to the 709.

Thanks for reading. I hope someone finds this helpful