I have 2 Bersa Thunders in my household and I would say they are an alright gun. I don't want to rain on your parade but I'm going to be honest. I have one that is a nickel coated and it is my favorite as far as looks go. The other one is a Bersa firestorm model with a black finish. I have a few complaints with the Thunder for sure. When we first bought the nickel finished Bersa, my initial thoughts went like this. There are now 9mm handguns that are more powerful at the same size and price range (Kahr CW9, Kel-Tec PF9, Ruger LC9). My first question is, why even go with a .380? Unless you are collecting calibers or you want a small pocket gun, the .380 is kinda pointless to me. Then my second thought was that it kind of looked like a Walther PPK which totally turned me on. Thirdly, it had a lot of safety mechanisms which would be good for Mom. So we picked it up and took it out to "The Compound" to see if it was all that everyone said it was. After 3 magazines the nickel coated Bersa had a life or death malfunction in the field. The extractor retaining pin came out resulting in the extractor and extractor spring flying out of the gun. Luckily I had my magnets near by so we found the extractor. I contacted the dealer I bought it from and he made it straight by ordering the extractor spring and the retaining pin. Already that was a big no, no for me. After the parts were shipped to me I installed them and it has been 100% henceforth. After all this, Dad goes and buys himself a Bersa Firestorm that matches moms but is a different color. So far he loves it. I do agree with Bill B on aftermarket magazines. I was shooting Sellier and Bellot ammo through an aftermarket magazine and it would jam up on the last round every time. I loaded up PMC through the same aftermarket magazine and it ran just fine. If you get a Bersa, get FACTORY mags!
After I have shot both of the guns I would say that they are a 7 on my rating list. The most important part of your CCW system is a quality holster that is comfortable. The Bersa scores a B on my ratings for that. There are quality made holsters that you can buy for the Bersa pistol. Fobus makes a decent OWB and Crossbreed and Desantis both make good tuckable holsters for it. In my experience with the Bersas and how they compare to other guns I would advise you to get a STAINLESS steel handgun or one with a very durable finish. When you CCW you are going to carry it a lot which means it will have wear and tear. You most likely will get sweat on your gun and sweat causes a ton of rust. The nickel finish is probably your best bet with the Bersas in this aspect. My final thoughts would be for you to check out the Kahr CW9 and the S&W M&P SHIELD pistol. These are far cheaper to shoot, have good holsters, used by police, and are made in America. If the Bersa is just your second kind of cool, go for it. Bersa stands by their product.
I would agree. I, too, have had both and liked the Bersa much better. At least it didn't try to chew my thumb off!
Sounds to me like you just got a lemon off the line. Every manufacturer has them from time to time. As mentioned, Bersa CS is awesome and warranty is lifetime. Much like some of the others, I bought a CC Thunder for the Mrs. She hated the low profile sights so we traded it off. Wish I hadn't. That thing ran like a sewing machine.
I didn't have a nickel finish so I can't speak to that - but it makes sense.
Sorry your experience with Bersa was less than excellent. I give them 5 stars all the way for our specimen. The ONLY gripe I had with it was (IIRC) the mag disconnect. Not a fan of it in the first place, especially in a CC pistol.
Is the Bersa Firestorm as good as the Thunder? I received one in trade.
Sounds to me like you just got a lemon off the line. Every manufacturer has them from time to time. As mentioned, Bersa CS is awesome and warranty is lifetime. Much like some of the others, I bought a CC Thunder for the Mrs. She hated the low profile sights so we traded it off. Wish I hadn't. That thing ran like a sewing machine.
I didn't have a nickel finish so I can't speak to that - but it makes sense.
Sorry your experience with Bersa was less than excellent. I give them 5 stars all the way for our specimen. The ONLY gripe I had with it was (IIRC) the mag disconnect. Not a fan of it in the first place, especially in a CC pistol.
In January I bought a Bersa Model 97 at a gun show. Great gun. Fit my hand perfectly. Good shooter. Only problem with it is I have never been able to find any additional magazines for it. Oh well...
August 4th, I purchased a new Bersa Thunder .380 Duo-Tone. I had the opportunity to take it to the range the next day, and all I can say about it is, "WOAH!" It ran smooth, felt as tho it had less recoil than the 97, and fit in my hand as nicely as the older Bersa.
I picked up four ProMags from Centerfire Systems ($16.99 each), and went back to the range on the 11th. Everything was fine. However, I did have two instances where the last round in the mag hung up. Dropped the mag, reseated the round and fired it. Don't know tho, if it was the same magazine both times. I will check on this the next time I go. I figure it might be the mag, but it could be the ammo.
Either way, I am VERY pleased with the Thunder. Next step will be getting a mag loader and walnut grips for it.