CCWing a Bersa Thunder .380

[sparny524 0]

I recently bought a Bersa Thunder .380 from a friend of mine since I wanted something I could carry comfortably in warmer weather and I love it! Shoots great, runs any ammo I feed it like a champ and not a hiccup yet. I carry all day, everyday and my Glock 23 was getting a little uncomfortable and heavy so I did a little research and the Bersa is a great value. I paid $250 for it lightly used and picked up a $15 Uncle Mike's IWB holster and I couldn't be happier. Granted, the 7 round mag loaded with 90gr. HydraShock is less firepower than the 13 rounds of 165gr. .40S&W GoldDots but I just prefer mobility over firepower in this situation (I still keep the Glock tucked away and ready to rock in my truck though ) I would suggest a Bersa to anyone looking for a reliable .380 at a great price. I still love my Glock, but the Bersa is so thin and light I almost forget it's there sometimes. The pics are reversed because they're from my webcam

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Hey, if you feel comfortable trusting your life with a $250 used Bersa, then have at it! Now if, and I hope this never comes into question, but if you had to use it, would you want to say, "damn, it jammed! Shoulda spent another $150 bucks and bought a Glock 27 since I'm used to shooting and carrying one ad the 40 caliber is a proven man-stopper! But I decided to use a gun that I bought used that has a questionable past with a caliber that some consider the smallest you should carry."

 

just my doce pennys though

 

Glocks Rock!!!

[sparny524 0]

I understand where you're coming from BUT I think you missed the point of my post. Glocks are pretty wide and can get uncomfortable when you carry 24/7. I still carry my 23 but with the warm weather rolling in... shorts and tshirts are the dress code. Bersa- lighter, more concealable, more comfortable for all day wear. Again back to the mobility vs. firepower debate. Also, in defensive carry you MUST know your skill level and limits and I know I don't shoot the Sub-C Glocks as well as the Bersa even while under perfect conditions. Killing paper at an indoor range is a far cry from an actual engagement, adrenal glands in overload, loss of fine motor skills, and possible getting sprayed by the blood spatter of your target (shoot a gallon of water with an HP round at 3 yards and see what I'm talking about). On the reliability factor, I ran my carry load (HydraShock) EXTENSIVELY through it and it was flawless... along with WWB and the cheap Mexican stuff... no FTFs ,FTEs, nor any other problems. About the caliber, yes .380 is considered an "underpowered" round when looking down from the precipice of .40S&W but so is 9mm when you carry a .40. And .40S&W becomes .40Short&Weak when you carry a10mm or a .45. IMO I would rather hit the bad guy with .22lr then miss with .50AE... catch my drift? It all comes back to knowing your skill set and limits, I know I will not engage a target down the 25 yard frozen food aisle in Wal-Mart with the Bersa but anything 7 yards and closer and I am confident enough to hit the bad guy center mass and not harm any innocents.... though a contact wound to the head is IDEAL. So to answer your question, yes I am OK in betting my life on the Bersa.... and as I said my Glock 23 is nestled in my car when I need to be loaded for bear. And BTW... SIGs ROCK!

[coldsolderjoint 84]

Dont they have a double stack version which holds like (15) .380's?

 

This is on my list of stuff to get.. eventually.

[Old School 611]

Hey, if you feel comfortable trusting your life with a $250 used Bersa, then have at it! Now if, and I hope this never comes into question, but if you had to use it, would you want to say, "damn, it jammed! Shoulda spent another $150 bucks and bought a Glock 27 since I'm used to shooting and carrying one ad the 40 caliber is a proven man-stopper! But I decided to use a gun that I bought used that has a questionable past with a caliber that some consider the smallest you should carry."

 

just my doce pennys though

 

Glocks Rock!!!

 

Ray don't be a snob! Bersa's are pretty good. And alot of LE around the world uses or used to use 380 when we were using 38spl.

Though I would prefer 9mm as a minimum defense caliber.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Sparny

Like I said, if YOU'R comfortable with using the Bersa, then God bless ya!

[djg0770 481]

Love it! Another Bersa lover. Got mine used from PK90. If I had a CCW, I'd carry it without a thought.

[67gtonut 847]

Love it! Another Bersa lover. Got mine used from PK90. If I had a CCW, I'd carry it without a thought.

 

Seemed to go BANG every time you pulled the trigger..... thats all that counts!!!!

 

Ray needs to relax..... all of a sudden he went from a Charter Arms :shock: person to...... gotta have a Glock! :roll:

[Shane45 807]

A Bersa on hand vs a Glock home in the drawer wins every time. With that being said, I just dont think I could rely on .380. I took my buddy shooting with his Para 40 and his Bersa .380. I brought along some steel plates to shoot at. They are free standing. Well his Para was jamming to much so he switched to the Bersa. He shot the steel plates with his 40 and they went over with authority as they did from my 45 but when he hit it with the Bersa .380, well it gave a pling but couldnt even nock the free standing plate over.... not exactly confidence inspiring. Now if anyone comes across 4 1" thick 8" wide circle plates that look like they were cut out of the side of a battle ship (Im told they were) let me know someone stole them!

[jermz1987 243]

RUN RAY RUN!!!!

 

 

Ive always liked the Bersa 380. Ive never read many negative reviews on it.

[mipafox 438]

A Bersa on hand vs a Glock home in the drawer wins every time.

 

True dat.

 

I usually carry a Glock 19, which is not a small gun. I always wear this gun OWB. I OC 99% of the time in PA. Outside of PA, I just pull a shirt over it. I don't generally OC in public outside of PA. I carry with a forward cant and I believe that helps disguise it somehow. If I'm wearing a dark shirt, you really can't tell most of the time, and nobody else will the rest of the time. White shirt you see it plain as day. I hear patterns on shirts can help as well.

 

If I were in a state were there were laws against printing, I wouldn't be comfortable with this mode of carry. However, I am comfortable carrying at meetings and bar trips with clients this way, so you see I have some level of confidence. And I do carry a gun 100% of the time where legal and G19 OWB never bothers me.

[GRIZ 3,369]

Glocks are pretty wide and can get uncomfortable when you carry 24/7.

 

I've carried daily for over 40 years. Many people (LEOs included) want to carry the smallest gun they can get away with. We carried G19s (but you could also carry a 17) where I worked and eventually strted to get G26s mainly because the brass complained about the 19 being "too big" (best all around Glock 0mm but that's another story). There is really not that much difference between a Bersa and a Glock 26/27.

 

With that said, I carried a PPK in 380 until they weren't authorized. If you're comfortable (power wise) with the Bersa go ahead. Just don't get all wrapped up in 1/2" here, an inch there, when it comes to sizes in carry guns. I never had an issue carrying full size semi autos or a 4" K frame concealed.

 

But that's just me.