Range Report - Bersa Thunder 380,,,

[aarondhgraham]

Today was a good day at the range for me,,,
I had two new guns to break-in.

The Bersa Thunder 380 is a DA/SA semi-auto with a safety de-cocker,,,
It holds 7 rounds in the mag and one in the chamber,,,
Mine is the brushed nickel finish.

A while back I was given between 250 and 300 rounds of .380 ammunition,,,
One box of 50 Winchester Silver Tip Hollow Points,,,
Two boxes of 20 Federal Hydra Shok,,,
One box of 50 UMC FMJ.

I also received 3 bags of gun show reloads,,,
One bag of 50 very pointy hollow points,,,
One bag of 50 rounder hollow points,,,
One bag of 50 FMJ rounds,,,
And a few loose rounds.

I also bought one box of new federal FMJ,,,
Just in case the odd samples I had wouldn't work.

Before I went to the range I stripped the gun,,,
And cleaned a goodly amount of factory goop out of her,,,
Then I lubed her up as per the manual and reassembled the gun.

Very easy take-down procedures,,,
I just followed the directions in the manual.

I fired all 50 of the UMC FMJ rounds with no problems at all,,,
I fired 10 rounds of the Winchester Silver Tip with no problems at all,,,
I fired 10 rounds of the Federal Hydra Shok and again experienced no problems at all.

I fired 20 each of the two reloaded hollow points,,,
No problems at all.

I fired all 50 of the reloaded FMJ ammo,,,
No problems at all.

Last but not least I fired all 50 of the new Federal FMJ,,,
No problems at all.

Just to get used to it,,,
I used the de-cocker on each new magazine,,,
That forced me to fire the first shot with the DA trigger.

I don't really know how to evaluate a DA trigger,,,
All I can say is that the travel didn't seem too long for my tastes.

Now the SA trigger is a different story,,,
It was short and very crisp,,,
I liked it a lot.

The sights are very nice,,,
Bright orange dots against shiny metal,,,
The top strap has good knurling so there is no sunlight reflection.

Rapid fire, I was able to keep all shots in the silhouette at 25 yards,,,
Slow fire all shots were in what I consider center mass,,,
The gun is inherently more accurate than I am.

So all in all I fired 210 rounds of various brands and types of ammo,,,
I did not experience one failure of any kind with the gun.

Ergonomics are very nice,,,
I have hands that love a K-frame S&W,,,
This mid-sized pistol fits my hands just as well as the S&W's.

I'm honestly trying to come up with a negative experience from todays outing,,,
But the gun ran flawlessly for me so it was all positive.

I paid $280.00 + tax at the Evil Pawn Shop,,,
Money well spent I now think.

I give the Bersa Thunder 380 the,,,
Aarond H. Graham - Thumbs-Up Stamp of Approval.

Aarond

 

[nich018]

Nice gun and report. I would like to buy a Bersa. Have never owned one.

 

[YakBasser]

Ive had Three and they've all been great shooters........My Dad still carrys one of them and Loves it.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Lynn is the name I gave the Thunder 380.

I fired all 60 remaining rounds of those gun-show reloads,,,
Then 100 rounds of Federal FMJ.

I tried to limp-wrist the gun,,,
I was actually holding it with only two fingers,,,
I could not get it to jam, fail to feed, or fail to eject the shells.

I am incredibly pleased with this little 380,,,
370 rounds so far of many different types of ammo.

No problems of any kind!

Aarond

 

[trickydick]

I've had the same pistol in the duo-tone finish for about 2yrs now, and it's a real pleasure to shoot, easy to aim and light on recoil. The only problem with mine is getting it away from my wife, it has become her night stand/keep in reach pistol.

 

[aarondhgraham]

The only problem with mine is getting it away from my wife,,,

Sounds like a perfect excuse for another Bersa purchase,,,
Don't you agree?

Aarond

 

[trickydick]

Possibly but I'd have to get the high capacity 380 or the 22lr this time.

 

[aarondhgraham]

In that case opt for the Thunder 22,,,
I've had mine for a little over a month now,,,
It's quickly replacing my other .22's as my favorite plinker.

Aarond

 

[Woody's Janitor]

I have one and love it!