The Bersa Thunder 380 is recommended for people who are new to guns or are looking for a small but dependable caliber. The concealable, lightweight Bersa Thunder 380 specs come with features that any gun owner would like to have in their concealed weapon. Read below to learn more about the specs, operability, shooting and ammunition, and some personal magazine recommendations.
Bersa Thunder 380 Review
The Specs
Contrary to the floating barrel in recoil-operated handguns, the Bersa Thunder 380 barrel is in a fixed position and has a smaller feed ramp. The external hammer is positioned ergonomically and is capable of single and double action firing even for people with smaller hands. Bersa Thunder 380 magazine capacity is at 7+1, although you can also get the 8+1 magazine with the extended pinky grip.
Safety Features
The safety selector lever can also be used as a decocking mechanism. The firing pin safety, once turned on, ensures the gun will not fire if it gets dropped. The key-activated trigger lock adds another layer of security as it prevents unauthorized people from using the gun. The magazine disconnect safety will also keep the handgun from firing if the magazine is not inserted well.
These safety features in the Bersa Thunder 380 are meant to mitigate negligent discharges, especially during assembly and maintenance. They may appear to be cumbersome and unnecessary to some people, but these additional features little to no impact on its overall operation.
Operation
The Bersa Thunder 380 can handle nearly every situation anyone can get thrown into, even if you are a newbie. The smooth slide travel during the blowback action appears to be balanced. This is enough for shooters to make multiple shots on target without overcompensating for any recoil.
Once you put in the time to familiarize yourself with the gun, assembly and reassembly, reloading, and clearing stoppages become a lot easier. Maintenance is also quite easy as the gun breaks down into 3 major parts. The carbon collection points are easily accessible for cleaning.
Shooting and Ammunition
As with any DA/ SA handgun, it is important that you already know the feel of both single and double action modes. The trigger pull of the Bersa Thunder 380 is a smooth 9.5 pounds and a predictable 4 pounds in single-action mode. On the range, the trigger resulted in consistent grouping from 3 to 25 yards.
Except for some hand-loaded cartridges, the gun was able to handle most ammunition. You might notice the reduced noise and recoil, so make sure you call a cease-fire before proceeding to fire again. If there are any bullet jams, simply hammer it out before continuing on shooting.
Drawbacks
Perhaps the biggest drawback was the failure to feed stoppages, which happens a little too often. The unassisted feeding results in a smaller feeding ramp, which may be the culprit. After testing it with various types of ammunition and getting some action drills in, you can mitigate the problem by only using a Bersa Thunder 380 magazine. It also helps if you maintain the gun well.
Magazine Recommendations
The following are ideal self-defense ammunition when choosing to carry a 380 handgun like the Bersa Thunder. The ballistic technology in the recommended ammunition is enough to make the Bersa Thunder 380 just as deadly as other defensive calibers:
- Speer Gold Dot .380 – the ammunition sacrifices some expansion for deep penetration. In tests, it can reach anywhere from 11 to 13 inches of penetration as compared to other Bersa Thunder 380 magazine options.
- Federal HST .380 – this ammunition only penetrates about 8 inches in tests, mostly due to the heavier bullet and larger expansion. The bonded core bullets are consistent with its integrity and expansion through hard barriers like denim and drywall.
Compensating for the ballistic gel bounceback, the average penetration here was just under 12 inches at 11.71. Thanks to AmmoQuest for sharing these results.
Watch this gun review on Bersa Thunder 380 by Honest Outlaws below:
The best way to decide if the Bersa Thunder 380 handgun is for you is to test it and actually spend some time familiarizing yourself with it at your local range. We hope this article helps settle the debate on large caliber handguns as personal protection and home defense handguns. The best gun to have will always be the one that you have on you. If it happens to be a Bersa Thunder 380, you will feel confident about its performance and reliability.
What did you think of our Bersa Thunder 380 review? Let us know in the comment section!