New Thunder 22 range repor(dble post from Gen Discussion)

[buckiav8r]

I just purchased a new Bersa Thunder 22 to go along with my Thunder 380. The gun is well made, fit and function also good. The double action trigger pull is long and a bit heavy but in single action the trigger is not bad at all. The safety also is a bit stiff when decocking the piece but I hope this will loosen up a bit with use. I have about 200 rounds thru the gun so far, with both CCI Blazer and Remington yellow-head high velocity ammo and function thru the gun has been 100%. No misfires, not failures to feed. I really like this gun EXCEPT for one annoying item- The gun shoots 2-3 inches below point of aim. Result with either ammo is nearly the same. How you supposed to hit anything when you can't see it below the sights? Is there anything one can do about this?

[john from md]

I have the same problem with mine. I bought a spare rear sight leaf and am going to see if it is taller than the old one. If not, I may go by the hobby shop and buy a piece of sheet brass and try to file out a replacement. It is really annoying.

John

[michael t]

If you use a 6 o clock sighting they shoot low Bersa front sight should cover the bull not balance the bull as in 6 o'clock .

[Americangirl01]

As posted by michael t, use a dead-on sight picture (cover the target with your front sight).

[buckiav8r]

I don't think I can buy your advice to hold the front sight over the target. If I'm shooting at a soda can 50 ft. away, I have to hold slightly above the can, causing it to completely disappear and essentially making the shot a game of "guess where". Yeah, if I were shooting at a man-sized target this would not be so much of an issue but the little Bersa seems like a very capable little plinker and I just can't accept the sights the way they are. One of the service reps has agreed to take a look at mine.

[mitchr]

I don't shoot at 50 ft. since I only practice at self-defense distances, so I don't know what my Bersas will do at that distance. At 21 ft. using a rest, they are dead on when I sight for the center of the bull. You shouldn't have to 'hide' the target, just put the sight on the center of it.

[buckiav8r]

I did the same test with mine. At approx. 25 ft., using a dead center hold, it would hit about 3 inches at the 5 o'clock position. To me, that's pretty far off for such a short distance.

[mitchr]

It does sound like there is a problem & real unusual. Here's hoping the service rep can fix it.

[Americangirl01]

I don't shoot at 50 ft. since I only practice at self-defense distances, so I don't know what my Bersas will do at that distance. At 21 ft. using a rest, they are dead on when I sight for the center of the bull. You shouldn't have to 'hide' the target, just put the sight on the center of it.

Same here, mitchr. Best of luck to you, buckiav8r. If the problem is with the pistol, one of the service centers should be able to take care of it for you.

[ColoradoGunWorksGunsmith]

Did it get taken care of?

[buckiav8r]

No, as a matter of fact it did not get taken care of.

I explained to the service facility when I sent the gun there that the gun's function on both CCI Blazer and Remington High Velocity ammo had been 100% but it shot about 3 inches low at 30 feet. I also said my ammo of choice would be Blazer. I got the gun back about a week later with almost no paperwork enclosed, only a test target which showed five shots using CCI Stinger ammo grouping about 1 inch low at 10 yds and a notation that stated "within factory specs".

Okay, I guess the difference we have here is with the ammo. What I used are standard velocity .22 ammo types, both propelling a 40 grain bullet at about 1200 fps, where the CCI Stinger uses a 32 grain bullet going out at over 1600 fps. That probably explains the difference in points of impact. My problem with this is that I bought the Bersa Thunder 22 for a fun little plinker, that I can keep handy and use whenever I feel like a little recreation. I don't need ultra-high velocity, hollow point ammunition that costs $6 a box to do that. The Bersa operators manual for the gun doesn't specify this ammunition, either, it just says use good quality.

So, no, the problem didn't get rectified. What's even more frustrating is that I have tried to contact the service facility's gun smith a couple of times now to discuss this and I can't get him to respond to either my call or email. Where did I send it? Colorado Gun Works.

I really appreciate that fact that Bersa offered to take a look at it, but I'm back to the same point I was when this episode began: getting ready to start filing the front sight blade down to make the gun shoot where it is supposed to. I sure wish I didn't have to do that. I really like the gun. It looks good, feels good and functions like a champ. Accuracy with all ammo so far has been surprisingly good for such a short little barrel. If only I can get the sights regulated to where they should be.

Mike in Ohio

[ColoradoGunWorksGunsmith]

Mike, I looked at the notes from your pistol, and it was indeed tested and found to be in factory specification. At 21' the point of impact differance is minimal between the ammo used and with standard velocity .22lr ammo.

Filing the front sight down would be unadvisable as it will not move the dot on the front sight, only make it look bad. Our notes show you having called to talk to us and my(personally) having attempted to call you back once. If you would like, you can send it back, and I will personally go thru the firearm and shoot it from the pistol vise myself with plain old Blazer ammunition. If there is something that can be done to raise the point of impact I will.

What more can I offer you to make you happy with your firearm?
Please let me know.
C. Royce Honeycutt

[buckiav8r]

Thank you for making that offer, Royce. Give me a bit and I'll be in touch with you.

Mike

[crowhunter]

Probably not telling you anything you don't already know, but higher velocity ammo shoots lower because it leaves the barrel faster and is less affected by recoil. You could hold with some of the front site sticking up past the rear one, but then the dot on the front site would be wasted. Good luck.

[crowhunter]

Sorry, just reread your post. You were using standard velocity. Below is a site that has subsonic for $289 per box.

http://www.natchezss.com/Ammo.cfm?co...20LRN%2050/box

[ColoradoGunWorksGunsmith]

Let me know what's up Buckiav8r.
Thanks,

[DukeII]

Hi - I have found that I have to place the front dot on top of the rear dots to make a little triangle and it will shoot straight. If you line up the dots, it will shoot low. Try it and then move your head or the pistol just enough to see if from the side and it will be pointing down. Hope that this helps.

[ColoradoGunWorksGunsmith]

Still waiting to hear back on what we can do to help.
Thanks,