New Thunder .380 owner

[Salbo]

First, I just received my new thunder .380 yesterday after a three month wait, I actually was going to cancel my order when the dealer called and told me the gun came in. Since not one dealer in my area had a Bersa in their store I did find one to agree to order it and if my 5% uncertainty was founded he would send it back with me paying the restocking fee, all other dealers would not agree to this. I'm sure nobody wants to buy a gun without putting it in your hand first. Well, for my questions and some help, please. First some back ground, I bought this thunder to upgrade my current carry, Colt Gov't model .380 SA, which I've carried for the passed 21 years. I wanted to take advantage of the new features, especially the first pull DA and. I looked at three makes similar to my Colt, which was the Bersa, Walter and Sig. The switch is what is driving my questions. First the magazine release on these guns seems difficult compared to my Colt, any suggestion on operating it smoother and easier with one hand? Part of the reason is the release is above the trigger guard opposed to on the bottom, my colt is so much easier and faster.. This leads into the next question, if my hand is to small, would buying the wrap-around grip help, ie, is the wrap-around thinner or slimmer than the stock grip? I also noticed that the hammer seems to have a 1/4 cock feature, is this meant as a safety or is it designed for something else? Lastly the sights, the dots do not line up when I line up the top of the three post, again is this by design, different sighting method or a defect? I would appreciate any help, Thanks it advance.

[Americangirl01]

Hello, Salbo and welcome.
The controls on new Bersa pisols are generally quite stiff. The magazine release is not excluded. I am a right handed shooter and I can reach the magazine release with my right thumb and eject the magazine. I could not do this when the pistol was new as the release button was stiff. After a few hundred rounds, it became workable with the thumb. If the problem is that you cannot reach the lever, neither break-in nor rubber grips will help with that I'm afraid. My daughter who has smaller hands than mine, using one hand, she can reach the magazine release by moving her fingers slightly toward the outside of the grip. My pistol also has wooden grips which are slightly thicker than the stock polymer grips. I have not measured the rubber grips, but have read several posts that state their diameter is the same as the stock grips. They are easier to "squeeze" than the stock grips. There is a 1/4 cock position on the hammer. On the current production models, it serves little purpose, but on older models that did not have a hammer block, the 1/4 cock position allowed the user to carry a round in the chamber without allowing the hammer to rest there. As far as the dots on the sights go, I am not sure. I've not noticed mine being out of line with the posts, but the majority of what I do is point shooting, so I rarely use the sights. I would give it a try and form an opinion after the test session, fwiw.....
Good luck to you and welcome again.

[Salbo]

Hello, Salbo and welcome.
The controls on new Bersa pisols are generally quite stiff. The magazine release is not excluded. I am a right handed shooter and I can reach the magazine release with my right thumb and eject the magazine. I could not do this when the pistol was new as the release button was stiff. After a few hundred rounds, it became workable with the thumb. If the problem is that you cannot reach the lever, neither break-in nor rubber grips will help with that I'm afraid. My daughter who has smaller hands than mine, using one hand, she can reach the magazine release by moving her fingers slightly toward the outside of the grip. My pistol also has wooden grips which are slightly thicker than the stock polymer grips. I have not measured the rubber grips, but have read several posts that state their diameter is the same as the stock grips. They are easier to "squeeze" than the stock grips. There is a 1/4 cock position on the hammer. On the current production models, it serves little purpose, but on older models that did not have a hammer block, the 1/4 cock position allowed the user to carry a round in the chamber without allowing the hammer to rest there. As far as the dots on the sights go, I am not sure. I've not noticed mine being out of line with the posts, but the majority of what I do is point shooting, so I rarely use the sights. I would give it a try and form an opinion after the test session, fwiw.....
Good luck to you and welcome again.

Thank you Americangirl01, Since my post I have taken it to the range and have to say it is nice to shoot. I only put 150 rounds through it but I'm going back tomorrow with another 100 rounds. Those issues I mention seem will work themselves out over time now that I have fired the gun. Just need to retrain myself and get use to a new machine. I bought the Bersa solely as a full time carry and as long as it is accurate and reliable that's damn well what I will do. Thanks again.

[Americangirl01]

Thank you Americangirl01, Since my post I have taken it to the range and have to say it is nice to shoot. I only put 150 rounds through it but I'm going back tomorrow with another 100 rounds. Those issues I mention seem will work themselves out over time now that I have fired the gun. Just need to retrain myself and get use to a new machine. I bought the Bersa solely as a full time carry and as long as it is accurate and reliable that's damn well what I will do. Thanks again.

You're very welcome. It appears that you are on the right path. Please let us know if you run into bumps along the way or if you have questions.
Also, please feel free to join us at the sister forum, www.bersachat.com. There are quite a few Bersa owners there who are very happy to share their advice and experiences and even some things that probably should be kept to themselves. . I wish you the best of luck.

[edenbisdee7215]

You're very welcome. It appears that you are on the right path. Please let us know if you run into bumps along the way or if you have questions.
Also, please feel free to join us at the sister forum, www.bersachat.com. There are quite a few Bersa owners there who are very happy to share their advice and experiences and even some things that probably should be kept to themselves. . I wish you the best of luck.

hello mt dear i am a new here i din't know much about this forum but know a little bit. I have just purchased a new Thunder 380. This is the latest and the new little pistol. I bought it from the consensus group which is a gunsmith and a very crafty owner. This group always advises to use it very carefully.

[flyfishinjim]

New user, trying to navigate to post questions. Am i close or should i go to another screen? Trying to find out how to get my Bersa 380CC repaired. The Loaded chamber indicator and associated parts are missing. It happened at the range lastweek when i noticed it would not chamber any rounds. I found a warranty dealer in orlando, however I can't talk to a real person to find out what the repair proceedures are. Need some guidance on this one! Thanks Jim

[BersaSales]

flyfishinjim - please click on the "warranty" tab on our main page and it will give you all the warranty centers. You can contact any one of them to help you with your problem.

[flyfishinjim]

flyfishinjim - please click on the "warranty" tab on our main page and it will give you all the warranty centers. You can contact any one of them to help you with your problem.

Thank you for the info! i appreciate the quick response. I owe you one. Jim