Bersa or Beretta

Hi Adguy,

In the past couple of years I have written a book on the Bersa Thunder 9 Pro here, and I have also owned one of the UC versions. You can prolly find some pretty extensive reports I gave on the gun in the site's archives a couple of years back. In total, I have owned three of these guns, two full size and a UC, got them all up around 700 rounds total, and never had a malfunction with any of them, even with +P ammunition. The T9 Pro full size is my house gun and sometimes even my carry gun.

I basically do not like cut down service pistols, preferring the heft and pointability of the full size service versions. But I liked the UC better than any cut down service pistol I have ever handled and found its recoil to be very close to that of the full size pistol it was developed from. It also had an excellent trigger and a 13 round magazine, which is as much as a stock BHP, and it handled very well. I sold it to a friend who isn't infected with my bias about cut down service pistols, and he has shot the heck out of it and likes it very much. In my experience, the Bersa Thunder 9 Pro, as it comes from the factory, is a reliable firearm that generates few complaints on the internet gun forums, and enjoys a very good reputation with its owners. If gun forum comments are a reliable indicator, I'd say the UC is a pretty hot seller.

As for textbook formidability, the Bersa you are discussing is the more formidable defensive piece of the two because of its more powerful cartridge and larger ammunition supply. But the only criteria for selection of a defensive piece is shootability in your hands. The Bersa ceases to be the more formidable of the two if you can shoot the Beretta better. So my recommendation would be to buy the one you can shoot best and heck with anything else. A hit with a properly placed .380 bullet is a lot better than a miss with a 9mm, but only you can decide which gun will be the better performer in your hands.

JayPee

Hello Adguy,

I have a full size Thunder 9 and would have a UC except for the rail and lock. The Thunder 9 has never had a hiccup with a variety of ammunition and is more accurate than I am capable of shooting. The only negative I have on the pistol is grip which is just a mite large for my hand, but that is me not the pistol. I have read complaints on use of non-Bersa mags and the cost of genuine Bersa mags. When I bought mine, I found a source of Bersa mags and bought a few at a good price. May I suggest you visit bersachat.com and do some reading.

Hello. The Beretta 84 & 85 have the open-slide/visible-barrel as does the 92/96-Series, but they are blowbacks in .380 ACP.

I have not owned one, but the Bersa Thunder 9mm pistols seem to be pretty well respected and liked by folks who try them.

Best.

I had a Beretta .380 and liked everything about it except the slide is sculpted to where my hands can't reliably grasp it. Plus it has a really stout recoil spring.

I especially liked the frame mounted safety that worked at these things were intended: up for safe (and decock) and down for fire.

I'll likely regret getting rid of it but am on the lookout for a Beretta 380 with tip-up barrel.

Between the two calibers, the 9mm definitely has the edge; lots of excellent ammo choices. With a 380 you're always making a compromise between penetration and expansion. I opt for a nonexpanding flat point.


Regards,

Pat