Congrats, the first pistol I got was a .380 Russian gun. Their take off on the PPK. JayG did a post on them. .380 is a nice size in my book though some say it is a bit weak. I like it.
I had one of those, and I wish I had never sold it.
Despite what the mall ninjas tell you, a .380 is adequate for self-defense with good shot placement. Besides, that Bersa is so light and slim that you can carry it damn near anywhere and not notice it, which means it beats the hell out of a 4 pound HK any day of the week.
Cool! The Bersa is one of my favorite car/carry guns. It is cheap enough that you don't have to worry about banging it around, but it is also sturdy and reliable. Mine has only malfunctioned when _extremely_ dirty, or when it was limp-wristed (and then, only rarely.) It has performed perfectly with every kind of ammo I've ever put through it: cheap range reloads, standard Walmart FMJs, flat-nose/semi-wadcutters, and a variety of HPs. I can also reliably hit a paper plate at 20 feet, which is accuracy enough for me.
The only things you need to do to it IMMEDIATELY are to locktite the little sight adjustment screw (lost mine, that sucked) and also locktite the grip screws. If you plan on buying new grips immediately, then don't worry about the it, but after a few hundred rounds, the grip screws WILL come loose.
$250 with an extra mag? Good deal! I paid $250 for mine (new) but with no extra mag. My extra mag was like $20 or $25.
Have you looked at holsters yet? I have a Blade-Tech Ultimate Concealment Holster (tuckable, IWB), which I like OK, but I'm looking to replace it with leather, because the plastic is awful hard. I also got the "tuckable" holster without realizing that "tucking" is pretty much useless (for me at least) without something heavy over your tucked-shirt... an impossibility in Florida.
Great little guns. They'd be worth it for half again the money, given what a Smith & Walther or a P-232 goes for these days.
What the guy said about the grip screws? He ain't lying. Our rental gun went through them like crazy. Just loctite 'em after you put the pretty grips on, or remember to tighten them after every range session, when you're cleaining the gun. (I have to tighten the cylinder release screws on some of my big magnum Smith snubbies for the same reason.)
Congratulations! A person's FIRST gun is VERY special. When (not if) you decide to acquire a different piece (happens to all of us), try to keep this one too. One of my biggest regrets is selling the first gun I had. The personal value is often beyond price.
Very nice, I wore my compact pistol the other day, no one noticed and I didn't either. May yours only get prettier as you get comfortable with it, and do practice the weak hand, Murphy and Gravity rule!
Very nice. Every time I run across one it's got the "pimp gun" gold accents & such. I much prefer the unadorned look of the one you have. Congratulations.
I'm confused. I thought you had a S&W 642 or a similar J-frame snubby. Was I mistaken about your ownership, or is this a nomenclature issue? (While Samuel Colt and I consider the revolver to be a type of pistol, i am aware there is a contingent who believes that the term "pistol" only describes autoloaders.)
west & tam - will do. Maybe I'll buy extra screws, too, just in case.
rick r - maybe I'll start my own collection!
earl - I've been practicing offhand shooting with our Mark II.
Phlegmmy - you're hooked too, huh? =)
mattG - the snubby is technically Mike's, although we consider everything to be ours since we're married. But I was the one who chose this pistol, filled in the official paperwork and signed the check for this one.
I've got one of those; it's what I used to take the shooting portion of the test for my Texas CHL. It's my best "hot weather" gun, since it's slim and easy to conceal with just shorts and a t-shirt. I do sometimes swap it out for an ultra-compact Taurus PT111 in 9mm; slightly chunkier but slightly more firepower and ammo capacity (but only if I'm wearing dark shirt/dark shorts; the concealment profile of the PT111 is still good, but not quite as good as the Bersa).
When the weather cools down I sometimes wear large frame autos like my PT92 or my 1911. But for summer wear, the Bersa's perfect. Like the others said, Congrats!
You are making me re-think .380s...I generally prefer Commander sized semi-autos (4" barrel or so). But, living in South Texas, Commander-size might be a bit hard for me to conceal. Not to mention .380s are somewhat less expensive. The only .380 I have has adjustable sights, and is not suitable for carry, but Bersa pistols are pretty decent and I would think conceal pretty well.
Be polite, please. (also I'd like to add that I reserve the right to delete any and all comments that I find offensive, argumentative, or just plain tiresome.)
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Very nice, may it serve you well.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
ReplyDeleteThose are very nice little guns. I'd have no problem with carrying one myself.
Congrats, the first pistol I got was a .380 Russian gun. Their take off on the PPK. JayG did a post on them. .380 is a nice size in my book though some say it is a bit weak. I like it.
ReplyDeleteHope it serves you well.
YAY! may you enjoy yours as much as i enjoy mine. :D
ReplyDeleteI had one of those, and I wish I had never sold it.
ReplyDeleteDespite what the mall ninjas tell you, a .380 is adequate for self-defense with good shot placement. Besides, that Bersa is so light and slim that you can carry it damn near anywhere and not notice it, which means it beats the hell out of a 4 pound HK any day of the week.
Congrats, I've had a couple over time and liked them a lot.
ReplyDeleteYour real coup is scoring the extra magazine.
Those things are expensive!
There's a Bersa Talk forum that you should check out. One of the main players there is the master gunsmith at Bersa here in the US.
rust - I got the pistol, two mags, and a box of ammo...all for under $250. Great deal, huh?
ReplyDeletecongratulations! :) That's a very exciting milestone.
ReplyDeleteCool! The Bersa is one of my favorite car/carry guns. It is cheap enough that you don't have to worry about banging it around, but it is also sturdy and reliable. Mine has only malfunctioned when _extremely_ dirty, or when it was limp-wristed (and then, only rarely.) It has performed perfectly with every kind of ammo I've ever put through it: cheap range reloads, standard Walmart FMJs, flat-nose/semi-wadcutters, and a variety of HPs. I can also reliably hit a paper plate at 20 feet, which is accuracy enough for me.
ReplyDeleteThe only things you need to do to it IMMEDIATELY are to locktite the little sight adjustment screw (lost mine, that sucked) and also locktite the grip screws. If you plan on buying new grips immediately, then don't worry about the it, but after a few hundred rounds, the grip screws WILL come loose.
$250 with an extra mag? Good deal! I paid $250 for mine (new) but with no extra mag. My extra mag was like $20 or $25.
ReplyDeleteHave you looked at holsters yet? I have a Blade-Tech Ultimate Concealment Holster (tuckable, IWB), which I like OK, but I'm looking to replace it with leather, because the plastic is awful hard. I also got the "tuckable" holster without realizing that "tucking" is pretty much useless (for me at least) without something heavy over your tucked-shirt... an impossibility in Florida.
Very nice! I just bought the same gun only a week ago! I'm loving it too. I'm looking to get one of those "sleeping dog" holsters for it....
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I carry the PPK in .380 myself. Small enough to cover with a baggy T-shirt.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first. May you never have to use it except at the range.
ReplyDeleteNow, buy more ammo and start getting comfortable with it.
Congrats on the new piece. I have one in .22 and it's an awesome gun for the price.
ReplyDelete$250 is a good deal too with the ammo & extra mag.
cooooooooool
ReplyDeleteGreat little guns. They'd be worth it for half again the money, given what a Smith & Walther or a P-232 goes for these days.
ReplyDeleteWhat the guy said about the grip screws? He ain't lying. Our rental gun went through them like crazy. Just loctite 'em after you put the pretty grips on, or remember to tighten them after every range session, when you're cleaining the gun. (I have to tighten the cylinder release screws on some of my big magnum Smith snubbies for the same reason.)
Congratulations! A person's FIRST gun is VERY special. When (not if) you decide to acquire a different piece (happens to all of us), try to keep this one too. One of my biggest regrets is selling the first gun I had. The personal value is often beyond price.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your first. No matter what anyone says a .380 is a lot better than an empty hand.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, I wore my compact pistol the other day, no one noticed and I didn't either. May yours only get prettier as you get comfortable with it, and do practice the weak hand, Murphy and Gravity rule!
ReplyDeleteVery nice. Every time I run across one it's got the "pimp gun" gold accents & such. I much prefer the unadorned look of the one you have. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteBryanP
Bryan - pimp gold? UGH! that sounds so foul. :(
ReplyDeleteNICE purchase! I'm already breathless over my next possible gun purchase. WOOHOO!
ReplyDeleteI'm phlegmfatale, and I approved that grips link. *slobber*
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"My first pistol - my very own."
ReplyDeleteI'm confused.
I thought you had a S&W 642 or a similar J-frame snubby. Was I mistaken about your ownership, or is this a nomenclature issue? (While Samuel Colt and I consider the revolver to be a type of pistol, i am aware there is a contingent who believes that the term "pistol" only describes autoloaders.)
west & tam - will do. Maybe I'll buy extra screws, too, just in case.
ReplyDeleterick r - maybe I'll start my own collection!
earl - I've been practicing offhand shooting with our Mark II.
Phlegmmy - you're hooked too, huh? =)
mattG - the snubby is technically Mike's, although we consider everything to be ours since we're married. But I was the one who chose this pistol, filled in the official paperwork and signed the check for this one.
I've got one of those; it's what I used to take the shooting portion of the test for my Texas CHL. It's my best "hot weather" gun, since it's slim and easy to conceal with just shorts and a t-shirt. I do sometimes swap it out for an ultra-compact Taurus PT111 in 9mm; slightly chunkier but slightly more firepower and ammo capacity (but only if I'm wearing dark shirt/dark shorts; the concealment profile of the PT111 is still good, but not quite as good as the Bersa).
ReplyDeleteWhen the weather cools down I sometimes wear large frame autos like my PT92 or my 1911. But for summer wear, the Bersa's perfect. Like the others said, Congrats!
You are making me re-think .380s...I generally prefer Commander sized semi-autos (4" barrel or so). But, living in South Texas, Commander-size might be a bit hard for me to conceal. Not to mention .380s are somewhat less expensive. The only .380 I have has adjustable sights, and is not suitable for carry, but Bersa pistols are pretty decent and I would think conceal pretty well.
ReplyDelete