# Bersa Thunder 380 & Bersa Plus?



## KL3MPK3

Okay well I am new, as you can tell and have not shot many gun's, except when I lived in SD and stuck the water hose down mole holes on are land, and sit with a 22 pointed down the other side of the other end of the hole....

Well I'm 19 and I don't have hulk hands (consider my hands smaller), therefore I am looking for a nice small handgun. Mainly a 380/9mm

Was searching for a Walther PPK/S two tone at first, but seen those running for about $500-600. Which is out of my price range...

So I the Bersa Thunder, because everyone say's its the closest thing possible to the PPK.

Though a little bigger, most said it shoot's very good, if not better than a PPK, and for the price $250-350...It's a excellent gun for a great price...SO...I was looking at the Bersa

*Q1: How much diffrent is the Bersa Thunder vs Bersa Plus? (size)*

*A1:* As far as I know, the thunder is a 7+1, and plus is 15round...I'm wondering weight diffrence and size as far as handle mainly, they looked about the same size to me so i could not tell, but obviously the plus 15rd is going to have a bigger size handle.

*Q2: Which would you choose? Is the extra money/weight/handle size worth getting the 15rd?*

*A2:* To me I would seem to think it would be, not saying anything but if you were in desperate measure's say you vs 3 "others" as in that, it could mean in war, you being outnumbered, or even if a zombie apocalypse happened you could even say?, 15 vs 7 round clip = worth the extra?

Also if that was the case, obviously the plus holds 15, so therefore with the normal thunder, is it worth carrying the extra clip if I was to not get the bersa plus...

Overall everyone say's to go with the standard Bersa Thunder 7rd One, so I think that is what I will be getting, and I'm getting the matte/gold bersa thunder


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## jwolfenstein

I haven't heard of a Bersa 380 Plus. I guess it's how the 380 Super is branded in the USA.

If that's the case, you won't find much difference between them. The frame is the same and the Super/Plus is wider but I don't think is more than a tenth of an inch. The magazine release is in a different position (above the trigger in the regular 380 and below (1911 style) in the Super/Plus).

I'm not sure if you can get the matte/gold version of the Super/Plus of the shelf. As far as I know, it was a limited edition for the 380 only. You can send the parts to be gold plated though.

I don't know about prices in the USA. Here in Argentina there's not much difference between 380 models. About 50-60 dollars from the cheapest to the more expensive. 
Maybe you'd like to take a look at the 380CC (concealed carry). It's a slimmer version of the regular 380 and it's 8+1.


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## wiredgeorge

I own both a Thunder 380 and a Thunder PLUS. The PLUS grip is about 1/4" longer and a 1/4" thicker. The PLUS is not available except in the all black finish. The PLUS shoots just like the 380 and is slightly heavier when loaded because it is a double-stack... the extra rounds make it heavier. As far as the necessity of 15 +1 vs 7 +1, that is an argument I will leave up to you. The .380 round may not be as capable of damage as the one caused by your opponent(s) and I feel more comfortable with more rounds. A general advantage of the .380 round is that you can generally keep the target in your sights more easily than with a high caliber pistol with more recoil. I also carry a Smith & Wesson.40 S&W and I can't shoot as tight a pattern as with the Bersa for this reason. The ONLY issue I have had with either Bersa is with the PLUS. I can't get the last round to feed from either of the factory mags for the PLUS so effectively their load is 14 rounds.


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## group17

You can also get a 9 round mag that fits the 7 round Bersa. 
Since it only comes with one mag a good idea.


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## Blacksmith58

Here are two photo's that you can see the differences between the Bersa Thunder 380 (on the left) and the Thunder 380 PLUS (on the right)!


















I hope this helps to answer your question.


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## The_Vigilante

I owned both models before I sold the reg Bersa Thunder 380. There was negilble difference between the two in size. Therefore go for the Bersa Plus-more mag capacity!!!


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## tex70

I only use my Plus for fun at the range. Like to compete with my daughter. Bought three extra mags at 40 bucks apiece. Too expensive and only available at Bersa (but convenient). Load up mags before range visit. That's a lot of rounds before a reload. Have to use Uplula with arthritic hands. Family shooting is a kick, big time.

Luckily, have no trouble with last round chambering. I DO have "last round" trouble with a couple of my 1911's with 8 round mags. Seems to vary with ammo type.


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## tex70

If there's a drawback to the Plus model, it's not being able to find wood grips for it. I don't like rubber grips on a carry weapon.


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## ronmail65

How's the trigger on these?


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## tex70

ronmail65 said:


> How's the trigger on these?


Excellent trigger pull. Don't know exact figures but these little Walther look-a-likes all seem to have a good, steady, consistent pull all the way to bang. BTW, Wiredgeorge, my Plus is in nickel.


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## rjldds

After many years, I finally got my Texas CHL. Since 2007 it has been legal to carry in your car and my "glove box" firearm is a Ruger P89 with four 15 rd mags. For home defense it is my trusty Mossberg 12 gauge with 00 buck and my Beretta .40 cal pistol on the nightstand. I have been looking for a good conceal carry firearm and have a S&W Sigma .380 (now discontinued for numerous reasons) a Bryco/Jennings .380 "tackle box" pistol, and and vintage '60s Llama .380 7 round with a muzzle break on it. None of what I have satified what I was looking for. I bought my wife a Ruger LCP which she carries in her purse and is very well suited for her but not enough gun for me. I read a number of posts and decided to look at the Bersa Thunder. 

I checked out the standard, concealed carry, and plus models. Both the cc and plus had a few things I did not like plus the original (7 round) model has been around for over 40 years. It fit my hand perfectly was fairly priced at the gun show (280 plus tax). I considered the plus because of the extra capacity (15 rounds) but the grip was a bit to large for my hand. I decided on the 7 round model and to get the extra capacity was just a matter of buying an extra couple of mags. I bought 2 more mags and a dual mag pouch which gave me a total of 22 rounds.

Inserting a fresh mag took about 5 seconds and I thought in a carry situation would I really need a 15 round mag. In addition, at the show, the Bersa Plus was about 90 dollars more for the gun and there were no extra mags anywhere at the show. I would have to had to order from Bersa and the mags were $42 plus shipping. There were bunches of 7 rounders for $22 each (Promags) which were of good quality so I got 4, which gave me a total of 5 mags.

There have been a few issues with the Plus as far as failure to feed the last round. Also, if you lose you mag you are screwed, so buy an extra is mandatory. Other than in the military, I have only had to draw on someone one time and it was with a little .22 Beretta Bobcat. As soon as I drew, the person took off running so the question of "firepower" for concealed carry self defense came into question.

There are those who will argue that the more bullets the better. If you are confronted with an armed gang, I could see the logic, but again even if you have three 15 round mags you are eventually going to run out of ammo if you get into a sustained firefire. To me accuacy is more important than magazine volume. If you are fully loaded with 7+1 and there are 7 perps and you hit one or two, I do not thing the rest are going to hang around for long.

I suppose if this turns into buyers regret, I can always get the 15 rounder from Bud's for $329 +35 for the FFL transfer and $50 for the extra mag or am I just being neurotic about the whole issue?


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## cherrypalm

Thanks for the interesting comparative photos. It appears that the Plus lacks a moulded grip beneath trigger guard.Because of that, do you feel much of a difference between them when handling/firing?


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## berettatoter

I have owned both in the past, and both performed well. For carry, I preferred the single-stack magazine, but for shooting I liked the double-stack the best. I have large hands and really liked how the double-stack filled the grip...I was a better shooter with the double-stack as well. JMHO.


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## malonezn1972

Have you looked at the Walther PK380? Different design than the PPK and Bersa, but comparatively priced to the Bersa and an excellent gun. I have had one Bersa (bought new, had to take back having never fired a shot through it.) My personal opinion of the Bersa is that it would be best used as a paper-weight.


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## The_Vigilante

Marschalgrips.com makes wood grips for the .380 Plus


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## shaolin

I like the 7 rd Bersa and yes there are times when I carry a gun with less than 15 rds. I own a bunch of handguns and the one I carry mostly is the S&W 3913 with 8+1 because it's accurate and I can shoot it well. I shot the head off a snake on a quick draw once that was trying to bite me and I got the gun for $300 + night sights added to it later. I just had an encounter with 3 guys and what saves the day is having a gun first. That day I had a 5 shot S&W 637 .38 spl. and the idea of a shoot out didn't appeal to them thankfully. Can it happen to you "yes" will it happen; most likely not. I would rather have a gun on me that held 5 shots over a gun that held 17 and stays at home. After the first shot the others will run. If not your in over your head and most likely 15 rds wouldn't save you from 3 armed muggers. I went and bought a bullet proof vest with the extra money I saved by not buying another pistol that stays locked in a safe cause it's too large to carry concealed on a daily basis.


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## RUT

The_Vigilante said:


> Marschalgrips.com makes wood grips for the .380 Plus


I'm not seeing the "Plus" listed. What am I missing?


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## The_Vigilante

Go to the page using this link: http://www.marschalgrips.com/onlineorder/pricelist.html  Then look for $73 Bersa 85-use the drop down menu and you will see Bersa Plus.

Frank


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## RUT

Ok, got it.... thanks!


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## rexherring

The only drawback to the Plus is that you can't find mags for it. The regular 7 round mags are easy to find but the 15 round Plus mags will run you up to $100 from scalpers on GunBroker. Bersa hasn't had any in stock for many months. I love the Plus one I have and so far it feeds any ammo I've fed it including many handloads with cast round nose and SWC. Never a fail to feed or fire.


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## BG8640

I used to own the regular 380 and it was perfect!! If capacity is the issue they make a 10 rd mag but I ultimately like the safety above the trigger.


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## berettatoter

Wow, after 8 years since the last post, I wonder if they even own their Bersa pistols anymore?


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