Bersa Thunder 9 vs Mini Firestorm vs Taurus Millennium Pro 9mm
- Thread starter magsnubby
- Start date
- Status
Flashpoint
Member
I was very impressed with my buddies Bersa 9mm. It pointed well, felt good in hand, went bang with every pull of the trigger and then shucked the shells, and the trigger was Sig like. The sites were a little big, but good for combat. The only thing that was iffy was the finish on the slide.
chaim
Member
While I don't have direct experience with those two firarms, I do have experience with both Bersa and Taurus and I'm quite impressed. Both companies make very good guns at very reasonable prices.
I think you would do well with both and the bottom line should be manual-of-arms. Both are very different and you should buy the gun closest to what you are used to.
The Bersa has a slide mounted S&W style decocker safety where down=safe and up= fire. If you are more used to the 1911 style, frame mounted, safeties where up=safe and down=fire this might not be the best option.
The Taurus safety is closer to the 1911 style. Up=safe, down=fire. It also has a decocker as well. These guns can be decocked or carried "cocked and locked".
For a defensive gun it is probably best to keep all your guns the same, or nearly the same, manual of arms. Under stress you will revert to your training. I'd hate to be used to 1911 style safeties where my thumb automatically wants to push the safety down to make it ready to fire, but I''m carrying a gun with the S&W style safety and thus I've put it on safe (and vice versa). So if you are used to S&W style safeties on DA/SA weapons get the Bersa, if you are used to 1911 style safeties get the Taurus.
I think you would do well with both and the bottom line should be manual-of-arms. Both are very different and you should buy the gun closest to what you are used to.
The Bersa has a slide mounted S&W style decocker safety where down=safe and up= fire. If you are more used to the 1911 style, frame mounted, safeties where up=safe and down=fire this might not be the best option.
The Taurus safety is closer to the 1911 style. Up=safe, down=fire. It also has a decocker as well. These guns can be decocked or carried "cocked and locked".
For a defensive gun it is probably best to keep all your guns the same, or nearly the same, manual of arms. Under stress you will revert to your training. I'd hate to be used to 1911 style safeties where my thumb automatically wants to push the safety down to make it ready to fire, but I''m carrying a gun with the S&W style safety and thus I've put it on safe (and vice versa). So if you are used to S&W style safeties on DA/SA weapons get the Bersa, if you are used to 1911 style safeties get the Taurus.
The Bersa Thunder9 and (Bersa) Mini FireStorm in 9 and .45 have worked very well for me. The .45 is a bit stiff in recoil and gives me an occassional hammer bite but no other problems. Oh, also, I do prefer guns without fingergrooves but that is minor. They don't group as well as some of my other guns but function is top notch for me.
Have been meaning to bet a few Mill Pros in 9 and .45 but haven't gotten around to them yet.
Have been meaning to bet a few Mill Pros in 9 and .45 but haven't gotten around to them yet.
Lennyjoe
Member
I just picked up a used Bersa Mini Firestorm in .45 last week. I put 200 rounds thru it this past weekend with out a hitch. Recoil wasnt bad at all and follow up shots were easy. I was rather impressed on how it felt in my hand and shot. Accuracy was ok for a 3.25" barrel. Not a tack driver like my Kimber but did its intended job.
Tell you the truth, I like it a whole lot better than the Taurus 24/7 I had last month. I know, ones a DAO and the other is a SA/DA pistol but still, it felt alot better than the Taurus did.
Now, if I could only find extra mags for the Bersa :banghead:
Tell you the truth, I like it a whole lot better than the Taurus 24/7 I had last month. I know, ones a DAO and the other is a SA/DA pistol but still, it felt alot better than the Taurus did.
Now, if I could only find extra mags for the Bersa :banghead:
I'm actually looking for a replacement for my Taurus Millennium 9mm. I like the gun but the trigger pull really sucks. I'm kind of thinking of a D/A instead of a D/A only. I think it might be easier to teach my grandaughter to shoot an auto if it's a D/A.
I have a Glock 17 and a 26 but i'm not to sure they are the best platform for teaching a 12 yo how to shoot an auto. I have a sweet little S&W M63 i'm going to teach her how to shoot with first. It's the same one i used to teach my son (her dad) how to shoot with when he was about 10.
I have a Glock 17 and a 26 but i'm not to sure they are the best platform for teaching a 12 yo how to shoot an auto. I have a sweet little S&W M63 i'm going to teach her how to shoot with first. It's the same one i used to teach my son (her dad) how to shoot with when he was about 10.
Richard
Member
magsnubby, the Taurus PT111 is a POS. In contrast, my Bersa Thunder 45 is a best buy. Am I serious? Yes! Regards, Richard 
hey yall, first of all the safety/ decocker on the firestorm 9 is down for fire and up for decocking the hammer and safety. The accuracy is very good for a compact pistol. As for spare mags. look at their website. www.firestorm-sgs.com/parts.htm hope this helps. they got spare clips for about $50 bucks
modifiedbrowning
Member
I recommend the Bersa T9. I have two of the compacts and one fullsize. All three have been flawless so far and accuracy has been good (I haven't shot for groups on paper but have had no trouble nailing soda cans at 10-15yds all day long).
Last summer I shot 1k throught the fullsize w/o cleaning. Only issue I had was one failure to load, a quick pull on the slide put the gun into battery.
Buy the Bersa, they are a much underappreciated pistol.
Last summer I shot 1k throught the fullsize w/o cleaning. Only issue I had was one failure to load, a quick pull on the slide put the gun into battery.
Buy the Bersa, they are a much underappreciated pistol.
[email protected]
Member
- Joined
- May 7, 2008
- Messages
- 1
the mini thunder 9 is really good. seems to shoot anything and action is really crisp. considering $349 for gun w/ambidextrous controls and two 13 rnd mags its awesome. i am not sure why i bought it but it sure is a good gun. i guess i just liked its look. it came out of the box shooting like it was fully broken in.
Love my Thunder 40, very accurate, reliable, comfortable to shoot, great look, all the features of way more expensive combat pistols.
Only downside, expensive mags (but they do have stainless steel followers...) and the bluing is not exactly top notch.
Only downside, expensive mags (but they do have stainless steel followers...) and the bluing is not exactly top notch.
chaim
Member
Hey guys, not sure if anyone noticed but this thread is over 2 years old. I'm guessing magsnubby has made up his mind by now.
My buddy just got a pt111 mil pro and he likes it a lot. The trigger is DAO and a little long and heavy for me. The deal breaker for me though is the mag release. My thumb hits it often (i've got big hands), and drops the mag while firing. I haven't had this problem with other compacts including the G26, M&P compact, or the XD compact. I'd try and shoot one before buying.
bfox
Member
Its over 3years old where I live .
So wadja get ?
Bill
new guy, same question
Actually, I'm in the market for a Bersa 9. My girlfriend just acquired a 638 revolver. She wants to buy a Bersa .380 next, then some kind of high cap 9mm. I've heard good things about the Bersa .380. If she likes that gun, maybe a Bersa 9 would be good value for her full-size home defense gun. Is the manual of arms similar for the two guns? Any experiences, good or bad, with accuracy/durability/reliability? What's Bersa' customer service like? Are there better Hi-cap 9s in the same price range?
Actually, I'm in the market for a Bersa 9. My girlfriend just acquired a 638 revolver. She wants to buy a Bersa .380 next, then some kind of high cap 9mm. I've heard good things about the Bersa .380. If she likes that gun, maybe a Bersa 9 would be good value for her full-size home defense gun. Is the manual of arms similar for the two guns? Any experiences, good or bad, with accuracy/durability/reliability? What's Bersa' customer service like? Are there better Hi-cap 9s in the same price range?
The .380ACP and 9mm guns from Bersa (also sold as the FireStorm by SGS - compact models) are a bit different.
The .380 being of lower operating pressure only requires a simple blowback action to safely shoot. The 9mm usually requires some type of delaying process before the slide opens up. (There are exceptions, of course, like the Hi Points which are also simple blowbacks for the 9mm as well as .40 SW and .45ACP. They achieve safe operation by stronger recoil springs and heavier slides.)
For the .380, the barrel is fixed to the frame and is immobile during recoil. Whereas the 9mm usually have some type of barrel/slide lockup that delays seperation of the two until pressures in the chamber reduce to a safe level at which point they come apart. Another exception are gas retard actions like the HK PSP/P7 where the pressure of the gas is actually used to keep the slide closed to the fixed barrel until pressures drop. For the Bersa/FireStorm 9mm, it is like any other linkless cam that the barrel follows.
Besides operation, the .380 andd 9mm Bersa/FS guns are different in many ways. The safety for the .380 is slide mounted and the 9mm frame mounted. Disassembly, due to the different operating processes, are different.
You can review the differences from their manuals at Bersa's and SGS's site,
http://www.bersa-sa.com.ar/bersa.asp
http://www.firestorm-sgs.com/
Personally, I've never tried a .380 Bersa, should have got and 85 before the high cap ban but let that slip. They have, from what I've read, generally good reviews. The only thing closest to the Bersa 9mm in terms of price and build quality is Ruger and Taurus for a little more in price. For even slightly more is the more renowned CZ75.
The .380 being of lower operating pressure only requires a simple blowback action to safely shoot. The 9mm usually requires some type of delaying process before the slide opens up. (There are exceptions, of course, like the Hi Points which are also simple blowbacks for the 9mm as well as .40 SW and .45ACP. They achieve safe operation by stronger recoil springs and heavier slides.)
For the .380, the barrel is fixed to the frame and is immobile during recoil. Whereas the 9mm usually have some type of barrel/slide lockup that delays seperation of the two until pressures in the chamber reduce to a safe level at which point they come apart. Another exception are gas retard actions like the HK PSP/P7 where the pressure of the gas is actually used to keep the slide closed to the fixed barrel until pressures drop. For the Bersa/FireStorm 9mm, it is like any other linkless cam that the barrel follows.
Besides operation, the .380 andd 9mm Bersa/FS guns are different in many ways. The safety for the .380 is slide mounted and the 9mm frame mounted. Disassembly, due to the different operating processes, are different.
You can review the differences from their manuals at Bersa's and SGS's site,
http://www.bersa-sa.com.ar/bersa.asp
http://www.firestorm-sgs.com/
Personally, I've never tried a .380 Bersa, should have got and 85 before the high cap ban but let that slip. They have, from what I've read, generally good reviews. The only thing closest to the Bersa 9mm in terms of price and build quality is Ruger and Taurus for a little more in price. For even slightly more is the more renowned CZ75.
MICHAEL T
Member
Thunder 9 Ultr compact
I have a Bersa Thunder 9 untra compact and 3 of the thunder .380s. I love them all. The only draw back was the cost of extra mags. However if you check outYourGunPart/CondorsFlight.com the 9mm 13 rnd is going for $39.95 and the .380 is $26.95. I have a Glock 19 and a Springfield XDSC .40 but I carry the Thunder 9MM every day. So yes I do like the Bersa Thunder. I do have one of the Model 85s on the pluse side it is very acurate and light recoil on the negitive side it is very ammunition sensitve. No Winchester White box it will jam every other shot. But it does like Remington, no feeding problems.
I have a Bersa Thunder 9 untra compact and 3 of the thunder .380s. I love them all. The only draw back was the cost of extra mags. However if you check outYourGunPart/CondorsFlight.com the 9mm 13 rnd is going for $39.95 and the .380 is $26.95. I have a Glock 19 and a Springfield XDSC .40 but I carry the Thunder 9MM every day. So yes I do like the Bersa Thunder. I do have one of the Model 85s on the pluse side it is very acurate and light recoil on the negitive side it is very ammunition sensitve. No Winchester White box it will jam every other shot. But it does like Remington, no feeding problems.
- Status
