Need Advice On .380's

[Rvrfshr]

I'm looking at buying a Bersa Thunder .380 for cc purposes.

Would like to know what kind of ammunition is suitable. My preference would be some version of a hollow point.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Bersa (pro's & con's), and what kind of ammunition is best for this handgun.

Thanks,

Merry Christmas Folks!

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Get the highest quality, mainstream-manufacturer .380 self-defense ammo you can buy (Speer, Hornady, Federal, etc.) & stay away untested, fancy marketed "magic bullets". As for "Bersa" handguns, there are some mixed reviews but mostly positive. I would carry one (after I ran about 300 rounds through it to establish some "trust").

 

[loneviking]

Bersas can be a good little gun. My preference would be my Browning BDA or a beretta Cheetah (84f). I carry FMJ in mine as both personal and online tests show that hollowpoints avereage 6 to 8 inches of penetration but FMJ goes a good 20 inches or more.

 

[Rvrfshr]

Bersa .380

Thanks for the response, Ghost.

I have always been concerned with firing h.p.'s out of a semi-auto handgun. What kind of round do you think would be best for a Bersa?

 

[JRH6856]

To be effective, a SD round must penetrate to a vital area with sufficient energy.

A .380 HP would be more likely to expend its energy trying to expand and would neither expand or penetrate sufficiently. I would choose FMJ because it is more likely to penetrate to a vital area.

The .380 is a marginal round for SD. The Ruger LC9 is a smaller package than the Bersa but is 9mm.

 

[Rvrfshr]

Lone, can't resist the price of this Bersa. ($228.) at Cheaperthandirt.com. Have had good results on previous purchases on ammo from them and AbleAmmo.com

I'm looking for a easily concealable handgun that is lethal without question. From what I have read the Bersa seems like a reliable handgun. I like the hammer, safety and other features of the Bersa, but have no exeperience with this caliber. I'm used a 9mm or .357 mag.. But the ones that I own aren't highly concealable.

 

[tnxdshooter]

Lone, can't resist the price of this Bersa. ($228.) at Cheaperthandirt.com. Have had good results on previous purchases on ammo from them and AbleAmmo.com

I'm looking for a easily concealable handgun that is lethal without question. From what I have read the Bersa seems like a reliable handgun. I like the hammer, safety and other features of the Bersa, but have no exeperience with this caliber. I'm used a 9mm or .357 mag.. But the ones that I own aren't highly concealable.

What price range are you looking for? There are a couple of companies that make pocket 9's and pocket 40's. You would be far better off going with one of those than .380.

Sent from Droid Incredible on Verizon Wireless

 

[Rvrfshr]

Thanks for the input. FMJ seems to be the way to go.

Just ordered the Bersa Thunder .380 from Cheaperthandirt.com with 4 boxes of speer FMJ ammo and 1 box of JHP.

Now, I wish they would deliver it this weekend so I can go out back and play.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Hollow point ammo from a semiauto isn't my primary concern. It's being done thousands of times every day. Modern ammo design & handgun manufacturing technique has made that (almost) a non-issue. What these folks are trying to tell you is: most of us believe the .380 acp is "marginal" as a defensive caliber. 9mm & .38 spl are as mild as I'll (personally) go. But if you're comfortable with the .380, no problem, you'll find plenty of people who agree with you. Just consider the advice being given about JHP ammo giving better penetration vs. the expansion compromise in the lesser-powered .380. I would rather have a bullet go deep (into vitals) than to expand but stay relatively shallow in my target. With more powerful calibers, that choice becomes less problematic. With my .357 Sig, I don't think about it AT ALL.

 

[flyskater]

Go with a buffalo Bore 100gr hardcast. With a 380 you need penetration. With a heavier bullet, you don't rely too much on velocity to get the penetration. You can't have expansion and penetration at the same time with a 380.

 

[K-Rod]

Its a GREAT little pistol!! My wife carries the CC & loves it. I want one but everytime I look at one, she laughs. See, she asked for a CCW pistol & I told her see has to find the one she likes & is comfortable for her, by herself. I told her look for at least a 9mm & preferably a revolver. She went down to a couple of the stores I frequent & came home with the Bersa .380cc. At first I just hung my head!! Well, that was a year ago & if I'm willing to tuck my tail & submit to the rib jabs, I'll get one for myself. Its been great right outta the box. Its never (I know its hard to believe) hiccupped once. We shoot everything through it too. FMJ & JHP. PMC, American, Blazers, Buffalo & a lot others. I can't get the thing to jam, stovepipe, FTF or FTE!!! I swear its a female gun set out to make me look bad!! Everytime I shoot it I try. Limp wrist, screw ball stances, sideways, upside down even. I can't get the thing to bobble. I just shake my head in disbelief & the wife laughs at me.

As for the .380 not being enough, that's personal preference. I know I will, umm *cough*, would carry it & feel confident in it. We have a bunch of 55gal drums that we love shooting at in our back 20. We like hearing the "Gong" sound it makes. I shoot the drums with the .380 at 7-15yrds. With FMJ at 7-10yrds I'll get occasional through & throughs. After 10yrds, it only penetrates the face & puts a dent on the back of the drums. Sometimes the bullet will break the back but get lodged. Never had a through & through with hollow-points but Buffalo's will dent the back at 7-15yrds.

At first, I was a little hesitant about letting/wanting her to CCW with it . Kept trying to push a 9mm on her but seeing her put a whole mag in a paper plate out to 15yrds (Proud Husband!!) even with those shaved sights & the unorthodox tests I've put it through, (Damn dirty rotten little pistol!! Its a conspiracy I tell you!!!) I'm comfortable letting her. Not that it would matter. Head strong N. Idaho girls!! Gotta love em!!!

I'm seriously considering buying one on the sneak!!! Ssshhh!! I'd never live it down!!

 

[481]

I agree with those suggesting the use of an FMJ in the .380

.380 JHPs, if they expand, usually fail to penetrate to the 12" mark. With the .380 one must choose between penetration and expansion.


In the .380, 90-95 grain FMJs will penetrate between 16 and 18 inches. With the Buffalo Bore 100 gr. HC, if it is really moving at 1150 fps, you can expect to see 24"-26" of penetration. Either of these options is probably your best bet.

 

[David E]

Can't respond to the Bersa and I won't choose any .380 for a primary defense gun, but when I carry a .380 as a BUG, I load it with Speer Gold Dots.

I don't need and I don't want 24+" of FMJ penetration in a target that's half or less than half that thick.

 

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Go with a buffalo Bore 100gr hardcast. With a 380 you need penetration. With a heavier bullet, you don't rely too much on velocity to get the penetration. You can't have expansion and penetration at the same time with a 380.

+1.

 

[481]

I don't need and I don't want 24+" of FMJ penetration in a target that's half or less than half that thick.

Can you guarantee that you won't have to shoot through an intervening barrier (your assailant may have sought cover) or that your bullet won't need to go through the assailant's upraised arms (as he shoots at you) or that your assailant won't be a "super-sized" guy with a lot of fat to get through in order to reach the vital organs or that your assailant is going to stand still facing you and provide you with a perfect unobstructed frontal presentation while you shoot at him or any combination of these possibilities?

If you can guarantee that none of these conditions will exist when you have to shoot to save your life, then you are correct; you don't need or want 24+" of FMJ penetration in your target.

 

[Rvrfshr]

Found an interesting article from Buffalo Bore regarding "hard cast rounds" vs. "lead rounds".

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=54

Does anyone know of a hp that is made in a hard cast material?

 

[Rvrfshr]

Good point.

 

[almherdfan]

The Bersa Thunder CC is a great gun, especially for the price. I've used Federal Hydra Shok, Gold Dots, and PDX w/o issue. It worked with every FMJ round I could find. The weapon is very comfortable to shoot, good sights, fits in the pocket ok, easy to clean. There are no negatives.

 

[mopar92]

I had tons of issues with the Bersa I tried. I wouldn't trust my life with it.... If you insist, shoot fmj's though.

 

[orionengnr]

Okay, let's get back on topic here, before we lose a member.

 

[buckeye8]

I started my CC life with one. It was the nickel "T380CC" model with the extra round of magazine capacity and finger grooves, both of which I thought were worthy upgrades. Liked it, but moved on to better guns when finances allowed. Still fond of the Bersa, but it was worth it to move 'up' to Kahrs/Glocks/Sigs/etc. Good luck with the Bersa, they're usually worth what you pay for them (I mean that in a good way).

 

[gtd]

It's a Good Weapon

I had a Bersa Thunder .380. What a great gun. I sold it for money needs,and I would love to have it back. I'll likely buy another one soon, and I would happily use it as a primary carry gun. When I had it, I carried it day and night.

It's a great shooter, very accurate, and concealable. Just make sure to lubricate it, especially the decocker, with Break-Free when you first buy it.

It's not a mortar, it's not a machine gun, it's not a rifle. It's not even a large-caliber weapon. But it's large enough for most needs.

I had a .40 that was left in the truck most of the time, and I still have a Kel-
Tec P-3AT (a tiny .380) in my pocket all the time.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Regrds,
gtd

 

[holdencm9]

Speer Gold Dots in .380

Don't let all the naysayers dissuade you from .380. It is a potent little round. No one ever questions .38 specials out of a 2" snub nose revolver but for some reason the .380 gets a lot of negativity. I don't feel like I need to shoot through barriers, good luck proving self defense when the assailant is hiding from you! The .380 COM will do it's job. But like ANY pistol round, there is no one-shot or two shot or even 10-shot guarantee. Anything anyone says about this round is so much better than that round is just posturing.

I agree that if you are going Bersa then you could get a 9mm in similar size, and in fact the KT PF9 is selling for $215 or so on CTD, but there aren't any 9mm's as small as the P3AT or LCP, and like they say, the __x__ that you have with you is always better than the ___y___ you left at home. Replace x with .22LR and y with .50AE, it really doesn't matter.

 

[holdencm9]

I should also add, don't listen to me or anyone else about ammo. Go to youtube or elsewhere online and look for ballistic gelatin test results and make up your own mind. It is ultimately your life, your choice. Personally I have seen too many remington golden sabers fail to expand to put any faith in it. I like hornady critical defense but it is too expensive to buy regularly. I have never seen a video or online resource indicate subpar performance out of gold dots. Usually it is full expansion, 10-12" of penetration. Oh, and about penetration, that 12" mark is just a guideline, I think championed by the FBI. Their needs are not your needs. 12" isn't a magical number. It isn't like 12" of penetration will kill a guy instantly and 11" he will be just fine.

Also, make sure whatever you get feeds, but HP doesn't automatically mean it will jam up your gun. My LCP feeds gold dots like a champ. YMMV

 

[psyshack]

One don't get a bersa thunder. Your stepping back 30 years for no reason. Good pistol in many folks hands. But for the size it should be a 9mm. If your hung up on .380 look at the common current mouse guns. True pocket pistols!

As for ammo. You need penetration more than over all expansion. Bullet of choice IMHO is a XTP. And Hornady has your ammo. Remember you last line of action is shooting. Keep your eyes open. Study your surroundings. A .380 is the current gut buster and nothing more.

Good Luck