Shear_stress
Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,728
To me, there is something really intrigueing about a rimfire version of a pistol normally chambered for centerfire rounds. I can't quite place why, maybe just the combination of "regular" gun handling and low shooting cost. Plus, the novelty is a factor.
I had my eye on the Firestorm (Bersa) 22 (rimfire version of the Firestorm/Bersa Thunder 380) until learning that these are unavailable in my state. Luckilly, I was able to snag a LNIB blued Bersa 23 on the used market. Think of it as the grandfather of the Firestorm, but with a steel frame, adjustable sights, and stippled walnut grips. Like the current model, the Bersa 23 is double-action and has a safety/decocker and an irritating magazine safety. The fit and finish were quite good, and the action very smooth. It's a beautiful little gun that reminds me very much of the Beretta 87 Cheetah, minus the price premium (last time I checked, those were north of five bills!)
At the fifteen yard line:
Along with the Bersa, I brought three types of ammo to the range--Federal Champion, CCI Mini-Mag, and CCI Stinger. Some non-purpose-built rimfire pistols can be finicky about what they feed, so I wanted to get a sense of what the Bersa preferred. The ammo I sampled was stock that was just lying around the house, so there is a disparity in the amount I toted along.
The Bersa delivered decent accuracy at the 15 yard range. I didn't measure the groups, but it wasn't too difficult to keep the cluster of hits under three inches or so. The single action trigger pull was light, but a little long. There is a slight hitch early on in the take up. With practice, I was able to squeeze past that point and take up most of the slack while I fine-tuned the sight picture.
The Bersa and the Federal were not a happy couple. One in five rounds refused to cycle the action, so I moved on after a box and a half. I'll save the Federal for my kit guns. The Mini-Mags were a much different story--not a single failure in one hundred rounds. Compared to the Champion, the Mini-Mags had noticeably more "pop". I guess not all high-velocity rounds are created equal, at least when it comes to feeding semiautos. I only ran ten Stingers through but they were fun as hell--lots of noise, flash, and even a hint of recoil. They worked flawlessly. I could not discern a difference in accuracy between the three loads.
The Bersa is "plinker" incarnate. I love the "real" gun look and feel, as well as the real heft of the steel frame. Though I was mostly testing for function, the accuracy seemed pretty good. I could stand some more practice with the short sight radius, but I am confident the gun will dispatch marauding cans, bottles and golf balls with ease. In addition, the fact that it devoured a common round like the Mini-Mag was a relief after that Iver-Johnson TP22 I tried to love.
Verdict: bring the Bersa, a pile of shells, and a recycling bin full of cans to your favorite shooting spot and make a day of it.
I had my eye on the Firestorm (Bersa) 22 (rimfire version of the Firestorm/Bersa Thunder 380) until learning that these are unavailable in my state. Luckilly, I was able to snag a LNIB blued Bersa 23 on the used market. Think of it as the grandfather of the Firestorm, but with a steel frame, adjustable sights, and stippled walnut grips. Like the current model, the Bersa 23 is double-action and has a safety/decocker and an irritating magazine safety. The fit and finish were quite good, and the action very smooth. It's a beautiful little gun that reminds me very much of the Beretta 87 Cheetah, minus the price premium (last time I checked, those were north of five bills!)
At the fifteen yard line:
Along with the Bersa, I brought three types of ammo to the range--Federal Champion, CCI Mini-Mag, and CCI Stinger. Some non-purpose-built rimfire pistols can be finicky about what they feed, so I wanted to get a sense of what the Bersa preferred. The ammo I sampled was stock that was just lying around the house, so there is a disparity in the amount I toted along.
The Bersa delivered decent accuracy at the 15 yard range. I didn't measure the groups, but it wasn't too difficult to keep the cluster of hits under three inches or so. The single action trigger pull was light, but a little long. There is a slight hitch early on in the take up. With practice, I was able to squeeze past that point and take up most of the slack while I fine-tuned the sight picture.
The Bersa and the Federal were not a happy couple. One in five rounds refused to cycle the action, so I moved on after a box and a half. I'll save the Federal for my kit guns. The Mini-Mags were a much different story--not a single failure in one hundred rounds. Compared to the Champion, the Mini-Mags had noticeably more "pop". I guess not all high-velocity rounds are created equal, at least when it comes to feeding semiautos. I only ran ten Stingers through but they were fun as hell--lots of noise, flash, and even a hint of recoil. They worked flawlessly. I could not discern a difference in accuracy between the three loads.
The Bersa is "plinker" incarnate. I love the "real" gun look and feel, as well as the real heft of the steel frame. Though I was mostly testing for function, the accuracy seemed pretty good. I could stand some more practice with the short sight radius, but I am confident the gun will dispatch marauding cans, bottles and golf balls with ease. In addition, the fact that it devoured a common round like the Mini-Mag was a relief after that Iver-Johnson TP22 I tried to love.
Verdict: bring the Bersa, a pile of shells, and a recycling bin full of cans to your favorite shooting spot and make a day of it.
