The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

Does any one out there own a Bersa Thunder 380 Plus and do you know if the pistole can be purchased in 9x18 caliber? When I consider the modern loadings from Corbon, Pow-R-Ball, Glaser and MagSafe I'm beginning to wonder if one would not be better served with fifteen plus one rounds of 380ACP or 9x18 as opposed to six or seven rounds of 45ACP. I would appreciate any input you might have about the pistol or your thoughts on the trade off of caliber.
G.R.

My brother had a Bersa Thunder 380 (not the plus version you're asking about). He did like shooting it, but also reported a few FTF and FTE with factory and aftermarket mags and several types of ammo. This is a 380, as the name implies, and is not available in 9x18.

Regarding your caliber dilemma, I'm open about being a fan of the .40. I carry a 4" XD40 with 12+1 and wouldn't trade it for anything smaller (or anything else, for that matter - I have nothing but insanely amazing accuracy, reliability, and comfort in this package). We just hit the rage yesterday for an hour and, as usual, the XD produced one large ragged hole after another. I've put close to 1k rounds through it with multiple ammo brands and bullet types and have yet to have a malfunction.

Here is the link to a Bersa importer.
http://www.bersafirearmsusa.com/

Bersa makes 380, 9x19, 40 s&w, and 45 semi-autos. no 9x18 cal. guns at all.

I understand your thinking on caliber size. I have 38spec and 357 mag in revolvers. In auto-loaders I have 380, 9x18 Mak, and 9mm Luger pistols. In my opinion, caliber preference is much like automobile preference. It's personal. We like what we like and it's not hard to justify what we like.
I don't begrudge anyone their preference for a 40 or 45. If someone made a 40 or 45 as small and light as the LCP that would hold 6+ 40/45 rounds (and it didn't dislocate my shoulder to shoot it!), I would carry it. But they don't and I need the deep concealment.
There are plenty of countries where the citizens aren't faced with this dilemma. I'm glad we can still fret about it!!

Oh, and I do have a Bersa Thunder 380. It's not the Plus, but I like it. It took awhile to find JHP ammo that was reliable, but I now carry Remington 88gr JHP in it. It's a good shooter, sturdy, quite accurate.

shinerjohn wrote: If someone made a 40 or 45 as small and light as the LCP that would hold 6+ 40/45 rounds (and it didn't dislocate my shoulder to shoot it!), I would carry it. But they don't and I need the deep concealment.

Kel Tec makes a P40 that's pretty darn small.

Info here: http://www.ktog.org/articles-let.htm
Just FYI.