Posted on 11/29/2009 6:29:41 PM PST by Jonah Hex
Time for a Sunday night gun porn vanity. Now that .380 ACP is becoming more available, I'm considering another .380 ACP semi-auto for concealed carry/range plinking. I already have a Kel Tec P3AT, but a Bersa Thunder .380 caught my eye in the local funshop the other day. An Argentinian knock-off of the PPK, it looked and felt like a quality piece for the amount (about $299).
One down-side I see is the magazine disconnect. Any input from my fellow firearms enthusiasts?
Kel Tec makes some great guns too.
I've got a 1911 in .45 and an XD subcompact in .40, but I can take the PF-9 almost anywhere, wearing almost anything.
My little pistol, loaded, weighs less than ANY UNLOADED 9mm on the market, and is smaller than my wallet. The pistol and two 10 round backup magazines makes for a very compact, lightweight CCW setup that I can wear with literally any clothes, including a pair of gym shorts (no T-shirt - in the pocket).
As the saying goes, the mouse gun in your pocket is much more effective than the hand cannon at home on your nightstand. Having a tiny, light, but potent firearm makes it so convenient to always grab and go; simply slip in a pocket just like your keys or wallet.
9mm is a firearm or pistol caliber. 20mm is the minimum for a gun.
Not everyone can carry a 9mm pistol without patterning. I have yet to find one that I can conceal without wearing a snowsuit. .380 tiny pistols work for me. Accuracy and frangible ammo do wonders.
/johnny
One Bersa model holds 13 or 15 rds as opposed to the usual 7 or 8 plus.
I like the Taurus PT 145, polymer frame, 10+1 rds of .45 ACP, about $350 new, $250-$300 used.
I have a Sig model 230, a Colt Govt., a Colt M1908 and a Kel-Tec in .380, they’re all fun to shoot.
Whatever you get, practice!
I have owned three Bersa .380 pistols. The first one had an odd take down which you squeezed the front of the frame which was hinged to remove the slide. I did not like that feature tho it worked perfectly well.
In my life, I have probably owned at least 50 pocket pistols ranging from Jennings to several Walthers. I condsider he Bersas as among the best ever made by anyone.
Nothing particularly stands out about them but they work perfectly and are quite a bit more accurate than most. In fact that early one with the odd take down would basically put all shots into one large hole at around 10 yards, that is if I was really careful and used a rest.
Simply put they are great guns, especially for the money and they would be great guns even if the price were more. BTW I think I only paid $89 for my first one.
Bought a Glack 19 about a month ago, haven’t had time to go the firing range yet.
Was going to get a Beretta 92fs but the Glock was cheaper.
We don't aim - we just point and shoot. Where the red dot is - is where the bullet goes.
Extremely offputting.
It's all about energy. The 9mm Luger has a more powerful charge. A .357 Magnum is a vastly more powerful round but it's a smaller bullet. The 380 is a relatively anemic round. A 38 special is better, a 9mm is better than that. A a 357 magnum is probably the best "man killer" as more powerful rounds like the 44 magnum, .460, .480 etc. over penetrate. Shot placement is very important and I wouldn't want to get hit with any of that, but with enough winter clothing a 380 or a 32 might just piss off a big guy.
Single hole accurate at 7 to 10 yards. Works for me and it fits in the front pocket of my carpenter jeans. Only thing is, when I’ve tried 7 + 1 it stovepipes on the first shot every time so I carry 6 + 1.
There was a study done of actual single-shot firearm deaths (as opposed to theoretical gelatin studies). Seems the little old 9mm was right up there with the .357 and came out even better than a .45.
Of course, accuracy of the shooters probably was the reason.
I have one of these and the reason I bought mine was because it has the dual action firing of the first round. You merely pull the trigger and it acts like a revolver. Of course it has to be chambered first but it doesn’t have the hair trigger action of a single action firing model.
Having said that, I think probably a revolver is still the best home weapon and if one wants an extremely accurate weapon the Ruger bull barrel .22 is fantastic and of course the ammo is cheap and you can fit these easily with a laser sight. The .380 ammo is expensive and hard to find. The thing that caught my eye was its small size. I believe I paid about $270 at a local gun store with two clips. And I got a box or two of ammo at the time.
It’s worth the money but not necessarily what you need. You’ll have to determine what you are going to use it for. It definitely is not for plunking tin cans on a fence rail unless you have deep pockets.
As to the 9mm guns. I once owned a 92FS Beretta and couldn’t hit the side of a barn. I wound up selling it back to the dealer. If you really, really want to stop the bad guys I can’t imagine anything more you would need than a .357 magnum. That would probably bring down an elephant. It all depends on what you need.
Of all the guns I have owned, and they have been relatively few, that Ruger .22 is by far the best I have owned. I’m a relatively lousy shot but that bugger is darned accurate and the ammo is a darned sight easier to load in the clips as well. My $0.02.
The Bursa 9mm looks very similar,is not much larger or heavier and is not much more expensive. A 380 may be OK for self defense but a 9 is a more reliable stopper.
Just Saying
Both the .380 and 9mm use bullets of .355 inch diameter. The .38 special uses the same .357 diameter bullets as the .357 magnum.
Great graphic, Chasaway....I really like it!!
Yep. PF9 for me on any and all of my deep conceal needs. Sometimes, I just fall back to my old Smith snub nose .38 revolver too. At the cost of self-defense (SD) litigation these days, I’d probably just walk away from a SD event where there were no witnesses and take all my empty cases (in the revolver) along with me.... ;)
PF9 is just hard to beat for an all-round conceal/pocket gun IMHO. I keep mine loaded with 125 grain Speer Gold Dots and have a Arma-laser mounted on it. Its a just a great point and shoot machine that does the job well.
P3AT = American Express card!
My last ditch carry is a Walther PPKs in stainless purchased 32 years ago. It gets fussy after you’ve run three mags through it, but Lordy is it accurate. First shot always goes exactly where I want it to. Works the same way for the missus. That all-important first shot is always the game-changer. There’s just something about that weapon’s handling that works for us - and that’s the real point of all this. Get what works for YOU. Same with knives. The Cold Steel Recon tanto handles like nothing else in my hands. It’s a knife that I can definitely fight with.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.