Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Hell - Has Frozen Over... .380 ACP

... the Bersa Firestorm .380 ACP, to be exact.


Was helpin' a lady friend of mine, who has the smallest hands one can imagine, find a budget pistol for her home.

$300 w/ a lifetime warranty.

The more I looked, the more I liked these things.

3.5" Bbl., inexpensive Mec-Gar 8-round mags, comfortable rubber grips.

... and Glock-esque sights ta-boot.


Shoots nice, precise and reliable.

Did I mention $300?

She loves it.

... and I bought one, too.




GR

Not a bad choice.. Great, since the fact that she loves it. I have a couple .380s myself, useful or not, for 'just around town' stuff. Better than a sharp stick..

Yeah, nice trigger, simple controls.

Carry a .40 or .45 ACP.

9mm as a micro/minimum.

But this thing is flat cool.

James Bond cool.


And, while 95 gr. PDX1 out of a 3.5" Bbl. might not quite make the FBI 12" min. penetration spec?

... it makes a nice big hole on its way almost there.






GR

I used to love my Astra Constable back in the 1980s, which is about the same gun, made in Spain. Essentially, a PPK ripoff (I carried it in a DeSantis OWB holster made for a PPK, and it fit to a T). Wish I never sold it. Can't imagine what I was thinking. Very cook little gun.

I've had a couple bersa thunders which I'm not sure what the difference in them and the one pictured are . and thunder Plus which is exactly like a thunder only a 15 round double stack magazine. couldn't knock them. they were more reliable than Walter PPK and more accurate than the little equivalent sig can't remember the number right now ..

I have two CZ 83's,a Sig P230 and a Browning 1911-380.I wouldn't stand and let someone shoot me with any of them.

As I hear it, the FireStorm was a spec. pistol made for the Spanish Govt.

- 7-round .380 ACP single-stack mag..
- Glock-esque sights.
- Rubber wraparound grip w/ finger groves.
- Sans trigger guard serrations/rest.
- Sans trigger lock.

Then, it was picked up as a U.S. import, predominantly for the Soviet Provinces that have Unconstitutional restrictions.




GR

Sig P230. I had one of those in the 1980s, too. Sweet guns. A more modern take on the PPK.

I read good things about them. You can get Federal Premium HST Law Enforcement ammo in 50 round boxes for that gun.
.

😳😳😳😳😳😳

This from the guy who said anything less than 9mm para was a pip squeak gun meant only for puzzies. Now giving advice?

Federal HST deep does make the 12” min in bare and clothed gel.

I was just kidding, 9x17 vs. 9x19, or 10x22 vs. 10x25....is there much difference if the shots are well-placed? Should it not be about confidence in gun reliability and good shooting?

Exactly why the PPK/S was developed. To get around import restrictions on the PPK.

My wife has a Bersa 380 and loves it! Better than her Kimber

The 380 is an option for those who want a small compact weapon. But with the number of 9mm compacts that are out now I cannot see how you could not pick the 9mm for heavier bullet, more speed and energy! Hell, the ammo is even cheaper!

I kind of agree with this in my case this was before the 365, hellcat, max 9, etc

Well geez, guess that falls into the personal preference and situation doesn’t it. My PPK is what I call my 12 mile gun. Village is pop. 395, closest big town (12 miles away) pop. 4300. It carries and conceals very well even under a t-shirt. Very little crime in either except for a stray skunk. Damn gotta carry 20 rounds to possibly kill a skunk while mowing the lawn or going 3 blocks to the gas station. 😳
Now if I go anywhere farther than 12 miles I carry a 1911 45acp especially if going to the bigger city of GI (50,000) or Lincoln (200,000) or Omaha (300,000+). I might slum a G26 but I don’t like the sucker that much, barely a step up from 380 and definitely lacking compared to 45acp. In fact I like the wife’s PX4 storm 10 times better than the glock.

A 380 is a deep concealment gun. My Ruger LCP Custom is what I carry the most. Either in a Don Hume IWB, a DeSantis back pocket wallet holster, or just in any pants or flannel shirt pocket.
Now that colder weather is here I started mixing it up a bit.

I know a guy who carries one. He claims it's accurate enough to pot the occasional groundhog with, and he's done so a time or two. He really likes his little Bersa.

This is where I am. Along with the reality that one can buy "lite" defensive loads for the 9 that anyone shooting a 380 can shoot in the same-sized gun. Or if you load your own, you can load a 9 down to a 380 if you need to. Or load weak practice ammo and then carry warmer stuff.

Basically, if you have a 9mm, you have a 380, but if you have a 380, you don't have a 9.