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Bersa v. Walther

NOTPARS
Two years ago I bought a stainless steel Walther PPK/S (made in America but pre-Smith & Wesson) for around $425. Due to financial conditions beyond my control (birth of last child) I was forced to sell it for around $345. It maybe had 100 rounds down the snout.

New Smith/Walther .380s retail for around $560!!!

The Gun store owner told me that the Bersa Thunder .380s (nickel)was about as good as the Walther and could be had for around $250. If I am set on the .380, is this an accurate appraisal?
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Comments

17 comments

Date Votes
  • punchie
    IMHO the Bersa is a very good value for the money. Another option would be one of the various Makarovs (or clones) chambered in 380 instead of 9 Mak.

    AN ARMED SOCIETY IS A POLITE SOCIETY
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  • SirVette
    Have the Interarms Walther TPH. Bought BERSA in 380 instead of Walther, etc. Had an alloy frame FEG PPK & sold it.
    The BERSA is better in some ways, very reliable (100%), very accurate & excellent trigger.


    Pair of custom BERSA Nickel 85s
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  • mballai
    Bersa seems to have a good rep and can save you some dollars, but it's still a copy. You can still buy a lightly used Walther if you want one.

    Or a new one. Most people would think their life is worth more than $560. Do the math: a gun lasts most people 20 years or more. 28 bucks a year is pretty cheap.


    Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead
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  • SirVette
    mballai

    Actually, while the BERSA is based on the Walther design, it's not a copy. Improved.
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  • Contender Man
    Both are good pistols both from perspective of accuracy and reliability.

    If you financial position has not improved to the point where you may be faced with another "fire sale" I suggest you go w/ the lower cost Bersa or even the Makarov ... that way if you have to sell you'll still get "hosed" but you won't lose as much money.

    If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!
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  • applegrove
    The Bersa is a fine concealed carry weapon, safer than the ppk if that is your intent. As mentioned the Bersa has a much nicer trigger than any ppk or ppk clone I've ever fired. The only other gun I would suggest you consider is the sig p230 (232), although they are a bit pricey also. You should be able to find a new Bersa Thunder for around $200-220.
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  • raskil
    Go with the Bersa, but don't over look the Keltec 3AT (380) as a option for conceal carry. They are very compact and for the intended purpose make great carry guns.
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  • NOTPARS
    For Punchie: Thanks, that's the information I'm looking for. Now, what do you think of the FEG in .380?
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  • NOTPARS
    For SirVette: That is what the store manager told me. I have an old Manurhin in .380 that actually runs circles around the new Walther. Of course, the Walther had less than a hundred rounds down the pipe.
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  • NOTPARS
    For mballai: your point is well taken. That is why I posted the question. I didn't want to settle for something that was unreliable and by that I mean, betting my life on it. For example, I have a FEG-PA 63 that is super accurate...but, it sometimes fails to feed a round from the mag to the chamber. Could be the mags but how do you get new ones? I don't bet my life on something until I know it will work. Excellent post.
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  • NOTPARS
    For SirVette: Are you saying that the Bersa is an improvement on the Walther or Walther design? I sure hope so because these Bersas are a steal!
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  • NOTPARS
    For Contender Man: Excellent post and excellent advice. I did get hosed. I won't tell you what I sold my Ruger .40 for. It even had some machine work on it that improved accuracy...
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  • NOTPARS
    For Applegrove: Thanks for the great post. I haven't had a chance to try the trigger on a Bersa yet. I did handle a Sig 232. Man is that a nice gun. The bottom "European" magazine release was new to me but what a fine piece of work. It was retailing for around $540.
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  • NOTPARS
    For raskil: As I have posted before, the advice I receive here has really helped me and saved me from some bad buys. It pays to go with the folks who have purchased these guns. The Bersa, including the new compact .45 acp received rave reviews in the gun magazines but you never know how much of that you can trust. I trust you guys!
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  • NOTPARS
    One last question...how well does nickel wear and last? As far as I can tell, the Bersa's don't come in stainless. My fairly new FEG PA 63 shows some wear but the frame and slide are alloy.
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  • jsergovic
    I S&W 908S should fit your hand nicely. Here on GB for $375 + shipping.
    You should be able to get that PPK/S for $500.

    CDNN has a sale on P-232's for $420 delivered. That Sig is a sweet piece.

    The Bersa is a little thick for me...but it is a fine, straight shooter.
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  • SirVette
    The Walther design is improved, many complain of PPK reliability problems w/ hollowpoints, heavy DA pull, Walther bite.
    Bersa- 100% reliable w/ hollowpoints, much lighter DA pull, excellent SA, no bite. Prefer stainless or nickel. 3 pistols in nickel, all fine.

    Pair of custom BERSA Nickel 85s
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