| Original Message |
Deus Machina
Posted Nov 9, 2009 7:58 PM
Great guns for the money, and Bersa does hold up their customer service, but was slow the last I checked--they had problems getting their manufacturers running enough parts (like magazines) to supply their personal contracts, let alone their imported civilian market. That may have gotten better.
In summary, if you don't want to read any further: if you can get the ammo, it's a great buy.
The additions:
Nothing wrong with .380 if you can put a hole where you need to, and that's why, right now, I would not suggest a .380. If you're familiar with handguns, or will also buy a .22LR or something to practice with (Bersa makes .22's in the same frame, under the name 'Firestorm'), and can get enough ammunition to become familiar with your defense gun in particular, then by all means.
But the less power you have, the less you can be off bullseye, and I'm not one to believe you can afford to be far off with a .500 S&W.
Plenty of 9mm or .40 handguns out there that work as well. The gun is more expensive, but the ammo will be cheaper right now. More to practice with. And the recoil in a locked-breach 9mm or .40 can often be roughly equivalent to that of the blowback .380 designs. CZ in particular tends to make some very easy-handling 9mm pistols. And the Rami is roughly the same size as the Bersa, just for comparison. CZ fanboy here, don't take it as a 'buy this instead.'
Also, not a fan of Glaser ammunition, especially in rounds where you don't have power to spare like you would with .357 or 10mm. They make for numerous but very small cavities, and dump energy too fast for my taste.
My preference to defense rounds in a .380 would be Cor-Bon DPX (first and foremoest; very impressive for the weight), Remington Golden Sabers, Speer Gold Dots, Cor-Bon Pow'R'Ball if it has trouble feeding HP's, and all flavors of Fiocchi hollowpoints. In .380, you really do have to consider penetration up against expansion.
On the plus side, if you ever have to draw it, there's a great chance you don't have to fire. If you ever do have to fire, rely on trained aim, not the round. FMJ is never better than anything that expands, IMO, as long as they feet, but if you can put a couple holes right where you need to, it doesn't matter what round you put them there with. |
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