Has anyone shot a Bersa BP380CC ?

My wife, who I've know for 15 years now, has suddenly developed an interest in shooting and getting her CHL. In fact she's taking an NRA pistol class this weekend (from Jan Morgan, famous for the "Muslim free" range).

I took her to the range last weekend to try out a few of my guns that she liked the feel of.

Rossi Planker 22 revolver and S&W 422 she liked, but she was limp wresting so bad that the normally reliable 422 was jamming every shot.

Then she tried a 637 and a 3 inch model 36, with standard pressure 125 grain loads. The 637 was too much, the 36 was better but she still didn't like it.

Last up we tried my 9mm Shield, that one was a no go, I thought she was going to drop it.

My wife is 5' tall, just over 100 pounds, arthritis and tiny hands. She thought a model 64 4 inch was too heavy and didn't want to try it. I'm hopeful that she'll like the SD9, as she seems OK with the grip and weight.

Today I found out about the Bersa BP380CC. Looks like a miniature single stack Glock in 380. But compared to the Glock 42 it has a longer grip and is about $100 less.

Anybody know anything about these little Bersas?

In 22 and really likes it but it is more like a Walther PP.

I've handled them but not shot them. It feels pretty good in the hand.

Melodie has the standard Thunder 380 and neither she nor I have any issues with it. However, since we bought the Browning 1911-380, the Bersa spends more time at home.

That said, the Thunder has been a reliable pistol. Seems to handle cast RN, FMJ or HP without any complaints. I did have some trouble with the trigger reset but traced that to the replacement wooden grip panels I had installed to gussy it up a bit. A little bit of carving on the backside and problem solved.

You and your wife should come to CSA this spring. Melodie would be happy to bring her collection of .380's down for a test drive...she has amassed 'more than a couple'.

It's a little Glock look alike. They make it in 380, 9mm, and .40 all on the same chassis.

Everything I see about it sounds good, but I don't see anyone talk about the recoil relative to say a Shield, which is VERY similar in size and weight. Or the force required to rack the slide.

LC9s with the accessory 380 barrel. Seems like a better way to go, to me.

--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

You might see if you can find a Colt Cobra or Detective Special for her to try. As snubby .38s go, they are by far the most comfortable to shoot, especially with wadcutters if your wife is recoil sensitive. They fit small hands, too.

Bad news is, you will not likely find a decent one for less than 5 bills. If there ever was a gun that needs to be put back in production, the Colt D frame is it.

Another option is to stick with the 3 inch model 36 and handload her some powderpuff loads for practice.

As far as Ruger LCP and LC380s, I don't care for them. The LCP bites the web of my hand enough to draw blood, and both of them seem like Abel Tec rip offs, no offense, I know a lot of folks like them, just not for me.

I was working out of town today and stopped by an indoor range after work. I was able to try a Walther CCP. What a sweet little gun! Noticeably less recoil that my Shield, the slide is easy to rack, and I shot it very well. A contender emerges.

A search of Bersa's site didn't turn up anything with that model either.

It is quite Glock-ish.

An outfit called Alabama Ammo loads a .38 Special "cowboy load" that my wife likes and shoots well in her 2" M36. IIRC, it's a 130 grain blunt round nose lead bullet loaded to about 800 fps. She carries it when walking our trails on the place here. I wouldn't want to deal with anything serious with popper load like that, but OTOH, it's still got more whomp than a .22.

Something like that might work as a practice load.

I load my own, and I have a quantity of Star 125 grain JHP bullets. (All my cast bullets are 158-170 grains).

I need to get busy and find a powderpuff load that will work with these bullets and a powder that I have on hand. I have a bunch of Trail Boss so that's probably what I'll use.