Hi everyone. New member from Canada and first post here on RimfireCentral. I've been out of the pistol shooting game for years and have the itch to jump back in. I'm too broke to shoot anything but 22s right now so am trying to pick a new toy.
I've looked at the usual suspects. Ruger Mk 1, II or III, Buckmark, GSG 1911, etc. But a neat little gun that keeps grabbing my attention is the Bersa Thunder 22. The model available to us here in Canada is the Thunder 22-6 with 6 inch barrel.
I'd like to hear from anyone who has used one quite a bit. Are they picky about ammo? Do they require a major break in period? How are the triggers? What little I've found online points to them being fussy at first and after a few rounds down range they settle down and chug along quite well.
Thanks for any input. Looking forward to hanging out here and sharing the pistol bug.
I've had great results with every Bersa .22 pistol I've ever shot. I find them generally accurate, easy to shoot well and reliable. I've not had one with the long barrel, or called "Thunder", but both the double action and single action guns are very enjoyable.
I've had several pocket pistols which were made into informal target pistols by the factory substitution of longer barrels, including the .22 Astra Constable and the .22 Walther PP and several Berettas. They were fun to shoot and did generally evidence better practical accuracy than the pocket length barrels.
In the States, guns with the longer factory barrels seem to be significantly less well marketed, and should bring a premium price from collectors.
I have the Bersa Firestorm variant. It's identical to the Bersa Thunder but with a conventional rounded trigger guard. It likes CCI MiniMag 40 grain ammo, doesn't like any standard velocity ammo. I've seen photos of the 6" barrel Bersas, but all the ones I've seen sold in US gunshops have the barrel flush with the end of the slide.
Here's mine with a spare magazine. They both fit perfectly in a surplus East German Makarov holster.
It's a neat looking little gun. Most reports say they like warm ammo. The Bersa website says they are fine with Stingers, Vipers etc. as well. Whatever I end up picking up will be my first handgun in about 18 years. I owned a Smith&Wesson 422 back then and miss it.
And whatever I pick up I'll be sharing pics and a range report. Fun times ahead.
I had one of the earlier Bersa .22's. It was a steel framed, electroless nickeled, da/sa model. Very attractive pistol. I was quite smitten with it, when I first got it.
Unfortunately it didn't pan out. And I got rid of it. Crappy trigger and sights. IMHO, you would be way better off. With one of either, the basic Ruger or Buckmark Models.
The standard sights they come with, ( Ruger/Buckmark), are orders of magnitude better than the Bersa. Because of legal liability, their stock triggers are heavy and crummy out of the box. But their are a lot of aftermarket accessories, and tweaks to improve/lighten their trigger pulls.
Another factor to consider is resale value. As nice as the Bersa was. I lost money getting rid of it. Not exactly a hot item on the .22 pistol resale market. All the different Rugers and Buckmarks I've owned over the years. Never had any problem getting my money out of them, when upgrading.
Since you mentioned Ruger "Marks," I'll just mention that the Bersa (or an SR22, or Walther P22 or Sig Mosquito) won't give you the same sort of accuracy that a Mk3 or Buckmark will. They're just different sorts of pistols, and so you'll need to make the trade-off. Or have one of each sort, as I do
I had one of the earlier Bersa .22's. It was a steel framed, electroless nickeled, da/sa model. Very attractive pistol. I was quite smitten with it, when I first got it.
Unfortunately it didn't pan out. And I got rid of it. Crappy trigger and sights. IMHO, you would be way better off. With one of either, the basic Ruger or Buckmark Models.
The standard sights they come with, ( Ruger/Buckmark), are orders of magnitude better than the Bersa. Because of legal liability, their stock triggers are heavy and crummy out of the box. But their are a lot of aftermarket accessories, and tweaks to improve/lighten their trigger pulls.
Another factor to consider is resale value. As nice as the Bersa was. I lost money getting rid of it. Not exactly a hot item on the .22 pistol resale market. All the different Rugers and Buckmarks I've owned over the years. Never had any problem getting my money out of them, when upgrading.
Not exactly the same model, but I have the same sentiments about the one I have. Not a bad gun in terms of reliability; just not crazy about it.
I have one and it fun to shoot. Make sure you use HV ammo, like mini mags and it will be fine. I had mine threaded and shoot it suppressed. Why? Because I can.
It will not come close to the Ruger MK series when it comes to accuracy, but that is not why I bought it. I have its big brother as well in 380. I enjoy shooting the thunders.
I should say I have a couple MK's of different configs.
It's a neat looking little gun. Most reports say they like warm ammo. The Bersa website says they are fine with Stingers, Vipers etc. as well. Whatever I end up picking up will be my first handgun in about 18 years. I owned a Smith&Wesson 422 back then and miss it.
And whatever I pick up I'll be sharing pics and a range report. Fun times ahead.
Why not go out and find yourself another Smith 422? Must be a few nice ones around. I have one that my neighbor gave me last year for helping him out installing a wheelchair ramp and it shoots and functions just fine. I gave it to my adult daughter but keep it around here so we can go shooting together.
Why not go out and find yourself another Smith 422? Must be a few nice ones around. I have one that my neighbor gave me last year for helping him out installing a wheelchair ramp and it shoots and functions just fine. I gave it to my adult daughter but keep it around here so we can go shooting together.
I agree that a 422 would be much better than a Bersa, in all aspects. But finding one for sale at a descent price in Canada, probably would present problems. Even here in the States they have gone extinct. Unless your willing to buy one from one of the scalpers on the net auctions.
The 422's/622's aren't sleepers any more. The get bought up quickly. People realize that they are quality pistols. That S & W only made for a relatively short time, 20 years ago in limited numbers.
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