Initial Review of Bersa Thunder 45 Ultra Compact with Galco Sto-N-Go IWB Holster

[GTNerd]

Hey all, I didn't see a lot of reviews on this gun, so I wanted to throw one out there for those of you who might be considering a UCP (Ultra Compact Pro) 45. I'm not a professional reviewer, just your average dude who was looking for a good carry weapon for not that much $$$.

First, I want to state that as of the time of this writing (5/10) I've only put 57 rounds through the gun. I know, it's not much, but like the title said, this is an 'initial' review. One of the few things I could ask for in this gun is a higher capacity magazine, currently seven (although come to think of it, the 1911 has a seven round capacity too). The gun has an all-metal frame (a.k.a. not polymer), so it is a little heavier, but that also has the effect of balancing the gun a bit more while firing it. I didn't notice that big of a weight difference as my previous EDC weighed 26 oz, and the Bersa Thunder 45 (BT45) weighs 27 oz. The recoil is very manageable due to two springs in the slide. I haven't shot enough rounds through it to definitively say where it shoots, but I was consistently hitting paper at 10 yards, so it must not be that far off (I shot 50 American Eagle 183gr FMJ, and 7 Hornady Critical Defense). I have two FTFs at the very beginning, but after slapping the bottom of the mag, I didn't have any more problems so I'm chalking it up to user error. I did see a little bit of hammer bite (when you get tagged by the hammer while the slide is back), but a ~$6.00 sleeve that goes over the handle is supposed to fix that (I've got one on order). I'm 6' 1", about 225 lbs, and my large hands fit nicely with the aid of a mag foot extension. I didn't have any problems holding onto the gun. As far as carrying it, I got a Galco Sto-N-Go from Amazon (Amazon says the holster is for a Sig P239, but I found out through other sources that it works fine. In fact, it said "Bersa Thunder 45" on the package) for $20. I must say that I'm very impressed with the Galco holster. It's real leather (a bit stiff at first), but it holds the gun very well (p.s. you must hook the clip over your belt if you don't want the holster coming out with the gun if you want to draw it). Today was the first time I really got to carry it (carried on my right hip), and it was very comfortable once I got it straightened so that the mag extension wouldn't push against my seat. The gun cost me $479, but I believe they retail for a little less than that.

Overall I am please with the Thunder 45 UCP, and would buy other Bersa products in the future. I hope this has helped some one who is considering such a gun. Cheers!

GTNerd

[cluznar]

Have heard only good things about the Bersa UC series. Have a friend who has the 9mm and luvs it, had a couple small issues of FTF during the first 75 rounds but nothing since and has over 500 rounds thru it.

I'm actually thinking of possibly getting one. Glad you are happy, IMO Bersa is one of the most dependable guns out there. People know about Bersa but not enough really realize how really accurate and dependable they are.

[GTNerd]

One thing I forgot to mention last night in my absence of thought is that when I went to load my last mag in (slide was locked back) the slide came forward on it's own. Now, I did see rumblings of such a feature, but I need to verify that before I stop worrying about it.

The promise of accuracy and reliability at an affordable price is what originally brought me to Bersa.