CZ 83 or Bersa Thunder

[Full-Name]

Hi,

Well to answer you question.
I like the Walther more because I think the fit and finish is better and it fits my hand well. Just works smother that the Beras. The trigger is better, same with the CZ 83. Also it has that name, Walther machined on the slide. Dont get me wrong I do like to Bersa too, but its like this. The car analogy comes to mind.  In 1978 I owned a 1975 Volvo. One day I got the new car bug so I went looking. After test driving some new cars in my price range. A Mustang, American motors spirit, Dodge
horizon and a few other. I decided that my Volvo was a much better mecanical device than all those new cars so I kept the 75 volvo. Fit and finish was still way. better.

I own a CZ 75 in 9mm, a CZ 52 in 7.62x25, a peice of junk jennings .22 and IJ70A. I like the CZ 75, alot.
It shoots what ever I put in the clip and does not complain.

The price difference between the Bersa and the CZ 83 is not enough to concern me, but the Walther is another 100.00 higher that the CZ 83.

Later
Gary

[ut83]

You know the Walther is a bit of an Enigma to me...I shot 2 growing up, my fathers guns.  They feel as well as any gun made, in my hands...but both bit me.  I changed my grip and they still bit me...One was picky about ammo..failed once in a while, even on FMJ's.  The new ones are absolutely gorgeous..PERIOD.  Ive shot a couple of the newer ones and they were shooters for sure.  Walthers given their price and reputation IMO only, should be a little better gun than the 4 Ive shot...mind you, Ive only shot 4 total.  
They are still held in very high regard with alot of the "in gun crowd"..and collectors.  
Ive owned a BDA and 2 83's, all are world class guns with more than 10K rounds thru them combined...not one gun related failure.  Over the years, while on a pocket gun hunt, I rented, borrowed, stole and shot..FEG's, Bersas (new and old), Walthers, Brownings, Sigs, CZ's, Romanov Carpati, Daewoo etc...all in .380.  For my money and after over a year of playing and learning..I bought the CZ83...without shooting one.  Bersa's are still killer little guns no arguement at all.  Its just that the 83 is still a better gun.
Just one mans very and totally biased opinion
Shoot well

[HungWeiLo]

I recently purchased a used Firestorm for $140.  At least, it was in the used display at a local gun shop.  It was in pristine condition, and whoever owned it before me took very good care of it or didn't shoot it very much at all, or both.

I have shot about 300 rounds through it with no issues at all.  I've ran Gold Dots, Golden Sabers, Sellier&Bellot, and some Speers through it with no problem at all.  My hands are just a little on the large size, but the handle is comfortable too me.  The rubber grips are just soft enough to provide a really good grip.  The sights are easy to pick out, and the trigger is superb in single action.  Really, really good trigger.  I don't think it has a trigger job on it, but it feels like it could have.  The double action trigger is also very smooth, but has a long range of motion, so much so that my wife though it was malfuntioning the first time she shot it because it hadn't gone off yet.

It has functioned flawlessly in my hands, and when two of my friends shot it.  It has jammed twice when my wife was shooting it, but she was limp wristing it badly.  She's still very new to shooting, but is already a force to be reckoned with when she uses her 9mm   Anyway, back to the Firestorm.

The only difference I see between the Bersa Thunder and the Firestorm are the sights.  The Firestorm has the "box with no top" dovetails in the back, were as the Thunder has the 3 dots.  The Firestorm is billed as an improved version, although other than the sights, they seem identical, right down to the paperwork that comes in the box.  I handled the Bersa and Firestorm side by side, and couldn't have told them apart without looking at the name on the handles.

Its also very flat, and just a touch longer than a PPK.  Very concealable, and as small as I can can go and still feel comfortable with the grip.

I'm not just a client, I'm the president!  No, not really, but I know this sounded like a hard pitch for the Firestorm, but between it and the Bersa, unless you have a strong preference on the sights, I'd go with whichever one was cheaper in your area.

Wild Bill's makes a concealment holster for them, by the way.  I'm going to order one soon, and will be sure to let you know all about it.

[no10X4me]

The real question with any gun is how well does it shoot after you have run several hundred rounds through.  Has it fallen apart and become less reliable or has all the moving surfaces honed out and are as smooth as glass. ordance 4140 steel after use is hard to beat.  my german worn in ppk and a little rarer ppk/s are fantastic.  The american stainless never come close and that may be a reason that walther never made any german stainless. Comparing the maks, cz's and bersa you also have to compare broke in not just dry fired pistols and alot is just plain personal preferance so you have to accept other opinions as just that others's opinions.  Try to give that older pistol the try to find out what that new pistol will probally shoot like after 500 rounds.  Again that is just my opinion also

[edefonzo]

I own a Bersa Thunder 380 in nickel-satin finish, with Bersa factory finger-grooved rubber grips. The finish is great, trigger pull excellent in both DA/SA, and I love the decocker. I purchased the Bersa in November for a reasonable $219.00. I was looking for a small, lightweight CCW and, after some internet research and inspecting it at the gun shop, the Thunder 380 seemed to fit the bill.

I took it to the range for the first time a week ago.  I fired 160 rounds. The first 10 were Cor-Bon JHP. Next 50 were UMC JHP. Flawless functioning. By now the gun was pretty dirty, though. More than most handguns at 60 rounds. Next 2 boxes were American Eagle JHP. The first AE round hung up in the feed ramp as I tried to jack it in. I re-cocked it and the round fed into the chamber. After that, every second round in each reloaded factory 7 rd mag hung up. I fired up the entire 100 rds of American Eagle and went back to my .22 Buck Mark for fun. Accuracy ranged from acceptable to impressive at 50 feet for the Bersa.

The downside to firing the Bersa was the BITE. Not just a little bite, or a one-time bite. My thumb knuckle was chewed up. This was due to the sharp cut of the tang, not from the slide. As soon as I cleaned the Bersa, I took a Dremel tool to the left edge of the tang, rounding it considerably, which I believe will cure the bite. Of course, the finish is now a little uneven! If I had the blued version I could have touched it up. But with the satin finish I now have a very shiny spot on the frame. Next, I polished the feed ramp. Also, the aluminium alloy frame developed a few burrs in the area under the entire length of the barrel, which needed to be polished down.

This weekend it will be back to the range with more UMC and Cor-Bon to test the function, with a heavier mag spring installed, also.

Coming here is part of my research of the CZ83, which I intend to purchase in large part because I love my 75B, and because of the feedback I've read here. I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of size and weight for a reliable carry sidearm that can also be handled and fired comfortably by my wife. I would always appreciate more feedback.

Are good holsters readily available? The version I'll purchase will be the latest with the squared trigger guard in nickel-satin finish, although I can see most of you have a preference for the round trigger guard.

Good Shooting.

ED

[Nineisfine]

I too have experienced the bite of the Walther PPK. The only gun to ever do damage to me.  I have owned  A PPK, Colt Govt 380, Sig 230, and CZ 83.  All have been well made but I find the CZ83 much more pleasant to shoot and it is the only 380 I now own.  The Sig would be my No.2 choice but it is significantly more expensive.  In addition to the bite, the Bersa and Walther share snappy recoil which makes long shooting sessions a bit uncomfortable.  In my experience, many famale shooters have been attracted to the good looks of the Bersa and Walther but have found the recoil a bit much. The CZ, being slightly bigger and heavier and with a wonderfully designed grip, handles the recoil much better.

[edefonzo]

The first experience that I had with my Bersa Thunder 380 was as described earlier in this topic.

My most recent outing was an entirely different experience. Honing the rear tang with a Dremel tool completely eliminated the bite. Shooting was a lot more pleasant. My accuracy improved because I was no longer flinching because of the pain inflicted on my thumb knuckle.

Polishing the feed ramp and deburring the foward part of the frame eliminated the feed failures I had experienced after firing 60 rounds. In fact, the Bersa functioned flawlessy, no matter how dirty it became. I became so bored waiting fot the gun to jam that I let another shooter use it, so that I could use my CZ75B before the range closed. The Bersa would not fail.

I never did replace the mag spring, which I thought probably contributed to the earlier failures. The mag spring I received didn't fit the follower, so I stayed with the factory mags and springs.

My final recommendation. The Bersa is worth the time it takes to tinker with it.

I'm still going to purchase a CZ83 in .380. But it's no longer because I don't trust the reliability of the Bersa.
In the meantime, I can't wait for my recently ordered Kadet kit to arrive. It's a good thing that I love to tinker!

Good Shooting.

ED

[MADDOG]

Get the CZ 83 and never look back.  End of discussion-

[edefonzo]

I guess you can't argue with a solid piece of advice like that. Especially from someone who calls himself Maddog!

Have fun, everyone.

ED

[Unregistered(d)]

The plain and simple truth is the CZ83 is a step above most other .380's...no snobbishness or attitude about it.
The Sig and BDA are its only real competition in regards to fit finish controls accuracy capacity sights ergonomics and its just plain nice blend of everything....
The Bersa is an excellent piece for its $....thus is the FEG series guns...cheaper and no less functional...just not as smooth in the finish or controlls......just all on different levels....no better or worse...just different.
Thats it

[MADDOG]

Ya'll told me that about a year ago. It was good advice then and it is good advice now.

[alduro]

I had one for about 2 months, accurate as heck and reliable as could be, never jammed once that I can remember. I don't know about the 83, never seen one, but the Bersa has some rough edges cosmetically, but not functionally, but then again, so do the new S&W Walthers, which are NO VALUE at all.  Bersa was a wonderful gun, the only reason I got rid of it was because a girl at my work wanted to trade me her Colt King Cobra .357 Mag for my little Bersa.  Yeah, that took about 2 seconds to think about, given that 1  and 1/2 of those seconds was stunned silence. Anyone contemplating a Bersa should feel good about their quality, also note that for their price, they are a steal, easily worth another 75 to $100 bucks if marketed right.

[Gary in Pennsylvania]

I have a CZ-83 and a CZ-100 on order right now.  My shop says that they should be in by mid week.  I can't wait!  The weather is getting nice and I've already purchased a few boxes each of .380 and .40s&w ammo.  The waiting SUCKS!

I'll give you a "receipt report" when they get here!

Gary
www.tacticalauctions.com