[Shazaam100]

I am new to this forum. I am a disabled Vietnam vet who still enjoys my guns, shooting, etc. I bought a Bersa Thunder 380 from Budsgunshop.com It arrived with the mag release button inoperable with the mag stuck in the gun. The FFL gunsmith tried the release button and said "yep, it's broke, better call Buds". The best contact Buds has is an email with "noreply" responses. I have a broken gun and they say it's yours, you bought it. Too bad. So I have this brand new gun and have no idea where I can get it fixed. I have emailed Bersa with no response thus far. I think my customer relationship with Buds is well over after this deal even though I've purchased several guns from them in the past. Who can help me get this brand new, never fired, never loaded gun fixed? It's been in my possession for 1 1/2 days and I have yet to mail the warranty card. HELP!

 

[danrees46]

You are in luck. Your Bersa Thunder has a lifetime warranty for the original owner. Please feel free to contact C Royce Honeycutt on this forum. His number is 812-659-4867 or email at [email protected]. He will give you all the details. Let us know how it goes.

 

[danrees46]

The warranty card is no longer valid. Keep your receipt. The Bersa Thunder is a great pistol. I'm sorry that you are having start up trouble. I understand that it will only cost you the shipping to his shop, but he will give you all the details.

 

[Shazaam100]

You are in luck. Your Bersa Thunder has a lifetime warranty for the original owner. Please feel free to contact C Royce Honeycutt on this forum. His number is 812-659-4867 or email at [email protected]. He will give you all the details. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks so much for your reply. I just called but they are not open until !)am. I will call again after 10 and let you know how it goes. Thanks for your help.

 

[danrees46]

Good deal! Royce will help you out. I'm hoping that a small screwdriver will release the magazine latch and it can be removed with the right grip off. But see what he says.

 

[danrees46]

After everything gets settled and you are ready for the range, be sure to give it a good cleaning. Bersa come with a preservative coating that you can easily clean off. Pay attention to the feed ramp and the slide rails inside and out. You don't want them scratched up the first time you fire it.

I really like my BT380. I keep it on my belt in a Sticky Holster all day every day. No problem. Hornady Critical Defense is my go to ammo. I have carried a Bersa since November 5th, 2017. Never had any trouble. I go to the range once a month and 30 or 40 rounds keeps me in practice. Do what works for you. Always carry, never tell.

 

[Shazaam100]

After everything gets settled and you are ready for the range, be sure to give it a good cleaning. Bersa come with a preservative coating that you can easily clean off. Pay attention to the feed ramp and the slide rails inside and out. You don't want them scratched up the first time you fire it.

I really like my BT380. I keep it on my belt in a Sticky Holster all day every day. No problem. Hornady Critical Defense is my go to ammo. I have carried a Bersa since November 5th, 2017. Never had any trouble. I go to the range once a month and 30 or 40 rounds keeps me in practice. Do what works for you. Always carry, never tell.

Just talked with the folks at American Arsenal and they assured me that they will/can take care of my issue with this gun. I had bought the gun for my wife to carry but upon receiving it I liked the feel and heft of it enough to maybe get another for myself (when all this negative stuff plays out of course). I currently carry a Springfield XD-S 9mm. I like it a lot. It's an extremely reliable accurate gun but I may give the Bersa Thunder some time on my belt as well. I'll let all know how my "repair" plays out. Thanks immensely for the help.

Shazaam100
Vietnam vet - 2 tours
173rd Airborne Brigade

 

[danrees46]

Good deal Shazaam.
11 years in the 101st,
9 years in Germany.
Retired Sfc.

 

[Shazaam100]

Good deal Shazaam.
11 years in the 101st,
9 years in Germany.
Retired Sfc.

Thank you for your service brother.

 

[danrees46]

And yours as well. I sat out Vietnam in Germany. Think Berlin Airlift and Israeli Six Day War. I did go for Desert Storm, but it was nothing like what you had. I remember the day when the unit to our front all surrendered and they brought 4 Chinook loads of POW's into the POW Camp. The poor guys were just hungry. MRE's for all!

 

[Shazaam100]

And yours as well. I sat out Vietnam in Germany. Think Berlin Airlift and Israeli Six Day War. I did go for Desert Storm, but it was nothing like what you had. I remember the day when the unit to our front all surrendered and they brought 4 Chinook loads of POW's into the POW Camp. The poor guys were just hungry. MRE's for all!

I was with the 8th Division (Airborne) in Bad Kreuznach when I volunteered for a tour in Nam (which turned into 2 tours). The 6 day war had just passed and I had volunteered for a jump into their fight as we were contingent to assist. I missed my chance and went for Nam after that. I was young, 10 feet tall and bullet proof. What did I know? My heart was in the right place. Thank Almighty God, I still walk the earth. Not well. But I'm walking.

 

[danrees46]

I was standing in line to board the aircraft back home when the Six Day War hit. They were pulling people out of the line to return to their unit. I got as small as I could and got on board. I knew that if I had stayed in, I would have gone to Vietnam. So I used my GI Bill to go to college. Eight years later I got hungry and then I stayed for my 20.

 

[danrees46]

I worked on the TOW and Dragon Missile systems and was the Battalion Reenlistment NCO, for a while. Can't complain. Learned a trade for the outside and worked 13 years in that. God is good.

 

[shakyshooter]

Don't give up on the Bersa. I have found mine to be reliable and just the right weight and size to shoot fairly comfortably. I've fired the Ruger .380 and found it to be a miserable gun because it's too small and light. Terrible recoil and trigger.
I'm disappointed in your response from Bud's. I had fairly good responses from them years ago.

101st Abn, Viet Nam, '69-'70, helicopter pilot.
Mike

 

[Shazaam100]

Don't give up on the Bersa. I have found mine to be reliable and just the right weight and size to shoot fairly comfortably. I've fired the Ruger .380 and found it to be a miserable gun because it's too small and light. Terrible recoil and trigger.
I'm disappointed in your response from Bud's. I had fairly good responses from them years ago.

101st Abn, Viet Nam, '69-'70, helicopter pilot.
Mike

Thank you for your service. I was in Nam from 67-69. You Huey pilots saved my bacon more than once. I actually bought this Bersa for my wife to replace a brand new, never fired 38 special she just couldn't feel cozy about. But when it arrived, albeit damaged, I thought what a neat little gun. Can't wait to shoot it. I'm now thinking about getting a 380 Plus for myself. I like the size, the heft of it. It seems really well balanced. Too bad magazines are so tough to get a hold of. I'm anxious to see whar rhe outcome of the Bersa warranty produces. I understand there was a few produced with this same problem (failure to eject magazine) and they were not repaired but simply replaced. I will have to wait and see.

 

[Twobits73]

Just talked with the folks at American Arsenal and they assured me that they will/can take care of my issue with this gun. I had bought the gun for my wife to carry but upon receiving it I liked the feel and heft of it enough to maybe get another for myself (when all this negative stuff plays out of course). I currently carry a Springfield XD-S 9mm. I like it a lot. It's an extremely reliable accurate gun but I may give the Bersa Thunder some time on my belt as well. I'll let all know how my "repair" plays out. Thanks immensely for the help.

Shazaam100
Vietnam vet - 2 tours
173rd Airborne Brigade

Hopefully your contact was through phone as they are having a major issue with their email system. Host company has been hacked and there is a lot of spam email getting sent out fraudulently from their server.

 

[Shazaam100]

Hopefully your contact was through phone as they are having a major issue with their email system. Host company has been hacked and there is a lot of spam email getting sent out fraudulently from their server.

Thanks. No problem with the email exchange. Gun is enroute to their shop.

 

[Mike_S]

I'm now thinking about getting a 380 Plus for myself. I like the size, the heft of it. It seems really well balanced. Too bad magazines are so tough to get a hold of.

Mags are not so difficult, sort of runs in waves. And there is nobody that wants 9mm holes in them, let alone a possible 15 coming at them!

I have the Plus. You will not be disappointed!

 

[Twobits73]

Mags are not so difficult, sort of runs in waves. And there is nobody that wants 9mm holes in them, let alone a possible 15 coming at them!

I have the Plus. You will not be disappointed!

Try eBay for mags. Don't buy Promag buy OEM

 

[Shazaam100]

You are in luck. Your Bersa Thunder has a lifetime warranty for the original owner. Please feel free to contact C Royce Honeycutt on this forum. His number is 812-659-4867 or email at [email protected]. He will give you all the details. Let us know how it goes.

Good news update: I received notification that Bersa will be replacing my gun with a new one. They will be notifying me with shipping information when it arrives at American Arsenal and Armory from the distributor. It took a while but thankfully it will work out. Many thanks to Royce Honeycutt and American Arsenal and Armory.