Bersa Thunder .380 

The Bersa Thunder .380 is a Walther PPK lookalike, with all the PPK’s good points and eliminating some of the rough ones, such as its stiff trigger pull.

Except for the 1909 Argentine Mauser (which wasn’t even made there), Argentina is not a name that springs to mind as a source of fine weaponry. In recent years, however, Argentina has made a modest name for itself, and that name is Bersa. Bersa (formerly Baraldo SA) manufactures a range of handguns imported to the United States by Eagle Imports of New Jersey and selling at very reasonable prices.

The Bersa Thunder .380 bears a close resemblance to Walther’s famous PPK. Before discussing the Bersa, one really should look at the PPK. It was introduced in the 1930s as a concealed carry version of Walther’s police pistol, the PP. The PPK has been available in three calibers .22 LR, .32 ACP and .380 ACP. The pistol itself is, in many ways, a little gem, and was years ahead of its time when it was introduced. Even today, its list of features read like those of a new design, not a gun that’s been on the market for 70 years.

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The PPK’s major feature is its double-action mechanism with external hammer and a decocking lever rather than a conventional safety catch. The PPK was introduced at a time when most small semiauto pistols employed spring-loaded strikers and safeties–not a combination that I, for one, would like to carry around in my pocket.

It is very quick to reload, with its magazine catch in the same place as a 1911 and slide release just above that. Both are readily operated by the thumb without shifting your grip.

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If the PPK had a drawback as a gun for personal protection, it was the three calibers in which it was originally offered. None is very good, especially in the original loadings. In recent years, however, advances in ammo have made both the .32 ACP and the .380 ACP sound choices either as guns for concealed carry or second, backup pistols for police officers. The .380 will never be a 9mm.