Bersa Thunder 9 Ultra Compact - the good South American gun company
I figured I should actually contribute to the forums rather than just lurking the classifieds, so here goes (yes I just put it up in the classifieds, but I wrote this a while ago and decided to cross-post since I feel like it's a decent overview of an underrated pistol)
https://i.imgur.com/mrhSBRRl.jpg
This is a Bersa Thunder 9 Ultra Compact, a double-stack 9mm with a name longer than the gun. It?s the subcompact version of the Bersa Thunder 9, which itself was a clone of the Walther P88. That was a little-known double-stack TDA 9mm from 1988, when the hammer was on its way out, the striker was on its way in, and the 1994 AWB was six years from making a capacity over 10 pointless for US civilian shooters. The Walther was discontinued in 1996, the Bersa?s descendants are still in production today, with the TPR9, the TPR9c, and the Thunder 9 Pro XT filling the mainstream duty-size pistol, the carry pistol, and the competition pistol niches respectively.
https://i.imgur.com/omHbwaYl.jpg
But I?m getting ahead of myself. This is from the original generation, although it fits much better in today?s market than it did in the late 90s when the Ultra Compact (originally ?mini?) was introduced. The gun is fully ambidextrous, with the exception of the magazine release, which operates only from the left. Speaking as a lefty, though, the magazine release is what I care about the least. It even means that the problems some people have with grips being too big to hit the magazine release with their dominant thumb are obviated, I just hit the release with either my index or middle finger on my trigger hand and the magazine pops right out. The decocker/safety and slide release are identical on both sides of the pistol, and function just as well on both sides.
That does make this a fairly chunky gun, it?s under 7? long but across the controls it is thick. That may impact carrying it, I haven?t tried myself. The safety does, however, make a nice platform to ride your thumb on for a good, modern, thumbs-forward grip.
Magazine capacity is 13+1, the frame is an aluminum alloy, so it?s heavier than a Glock 19 or similar, but again, having never carried it I can?t say that I find it unwieldy. I do find the recoil quite manageable, probably due to the extra weight.
https://i.imgur.com/gnn665Hl.jpg
The sights are a blocky U and Dot configuration, with white paint on front and rear sights. The newer generations use Sig sights, but even this generation still has tritium sights available. Newer models have dovetails, this one is a post like old 1911 or early CZ sights. Even with the short barrel, the sights make it easy to get good groups. Even from an at-best mediocre shot like myself.
The safety doubles as a decocker, similar to a Beretta 92, but is frame-mounted. For USPSA, that?s just about perfect, since you can start hammer-down without having to pinch the hammer or roll your thumb out from under it to safely lower the hammer on a loaded chamber. Not that many people are going to use the compact model for competition, but that?s exactly what the Thunder 9 Pro XT was designed for.
The DA trigger on this generation is heavy and long, but smooth. No sudden stacking, just straight back to the wall and bang. The reset is fairly average, close enough to a stock CZ I wouldn?t be able to tell you the difference. The smoothness (due to lack of a half-cock notch) puts it above a stock CZ DA in my opinion. The SA trigger when not fired from reset is long, I?d estimate about 6 pounds but I don?t have a trigger gauge so that?s just comparing it to what else I know the approximate trigger pulls for. Clean break, not a competition gun but easy to make hits with. The newer versions reportedly have a much shorter reset and takeup, but these guns are rare to find in the wild so I can?t speak to that.
https://i.imgur.com/BpRViRtl.jpg
Takedown is simple, there?s a lever in front of the slide release that you rotate clockwise and just slide the barrel off the front. No need to pull it back to a certain spot and push out a pin, no pulling the trigger, just twist and pull. It?s a small thing, but it?s nice.
https://i.imgur.com/8rZnTS3l.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/EmzXSkvl.jpg
The trigger bar goes along the outside of the gun similar to a Beretta 92, rather than inside like a CZ. The recoil spring is not captive, but is a double-spring design, with apparently different spring rates judging by the diameters and twist rate. Someone else can probably explain the purpose of this better than I can.
https://i.imgur.com/1tsoDTGl.jpg
The grips are wonky, and I still haven?t gotten them off. I understand it?s simple once you get used to it, but that little screw at the bottom is actually a cam. You twist it partway, it unlocks from the frame, and slides off the back. Replacement grips are not easy to come by.
Given the cost that these go for new, I would say they?re an absolutely fantastic deal and if you?re interested at all you should take a look. I?ve put roughly 500 rounds through this one and only had one failure, which I attribute to the garbage Winchester Forged ammunition that I was burning through so I would never have to shoot it again. Most of that was S&B NATO-spec ammunition, and as I mentioned before the gun handled the recoil quite well. If you?re used to a polymer-framed gun, you would be surprised by how little recoil there is, that extra weight in the frame makes a difference. I also used Remington UMC, aforementioned Winchester Forged, Remington Golden Saber, and Hornady Critical Defense.
