Walther PPK vs. Bersa Thunder

[Coltonator]

I know the Bersa has a much prettier price tag and the Walther is the Cadillac of guns but, if you were trying to pinch your pennies, which would you go for?

Is the Bersa a good reliable firearm?

[Bruce FLinch]

My understanding is the Bersa is a good gun. My buddy @ the gun shop has sold a lot of them, w/ no problems.

[durk]

I have a Bersa Thunder in .380 No problems as of yet but have only put about 200 to 300 rounds through it. I like the way it fits my hands and my wallet, only $218 new at Academy Sports.http://www.academy.com/index.php?pag..._fire_handguns

[Oneida Steve]

I have shot both guns. Get the Bersa. The PPK was the wondergun of its day, but the Bersa is a better choice.

Even if they were priced the same, I'd still choose the Bersa.

[Pat Hurley]

If it's between a Bersa or an Interarms made or West German made PPK, the PPK wins hands down. Not even close. If it's an S&W made PPK, then you've got a toss up.

Here's another angle to consider... picture yourself at a singles bar chatting it up with one of the fairer sex, trying every smooth line in the book (like, "I seemed to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?), and searching for that one slick closing line to seal the deal. Which of these do you think will work?

- "I've got a Bersa. It's an unoriginal, copy-cat kind of pistol that's known for it's fire sale price. It cost only $250 bucks. What a bargain, huh?! Is it happy hour? I just hate paying full price for anything. See this shirt? I found it on the 75% off rack at Goodwill! Hey, can we go dutch on the bar tab?"

OR

- "I own a Walther PPK/s. It's a sexy piece of man-stopping steel that defines firearm excellence with its sleek lines and German engineering perfection. It has stamped and imbued me with its imprimatur of class and elegence. It's a masterpiece, like my '64 Aston Martin, my 15th century Stradivarius, and my Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Oh, and it was James Bond's preferred weapon for about 35 years. Golly it's getting late. My place or yours?"

Don't make a huge mistake and buy the Bersa. What's your life worth? What's your love life worth? Think of your pride, self-worth, and the how the odds of success at singles bars will be greatly stacked in your favor. The choice is obvious - go with the Walther.

Let us know what you decide. Best of luck.

[polishshooter]

Yeah, Pat, but unless she's one of Hitlers Nazi reproduction machines tending the Uboat rest havens, you won't impress her much with the overrated German crap. Like most of it is. (Did you see what the LOWEST reliability ratings for cars in the US today? the BOTTOM three....Volkswagen, BMW, Benz.....in that order, heck, US cars get better ratings now... )


You only want a woman that likes the RESULTS. not what you PAID for anything and the fact the extra arm you saved not buying the POS Walther you can spend on something for HER.

Nobody EVER won a gunfight by saying, "HA my gun COST more than you, you're DEAD!"

In FACT, the guy with the CHEAPER weapon just may have SHOT it a few times, rather than keeping it's "resale" value up....

Since you obviously missed out on the $99 Makarovs which make Walther owners CRY when they realize it's BETTER, go with the Bersa, if you already bought the Walther, then jack up the price a little and sell it to some old guy with a bottle of Viagra in the box just in case Pat is right....

[Jath]

I have tried both, and here's the run down.

The Walther is a very pretty gun, slightly smaller, and lighter. The model I was using had a 6 round magazine. The safety is a decocker and a trigger block/firing pin blocking mechanism. It is double action first shot and single action subsequent shots. There is a loaded chamber indicator in the back above the hammer. When you are out of ammo, the slide locks back. In order to release the slide, you must reload, or remove the magazine, and pull the slide back to release it as it has no slide release. This is pretty annoying actually. because of that, you cannot lock the slide back without an empty magazine in it either. The walther did not seem to like any of the unusual loads put through it and jammed with all but the remmington golden sabres at least once, including the winchester FMJ. it's accuracy is ok, not as good as I expected though. The kick kinda hurts. real snappy. The trigger guard is also the disassembly lever. Kinda annoying and renders some safety locks useless.

The Bersa Thunder (actually Its a Firestorm, but its identical to the Thunder other then the grips and sights) Is a slightly heavier gun. Has a 7 round mag with a finger extension in the model I have. it's safety is a decocker, firing pin block, and disengages the trigger completely, which is really good because there's no chance of breaking the mechanism by pulling on it too hard, or having it fail completely. it also has a magazine safety, so you can't fire a single round with no magazine. It also has a key lock above the trigger. It is double action first shot and single action subsequent shots like the ppk. unlike the ppk though, there is a standard slide lock/release lever above the magazine release, which is usually my prerequisite for any auto loading gun. The gun has had about 200 rounds through it, including all types of special ammo and hollow points and has NEVER jammed. I have very tight shot groups with this gun, about 2 inches apart at 15 yards, as opposed to about 6 inches with the ppk. The kick isn't quite as bad with the Firestorm. There is actually a crimson trace option with it. the disassembly lever is separate from the trigger guard on the right side, and works great.

Over all, the two guns are basically the same design. Bersa just took the venerable PPK and resolved all of its issues and made a superior weapon. In my opinion, the Bersa is better, Hands Down. Plus you have 300 dollars left to buy ammo, a holster, and reloading equipment. You'll need it too cause .380 is impossible to find.

[Bill DeShivs]

The Walther was a 1930s wonder gun. The Bersa is a copy of the 1930s wonder gun.
Neither is a particularly relevant carry gun today.

[oscarmayer]

between these two choices i'd go with the bersa. it cost less and is better than a new smith and wesson made ppk. but these wouldn't be my personal choices for a 380 carry gun. i'd consider the taurus tcp,the ruger lcp, the kel-tec . all lighter concel better and are cheaper in cost. but if i had to have a full size 380 like the ppk or the bersa i'd get a sig 232

[Jath]

The taurus TCP is freakin' sweet. It's got all the full features of a full sized gun, but in a tiny, freakin' package. That thing is nice! But this particular string isn't about those guns. So I'll continue talking about the ppk and thunder.

Some people don't like guns that are that small, they want the ppk and bersa because it is the exact size they want. They have the clothes and purse and holsters to carry it comfortably and feel they can be more accurate with them, or whatever the case may be. My wife carries her Firestorm specifically because she likes that the kick is more manageable then a smaller and lighter gun. She is also very accurate with it.
If I were to buy a .380, I would go for the TCP because it is a great size gun, is really good looking, and has a slide release, and auto lockback feature that the LCP does not have. the TCP is a great ankle gun. My friend recently bought a ppk and he's not very happy with it. I told him to mark up the price and resell it.

[ARB]

As I don't own a Bersa, the only thing I can contribute is that my Interarms PPK has been in the family since the early eighties. It was my mother's for about five years and then my brother had it rotting in a closet until about a year ago. I cleaned it up and have fired it often with no misfires, jams, etc. It is very accurate as well.

[Slabsides]

I've had 3 Thunder 380s and have put thousands of rounds through them over the years. Loved em. The only reason I don't have one now is the ammo is nearly impossible to find (without taking out a second mortgage).

I traded 'em on a 9mm when ammo started to get crazy.

I'd like to get my hands on a Thunder .22!

[hogger129]

Originally Posted by Coltonator

I know the Bersa has a much prettier price tag and the Walther is the Cadillac of guns but, if you were trying to pinch your pennies, which would you go for?

Is the Bersa a good reliable firearm?

I have heard the PPK's aren't of very high quality, but I've personally had no experience with them. I'd go for the Bersa.

[Johnny Knoxville]

I've had a BT 380 for 5 years. My first semi-auto in fact. It has over 700 rounds through it with not a single failure. I have run everything .380 I could find through it, which is scant today BTW. Fortunately I stocked up 4 years ago. My Brother-in-Law has a PPK/S we have both shot both. He shot the BT better than the PPK for some reason. Mine is very accurate.
I have two 9 round magazines and three 6.

Both are too heavy for pocket carry. Ok in a winter jacket pocket.

I use mine as a car carry back-up to whatever I have with me which is either a 9mm or .38 spl.

The BERSA can be serviced in the US. There is an active Forum. If you do a internet search no one really has anything bad to say about them and they were underpriced and under rated....again five years ago before the burgeoning of .380s.

5 years ago you could pick one up for $250.

That said these days, in a .380 I would probably pick a Ruger LCP for pocket carry. $299 at Buds.
Since these are primarily holster carrys I would proabably save up for something like a
M&P 9c. Heck you can get a S&W VE9 or 40 from Buds and with the current $50 rebate including transfer for about $300. Lifetime warranty.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php



Here are the BERSAs at Bud's. I would probably do the CC version for $275. They have been out about 5 years. It would make a better attempt at pocket carry.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/i...p/cPath/21_178

Damn I have to stop posting to these three year old questions.

[tcox4freedom]

I've had a Bersa 383-A for almost 20 years. The only issue I've had was an after market magazine; AND after market/replacement products and service are practically ZERO "now".

Bersa is a great gun and I wouldn't mind having another. BUT! I like to keep my guns FOREVER. So, for Long-term use and Continued service availability; I may have to buy the Walther next time.

[Jim K]

I think I would still go with the PPK.

Not to impress chicks, because when I was going to bars the last thing I wanted anyone to know is that I was carrying, even though I had a badge to go with my Model 36 Chiefs Special. Besides I never knew any women who knew the difference between a PPK and a pepperoni pizza, and showing the gun would more likely have elicited screams of fear than sighs of admiration for German craftsmanship.

Jim

[pinecone70]

Do not get an American made PPK .380. They are junktastic...

[cluznar]

Carry a Bersa Thunder .380 with Corbon Pwrball ammo IWB and trust it completely.

Do you want a good gun or a well-known name?

[Hammerslagger]

The Argentina made Bersa (which has been sold in the USA under several model names) is a close copy of a Walther PP. bersa has bewen around since the 1950's. There are some design differences, but the Bersa is one of many well made basic PP copies that have been imported into the USA.

Another close copy s the Hungurian military/police surplus PP in 9X18 mm Makarov. It is often referred to as the FEG PA-63. It is a two tone (aluminum receiver, blue steel slide) pistol. Many of these guns were imported by Kassner Bros. in PA in new (unissued) or almost new condition. They typically have sold for under $200.00 and are slightly more powerful than the .380 ACP.

As to post WW II Walthers the following is copied from "Manurhin" at WIKI: "Walther PP - Walther's original factory was located in Zella-Mehlis in the state (Land) of Thuringia, in present-day eastern Germany which was occupied by the Soviet Union following World War II, Walther established a new factory in Ulm. However, for several years following the war, the Allied powers forbade any manufacture of weapons in Germany. As a result, in 1952, Walther licensed production of the PP series pistols to Manurhin who manufactured the PP series until 1986. In fact, all postwar European-made PP series pistols manufactured until 1986 were manufactured by Manurhin, even though the pistol slide may bear the markings of the Walther factory in Ulm.[2]" {What you do not know can sometimes hurt your prejudiced feelings when discovered.}

USA made Walther pistols bearing the "Interarms" marking were made by a company called "Ranger" in Georgia, USA. They are noted for being of inconsistent and often lower quality than the French made Walthers.

[savage170]

I've had both the Bersa still lives here the PPK had to find a new home

[chucksolo69]

I have a Bersa Thunder .380 and it has been flawless from day one. I have a friend who has a Manurhin Walther PPK and he had to have it modified to shoot anything other than ball ammo. It also has one of the heaviest, grittiest, DA trigger pull there is. My Bersa's trigger pull is 10 times better. For the price I paid, $259.00 + DROS and tax, it can't be beat. I buy the ammo for it from my local range. They always have plenty of .380 ammo in stock (reloads) and my Bersa fires them with gusto. BTW, I also had an Astra Constable .380 and a Beretta Model 70s in .380. The Astra was excellent and way better than the PPK. The Beretta was single action and the slide loved to slice the second knuckle of your thumb. I traded the Astra away stupidly, I got rid of the Beretta for safety's sake!!

[Munch]

I've owned three bersa pistols over the years. One .22 and two. 380. I have found them to be incredibly reliable and very accurate. I personally love them and look forward to owning another. Sadly I have no experience with the walther. But with the flawless performance I had with all three bersa pistols, it would tough for me to justify the extra cash for the walther.

[hstout1143]

I've never shot a Bersa, but my PPk is as reliable as they come and fits in the palm of my hand and my pants pocket as well. If the Bersa does all that at a better price I would give it a try.

[Orin]

The Bersa's not available on that site & runs $320 +-. But I also appreciate your views cuz I'mm looking for a pockit gun. My .44 revolver's a good bag gun (man-purse to you testosterone junkies) but it takes time to unzip & shoot. (Hmmm... My wife may have said that a few times!)