v.bernardelli model 80

[GunNut89]

i recently got a v.bernardelli model 80 pistol. the guy i got it from was going to throw it away????? what the hell is wrong with people?? he used to carry it as a side-arm back in the 80's. he hadnt touched it since then. it sat in a shoebox in his closet. i went and got a purchase permit and the gun was mine. free of charge. i brought it home, took it apart and cleaned it. loaded the mag up in the backyard and shot it. the gun works great! i love it for the price. anyone have experience with these pistols? i have one issue with it. when u fire the last shell, the slide stays open like any auto loader i have shot. but my question is this, how do u get the magazine out with the slide in the open position? i can do it by taking the pressure of the slide off the magazine and then the magazing will slide out. is there a slide release on this gun? dumb question but i cant figure it out.

[gdmoody]

I don't blame him for wanting to throw it away. I don't know what caliber the model 80 is, but I threw away a Bernardelli .22 about 40 years ago right after it went off in my pocket and almost shot me. You can't give me a Bernardelli and I absolutely cringe at the name!!

From what I remember, there is some kind of "button" on the side that you push to take it apart. Do not push that button if there is a round in the chamber because the firing pin will slam forward. That is the only thing that I can think of that caused the thing to go off. I had it in my left pants pocket, I leaned up against my desk at work and the piece of crap went off and grazed my leg. I had just turned the thing around in my pocket because the barrel was sticking in my belly. Like I said, I cringe at the name.

[GunNut89]

damn gdmoody. its funny you say that. i didnt mention this part before but the reason the guy didnt touch it for 20+ years because it too went off in his holster. shot him in the left ass cheek. he didnt trust it anymore. now you say the same thing happened to you! looks like this one will be sitting in the safe for ever.

[gdmoody]

My suggestion is to take it apart and throw the pieces in several different places so someone can't find it and possibly hurt themselves. That is what I did, as I left work that day I put the parts into two or three different dumpsters!!

[6x6pinz]

Funny, I have several of the 80's (american version)and 60's (euro version). Most of them are in 380 but one is in the 32acp and a couple in the 22lr. Never a problem with any of them. Like a few of the pistols of its time they lock back on the last round but when the magazine is removed the slide closes. My Mausers do the same thing. I have contemplated picking up a Bernardelli shotgun to go with these nice little pistols but have never gotten around to it.

Heck I would pay shipping and transfer fees to get another one or two.

[GunNut89]

i like the gun actually. its shoots good and it was free. i cant complain

[gdmoody]

There is one in pieces at the Nashville, Tennessee landfill, under about 40 years worth of trash.

[group17]

Disassembly:
First pull the Magazine out, pull the slide back and make sure the pistol is unloaded with both safeties on. Then with the clip out and hammer cocked, press the button at the rear most part of the gun on the left side just above where your hand would be if you were firing the gun. When pressing this button pull back and up on the slide and it should come off after about an inch.

Parts:
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...spx?catid=1483

[Bill DeShivs]

Bernardelli made very finely made firearms, on par with any manufacturer.
gdmoody's experience would sour anyone, though.

[popgun]

I have one in 22LR been a fine gun for me. Had it about 20 years

[GunNut89]

i got no beef with mine yet really, kinda a fun gun to shoot. and thanks group17, i'll give that a shot.

[adam01364]

1st post.... sorry to revive an older thread. I have just acquired a Bernardelli Model 80 in 380, and I have a question whether or not it has a LRHO feature. I have yet to fire it, but have been cycling it with snap caps. After the last round has been ejected, the slide stays back. However, I cannot drop the mag, the slide is holding it captive. When I pull out the mag, the slide slams shut, bit my hand the first time. Is this normal? I'd appreciate any help or ideas on this. Thanks!

[Hammerslagger]

Post # 12 (adam01364) I think that I remember that what you describe is normal.

These pistols are rather bastardized (simplified) single action copies of a Walther PP.

I have not touched one in about 5 years, when I was coaching a Cop's wife who purchased one in .22 LR used. If I remember correctly, most have a both a Browning type trigger blocking frame safety, and a Walther type firing pin block slide mounted safety that does not de-cock the arm when applied, like the Erma Werke copy of the PPK. The safeties work independently of each other.

I believe that they do have the PP/PPK last shot slide hold open mechanical feature. Normally, it is necessary to partially remove the empty magazine to close the slide after a last shot from an exhausted magazine. As some have apparently discovered, this is best accomplished by holding the slide a little rearward, while unlatching and partially lowering the magazine with the other hand.

[gdmoody]

Originally Posted by Hammerslagger

These pistols are rather bastardized (simplified)

Bastardized is a good description of any Bernardelli piece of crap, in my opinion!!

[Lanrezac]

I have never used a Bernardelli 80, but what adam01364 describes is the Beretta 1934 type of hold-open, where the magazine follower is used to jam the slide open after the last round is fired. This is not much of a hold-open - all is does is signal that the pistol is empty, and it tends to slow down reloading rather than assist it - but it was once fairly common.

As I recall, it was it used not only by Beretta, but by CZ in the 24/27/38 models, and Nambu in the Types 14 and 94. Some Webley 32s had magazines made that way too.

Given how popular the Beretta pistols were in Italy, I would not be at all surprised if Bernardelli used the same system.

[3/2 STA SS]

Originally Posted by GunNut89

i like the gun actually. its shoots good and it was free. i cant complain

Free is always good. Fun too I bet.

[adam01364]

Thanks guys.
This particular pistol has some good news / bad news attributes IMHO:

The bad:
1: The whole AD issue as gdmoody reported.
2: Parts are really difficult to obtain
3: Overly engineered / complex design
4: Last Round Hold Open is primative compared to others

The good:
1: It's a purdy looking design
2: Looks to be made of quality materials -aside from the zamak trigger
3: The... ah... hmm. There's gotta be another good thing somewhere

The bads outweight the good... in particular the AD issue. This one might not be sticking around.

[AH64Armament]

Originally Posted by adam01364

Thanks guys.
This particular pistol has some good news / bad news attributes IMHO:

The bad:
1: The whole AD issue as gdmoody reported.
2: Parts are really difficult to obtain
3: Overly engineered / complex design
4: Last Round Hold Open is primative compared to others

The good:
1: It's a purdy looking design
2: Looks to be made of quality materials -aside from the zamak trigger
3: The... ah... hmm. There's gotta be another good thing somewhere

The bads outweight the good... in particular the AD issue. This one might not be sticking around.

I've had one for a while, and love it. It's dead on accurate and I'd love to have another. Let me know if you'd like to get rid of it.

[fireman2004]

Good afternoon guys,
I just happened to stumble on this site and saw this post about the v.bernadelli model 80. I was actually looking for info about the model 60. I am relatively new semi auto hanguns. Have had a few smaller .380's and used them on a limited basis. Anyway, my question is about loading this gun and having it ready for shooting. When a round is in the chamber does the hammer have to be cocked to be ready to fire? I want ot own this gun and know how to operate it safely. I can't find any information anywhere on the web. Figured I would start here and see what happens. I don't want to experiment with a round chambered. Thanks for any help you can give me with this or with finding any info on the web about this gun.

Barry

[Hammerslagger]

Post # 19, fireman2004, welcome to TFF.

You are correct that there is not a lot about the Bernardelli model 60 on the WWW. It appears to have been made in the same calibers (22, 32, 380) as the Walther PP/PPK that it is a patterned off of in a much simplified way.

I have never owned (and have no memory of actually firing) a model 60. Most of my Bernardelli experience is with their VP (.25 ACP) and Baby (.22S or .22L) models that were patterned off of the Walther model 9 pocket pistol. Looking at model 60 pictures on the web, and applying a little bit of experience gleaned over 55 plus years of working on firearms, the model 60 appears to be of single action only design with a safety that only blocks the trigger. There may be a magazine safety present. If so, the trigger cannot drop the hammer without a magazine being in the gun.

Yes, it appears that the hammer has to be in the cocked position to fire the gun. I cannot speak to the issue of, if some or all model 60's have inertia or direct strike firing pin. {An arm fitted with an inertia FP can have its hammer all the way down and resting on the FP; and the FP nose does not touch the primer of a round in the chamber. A direct strike FP is the opposite. Obviously, a gun fitted with a direct strike FP is dangerous with a round in the chamber and the hammer down against it. The current conservative wisdom for inertia FP's (based on a number of accidental discharge incidents involving them) is that while they are obviously safer (hammer down) than a direct strike design; but not safe to carry that way, unless the arm is equipped with a firing pin block interconnected with the trigger; so that the FP can only reach the primer when the trigger is at its pulled or rearmost position. The model 60 is very unlikely to have such a feature.

THUS, THIS IS NOT A GOOD DESIGN TO CARRY WITH A ROUND IN THE CHAMBER. It is safest to carry "with no round in the chamber" and "safety off". Some military and police and civil defense regulations (in the USA, Israel, and other places) mandate that semi-auto pistols be carried in such a manner. Most persons can draw, cycle the slide, and fire almost as fast as they can draw, release a manual safety, and fire.

As to you particular gun, you should make sure that thechamber is empty, that the magazine is unloaded, and determine just how it works in an empty condition.

[adam01364]

If your Model 60 is similar to the Model 80 - and it LOOKS like it is from what I've seen, there may be a firing pin block on the slide. On my Model 80, when the block is in the up position, the F/P is blocked from being hit by the hammer. Your Model 60 may very well be different.

When I finally got the part I needed for my Model 80, I spent a lot of time at home with snap caps as well as at the range with live ammo in order to become comfortable with the pistol. I used brand-new snap caps to verify that the F/P block was working; I then confirmed at the range by repeating the process multiple times.

All this being said, there have been reports -on this thread no less- of accidental discharge with these Bernardelli pistols. You want to be very, VERY careful.

[Lanrezac]

The Bernardelli Model 80 has to be cocked in order to fire the first round. Working the slide to get a round from the magazine into the firing chamber cocks the hammer, and so does firing the pistol (because that works the slide too). The Model 80 has a manual safety catch on the slide that allows the hammer to be lowered safely, by pulling the trigger and lowering the hammer with your thumb. That safety locks up the firing pin in case your thumb slips. It also has a safety catch on the frame that prevents the trigger from being pulled, but the slide-mounted firing pin safety is actually more positive.

A pistol like the Bernardelli Model 80 is what is called a single-action automatic. A pistol that can be fired by cocking the hammer or by just pulling the trigger with an uncocked hammer is called a double-action (DA) automatic. A pistol that cannot be cocked but must be fired by pulling the trigger with an uncocked hammer or striker is called double-action-only (DAO).

Except for Glocks, most automatic pistols have one of the above three firing systems. Glocks are more or less half-cocked when ready to fire.

Bernardellis are slightly unusual in having a manual safety that allows safe lowering of the hammer. Most single-action automatics have only one manual safety, and the hammer must be lowered with some small risk of an accident, because you are lowering it on a live round. Some pistols, most notably Sig-Sauers, have decocking levers instead of, or in addition to, safety catches.

Otherwise the Bernardellis were very ordinary 380 pistols for the period, the period being about 1910 to 1970 or so. They were considered at least somewhat inferior to Berettas, and some people here did not think much of them at all. They were inexpensive guns compared to the better known manufacturers. I myself have never owned one.

Just my $.02 - HTH!

[Hammerslagger]

Links:

Bernardelli M60 pic: http://www.shootpetoet.be/Bernardelli.html

Bernardelli M60 exploded drawing: http://www.mek-schuetzen.de/Blueprin..._Modell_60.gif

Bernardelli VB 60 dwg.: http://www.mek-schuetzen.de/Blueprin..._VB60_Auto.png

[adam01364]

From the diagram it appears the Model 60 slide is different than the Model 80, so I was wrong in what I stated earlier regarding the firing pin block.