Bersa T-9 Review w/Photos

[Guest Matchguy]

Hi Y'all,

You're prolly tired of hearing me talk about the Bersa Thunder 9, so I thought I'd talk just a little and show some range test results and then some photos of the gun and a size comparison with a Smithinski & Wessonovich M5906.

First, whattheheck is a Bersa Thunder 9? It is an updated copy of the Walther P88 made by the Bersa firm of Argentina. It is a conventional but fully ambidextrous DA/SA hi-cap semiauto pistol with an alloy frame and steel everythingelse. It is made in 9mm, .40(Thunder 40) and in .45ACP (Thunder 45), and each caliber comes in a compact version as well. It is a beefy, strong, yet graceful pistol that I've found to be every bit as accurate as the standard service pistol offerings by SIG, Beretta, Glock, CZ, and S&W. The exterior finish is first rate, as is the interior finish work. It is a popular military and police pistol in South America and is gaining quite a following here in the USA. I have found mine to be bulletproof after 300 rounds of six different JHP and FMJ loads, with no cleaning except for the bore. Not even a hint of a failure. These guns are rated for +P ammo but not for the +P+ stuff. OK, enough blabber. Here is my 300-rounds-worth-of-filthy-gun (with a little blabber under the photos)

The two photos above show the controls quite well. The rearmost lever is the decocker, which lifts upward to decock just like a 1911 safety, and disconnects the trigger and serves as a safety if left in the up position.The lever forward of that is the slide stop, and the forwardmost lever on the left side is the disassembly lever. The mag release can be switched from one side to the other very easily. These photos show the gun quite well but do not give any sense of proportion or overall size. So to provide this I took a number of photos of the Bersa alongside a S&W M5906. You'll see that they are nearly identical in size.

They won't quite use the same holster, but they're darn close. The distance from muzzle to the front of the trigger guard is just about 1/8" longer on the Bersa, which keeps the Smith from fully seating. However, holsters made for the Walther P99 or SW 99 will fit the Bersa unless they are super-form fitted to the 99's. I bought a Safariland duty holster made for the P99 and it works beautifully with the Bersa.

This photo shows the Smith superimposed on top of the Bersa

This one shows the Bersa on top of the S&W. They couldn't be much more identical in size.

These are two 3" discs showing typical accuracy I've obtained from this gun from the bench with very common ammo.

This is how the gun performs with a 66 year olphart standing up on a new hip joint in the wind and rapid firing the gun as soon as sight picture returned each time, firing 18 rounds without a break in each string.

So guys, I'll shaddup about the Bersa now and conclude with a simple comment that I think this is one darn good, accurate, tough pistol that is well worth its modest price, and if you want to put your money into one you won't be let down. IMHO Best wishes.

MG

Edited March 9, 2009 by Matchguy

[Magiccarpetrides]

Awesome, thanks for the great evaluation and review! Neat looking gun.

[Guest JHatmaker]

Great shots of the grouping, but man, I can't believe you use the back of your truck as a back stop. I know Dodge's are built ram tough and all, but dang........

[Guest Matchguy]

Great shots of the grouping, but man, I can't believe you use the back of your truck as a back stop. I know Dodge's are built ram tough and all, but dang........

Ain't MY truck!

[Oh Shoot]

Great review, but I'm trying to figure out first two eye-catching photos.

Gimme a hint, what's holding the pistol in place?

I don't think you actually painstakingly selected the pistola and added background w/ image editor?

- OS

[Guest Matchguy]

Hi OS: Well, to answer your first question, here is what is holding the pistol up. Ain't nothin' sophisticated about it. Just a piece of wood cut to the same angle as the mag well of a typical auto pistol and screwed into a piece of 1x8 that was so grubby I upholstered it with some cheapo towling.

Here's the image editor part. I call it my back yard. Actually it's God's back yard, I just use it to take pictures of guns with, heh.

First, in the winter:

Then in the summer:

I live on the side of a steep ridge overlooking a valley just short of the Virginia line. I simply put the pistol platform on the railing of my back deck and take the photos you see, and the background changes with the seasons....sortof God's software. Here are a few others I've done back there:

This is a Charles Daly Hi Power

This is a Smith M5906.

A CZ 85

And a couple in which I discarded the holder and just used the handrail itself.

And finally, here is what I mean by steep.

Thank you for the nice compliment, OS.....I've thought of shooting back here but the target stand would have to be 253 feet tall!

MG

Edited March 10, 2009 by Matchguy

[Oh Shoot]

Well, to answer your first question, here is what is holding the pistol up:

AHA!

I noticed the light colored protrusion at bottom of butt in the one pic, but didn't zactly know what to make of it.

Thank you for the nice compliment, OS...

Well deserved...they really ARE pix worthy of a gun mag cover.

Oh "pro photog in one of his incarnations" Shoot

[Guest Matchguy]

AHA!

I noticed the light colored protrusion at bottom of butt in the one pic, but didn't zactly know what to make of it.

Well deserved...they really ARE pix worthy of a gun mag cover.

Oh "pro photog in one of his incarnations" Shoot

Thanks OS, but actually I just have a camera that makes me look good. About every twenty years I bite the bullet and sink about five hundred bucks into a good camera.....and a photographer would get a big belly laugh out of the very idea of a good camera for five hundred bucks......anyway, my last one was a 35mm Minolta back in 1990, so this go-round I sprung for a Konika Minolta Dimage Z-6 when they first came out and it does everything but take the gun and set it up for me. I really don't know much about cameras, but sonofagun I got lucky on this one.....it really takes good gun photos.

I'm just a retired highway cop who likes writing about guns.

MG

Edited March 10, 2009 by Matchguy

[Oh Shoot]

Thanks OS, but actually I just have a camera that makes me look good....

Well, an eye for staging and composition goes a long way, too.

I'm just a retired highway cop who likes writing about guns.

MG

I'm retired from a buncha stuff...

Was staff photog and whatnot for UT for 21 years...among other things, shot the coaching films for about 15 of those - when they were really on film!

When Majors would say, "don't want to comment till we see the films"...that was moi they were waiting on.

I'm actually selling all my personal Nikon (film) stuff on eBay in the next little bit...I've waited a few too many years to do it, though.

I've only got a middle of the road digicam these days, don't do much with it cept eBay (and TGO stuff). I was just a long time journeyman photog, never claimed to be artistic at it.

- OS

[TripleDigitRide]

Per usual, great review and pictures.

Thanks for sharing.

[Magiccarpetrides]

Beautiful backyard and beautiful firearms.

[Guest KWW67]

Very nice!!!!! Can't go wrong with Bersa either. Just mho.

[Angus]

Well dangitall. Now I need to rethink my 9mm purchase. I wasn't considering the Bersa untill today.......great.

[Guest DoDFire]

If you ever need anybody to come up and deer hunt that back yard let me know,,,,,,

Just kidding,,, Great photos

[Guest Matchguy]

If you ever need anybody to come up and deer hunt that back yard let me know,,,,,,

Just kidding,,, Great photos

Heh, there's a tree stand just below my property line.....just far enough from an occupied structure to be legal. Bad part is it ain't mine!! We get deer in here all the time and there's a huge turkey population here....like these guys:

Edited March 11, 2009 by Matchguy

[Guest DoDFire]

I have that same problem with the thunder chickens as well,,,, had 24 about 12 feet from the house last week,,,,,, You do have a nice place no doubt.

[Guest mikedwood]

Nice write up. I fondled one at Gunny's in Maryville a few months ago. I love the look and fell of them but so many levers.

[Farman]

Great pics, review and property Match. I picked up a 5906 a few months ago and my wife loved it, so I'm picking up a 5903 tomorrow. It's lighter, so I'll get the 06 back .

[Guest birdman]

www.bersatalk.com

A great site with great people and plenty of info. Those guys know the answers to all your q's if you own a bersa. There is even info for the warranty center in the us on that site. Just thought I'd let ya know!

p.s. I have a thunder 9 in nickel and couldn't break that thing if I tried. I love that gun!

[Guest VolMickey]

Per usual, great review and pictures.

Thanks for sharing.

+1

[ninja128]

Thank you so much for taking the time for the review. This kind of info and pics are hard to come by.

[graycrait]

I've repaired a couple of Bersa .380s and you couldn't give me another. However the Thunder 9and 45 are different pistols altogether. I have a friend who has several hundred handguns and he has a couple of these Bersa Thunders in the calibers mentioned. They are tremendous pistols for the money. I would put them near Glock in reliability after several thousand rounds but don't know how long they will really last. For the casual shooter who wants a good economical self-defense pistol it would be difficult to fault the Bersa Thunder 9 or .45.

Craig in Clarksville

[Bigiron]

Thanks Matchguy for the write-up & great pix. Nice collection of arms. That Daly HP brought back an itch I've had for a long time. Good job on that Mosin, looks new. I have two Bersas and wouldn't dare sell either..rugged and reliable

[Defender]

Thanks, all. The one I looked at is marked Pro. Is that the same gun reviewed here or a newer version. If not the same, whats the difference?

[rab1961]

Spectaculiar gun photos! Thank you for the great review too.