Bersa thunder 380 problems

contact148

contact148

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My new bersa thunder in .380 is having a few problems

I have 4 bersa mags and 1 mec gar all of them randomly lock the slide open when empty about 60% of the time onl,. not the end of the world for a range gun but annoying.

Light primer strikes I reload and usually use Winchester primers but can't get any so I'm using CCI or genix (campro)

I sometimes get light primer strikes usually just re-#### the hammer and it will fire but sometimes it takes several tries. anyone else have this problem? if I can find different primers I'll try them but that might be awhile

Gun has been fully stripped and cleaned/lubed a few times now has approx. 3-400 rnds through it.

never had any feed or ejection problems.
 
the slide only locking back 60% of the time on the last round sounds to me like your recoil springs like a hotter load. Perhaps try a different load with a heavier projectile or do some load development with your current projectiles...aka slowly add more powder to your recipe and watch how the gun and your used brass reacts.

As for the light primer strikes...my guess is that 1) possible weak hammer spring 2) possible bad batch of primers...i had a bad batch of the small rifle campro primers...tried some basic .223 plinking loads in 2 different semis and 1 bolt action and about 10% of them required 2 or 3 strikes to ignite. Many of them simply refused to ignite. 3) could be that your primers are not seated all the way into your brass. Make sure your primer pockets are clean and your seating tool is doing its job effectively. The fact that it takes multiple strikes leads me to believe that #3 is the most likely culprit.
 
Ramzzz said:
the slide only locking back 60% of the time on the last round sounds to me like your recoil springs like a hotter load. Perhaps try a different load with a heavier projectile or do some load development with your current projectiles...aka slowly add more powder to your recipe and watch how the gun and your used brass reacts.

As for the light primer strikes...my guess is that 1) possible weak hammer spring 2) possible bad batch of primers...i had a bad batch of the small rifle campro primers...tried some basic .223 plinking loads in 2 different semis and 1 bolt action and about 10% of them required 2 or 3 strikes to ignite. Many of them simply refused to ignite. 3) could be that your primers are not seated all the way into your brass. Make sure your primer pockets are clean and your seating tool is doing its job effectively. The fact that it takes multiple strikes leads me to believe that #3 is the most likely culprit.
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was using 100grn fmj with near max load of bullseye

now using 95grn fmj campro with a mid load of bullseye

did try 1 box of winchester whitebox and remington had no light primer strikes BUT same fail to lock open on last shot

I'm trying to get other powders I have used bullseye for .380 and 9mm for 20 years with no problems besides it being dirty.

Ill hit some local shops this week and see if I can find different factory .380

gun feeds and ejects 100%

the gun has 3-400 rnds through it perhaps it needs more of a break in?
 
Bersa mags are made by Mec-Gar just FYI. Did you purchase a spare parts kit? You could try swapping some springs to see if any are the issue.
 
contact148 said:
My new bersa thunder in .380 is having a few problems...
Click to expand...

Fail to lock slide open after last round: Three potential issues are slide travel, slide stop function, and interference from your grip.

1. Ammunition needs to be powerful enough to push the slide back far enough to engage the slide stop. Debris inside the slide can also restrict how far the slide will travel (but it sounds like you're keeping it clean). I'm not sure about the 380, but on my 22LR version if I install the recoil spring backwards it will restrict how far the slide can travel.

2. Your magazine spring needs to be strong enough to push the slide stop into position. Fouling and debris can drag on the slide stop lever, easy to check with the slide taken off and an empty magazine in the frame.

3. If you're shooting right handed, depending on your grip, either of your thumbs can accidentally contact the slide stop lever and keep it from working properly. This can be very easy to do under recoil if you're not aware of it.


Light primer strikes: No problems with the Winchester factory ammunition? It's probably all due to your reloads, then. Those primers are relatively hard, and if they're not seated properly you'll get light strikes for sure. Also, do you clean primer pockets? And, 380 headspaces on the mouth of the case, so if your brass is not uniform length, the same can happen.

Do you get consistent return to a closed bolt when chambering a round? If your rounds aren't fully in the chamber, that could be another potential issue.

I get plenty of hammer energy in my 22LR version, and 22LR is much more likely to suffer from the problem.
 
The Ginex primers are well known to have ignition problems. I suspect they have a harder cup than CCI. The fact that it fires factory ammo ok is the indicator of a primer issue.

One thing you can do is make sure you seat the primers hard into the primer pocket. easy to do if you prime as a separate step. I seat, then turn the case a bit and seat again. It has greatly reduced misfires.
 
alpining said:
Fail to lock slide open after last round: Three potential issues are slide travel, slide stop function, and interference from your grip.

1. Ammunition needs to be powerful enough to push the slide back far enough to engage the slide stop. Debris inside the slide can also restrict how far the slide will travel (but it sounds like you're keeping it clean). I'm not sure about the 380, but on my 22LR version if I install the recoil spring backwards it will restrict how far the slide can travel.

2. Your magazine spring needs to be strong enough to push the slide stop into position. Fouling and debris can drag on the slide stop lever, easy to check with the slide taken off and an empty magazine in the frame.

3. If you're shooting right handed, depending on your grip, either of your thumbs can accidentally contact the slide stop lever and keep it from working properly. This can be very easy to do under recoil if you're not aware of it.


Light primer strikes: No problems with the Winchester factory ammunition? It's probably all due to your reloads, then. Those primers are relatively hard, and if they're not seated properly you'll get light strikes for sure. Also, do you clean primer pockets? And, 380 headspaces on the mouth of the case, so if your brass is not uniform length, the same can happen.

Do you get consistent return to a closed bolt when chambering a round? If your rounds aren't fully in the chamber, that could be another potential issue.

I get plenty of hammer energy in my 22LR version, and 22LR is much more likely to suffer from the problem.
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pistol feeds and ejects without fail so far gun has been cleaned several times since new 3-400 rnds through it

I am right handed I'll try and pay attention to my grip that's a great point thanks!

recoil spring it wont assemble if spring is backwards
 
contact148 said:
...I am right handed I'll try and pay attention to my grip that's a great point thanks!

recoil spring it wont assemble if spring is backwards
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Well, ask me how I know about the grip thing!

It should be possible to assemble with the recoil spring facing either way, lots of reports of people doing this without realizing it. The correct way is with the small end of the spring towards the chamber, it's a tight fit.
 
alpining said:
Well, ask me how I know about the grip thing!

It should be possible to assemble with the recoil spring facing either way, lots of reports of people doing this without realizing it. The correct way is with the small end of the spring towards the chamber, it's a tight fit.
Click to expand...

Just double checked spring is correct small end on first chamber end
 
With the Bersa Thunder I had I worked the notch in the slide the slide stop engaged to a more perpendicular angle to the slide. This gave a more assured engagement and stopped the slide engagement failure issues. CCI primers are notoriously harder than most out there and are for many guns a common cause of miss fires. I cannot speak of the Bosnian made primers.

Cheers
Moe
 
Moe said:
With the Bersa Thunder I had I worked the notch in the slide the slide stop engaged to a more perpendicular angle to the slide. This gave a more assured engagement and stopped the slide engagement failure issues. CCI primers are notoriously harder than most out there and are for many guns a common cause of miss fires. I cannot speak of the Bosnian made primers.

Cheers
Moe
Click to expand...

Good point about the slide stop engagement surface. It's a budget firearm, and elbow grease can always improve things in that category. My Bersa Thunder 22LR has been amazing in every single category (reliability, ergonomics, fit and finish) when you consider how inexpensive they are.

I tend to see complaints about hard primers (CCI and CamPro/Ginex) from people who have modified their handguns in ways that reduce firing pin energy (or striker energy). It's very often the case that the easiest way to reduce trigger pull is to reduce the hammer spring weight, and you can't expect there not to be an associated cost.

While it's not impossible for any particular batch of primers from any manufacturer to be out of spec, in the (many) cases of modified firearms as above, it's not fair to say that the hard primers "cause" misfires.
 
Moe said:
With the Bersa Thunder I had I worked the notch in the slide the slide stop engaged to a more perpendicular angle to the slide. This gave a more assured engagement and stopped the slide engagement failure issues. CCI primers are notoriously harder than most out there and are for many guns a common cause of miss fires. I cannot speak of the Bosnian made primers.

Cheers
Moe
Click to expand...

moe do you have pics of this mod?
 
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