Bersa is an Argentinian company that produces the widely accepted and known Thunder 380. The Thunder also comes in 22 LR and is based upon the time-tested Walther PPK. The Thunder 9 Pro is a Bersa design which serves as the duty weapon for Argentina's police force and has won several pistol matches. The pistols are made in Argentina and not generally widely known, though I think they should be.
| Walther PPK |
| Bersa Thunder 380 |
| Bersa UC Pro |
| Full-size Bersa Pro |
The Ultra Compact Pro's general features include double/single action, exposed hammer, 13+1 double stack magazine capacity, ambidextrous slide release and safety, ability to shoot +P, and a keyed trigger lock. The UC's edges and general design are also rounded in order to reduce snagging. The magazine also has additional plastic to ensure a full grip. This pistol has been designed with carrying in mind, although the design has not been taken to the Glock extreme of eliminating and minimizing controls.
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| Not American made, but neither are Glocks. |
That being said, the pistol is still a big pistol, and its heavy. But that isn't surprising, it is a nearly all metal design that holds a double-stack magazine. It features a steel slide and barrel with an aluminum frame. This definitely isn't a Ruger LC9. The only plastic parts I can find are the magazine base, the sights, and the grip...everything else is metal. The weight does pull down your pants, but it also holds the gun down during firing. And if you're into metal guns, like 1911s or Sigs, and not into Glocks or XDs, you'll love the feel of this gun.
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| Weight loaded with 14 115gr Remington +P hollowpoints: 2 lb 1.875 oz |
The Safety-
The Bersa features an ambidextrous two-position safety that is easily manipulated. Like the slide release, the safety is a large button with a ridge that naturally allows for easy manipulation with one finger. The safety also serves as a decocker, in fact, it seems to be its main function. Since the pistol is single/double action, the exposed hammer can be cocked. Putting the safety on "safe" decocks the hammer, disables the trigger, and locks the slide forward. This means that "safe" and "decock" occupy the same space, therefore the pistol cannot be carried hammer back/safety "safe".
So the pistol must be carried either:
1) Hammer cocked, safety "fire" (not recommended since the single action trigger pull is quite light)
2) Hammer down, safety "safe" (also not recommended since now two actions must be used to deploy the weapon)
3) Hammer down, safety "fire" (this is how I carry; all that is required is that the weapon be drawn and the long double action trigger pulled.)
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| Note the hexagonal disabling key. Stupid is what that is. |
The safety is what I consider one of the weaknesses of the design. The safety is functional, but with just a little more design, it could have been even better. if the safety had been designed like the FNX SA/DA pistol, the safety would be pushed down to decock, level for fire, and up for safe. This would have enabled carrying cocked and "safe", which would have made the Bersa's single action trigger much more useful.
The trigger comes with a mixed review. It is excellent in SA mode: crisp with a little travel before engaging the sear. Once the sear is engaged, the light trigger breaks cleanly. However, it turns long and hard in DA mode. It takes forever to finally break, almost all the way to the rear of the trigger guard. Not only that, but it is rather heavy. This is of course to expected from any DA, but the long pull is the main fault of this trigger. It is overcome-able with practice and also provides safety while carrying hammer down/safety "fire".
So the trigger comes with a few misgivings, but overall, for a $400-$450 gun, the trigger is excellent.
Ergonomics-
Here is where the UC Pro shines: its double-stack design is still small enough for my 5'-2", small-handed wife to comfortably hold and shoot and the magazine release, safety, and slide release are ambidextrous.
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| Note the wear marks on controls...more about that later. |
The magazine release is not truly ambidextrous, but can be switched from right to left-handed shooters as needed. This is a feature lacking in some guns double the price. The slide release and safety are also large and easy to operate without being sharp or catchy. Bersa seemed to go out of their way to ensure a contoured and smooth design for these controls. The takedown lever is located in front of the slide release on the left side of the gun.
Another positive, if minor, feature are the ridged surfaces on the forward side of the grip, hammer, front of the trigger guard, slide, and magazine release. This makes these surfaces easy to find by touch and also helps rack the already easy-to-rack slide (it was quite easy for my wife to rack this weapon, unlike other pistols she has tried).
The Sights-
Nothing much to say here really. The sights are a basic white 3-dot setup. Satisfactorily, the sights are interchangeable with Sig #8 sights, so upgrades, like tritium night sights, are possible. It seems, to me, that the front post needs to be buried into the rear sights a little too much and that took me a while to get used to.
But that could be the way I shoot and your experience may not be the same.
The finish might be the only real downside to this gun. After only several months of Kydex contact, the safety and slide release began losing finish, as can be seen in the picture a little ways up. Maybe this is how they make the gun this cheap and still maintain all the good features it has. That or I'm tough on guns, since the holster it has been in has been a Glock holster. So maybe the wear is from abuse. However, the finish on the throat of the chamber and other wear areas is now gone after 800~1000 rounds.
Holsters-
As I mentioned above, I am currently using a Kydex Glock holster loaned to me by a buddy. That will change soon however as both Crossbreed and UBG offer holsters for the Bersa UC Pro. The Crossbreed will be inside my waistband as soon as possible. But don't expect to find an appropriate holster at your local gunshop or even sporting goods store, this gun is too much of a un-kept secret.
Takedown-
Dis-assembly couldn't be simpler with the Bersa. The takedown lever is rotated clockwise a quarter turn and the slide simply slides forward. No need to mess with safeties or triggers.Once the slide is off, the recoil springs and guide can be removed and the barrel removed from the slide. Field dis-assembly is now complete as all the major parts can be accessed, cleaned, and oiled.
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| The end result. 1. Slide 2. Barrel assembly 3. Double recoil springs 4. Recoil spring guide 5. Frame assembly |
In terms of bang-for-the-buck, this pistol is excellent quality. With prices ranging from the high $300s to the mid $400s, there isn't much competition at that price range with these features. If 9mm Luger isn't your cartridge of choice, the gun is also offered in .40 and .45 and in different color schemes also.
Personal Pros
- All-metal design
- Capacity of 14 +P rounds (for 9mm) in a compact pistol
- Excellent SA trigger and safe, but difficult, DA trigger
- Large, but smooth, controls
- Interchangeable sights
Personal Cons
- Unnecessary gun lock
- Two-position instead of three-position safety
- Very long DA trigger
Buy again and again. maybe in .40 and .45!
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