You don’t need to spend a month’s pay for a good handgun. There are several alternatives out there for less than $300. Case in point: the Bersa Thunder.
This little gun really surprised me. I was function-testing it for a customer, and the group on the right comprised the first magazine. Impressed, I reloaded and touched off eight more.
For ~$250, you could do far worse. Even considering my marginal marksmanship, the little Argentine pistol is as mechanically accurate as anything I’ve shot.
Part of this is because of the fixed barrel. Unlike traditional service pistols, in which the barrel unlocks during the firing cycle, the barrel of the Bersa is affixed to the frame. Only the slide moves on recoil. This gives the gun a slight edge in accuracy, which is also evident on similar automatics like the Makarov and H&K P7.
The trade-off is a slight increase in felt recoil, but the .380 operates at lower pressures than the 9mm, and while it’s a bit brisk, it’s quite managable. Kel-Tec and Ruger manufacture smaller and lighter pistols, but the Bersa is still quite handy and easily concealed. The trigger is responsive and predictable, and the gun has a good balance. Though quite thin, the grip fits the hand well.
Of course, the .380 isn’t my first choice for a combat round. It’s essentially a “9mm short” (9×17 vs 9×19). Typical bullets are 90-95gr and travel at subsonic velocities, rarely dumping more than 200 ft/lbs.
Still, it’s better than nothing, and it’s much more potent than other mouse gun calibers like the .25 and .32ACP. With decent shot-placement, it can be an effective self-defense tool.
There are very few guns under $400 that I’d consider trustworthy for carry, but the Bersa is a fine firearm. I’ve handled their larger 9mm offering, which is strongly remniscent of the Walther P88, and found it to be a very nice shooter as well.