A Tale of 3 Pistols, for stonewalrus

by Hoot , Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 09:23 (3023 days ago)

Tom, we finally got to do a side-by-side of the LC380 and the Bersa Thunder 380.

But wait! There's more! Also included was the Walther PK380!

I asked Miss Melodie to provide her perspective for this rather than mine in order to get something which might be useful for your wife as opposed to my gorilla hands which would only serve to mislead.

Physical size:
Not much difference between the three. The Bersa and Walther are nearly the same dimensions with the Ruger slightly shorter in length. The Ruger is thinnest in the grip with the other two being about the same. I didn't put a caliper on them for any actual measurements but relied on 'calibrated eyeballs'.

Weight:
Walther is the lightest followed by the Ruger and then the Bersa. Again, no measurements, just perceptions. Melodie felt that only the Bersa would 'get heavy' for extended shooting (no polymers used in their frame). The Walther has a rail-mounted laser but doesn't seem at all muzzle heavy.

"Feel":
Subjective but in Melodie's opinion the 'fit to her hand' went in the order of Ruger, best, followed by Bersa and then Walther but none were objectionable. This was simply the feel of the grip frame in her hand with her trigger finger alongside the slide.

Reach (distance from back strap to trigger):
The Ruger has a longer reach which Melodie found troublesome. The Bersa and Walther are nearly identical with the Bersa having more curve to the trigger. Side note: we also had a Ruger LC9s along. The reach on that is shorter. I assume striker vs. hammer design perhaps?

Slide manipulation:
Walther is easiest; especially after the hammer is back. Following up was the Ruger then the Bersa. No surprise as the delayed blow-back vs. the fixed barrel designs.

Sights:
The Bersa has the smallest sights, followed by the Ruger, with the Walther having the largest. Sight picture, in terms of 'daylight around the front sight', follows the same order. All are 3-dot type and about equal with regard to 'easy to see'.

Magazine loading, to a full mag:
The Walther, 8 rounds, was a breeze; surprisingly easy to load. The Bersa, 8 rounds, was next. The Ruger, 7 rounds, was hardest but, to be fair, my reloads were a skosh too long for the magazine which led to binding of the bullet nose against the front. I think it would still place third even if the COAL had been good for the magazine.

Controls:
The Ruger and Bersa are a "1911 layout" with the Walther having the mag release on the trigger guard and no slide release. All three have a thumb safety. Melodie found the mag release on the Walther to be awkward and requiring two hands. The Ruger is in a more natural position than the Bersa but both are easy to get to. As for slide release, the Bersa has a prominent lever and is easiest to release. The Ruger needs two hands for both of us. If one chooses to 'sling-shot' the slides, there is very little difference. As for the safety, the Walther is the easiest followed by the Ruger and then the Bersa. The Bersa is also a decocker.

Shooting:
Each of the three were about the same in terms of perceived recoil and accuracy. No formal accuracy was done; we were just shooting water bottles in the gravel pit. The Walther had the hardest trigger pull followed by the Ruger, then the Bersa (in both SA and DA modes) being the easiest. Subjective and not measured. The stand out was the Ruger. The long trigger pull and long reach combined to make it somewhat disagreeable to shoot, aggravating the web of her palm.

If Melodie had to choose just one, she would take the Bersa. Although, if Ruger came out with a striker-fired LC380, that would change things. She loves her LC9s.