:: Bersa Talk ::

please forgive me if this has been discussed ad nauseam.

is it possible to have a Bersa SA-Argentina, RSA NJ, Mini 40 Firestorm (Cal ..40 S&W) ?

FireStorm on the Grips.
Bersa SA Ramos Mejia Argentina , Imported by RSA - Ocean City NJ on one side.
Mini40FireStorm Made in Argentina on the other side .

if so, how is the performance, experience, what will interchange, etc., etc.?

any history one should be concerned with?

-zig

First of all, welcome to Bersa Talk, zig.

A Firestorm mini 40 is manufactured by Bersa and for all intents and purposes is a Bersa. I believe all parts are interchangeable, particularly the mags. I have two Firestorm Mini 9 mags I use in my Thunder 9 Ultra Compact.

The difference in appearance is that the trigger guards are different, and a holster that fits the Firestorm might not be an exact fit for a Bersa Thunder.

I don't own a 40, so I can't address any of your questions about experience or performance in reference to the cartridge caliber. However, my BT9UC has been absolutely flawless, and is of virtually the same design. I would expect a Mini 40 to be of the same high quality and to perform to the same standard. I haven't noticed any complaints about it on Bersa Talk. You could do a search and see what you get. I bet you won't find much.

There may have been issues with the early production, but I don't know.

I assume you're looking at a used gun. If it was NIB, I wouldn't have any qualms about buying, providing the price is not unreasonable.

I own a Firestorm 22, and it's like a twin brother of my Bersa Thunder 380, with the only visible difference being the trigger guard, the rubber grip and the caliber. It's a fine little pistol and a lot of fun to shoot. I can vouch for the quality of Firestorm. It's the same quality gun, made in the same factory as the Bersa Thunder.

 

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p-t-max

I'm no expert, I'm just, well---opinionated!

http://blog648.blogspot.com/

BTW, here's a picture I downloaded from Impact guns of a FS mini 40 in nickel. Notice that if you buy at Impact, they have an in store warranty policy. And here's a link to their website.

http://www.impactguns.com/store/091664950190.html

Note that the price shown doesn't include shipping or transfer fee.

I'm not affiliated and have never bought guns online. Just thought you might be interested.

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p-t-max

I'm no expert, I'm just, well---opinionated!

http://blog648.blogspot.com/

As has already been mentioned, Bersa and Firestorm pistols are the same gun except for the shape of the trigger guard, and all parts on one gun (of the same model/caliber) will fit the other. Also, the Bersa/Firestorm 40 and 9mm are virtually the same gun except for caliber specific parts like the barrel. The 40 is a bit more "snappy" to shoot than a 9, but like the 9mm's, there are virtually no reports of problems with the guns. Everyone I know who owns either a 40 S&W or a 9mm Bersa pistol has been very happy with the guns performance. The only problems of note have involved the finish on some of the nickel plated Bersa guns of all calibers. They can be sensitive to some cleaning solvents and the finish has been known to flake or peel when the slides have been exposed to solvents that are designed to remove copper fouling from barrels.

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Thunder 380 & 380 Concealed Carry
Thunder 9
Ultra Compact 9 (2)
Ultra Compact 45
... among others

thanks to both of you that responded.

the interchange information is very helpful.

the reason i brought up the question is simply a matter of detail.

i have been very pleased with it, it has performed vey well and i haven't had any issues with it.

yes, i did purchase it used, and hence the reason to learn as much as i can about it.

the limited amount of information i have been able to gather seems to indicate that they are normally marked either 'firestorm' or 'bersa' but not both, the one i own has both.

the bersa thunder seems to be a popular 'brand' but i haven't seen much about the Mini40FireStorm.

thanks again.

 

zig:

please forgive me if this has been discussed ad nauseam.

is it possible to have a Bersa SA-Argentina, RSA NJ, Mini 40 Firestorm (Cal ..40 S&W) ?

FireStorm on the Grips.
Bersa SA Ramos Mejia Argentina , Imported by RSA - Ocean City NJ on one side.
Mini40FireStorm Made in Argentina on the other side .

if so, how is the performance, experience, what will interchange, etc., etc.?

any history one should be concerned with?

-zig

 

Let me start by saying welcome to bersa talk.I also have the mini firestorm 40 cal,and my gun is marked the same as you described yours is in your post.I have had my gun four a few years now and have put at least 1500 rounds through it of all different brands of ammo without a problem to date.I think you will find yours to be very reliable and fun to shoot as mine has been for me.Good luck with it and enjoy!

John

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JC40

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat,for it is momentary.



Mini Firestorm .40
Sig Sauer P220
CZ Rami .40
S&W Airweight 38 spl
Taurus PT111 9mm
Pheonix arms .22

I to own a mini 40, and I cant say enough good things about it.  As for the similarities this should help. I accidently purchased a 13rnd mag for the thunder 40, guess I was in kind of a hurry.  It got to my house and thats when I noticed the mistake.  Rather than get pissed and stuff it back in the box I said what the hell, I went and got my mini40 out of my bedside safe and tried the mag.  Much to my suprise it fit like a glove.  The only difference is the mag bottom and the fact that the thunder is a bigger gun and the mag hangs out the handle of the mini about an inch, wich was no big deal to me other than it showed the nickle between the grips and the mag bottom.  After a few days of mulling it over and thinking of ways to make it not look so tacky, (spray paint, electrical tape, and some other quick fixes) I was sitting at my desk and noticed a bicycle tire tube lying on the table.  I took the tube and the mag and tried to fit the mag inside.  It was a tight fit, but not so tight that I couldnt work with it.  I cut the angle on one end and then measured and cut to length.  It almost looks like a factory custom job.  It is also very functional, I have fairly large hands and the only reason the mini40 fits my hands right is because of the ergonanomical mag bottom on the stock mag,  the tube on the thunder mag, makes a much better grip for those with larger hands and it looks pretty cool to.