Finally bought a firearm

[TopHatter]

It's just a little .380, but I'm pretty fond it. Sleek, small, disappears nicely into the small of my back, and I don't even feel it when I'm sitting down :)
Also goes very well with Hydra-Shok ammo, for that extra loving touch.

[Officer of Engineers]

Whatever made you to go for a bellygun?

[TopHatter]

Whatever made you to go for a bellygun?

Well Colonel, as I say, it's my first firearm and all that (I've always been a late-bloomer ).
I didnt want to go with a larger caliber for a couple reasons.

1. Fits my hand like a glove, whereas larger calibers feel somewhat awkward, just a bit too large. I know, Practice Practice Practice.
2. It was incredibly inexpensive: $175 for the pistol, 2 mags, a nice combination-lock carry case and 4 boxes of ammo (1 of Hydra-Shok)
3. I wanted to make sure it was something I would like doing without spending a small fortune first.
4. The reviews I'd read of the Bersa .380 were very complimentary, with nary a bad word said about them as far as quality goes.

Good reasons? Bad reasons? Don't know, but I am happy with my little cap-gun.
Although, when I go to the range, I frequently also rent a Sterling 9mm subgun for a little full-auto mayhem....just to get the frustrations of my desk job out of my system.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Congratulations

Its always good to exercise your 2end amendment right.

[TopHatter]

Congratulations

Its always good to exercise your 2end amendment right.

Thanks. I feel that our right to arm bears is the most important amendment in the Constitution. ;)

Next step is a CCP, but I'm kinda dragging my feet a little.

[Bill]

Bersa is a decent little piece.

Good luck with it.

Oh, and use Cor-bon hollowpoint ammunition. Hydra-Shok is OK, but the .380ACP cartridge really benefits from +P ammunition such as Cor-bon. Definitely the way to go.

[Bluesman]

Whoa. That's really something. My first handgun was a Bersa .380, too (Model 83). LOVED it. I'm terrible about doing 'the chores', so when I'd take it to the range, I'd run a box of 50 through it, zip it up in the case, and forget it until the NEXT time I'd go out.

Probably did that three or four times in a row, three or four different times. But it NEVER stuck on me, NOT ONCE.

Still, as any of the experts on here will tell you, this is NOT recommended. Do right by it, and it should do right by you.

[TopHatter]

Thanks Snipe and Bluesman.
That's the second time somebody has recommended Cor-bon :)

I don't mind cleaning it, though I do mind when I've been cleaning it and the parts seem to be producingall manner of fouling and crap, just to keep me cleaning and cleaning and cleaning...

[highsea]

Bersa is a decent little pistol. I would make sure it was rated for +P's, though, they might be a little hot for an aluminum framed gun, at least as a regular diet. Another good option is the 85gr. silvertip, which is my carry round in my PPK-S, and a reliable feeder in the little blowback. Whatever your carry round, make sure to shoot a few hundred rounds of it to establish that it feeds reliably. I'd say a few hundred rounds of hardball first to break in the springs, feed ramp, mags, etc, then a couple hundred rounds of your carry load. If you can get through that without a malfunction, you probably have a winner.

The nice thing about .380's is that they are so easy to carry in the small of the back. Truth is, I usually don't even use a holster, just a belt carry with my PPK, and it doesn't jab the sh*t out of me when I sit down. It stays nice and snug as long as I don't get too physical, and it's convenient to grab when making a quick trip to the store or gas station, etc.

Those are the times when I would usually not bother putting on a full shoulder rig for my 9mm or .45, so the convenience of the little pistol means I still have at least something, even when I am too lazy to be properly armed. It's also nice for warm weather, when you have nothing to hide a shoulder rig, and a T-shirt doesn't really hide a full size pistol that easily. I always feel like kind of a slob going around with an untucked t-shirt trying to hide the .45 in my belt.

Of course the drawback is the wimpy round and the poor accuracy of a short barrel blowback action. But as long as you keep in mind that what you have is a remote control icepick, and not a service weapon, you're good to go.

[TopHatter]

All excellent points highsea, thanks for the advice :)

I certainly don't have any illusions about the capabilities of a small caliber bellygun.
I'm also not expecting any serious use of it (if at all), since I live in a low crime area (Fort Myers FL) and don't have a job that would call for a larger caliber (like say a repo man, eh Snipe?)
It's basically nice little plinking arm

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Thanks. I feel that our right to arm bears is the most important amendment in the Constitution. ;)

It sure is, b/c if we feel like any of our other rights are being infringed on or taken away we can grab our arms and rise up against opression.

[TopHatter]

It sure is, b/c if we feel like any of our other rights are being infringed on or taken away we can grab our arms and rise up against opression.

I hope and pray that it never comes to that...
If it should....then the whole world will have gone mad

[1shot-1kill]

My first hand gun was a similar walther ppk-s THE JAMES BOND GUN. .380 too

[dalem]

My first gun was my Ruger Blackhawk .357. Not too suitable for concealed carry :), although it does feel "right" in my cowboy holster rig.

Got my CCW permit when MN passed the law two summers ago, and I've been carrying a S&W Airweight .38 snubby ever since. Now that I'm used to carrying I'm going to trade up to a 9mm of some kind. I wish Steyr made a truly concealable version of my M9. I love that gun.

-dale

[lemontree]

.... 2end amendment right.

Oh you lucky people.(sigh)