Bersa BP9 and BP40 Concealed Carry
Argentine gun maker Bersa, best known for their Bersa Thunder 380 pistol, will be entering the lucrative compact-plastic-fantastic pistol market next year with the BP9CC, chambered in 9mm, and the BP40CC, chambered in .40 S&W.
The inspiration for this pistol was the SIG P250. The external appearance and internal organization of parts resemble the P250, but I don't think it also uses the P250's true double action mechanism.
Unfortunately it includes Bersa's anti-features: the dreaded key-lock and magazine safety.
The pistols are slightly larger and heavier than a true sub-compact, such as the Kel-Tec PF-9, so I am unsure if they should be classed as compact or sub-compact.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 9MM (BP9) 40 S&W (BP40) |
| Operation | Semi-Automatic |
| Action | Double Action |
| Frame | High impact polymer |
| Slide | AISI 4140 alloy steel |
| Overall Length | 6.35” |
| Height | 4.8” |
| Width | .94” |
| Barrel Length | 3.2” |
| Weight | 21.5 oz. |
| Magazine Capacity | 7+1 in BP 9 cc 6+1 in BP 40 cc |
| Magazine | Alloy steel |
| Safeties | Integral Locking System, Trigger, Firing Pin, Magazine |
| Finish | Matte black or two-tone |
| Grips | Black Polymer |
| Rear Sight | Interchangeable glock type |
| Front Sight | Interchangeable sig sauer type |
| MSRP (Price) | $425 (Lipseys) |
| Availability | 1st Quarter 2010 |
Some online stores are listing the pistol but at a much lower price than what Lipseys, a major distributor, says. I think $425 sounds right for a pistol of this class.
Well I think I just figured out my Tax-Day-Buy-A-Gun-Day purchase for 2010…
Bersa has a much better reputation for product reliability and service than does Taurus. I hope they did their homework on this model and priced it to sell. After all, $425 is only $75 shy of a NIB Glock 26/27. I’m not a Glockhead by any stretch but they do work well and are about as ubiquitous as cars that run on gasoline. If they were real world priced at $325 I think they will fly off the shelves barring any early manufacturing debacles or web-spread customer service horror stories.
I have a Bersa UC9 and it’s been absolutely reliable for a couple of years with no hiccups whatsoever. I think Bersa get’s a bad rap because of it’s price point but my uc9 is a vertual clone of the walther p88 which was a pretty good firearm in it’s own right. Glad to see Bersa bringing something new to the world of firearms.
I know the integral lock sucks, but in Maryland you HAVE to have it, or you have to buy an internal lock approved by the Maryland State Police and they generally run anywhere from $20-$100. So from a guy that lived in MD, thank God for that stupid integral lock!
The first thing that popped into my mind was the Steyr M40A1, not the P250.
I’d like to see some serrations on the front of the slide.
I would think that the compact/subcompact designation would be more dictated on a company basis…based on whether or not they actually offer all three size variations. Otherwise, like Bersa is doing, they would just designate it as a concealed carry gun.
The Glock 26 weighs in at 19.75 oz and has a barrel length of 3.46”, and they give it a subcompact designation.
*I am very surprised by the limited capacity of these pistols, especially considering their weight and width.
Striker or hammer fired? The Pafoa article mentions something about “safe action” and I can’t see a hammer in the frame in any of the images.
Here’s hoping it isn’t DAO.
24mm wide, sounds pretty slim, although some are even slimmer, Kel-Tec PF9 is 22mm (but not available in .40).
BTW there are 9 cartridges in the image above, and that light makes no sense on a slim carry pistol…
Sig 250, really ? When I saw it, I thought immediately of the ill-fated steyr M. Well, I guess I was wrong.
Once again.
JAFO, would that be a lighter and more compact Kel-Tec PF-9, holster, AND some ammo?
This might be a bit off topic, but does anyone own or have experience carrying a Kel-tec PF-9? I was looking at getting it for concealed carry and would like to talk to a person who has *used* one.
Those anti features are a detractor for me and will keep me from buying one.
@Jim: I have and carry a PF-9 and love it. I did have to replace the magazine catch after I bought the gun used- $5 and 10 minutes but it has fed everything that fits in the magazine without fail. It’s accurate enough for the defensive task and I have no reservations about using it for my carry gun. I use a Crossbreed IWB, tuckable holster for carry and even my wife doesn’t know when I have it around her.
Recently Kel-Tec did add a metal magazine catch to their website as a replacement part and I would recommend swapping out any plastic one you find.
Some of us actually like those “anti” features as strange as that sounds. But a lock on a gun makes a gun a little more convenient to store. In fact I keep a Bersa cocked and chambered with the internal lock in place. And I’ve heard no reports of problems on any Bersa’s internal locking system so the S&W reports people bring up must be a problem exclusive to S&W.
As for the magazine disconnect safetys which have been so popular on bersa’s of the past, I think a weapons retention problem will be more likely than having to dump a loose round in the chamber to shoot or shoot during a tactical reload. So deactivating a gun in that manner seems more tactful to me than anything else, so these are good reasons to buy the new bersa. Or one of many guns that have those features.
Ill stick to my tried and true G19, thank you.
I would like to get some booger hook time on one though, if only to form a fairer opinion of it.
The BP-9 and 40 specs are almost exactly that of the Kahr P-9 and P-40.
I own a Kahr p-9 and have carried it for years. I love it!
If Bersa retains the quality that I have seen in there other pistols. This would be a no brainer purchase if the price point remains reasonable. The size for CC is ideal. This is a very thin pistol at .94 in comparison to most. I believe they will be going head to head with Kahr as well as the others. Maybe more so than the others.
I know I am holding off on another purchase of a Kahr for my wife until I see the quality of the BP-9. And if it holds up to the quality that I have seen in the Bersa line up. I believe it will be a easy choice.
CD