Bersa Thunder 380 Combat Plus T380PMC 380 Auto

The typical 380 Auto pistol has evolved from compact guns like the Walther PPK/S and Beretta 84 to subcompact pistols like the Glock G42 and Ruger LCP. A few manufacturers, such as Kimber, SIG, and Springfield Armory, shrunk their 1911 designs, too, and retrofitted these guns in 380 Auto. With most of these guns there is a compromise. If you wanted a more compact concealed-carry gun, the trade-off is a harder-to-operate and tougher-to-shoot pistol with limited-capacity single-stack magazines. 

However, there are some higher-capacity 380s out there, so we wanted to take a look at a trio of double-stack 380 Auto pistols with larger ammo payloads. The three handguns in this match-up are the re-introduced Glock G28, a Bersa Thunder 380 variant named the Combat Plus, and a Beretta Model 86 knock-off, the Girsan MC 14T imported by EAA.

All three of these pistols use simple blow-back operating systems, feed off double-stack magazines, have open sights, are compact in size, and are chambered for 380 Auto (also called 380 ACP for Automatic Colt Pistol) ammunition.

How We Tested

We tested this trio of 380s from 15 yards and used a rest to gather accuracy. For defense-shooting drills, we set USPSA targets at 7 yards and shot Mozambique Drills. This drill is also called the Failure Drill for those who are politically correct. From a low hold, fire two shots to center of mass as fast as possible then place a third shot in the A-zone of the head outlined on the target. We fired Hornady Critical Defense rounds loaded with 90-grain FTX Flex Tip eXpanding bullets, and TulAmmo and MagTech ammo, both loaded with 95-grain full metal jackets.

Our top-line summary is this: All the guns performed flawlessly after extensive shooting; however, there was a choice to be made. Choose an oversized gun, a traditional design, or a gun with unique capabilities? The Glock G28 is oversized for a 380 Auto. Why get a G28 when you can get a G26 in 9mm for the same size and same round count? The Bersa is a traditional DA/SA metal-frame pistol design that is nothing remarkable, but is very well suited as a concealed-carry gun. The Girsan, with its tip-up barrel design, is easy to operate, especially for those shooters with compromised hand strength. Following are more details.

Bersa Thunder 380 Combat Plus T380PMC 380 Auto,

$357

Gun Tests grade: A- [BEST BUY]

The Combat Plus is a lightweight, compact pistol well suited for concealed carry. The double-action trigger is smooth, and accuracy is good. It has plenty of capacity, but only one magazine.

Bersa 380 Auto pistols have been around since 1995 and are proven and reliable concealed-carry pistols. We have tested other Bersa Thunder 380 variants with single-stack magazines and typically give them high grades. The Combat Plus is equipped with a double-stack magazine that holds 15 rounds. The grip length allows shooters with average-size hands to grasp the Bersa with three fingers on the grip. The wraparound rubber grip offers nice adhesion.

This is a traditional metal-frame hammer-fired pistol with a double-action-to-single-action (DA/SA) trigger, similar to a Walther PPK/S and Beretta Cheetah. There is nothing innovative about the Combat Plus, but it doesn’t need bells and whistles to be a performance-driven concealed-carry piece. At about 25 ounces fully loaded, the Bersa is lightweight as well as compact. It was well finished and came with one steel magazine. This is a little stingy, and we’d have preferred at least one more, or two.

The rear slide serrations are coarse and provide plenty of traction to rack the slide or do a press check. Slide retraction takes about 17.5 pounds of effort, which is leaning to the high side, but the palming or pinching methods both make the Bersa easy to operate. The smallish hammer provided enough texture to cock it back without it slipping. There is a key-activated action lock that ties up the pistol and makes it unusable, which is a safety feature some shooters like. 

The sights are large and easy to use, but noticeably retro with three white dots of the same size across the rear panel and front post. We’d prefer more contrast, but we managed to get decent accuracy out of the compact pistol.

Located on the left side of the slide is the decocking lever. It can easily be operated with the thumb of a right-handed shooter. Once decocked, the pistol can then be fired by pulling the trigger in double-action (DA) mode, or cocking the hammer for single-action (SA) mode. Once the gun cycles, the trigger is in SA mode. The initial DA trigger pull measures 9.5 pounds and was very smooth, with little noticeable creep. We thought it was very serviceable. In single action, the trigger broke at 5 pounds. Reset was short, so follow-up shots were a tad quicker.

Going hot at the range, we found the Bersa’s accuracy to be good. Our best five-shot group at 15 yards measured 1.18 inches, and that was with 95-grain-FMJ TulAmmo; average was 1.24 inches. MagTech gave us the next-best group at 2.12 inches and an average of 2.34 inches. The Hornady defense load, with the 90-grain FTX bullet, had a best of 2.71 inches and an average of 2.73 inches. In the Mozambique Drill, the first shot in DA mode was a bit slow, but the second shot in SA was fast. It was easy to place a pair of shots on the target with speed and precision. The surgical third shot in the cranial area was easy to make.

Initially, one tester’s support-hand thumb got in the way of the slide stop when using a two-handed grip, causing the slide to go into battery after the last shot. The slide locks back on the last shot fired. This is a training issue and not a gun issue, but it still needs to be mentioned.

Our Team Said: The Bersa Combat Plus offers reliability and high magazine capacity in a compact package. This pistol is a Best Buy and would be our choice for concealed carry.

To collect accuracy data from the bench, we fired five-shot groups at 15 yards using a rest. We used a Garmin Zero C1 Pro Chronograph to record velocities.

Written and photographed by Robert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT