Back when Bersa went Hi-cap: The Tale of the Model 85 and 86
For well over a quarter-century, the Bersa SA of Argentina has been heavy into the market of small, compact, .380ACP caliber blowback-action pistols. The only thing about these Walther PPK-esque pistols, well made as they are, is that they only have a 6-7 shot magazine.
Well, about that.
Back in the mid-1980s, Bersa redesigned their Model 383 series pistol, which by and large was a clone of the Walther PP series. As an improvement, the company replaced the external slide catch, which was also a snag when carrying concealed. This they replaced with an internal mechanism where the user would pull back a locked slide in order to release it, removing extra surface controls, and streamlining the gun.
This model was renamed the 83, after the year it was created. This double-action semi-auto, with its natty walnut grips and 3.5-inch barrel
was soon to prove popular on the export market.
However, when compared to the new guns on the block, the Glocks, the S&W wondernines, and the SIG P-series, the 6-round magazine
capacity of the Model 83 was behind the curve….and Bersa was fixing to super-size
Yes, that is a compact .380 with a doublestack mag, thanks for asking.
Read the rest in my column at the Bersa Forum
That is a super clean pistol! I love the chrome finish!
The Bersa 380 is NOT a Walther PP copy. It is a Beretta 70 copy. With the 83 they got rid of the external slide lock and went with an internal slide lock. With the 95 they added the thumb lever to the internal slide lock but the rest of the parts remained Beretta 70 style parts.