Firestorm 380

2005 Gun Buyer's Guide
By: J.B. Wood

This new company name was adopted in recent years for slightly different versions of the excellent Bersa pistols from Argentina. My .380 FireStorm, nicely finished in matte black, is very much like the Bersa Series 95 of a few years ago. But, there are important differences.

One is the return (from an even earlier Bersa) of a perfectly located external slide latch. Another is an excellent wraparound rubber grip. It has two deep finger recesses at the front that mate with the magazine floorplate extension and the result is a superb feel in the hand.

The DA trigger pull is smooth, and the single-action let-off is clean. The trigger is wide, rounded and has no verical ridges. An extended tang at upper rear of the frame prevents hammer bite. The sides of the grip panels have moderate thumb/finger rests. Below, there is good molded checkering.

The well shielded magazine release button is located high, just below the slide latch. The magazine is single-row and holds 7 rounds.

The manual safety is a Walther-type on the slide. When turned downward to on-safe position, it locks the firing pin, imposes a solid bar of steel to block the hammer, and trips the sear to let the hammer fall. The system is perfectly safe, but I always prefer to ease the hammer down when operating a safety of this type.

The slide top has a matted rib, low and wide, and the sights are square picture. The front sight has a white dot and the rear has a white bracket around the notch. Don't be misled by the moderate price of the Firestorm. Benso and Lucas Bondadimani won't let anything leave the factroy in Ramos Mejia unless it's right.

SGS Importers International
1750 Brielle Ave., Unit B-1
Wanamassa, NJ 07712
(732)-493-0302
www.firestorm-sgs.com, gsodini@aol.com
Excerpt from "Six .380's MID SIZE" story by J.B. Wood