Range Report:
1: Bersa Thunder .380
I bought this gun expecting not to like it. I just wanted a cheap throw away pistol because after July 8th 2013 in Illinois, you can now "transport" a handgun that is unloaded and enclosed in a case, along with loaded magazines anywhere in Illinois including the City of Chicago. You can even "transport" your firearm this way where you won't be able to "carry" ( like on the CTA, Metra, parks, and neighborhood festivals ) when the ISP is finished foot dragging and starts issuing carry licenses next year. I wanted a cheap gun because this law is new, the cops prolly won't understand it, or won't care. So, I don't want to lose one of my nice expensive guns to an illegal seizure. The Bersa Thunder is only $300.00 bux. Not even worth having my lawyer write a letter to get it back. It's like a Bic Lighter. Just keep it.
That being said, I was ever so pleasantly surprised today at the range shooting it. It is nice to shoot. More, Very nice. It had no feeding problems even with lead reloads. It's small for my hand, but very controllable. And since it's a knock off of a Walther PPK, it's accurate beyond what I had expected. I would actually recommend the Bersa to my small handed friends over a Ruger LCP or a Kahr. It exceeded all expectations.
2: Smith & Wesson 329PD Air-Lite .44 Magnum. ( Pictured in the Original Post )
Oh boy! It's like S&W said Kurt, we made this just for you. It's perfection. for me. The right size, weight, feel, caliber, everything. I thought this would be nice, but what I didn't expect was how well it shoots, and how comfortable it is to fire with lightly loaded magnums. I was thinking I would have to use .44 Specials, of which I am not a fan. But no. I could shoot light 185 grain Magnums all day. This gun is amazing. High tech to the max. Aluminum alloy frame with a Titanium cylinder and barrel. A full size S&W N Frame .44 Magnum that weighs only 25 ounce. That's 4 ounces more than a little Walther PPK .380. I was expecting it to be uncomfortable to fire at the least. Actually I was thinking painful. No! Not at all. the big rubber grip that fits my hand spread the recoil energy out perfectly. This is the perfect carry gun for me. It's also a great shooting gun. It's made just for Kurt. I couldn't be happier.