The Thunder 32: Bersa’s Best Kept Secret

I don’t keep it a secret that I adore the .32 ACP round. I’m part of a cult called the One True Caliber, and that caliber is .32. I’m such a fan that it makes me largely dislike .380 or at least the guns manufacturers insist on shoving .380 ACP into. Finding still-in-production .32 ACP pistols is tough, so Bersa’s on again, off again Thunder 32 is one of the more attractive options.

Let’s run down the current modern .32 market. We have the KelTec P32, which is an affordable pocket pistol that’s surprisingly nice. We have the Seecamp, which is a little pricier, but still mostly fantastic.

Beretta has the 30X, which is fun, but too big for pocket carry and still offers only pocket-pistol performance. The 80X in .32 ACP from LTT is brilliant, but pricey. Walther gave us a few PP and PPKs in .32 ACP, but again…pricey.

The Bersa Thunder 32

Then we have the Bersa Thunder 32. It’s a Walther clone, more or less. It’s not a direct, one-for-one copy of any particular Walther. It’s a hair bigger than the PPK, but shorter than the PP. It tends to be wider than both, mainly because the grips are a bit wider. It doesn’t take down the same way. Instead of pulling the trigger guard, there’s a take-down lever.

The Thunder series has long been .380 ACP guns, but they’ve made some .32 ACP variants in the past and Bersa has brought the Thunder 32 back (and no, it isn’t on their web site). Whether it’s one of those guns they do in limited runs or one where they’ll keep it in standard production is yet to be seen. However, Bersa was happy to send me one to test and review.

Direct Blowback and Recoil

Much like the Walther series, these are straight blowback-operated guns with a fixed barrel that doubles as a recoil spring guide rod. This setup keeps things trim and slim, making them easy and comfortable to carry. The problem with straight blowback, however, is the increased recoil you get over something like a Browning short recoil operation.

Shoving a round like .380 ACP into a lightweight, compact, blowback-operated firearm means you get a fairly harsh recoil impulse. It’s why I generally hate shooting Walthers chambered in .380. Bersa has long used wider grips to help better dissipate some of that felt recoil, and while that works, a much better idea is using the .32 ACP cartridge.

The smaller round generates about 50% less felt recoil than the .380 ACP cartridge. It’s not as big, but with the right projectile selection, it can penetrate beyond the 12-inch standard through ballistic gel. I think most pocket pistols and blowback .380s would be much better guns if chambered in .32 ACP.

The Bersa Thunder 32: A Little Less Than Standard

The Bersa Thunder 32 doesn’t stray from the .380 design in terms of size and weight. They’re basically identical guns with different barrels and, I assume, a lighter recoil spring. I say that because the Thunder 32 is super easy to rack. Easier than my Thunder 380.

Oddly enough, the gun comes with an extended ten-round magazine. That makes the grip a fair bit longer. This is an odd choice I can’t quite explain. Yes, ten rounds are better than eight, but this gun is built for concealed carry, so you would think size would be a priority.

Finding dedicated Thunder 32 magazines that are smaller seems to be a tough proposition, so I figured I’d grab my .380 ACP magazine and see if it works. Guess what? It did. You can fit nine .32 ACPs in the eight-round .380 ACP magazines, but with nine rounds loaded, it won’t load with the slide closed.

Load eight rounds of .32 ACP in the eight-round .380 magazine and it runs without a problem. I put nearly 200 rounds through the eight-round magazine without a problem.

Bersa Ergonomics

The Thunder 32 has the same wide plastic grips that feel quite comfortable in the hand. The grips are nice and simple with a bit of texturing, but not a lot. There’s a fairly long beavertail that makes it easy to grip the gun nice and high.

The slide-mounted safety doubles as a de-cocker. I’m not a fan of any slide-mounted safety/de-cocker combo. On a DA/SA pistol, it feels like overkill, so when I carry this gun, it will be hammer down, safety off.

The magazine release is positioned a bit high, right underneath the slide release. It’s a bit awkward, but with practice, I got decently fast with magazine changes. The ten-round mags falls out freely, but the 8-rounder needed some encouragement at times. My pinky tended to pin it in the gun, meaning I had to adopt a “tea drinking” grip to get it to drop free.

The slide lock delivers a nice ledge that makes it easy to hit, however I rarely had to use it. Oftentimes, forcefully throwing the magazine would drop the slide and load a round.

Ringing Steel

Shooting a gun this big that’s chambered in .32 ACP is downright charming. It’s very pleasant to shoot and shoots fast. It’s not quite rimfire soft, but it’s dang close. It is soft enough to make shooting all ten rounds possible in less than three seconds, putting every one of them into an IPSC-sized A-zone at seven yards from the low ready.

It’s easy to blast through the entire magazine without the gun straying off target…much easier to shoot with a single hand as well. Overall, I think .32 ACP is a much better option for a direct blowback-operated gun than .380 ACP.

The sights are the small, three-dot style. They’re fixed, simple, and effective. The POI/POA is a hair off. My groups, when benched, are hitting just ever so slightly to the right. Not enough to matter, and when the gun isn’t benched, I don’t shoot well enough to notice.

The gun shoots decent-sized groups. Offhand, at 15 yards, I could keep my shots inside a 3×5 card. It’s so pleasant to shoot that you will not find yourself dreading the next shot after a long day at the range.

I used Aguila and PMC .32 ACP ammo, both of which were 71-grain loads. I shot nine boxes without a malfunction and would have no problem recommending the Thunder 32 for concealed carry and would recommend it before the Thunder 380 at this point.

Pretty Pretty Please

I really hope this gun succeeds, that it sells well, and that Bersa continues to develop their .32 ACP lineup. They don’t seem to be shy about making plenty of Thunder 380s in various configurations. Personally, I want to see the Thunder 32 Combat Plus with a double-stack magazine.

For now, I’m quite happy to get a .32 ACP compact firearm at a reasonable price. It’s the only .32 ACP in this size range that won’t cost you nearly a grand. It’s a rock-solid little gun, and now I find myself on the hunt for a holster so I can pack this thing day-in and day-out.