TESTED: Bersa TPR 9 Semi-Auto

The updated Bersa TPR 9 is a solid 9mm semi-auto built for those who value their coin and don’t suffer second-rate performance

by Bob Campbell

The current situation in handguns seems to reflect a race to the bottom with some types — especially the 1911 — with many cheap guns on the market. On the other end of the scale are expensive semi-custom pistols. Middle-of-the-road, service-grade handguns are more difficult to find. An affordable but reliable and useful handgun is a prize.

The pistol under review is one of these — a handgun that builds on the success of several types of pistols and borrows good features from each. It only makes sense to manufacture a pistol based on proven principles.

A company I have had the greatest respect for over the past forty years of shooting is Bersa. Founded by Italian immigrants to Argentina, the company has been in continuous operation since 1962. Their .380 ACP handguns are famed as trouble-free and more reliable than pistols that cost considerably more.

An overlooked pistol I find well suited to many defensive chores is the Bersa TPR 9. The Thunder Pro Redesigned is a service-size and service-grade handgun chambered in 9mm Luger. The Bersa is similar in size and performance to the SIG P226/Beretta 92 class of handguns with interesting parallels to each in its design.

My personal TPR is a full-size version with a nickel slide. The slide appears to be electroless nickel — a durable and attractive finish. The barrel locks up by butting the barrel hood into the ejection port and by lower angled camming surfaces. It features a 4.25-inch barrel and 17-round magazine. Also available is a compact version with 3.25-inch barrel and 13-round magazine.

Let’s look over the pistol’s primary features.

Bersa TPR 9 Overview

The steel slide is nickel-plated; other finishes are available. Forward cocking serrations are cut into the slide. The aluminum frame is hard-adonized black. The pistol features finger support pads on the frame over the trigger guard in the modern fashion. A light rail is integral to the frame. The controls are ambidextrous — an important consideration. I am not left-handed, but I practice left-hand manipulation. In certain firing drills, the hands become not left or right but forward and rear, depending on the tactical problem.

The controls are large, seeming almost overlarge. In rapid manipulation, they do not conflict with tactical applications and make for rapid manipulation drills.

The pistol will be carried fully loaded and hammer down. The decock/safety may be placed in the on position when the hammer is down, making on-safe carry possible. Some pistols with frame-mounted decock levers invite the shooter to press the decock when it isn’t planned, resulting in an inadvertent decock. The Bersa TPR decock lever must be moved upward, eliminating this problem. At the same time, the manual safety/decock falls under the thumb easily during rapid manipulation. This is a praiseworthy design feature.

Many shooters prefer a manual safety. Some will carry safety off without any real penalty in safety, regarding the double-action first shot trigger as a safety feature.

The pistol takes down like a SIG or Beretta with an easy-to-manipulate takedown lever. Lock the slide of the unloaded TPR to the rear, remove the magazine, rotate the takedown lever, release the slide lock, and move the slide forward off the frame.

The Bersa TPR is a locked breech, short recoil design with a double-action first shot trigger. The re-design of an already good pistol shows several areas of update and improvement. Nothing earth-shaking, simply refinement.

The grip is thinner than the original, with a set of stocks offering a good balance of abrasion and adhesion. Much superior to the original finger rest design on the front strap of the Thunder Pro, the TPR features a serrated front and rear strap.

The new sights are superior as well. The front sight is dovetailed in place. The sights are three-dot outline types. SIG Sauer sights are interchangeable. XS sights offers a good set up for this pistol in the SIG line of night sights.

The trigger is smooth enough in double-action, although my old Thunder Pro is smoother from many years of use and this one will begin gliding more easily as well. I neglected to clean grease from the action (SOP for any new pistol), and that step taken later resulted in a lighter trigger action.

Tested: Bersa Tpr 9 Semi Auto — That’s an old model Bersa, left, with the original front sight design. The new model, right, features a dovetail front sight.

The slide is similar to the SIG P226. The slide flats are nicely beveled. When disassembled, I noted the slide finish is smooth and without a single tool mark in any part of the handgun. The recoil rod is steel, and the pistol features a firing pin block/drop safety. The frame is an interesting mix of SIG and Beretta, with an external draw bar of the Beretta type transferring energy from the trigger to the hammer. Feed seems to be the straightline Beretta type, resulting in excellent reliability. The pistol is easy to field strip and to maintain, and it functions well.

There are shooters who prefer a double-action first shot pistol despite the popularity of striker-fired pistols. A big reason is safety. While safety is mostly between the ears, the pistol may be carried ready to fire with only a press of the trigger or safety on as an added feature. A double-action first shot pistol may reasonably be kept at the bedside or stuck under the mattress. I don’t advocate holsterless carry, but many shooters feel comfortable with a DA first shot pistol carried in the waistband — at least for a quick run out for supplies.

Let’s get to the shooting.

Making Brass

When managing a double-action first shot, the rule is not to treat the trigger gingerly as we might a striker-fired pistol or a 1911. Punch the trigger aggressively but with control, of course. Get the pistol up and on target and bring the trigger back to fire smoothly but decisively. Hits on man-sized targets to 10 yards are accomplished in double-action fire with training. Training means those who practice. Once the first shot is fired, you are in single-action mode.

The Bersa features a smooth, tight, 4.5-pound single-action trigger. If you are used to a striker-fired pistol, you may marvel at the smoothness of a single-action trigger as it breaks the sear. There is a sharp let off and a rapid, audible reset. At 5 to 7 yards, the DA first shot option provided center hits on demand. More concentration is needed at 10 yards. In single-action fire, I was able to rain bullets into the X ring to 25 yards. The front sight hangs on target, recoil is modest, and hit probability is high.

I fired the pistol extensively with a good supply of full metal jacket ammunition in 115-, 124-, and 147-grain bullet weights. The pistol has never failed to feed, chamber, fire, or eject. The 17-round magazines are not difficult to load to full capacity and feed reliably. I proofed the pistol with modern jacketed hollow point loads with good results. No failures to feed or cycle were experienced with JHP or +P ammunition. Firing from a solid bench rest, the pistol demonstrated good accuracy potential. I would say this gun is as accurate as most Browning Hi-Power service pistols. These are my 5-shot group results at 25 yards from a bench rest.

Black Hills 100-grain Honey Badger: 2.0 in.
Black Hills 115-grain EXP: 2.5 in.
Hornady 124-grain XTP: 2.0 in.
Speer Gold Dot 124-grain +P: 2.25 in.
Hornady 135-grain Flex Lock: 2.25 in.
Federal 147-grain HST: 1.9 in.

Carrying the Bersa TPR

My to-go rig for the Bersa is a Wright Leather Works Marshal. The holster is well finished and stitched as expected. The Marshal features a strong, reinforced holster mouth or welt to make for easier holstering. A sweat guard protects the body from the handgun and the handgun from body oils. One belt loop is set behind the other, allowing the holster to be cinched tight for a close ride and reduced footprint.

Some, but not all, holsters intended for the SIG P226 work well with the TPR. In this case, the DeSantis Super Stealth proved a good fit. This ballistic nylon holster features a well-designed belt clip that takes a good bite on the belt. The IWB design concealed most of the pistol, with only the grip protruding above the waistline. This provides good concealment with only a light covering garment. The Super Stealth is among only a few ambidextrous holsters viable in that role. The belt clip is secure but not difficult to change out.

What I Like

The pistol is well made of good material with high quality manufacture at a fair price. Recoil is light.

What I Don’t Like

The double-action trigger is more difficult than I would like, but then so is the SIG P226. You simply master it.

What I Would Change

At this price point, there is little you can complain about. The pistol is large but not heavy, and if this is an issue, the compact version may suit you better. The proportions are good and magazine capacity capacious.

Compare To

The Bersa TPR 9 seems as reliable as any other similar size handgun. I like the grip better than either the Beretta 92 or the SIG P226. The gun is smoother than pistols in a similar price range, such as the Taurus PT92.