[Paladin201]

Examining the function of my Bersa Thunder 9, I've noticed something that is different. Have you ever been at the range and noticed that when someone is shooting flashy ammo, you can frequently see flash come out of the ejection port when the gun cycles? I had an EAA Witness that did that all the time. My Springfield 1911 was the same way. This tells me that the barrel has unlocked and the case has started to extract while there is still unburned powder in the chamber. When I fire the Bersa, there is nothing coming out of the ejection port but the spent casing. Examining the action I've noticed that the Bersa is designed to recoil significantly further and stay locked up longer than most guns I've come across. The slide moves 3/16 of an inch before it begins to unlock and a full 5/16 inch before it is completely unlocked. My Witness used to begin unlocking almost immediately. It would recoil barely 1/32 of an inch before it began unlocking. I'm guessing this is also why the interior of the gun stays substantially cleaner than many other guns I've owned. When I take the Bersa down after a round of shooting, there is very little powder residue and gunk in the action. Very little cleanup is required inside the gun. When I took my old 1911 down, the inside of the gun was always caked with powder residue. Tons of it. The Bersa stays almost clean. Has anyone else noticed this tendency in their guns? Why would this not be a desirable thing for gun manufacturers to shoot for? No pun intended.

[gollygee]

I've not noticed it, but I generally don't shoot more than 50 rounds per pistol in a trip & it may be a mixture of brands, some reputed to be dirtier than others. Also, I tend to take only my 1911s or only my Bersas, so when I clean them up, I don't have a side-by-side comparison.

I'm wondering if this might pertain to most imports, as compared to home grown pistols. I know the importers have to jump through a lot of hoops to get their firearms okayed for import. They tend to do things to gain 'points' with ATF that domestics may not have to do.