Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Bersa SA More Info

About the Gun

The Bersa Model 383 is a compact all-steel single-action blowback pistol in .380 Auto. It uses a slab-style trigger, a trigger safety mounted immediately behind the trigger, a heel-style magazine catch, and walnut grips. The frame and slide are steel with low-profile fixed sights.

Production

Production ran from 1983 through 1985.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $300. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $150–$300.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	.380 Automatic
Alias:	9mm Browning Short
More Info

Analysis

The single-action Model 383 was Bersa’s first compact centerfire .380 Auto, introduced in the early 1980s as the company moved beyond its earlier rimfire lines. It used an all-steel frame and slide with a Walther-influenced layout, a trigger safety, and a magazine catch near the heel of the grip. Production was short, ending in the mid-1980s when Bersa replaced it with the DA/SA Model 383 DA (exported as the 383A). The Model 383 was a civilian defensive and export pistol; later steel-frame follow-ons such as the Model 83 and the alloy-frame Thunder 380 continued the same general compact .380 Auto concept. Surviving examples appear on the used market as older single-action trainers and carry guns. Magazines are not interchangeable with the later DA versions.