Revolver recommendation for self defense?

Question

I bought a Bersa Thunder .45 Ultra Compact the other day as my first gun. I had never fired one before, but I went to several different gun stores and most of the recommended this gun after I told them what I was looking for (easy to conceal .45 with minimal recoil and reliability, and something that wasn't going to break my wallet).

I just got back from the range and I'm very disappointed with this gun. At the advice of other Bersa owners (www.bersatalk.com) I used CCI Blazer Brass ammo but I must've had about 15 failure to feeds. I do not trust this gun with my life now.

Anyways, I am going to keep the gun (after I take it to the gunsmith of course) but now I'm looking for a reliable self defense weapon. I heard the term "six for sure" so I'm looking to get a good, reliable, concealable revolver. I prefer to keep the price reasonable, but I care about my self defense more than my wallet, so I'll take all recommendations into consideration.

Thanks!

I should clear up some things as I neglected to mention them in my original question.

I'm not new at shooting handguns, I'm a first time gun owner.

I live in VA and have already applied for my CCW permit. I'm not carrying a concealed weapon until I get that permit.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

I am not personally familiar with the Bersa line, but small, lightweight handguns generally equate to heavy recoiling firearms. Before you discard your Bersa, try a box of Remington or Remington UMC .45 Full Metal Jacket round nosed ammo. I would bet you attempted to fire Blazers with hollow-points! I would bet the farm that your Bersa was not "throated" to feed hollow points!

Now, a reliable revolver for self defense. First and foremost, do not penny-pinch when your life is on the line! I own 1 Colt revolver and 6 Smith & Wesson revolvers. I would limit my selection to either of these manufacturers, only because I have confidence in their products! Colt revolvers are rather rare these days, so you are narrowing the field to Smith & Wesson. I would suggest either a J-frame or K-frame Smith & Wesson revolver, with a barrel of no more than 4". Do not consider an alloy frame revolver, because the light weight of the revolver with amplify the perceived recoil of the gun.

My recommendation in a J-frame Smith would be either a Model 36 (blued steel) or Model 60 (stainless steel) Chiefs Special with 3" barrel ...both are 5 shot revolvers with target sights and chambered in .357 Magnum ... but you can use .38 Specials in it.

My recommendation in a K-frame would be a Model 64 (Stainless steel) with either a 3" or 4" barrel or a Model 67 (Stainless steel), both chambered in .357 Magnum, but capable of shooting .38 Specials.

Good luck!

Answer 2

First things first. The "best" gun for self defense is one you will carry all the time. Period! As for your range experience, you must understand that every gun has a "break in period" where you can expect failures. This is normal for some models. Also, the CCI Blazers are cheap ammo. That's why they are recommended for practice. You can shoot a lot and not go broke. You can expect more failures with this ammo. I would suggest that you clean your gun thoroughly after every 50 rounds and fire at least 500 through your gun. It doesn't matter what you shoot, just get the gun broken in. After that, choose a "good" round (hollow point) that is designed for self defense and shoot at least 50 of those. You should not have any failures during this last 50. If you do, you need to change brands of ammo and try again until you find one that goes bang and feeds a new one every time. If you still have no confidence in the gun, get rid of it and buy something like a Kahr or Glock. I personally own the Kahr T9 and would recommend it to anyone. Good luck.

Answer 3

TAURUS TRACKER MODEL 455 .45 ACP REVOLVER is an inexpensive concealment revolver but if you want a quality yet inexpensive semi-auto then look at their Model 145BP
MILLENNIUM PRO, .45 ACP. I normally carry H&K, Glock and my latest from Springfield Armory but if cost were a concern Tarus is where I would go. Also as far as the .45 issue I would actually go with a .40 S&W. The FBI uses many 10mm weapons and began cutting down the 10mm loads for target practice. A cut down 10mm is the now 40 S&W. It provides a great compromise to a fast 9mm and a beefy .45.
Model 140SSP MILLENNIUM PRO, .40 S&W.

If you find a good deal on a .45 GAP you might consider that as well.

Lastly when it comes to the way a gun behaves with ammo it can very from gun to gun. I have two Glocks and they are the same model. Each likes a different load and maker. Before you buy the gun look online for suggestions from other owners and find three makers that you can try. Fire 3 shots and let the gun rest. Then fire another 3 shots. Do this for each maker. 3 shots constitute a group by the way. Letting it rest avoids temp changes from affecting each test. Temp of the barrel can greatly affect consistency. Good Luck!

Answer 4

i have a concealed firearm permit and own several guns. before you waste money on something you might not like, you should shoot a couple. a lot of gun ranges will rent you one. i personally like the glocks. very reliable guns. they are lightweight too. thats what i carry. they are a little more expensive but well worth it. they could run about 500 dollars. but think of it like this...when you have one shot (you or them), do you want the gun that is supposed to save your life to be on a coffee break. there are many glocks (sizes, calibers, ect...) to choose from. but that is my recommendation, plus i like the way it feels in my hand while i'm firing. that makes a big difference on your accuracy.
i did also read an article in guns and ammo magazine. they did a test on a glock. first they left it in water for a while then fired 1500 shots and had 0 misfires. second they put it in mud, then fired 1500 shots, 0 misfires. then they ran over it with a truck and fired 1500 shots with 0 misfires. i think there was one more test but i don't remember. hope this helped.

Answer 5

It all depends, for a full size revolver get an old police .357 magnum with a bull barrel, reliable, accurate with draw sights that won't get hung up on holsters. Semi-auto 1911 .45 the best period and you can get small ones. Taurus millenium is good I like the .45 the .40 is alright and people like it better. For a revolver a small smith and wesson or colt like a .38 special +p or even better a .357 magnum but they will kick more in the magnum.

Answer 6

I can tell you how to make your .45 reliable, start with buying some GOOD ammo. Every gun prefers different ammo. Go out and buy some more expensive ammo and try that.
The very best thing you can do is try some hand loads if you can reload or have access to reloading equipment.
I have a Hi-Point .45 they retail for $120.00 brand new here in Montana, the only negative I can find is it will not shot cheap ammo, personally I would not shoot CCI ammo in any automatic.
I would bet the gun is fine, just try different ammo.

Answer 7

I agree with the answers on the Taurus. My model 85 stainless ultra-lite is a great CCW. It's compact, shoots well, and is reasonably priced when compared to other revolvers in the same size bracket. I've had mine for about 5 years and it's a great little gun.

Answer 8

I have a double action, snub-nose Taurus .38 that lives in my nightstand and goes on road trips with me. It's got a titanium barrel which makes it very light, however, it's got a bit of "pop", but it won't hop out of your hand. It's a flat shooting gun and I've never had a mis-fire with it. With self-defense, confidence to shoot is half of your battle. Get something that feels comfortable in your hand, and get something that you don't have to "think" about shooting. Also, the simpler the gun, the less you have to worry about a mis-fire, whether it be human or cartridge error (I like single and double actions over semi-auto). Hope you find something that suits you.

Answer 9

I'd recommend a sturdy snub-nosed barreled Colt or Smith and Wesson revolver with a steel frame in .38 caliber. Load it with +P .38 hollowpoint rounds of your choice of manufacturers. Your gun dealer probably has examples of both.

Answer 10

I have a hammerless Taurus .38 special. Holds 5 rounds, snubnose. Very light, easy to shoot. It's a pretty nice gun.