I'm looking at getting a Bersa Thunder. How difficult is it to deactivate the safety? I'm trying to envision it in my hand, but I'm having difficulty moving my thumb in such a way to flick the safety up. It seems like if I bring my thumb up, my trigger finger curls up. Obviously it shouldn't be in the trigger, but it just seems like it would be so easy to be in a stressful situation and ND into my thigh.

Does anyone else have difficulty with slide mounted safeties?

Much ado about nothing.  

I don't think I've used the safety in my Bersa.
Load, chamber, use the lever to put it DA hammer forward.  No safety required.

Fine gun BTW.  Accurate and reliable.  I love mine.

Apples to oranges maybe, but on my S&W 3913, I just flip the safety back up after decocking. The long DA first pull is my safety.

Or you could, as some 3rd Gen. S&W owners do who carry with the safety on, practice so that as you reach for your pistol, slide your thumb down the side of the pistol, pushing the safety up as you grasp the butt of the gun.

As above, never have used the safety.  Have carried it on my hip and AIWB with one in the chamber and never worried.  Sitting on my desk as I type this.

I would run it in DA like everyone else mentioned. You will like the gun, do yourself a favor and get one in .22lr also. Shot mine for the first time today. It is my new fav gun and it worked well with sketchy ammo (thunder bolt, etc)

Based on PPK and 3rd Gen Smith experience, it is a training issue. It is easy to do if you train your thumb to always go there.

With a Bersa Thunder (I had one years ago, and a Walther PPK/s... I now have a PPK/s that I just got the other day), I'd carry with the hammer down and the safety OFF. That way you have a DA trigger that you're HIGHLY unlikely to inadvertently pull, and can deploy and just go to the trigger without dicking with anything else.

I miss that Thunder I had. It solved the ONLY thing I dislike about the PPK/s - no external slide stop. When I got mine, it was $199 at Academy. I guess I miss the price, too!


I have my PPK right here with me... honestly trying to draw and deactivate the safety feels weird... I have to get my thumb BEHIND the safety, which is an odd position and feels like it's taking some fine motor skills that would likely go to absolute SHIT in a stressful situation.

That's a bit like how I feel about it. Not that it really matters - I rented one at the range today and left with the conclusion that I'm too recoil sensitive for it. Oh well.

The hopes was that it would be in the same league as my 19, in that it's small enough to carry, but large enough to enjoy shooting at the range. The Glock is too large for me which is why I'm looking.

Yeah, a lot of people think the .380 is a puny round and something like a PPK will be soft to shoot. Nope, it's fairly stout and the small frame doesn't spread the recoil impulse much on your hand. I remember 100 rounds being the maximum I'd want to shoot in one range trip.

You'll want a larger 9mm or something if you want softer shooting for range time.

It's not a big deal. Very easy to put on and off with some practice. I cc a Beretta and used to carry safety-on. Taking it off was just part of the draw, when coming up on target. Didn't add any time. I don't carry safety-on anymore, but still practice taking it off safe during the draw.



It has an advantage, even. It also will confuse the shit out of a bad guy since most don't know what to do whith a slide-mounted safety. They end up hitting the slide release a lot, buying you a second or two if your gun gets holster-snatched or grabbed.

Never got the hate for a slide mounted safety.  I have had S&W 915 for over 20 years and its a non issue for me.  I now carry a 1911 most of the time and don't have any real swapping up.  I can have the safety off on either one before its leveled and pointed. I will say the 1911 safety feels just a wee tad more natural.

Took a class last year and one of the other students was using a 92FS. About 1/3 of the time he either left the pistol on safe after he docked and holstered or inadvertently activated the safety during a reload.

I carry a PX4 40 S&W for work daily and have no issue with the slide mounted safety, but you have to practice, just like anything it's a learned skill. You can't just go to the range once a year and pull the trigger like a Glock owner.