Bersa Thunder 9

Bersa Thunder 9
Bersa Thunder 40 Pro
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Argentina
Service history
Used by	Argentina Armed Forces (Thunder 9) Argentina Federal Police (Thunder 9) Buenos Aires Provincial Police (Thunder 9) Various other Law Enforcement agencies (Thunder 9 & 40)
Production history
Manufacturer	Bersa
Produced	1994–present
Variants	Thunder Ultra Compact
Specifications
Weight	794 g (28.0 oz) Thunder 9, 40 695 g (24.5 oz) Thunder 9, 40 Ultra Compact 766 g (27.0 oz) Thunder 45 Ultra Compact 870 g (31 oz) Thunder 9, 40 (unloaded)
Length	192 mm (7.6 in) Thunder 9, 40 165 mm (6.5 in) Thunder 9, 40 Ultra Compact 170 mm (6.7 in) Thunder 45 Ultra Compact
Barrel length	110 mm (4.3 in) Thunder 9, 40 89 mm (3.5 in) Thunder 9 and 40 Ultra Compact 92 mm (3.6 in) Thunder 45 Ultra Compact
Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum (Thunder 9 & Thunder 9 Ultra Compact) .40 S&W (Thunder 40 & Thunder 40 Ultra Compact) .45 ACP (Thunder 45 Ultra Compact)
Action	Locked breech, Short recoil operated
Feed system	Detachable box, double stack magazine: 17 + 1 rounds (Thunder 9) 13 + 1 rounds (Thunder 40) 13 + 1 rounds (Thunder 9 Ultra Compact) 10 + 1 rounds (Thunder 40 Ultra Compact) 7 + 1 rounds (Thunder 45 Ultra Compact)

Detachable box, double stack magazine:

The Thunder 9 is a full size semi-automatic handgun manufactured by Bersa at the Ramos Mejia production plant in Argentina. It is also sold under the name Firestorm or FS 9.

Derivative in other calibres include the Thunder 40, Thunder 45.

This handgun is an evolution of the Model 90, the first full size 9mm Luger pistol made by the Argentine company and introduced in 1989. In 1994, when the entire Bersa pistol production line was renamed "Thunder", the Model 90 was modified with better functionalities and placement of the fire control group, match barrel, improved sights, better ergonomics, lighter weight and increased magazine capacity. It then became the full size offering of the Thunder model range.

The Thunder 9 shares little in common with the other handguns in the company's product line. While the smaller Thunders are a blow-back pistols similar to the Walther PPK, the Thunder 9 is a full-size, short-recoil handgun to handle the greater pressure of the 9mm Parabellum cartridge. The gun bears some resemblance to the Walther P88 pistol, although the internal design is a modified version (double action) of the Beretta M 1951.

The slide and barrel are high strength steel and the frame is aluminum alloy. Available finishes are black matte, nickel, and a two-tone with a nickel finished slide and satin black frame. All the available finishing styles are non-reflective. The polymer grips are integrated "wraparound" style. The trigger is double-action for the first shot, single-action thereafter. The magazine is double stack and the slide remains open after the last round is fired. The magazine release button can be reversed for left-handed shooters and it has a "round in the chamber" indicator. It is one of the easiest, if not the easiest, semi-automatic handgun to field strip for cleaning.

The pistol features ambidextrous safety, a decocker activated by the safety lever, emphasized sights, combat trigger guard, an integrated accessory mounting groove in the frame (added after the year 2000, in the Pro, for Professional, version), firing pin block; the pistol will not fire unless the trigger is squeezed all the way back protecting from accidental falling.