^{The  Pistol Family}     
  Click on a thumbnail image for further details on the pistol model depicted    

Bersa's earliest pistols were simple-blowback and single-action designs, using a true guide rod under the barrel. A trigger-blocking manual safety was placed just behind the trigger, with a magazine catch located near the heel of the grip. The slide catch also functioned as the barrel pin.

Bersa's next line of pistols disdained a separate guide rod, utilizing the barrel itself to hold the recoil spring in place. A slide-mounted hammer-blocking safety was added, as well as a simple magazine disconnect safety. A dedicated barrel pin was used, freeing up the slide catch to serve instead (doubly) as the trigger pin.  Grip stocks were made more ergonomic with molded thumb-rests. All the pistols remained single-action, simple-blowbacks. A hinged takedown latch under the muzzle 
greatly simplified disassembly.

The third generation of Bersa pistols remained single-action, and abandoned the slide-mounted, firing hammer-blocking safety. A new feature was a recurved 'combat' trigger-guard with a finger rest. A new swing-down disassembly lever was included on the right side of the frame.

Directly translating prior models into double action, a tang trigger was adopted. The trigger-blocking safety was discarded (its location now occupied by the magazine catch), but the slide-mounted, hammer-blocking safety was reinstated, and a new strap-type magazine-disconnect safety was added. Wooden grip stocks were made standard equipment

The fifth generation of Bersa pistols attempted to do away with an external slide catch --opting for an internal mechanism which allowed release from slide-lock by merely pulling back on the slide. Otherwise, the features of the prior line of pistols were retained. For the first time, double-stack magazines 
were introduced, for the Models 85 and 86, and also for a pistol 
representing a new caliber for Bersa: the 9mm Parabellum Model 90.

New legislation in the United States, banning magazine capacity beyond 
ten rounds, motivated Bersa to focus on single-stack designs.
 It was also an opportunity to re-explore lightweight aluminium alloy frames, and the result was the Series 95, which (as did the Model 90) reinstated an external slide catch. New-design polymer grip stocks and a 'retro' rounded 
trigger guard offered visual distinction from the Model 83