Disassembly of the BERSA Thunder 380 by Horge - many thanks to Richard C. for early corrections regarding the pins, and to both Mutinous Doug and Tron Carter for braving the mainspring uninstall and posting about it on the Chapterhouse discussion forum.

Disassembly of the firearm is done in the course of regular inspection, cleaning and maintenance.
It is occasionally demanded in order to clear a malfunction or to replace parts. The disassembly steps outlined below are generally in sequential order, meaning that almost any single step listed requires the prior completion of all the other listed steps preceding it. Field Stripping is a low-level disassembly discussed here, and is a necessary precursor to the following.

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Parts of the Slide:
The Manual Safety Lever is held in place by pressure from the spring-loaded, bearing-like safety stop (or 'detent') which is set into the slide, and fits into either of two small pits in the safety lever's pivot. These pits are what produce the positive "click!" when the safety is switched on or off, the detent snapping into place. The photos below show the slide upended. 

Examine the Manual Safety Lever's pivot. It should have a flattened recess close by its end --the end farther from the lever itself. That recess is to be exploited: To remove the Manual Safety Lever, switch it to the Safe position, and use a flathead screwdriver as shown above center, between the pivot's recess and the slide itself, to gently leverage it loose.  Indeed, in the second photo, the lever is already a fraction farther away from the slide, and after only mild pressure!  DON'T pry the safety out by its lever arm or you will risk marring the slide finish or even breaking the lever arm.  Once a little movement is induced, rotate the switch to a position between Safe and Off, so that the retaining bearing has no deep depression to lock onto.  You may need to keep rotating the lever back and forth a bit as you ease the whole manual safety lever out. Try not to rotate using only the lever arm, but gripping the whole 'head' of the pivot.  To reinstall, carefully re-insert the lever pivot, rotating back and forth as necessary, until the safety is fully inserted, and you feel/hear the detent click home into one of the pits.

The Firing Pin Assembly is retained by a tiny horseshoe or half-donut of metal called the firing pin stop, which sits with its legs up in a narrow trough cut into the top of the slide, viewing it as in the photos below. The trough holds a tiny spring which pushes the firing pin stop against the of the firing pin. Naturally, taking the slide off the frame and removing the manual safety lever are prefatory to removing the firing pin and spring. What we want to do is apply pressure evenly to both legs of the firing pin stop, each leg straddling the firing pin itself, pushing that horseshoe downward enough out of the way so the firing pin can come out.

NOTE: The firing pin rear has a concavity that should face away from the slide --this concavity is meant to embrace the round pivot-peg of the manual safety lever, and is shown in the bottom of the third photo, at the end of the firing pin, facing upwards.  

When the firing pin is pushed all the way in, relieve pressure on the horseshoe, which will be pushed up by its tiny spring and thus do its job.. Back away slowly from the slide, and have a nice cold beer.

The Extractor is held in place by the extractor pin, which is visible from atop the slide but must be driven out from under the slide. Pounding away at the slide to drive the pin out risks inadvertently denting the slide itself, so it's more than possible you should just let a competent gunsmith do it for you. If you're determined to do it yourself, read on

The pounding block I used is a flat, sanded piece of wood about 2 1/2" x 3" x 3/4", with a 1/8" pritchel hole drilled through it, preferably about an inch from the long side. The purpose of the block is to fully and evenly support the slide or frame you place on it, --the block's privet hole being positioned under the pin you want to drive out. The frame or slide may have protrusions (like the sights, or various pin heads), and these should be left off the block -and only the flat area around the pin laid for even support.

The extractor pin is going to be attacked from under the slide, and its pinhole there is readily visible (see first photo below). You want to position the up-ended/overturned slide on the pounding block, so that neither the front nor rear sights touch the block, for a flush, flat support of the slide-top. Naturally, the block's privet-hole should line up with the extractor pin. 

You may want to place another flat, smooth block of wood on top of the up-ended slide without blocking access to the extractor pin, and then C-clamp it to a worktable --we don't want to squish/deform the slide's tender sides, so go easy: use just enough tightening of the clamp to keep the slide from squirming around. Of course, you could wild-ass hammer your way without the clamp. It's your pistol and your money, heh.

The slide secured and stable, a hammer and pin punch (I managed with a 2mm or 1/16") can be used to carefully tap out the extractor pin, so that the pin comes out the top of the slide. 



After a few hammer-blows, the pin 'head' should have popped up a bit from being flush with the slide finish --the second photo has the slide temporarily upright just to show how much the slide pin has popped up. While it can take fairly stout blows to induce this initial movement in the pin, much less force is required from then on to completely push the pin out. The last photo shows the slide on its side, with the extractor, extractor pin and extractor spring out (you can actually see the firing pin and its spring through the empty extractor slot of the slide. That is, if the firing pin and spring haven't been uninstalled prior, hehe).

With the extractor pin removed, the extractor's rear end gets a bit pushed-out from the slide by the extractor spring. The extractor itself can be eased out ---but be careful, the small-ish extractor spring sits un-anchored in a milled-out pocket in the slide, towards the very rear of the extractor slot. The spring can easily be lost, and needs careful minding. Also, the extractor claw can be rather sharp and may cut you if you're careless. 

The extractor may resist removal because the fit with the slide is reasonably close, and built-up crud can further impede movement. I used a plastic phonecard/transitcard to protect the slide finish while I pried the extractor out by its pushed-out rear end with a small flathead screwdriver. 

To reassemble, drop the tapered extractor spring into its pocket, broad end first. Re-insert the extractor and use your fingers to compress it against the slide so the spring stays in place, then secure and stabilize the slide (keeping the extractor properly in place). While maintaining the extractor in its proper, original position with a finger, reinsert the extractor pin. Light taps with punch and hammer will ease it in up to a point where it properly retains the extractor, but still isn't fully seated. Thence, you may need to use heavier blows to fully seat its head flush with the slide finish --but be very careful. Unlike in disassembly, there's plenty of surrounding slide finish that might get gouged or dented. If you got it back in properly without untoward incident, well then congratulations. Relax, have another beer.

The Front Sight is staked/peened in place. Removing the front sight is thus a destructive process involving drilling out the sight tenon (or stem) and/or simply grinding out the sight body. This is a task best left to a competent gunsmith.

The Rear Sight is tightly dovetailed into the slide, and a specific sight-pushing tool may be required to remove it without marring either the slide or the sight. This is perhaps a task best left to a competent gunsmith with the correct equipment. Maybe someone out there has an easy DIY method for taking the rear sights out --please let me know, hehe.

The Safety Stop is the bearing-like 'detent' thingy that snaps onto pits in the manual safety --we encountered this widget earlier in the discussion of removing the manual safety. Taking out the safety stop and its attendant spring requires prior removal of the rear sight.

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Parts of the Frame and Internals:
The Grip Panels are uninstalled by simply removing one screw per panel, and then lifting the panels out. This procedure affords good access to the magazine well, and is prefatory to removal of the trigger bar, the slide-catch lever and a lot of other goodies. The screws are steel, and during reassembly must be tightened with moderation, so as not to loosen or damage the threading in the somewhat-softer aluminium-alloy frame.

The Grip Pin isn't really removable, as it has been factory-reeded after positioning. Certainly, one can try to force this thick aluminum rod out, applying pressure at either end so that the frame-hole strips this reeding, but reassembly would require restoring some of that reeding in order to retain it within the frame. There are very few reasons to be messing with this pin, which really is a vestigial reminder of where BERSA magazine catches used to be located.

Disconnector removal first requires uninstalling an e-clip and its washer, seen in the first image below, all mounted up on the black hammer pin. Careful use of a flathead screwdriver on the e-clip's "lips" can push it off sideways, but you really need to hold onto the little thing, as it can go flying off into oblivion. A drop of oil or grease may help keep it grounded, but a finger atop of the e-clip is best. 

The image at left would have had a finger on the e-clip, but the finger would have obscured much of what I was trying to show. The disconnector spring has one long, straight end that fits into a groove on the disconnector's underside.  Dislodge that spring-end from the trigger bar groove, pushing it towards the frame to make it easier to lift the trigger bar out. The spring will remain anchored by its other end where it is affixed to the frame. But... Before you lift the trigger bar out, memorize how the top end of the  magazine disconnect strap is bent into a 'lip' that rides a recess on the top edge of the disconnector (see below):   The magazine disconnect strap, here tinted green, has  a bent end, which rides on a recess atop the disconnector, here tinted red for illustration purposes.

There will be resistance in lifting the disconnector out since the hammer is in the cocked position from when you field-stripped the weapon: cocking moves the disconnector back and compresses the trigger spring. When you lift the disconnector out, that spring will kick the trigger forward. Ignore it.

To reassemble: Place the spring leg into the groove under the disconnector. Then insert the disconnector's pivot into the hole atop the trigger --the trigger will have to be pulled back to get it into position. Place the disconnector's 'fork' over the hammer pin. Before seating the disconnector firmly into the frame, hike up the magazine disconnect strap, until its top lip rides properly atop of the disconnector. Replace the washer and snap the the e-clip back on the hammer pin.

The Magazine Disconnect Strap is held in place by four things only: the trigger bar at its top, the C-shaped magazine disconnect spring down below, and very short rails cut into the frame at both ends. The trigger bar has to be disassembled first, as described earlier. Then, one's attention shifts to the magazine disconnect strap's C-shaped spring, which has one leg bent into a short hook which is then inserted into a hole through the strap's lower end.

Protect your eyes --this spring can really jump out at you!

Apply pressure with a screwdriver to the other end of the spring (see photo right), bowing the spring further until the spring can be removed from its recess gradually, starting with the top part of the spring. Once the spring is out, the strap can be removed easily by sliding it downwards a quarter inch and then simply lifting it out.  To reassemble, position the strap properly, with the spring's hooked end in the strap's hole, and the lower half of the spring seated in the spring-recess.

Steady the strap with a finger and compress the spring with a screwdriver again, until it can be completely seated in its recess.

The Magazine Catch is removed by pressing on the magazine catch button (from the left side of the frame, of course), while using a flathead screwdriver over on the right side of the frame to turn the screw head of the magazine catch pin clockwise. In the photo at right, of the uninstalled magazine catch, the screw head slot is visible. Sufficient turning of the screw head releases the magazine catch from the frame (it pops up noticeably) for easy lifting out. Further disassembly of the magazine catch, into its component magazine catch button, magazine catch pin, and magazine catch spring, goes as follows: Hold the whole mag catch with the mag catch pin's screw head facing you, and use a screwdriver to turn it counterclockwise until the mag catch pin pops out with the spring wrapped around its stem. Reverse the steps to reassemble the magazine catch. To reinstall, drop the magazine catch into its designated hole in the frame. Use a flathead screwdriver to turn the screw head counter-clockwise until it clicks.

Slide Catch Lever removal is straightforward. With slide off and the left grip panel removed, the only thing retaining the slide catch is very mild pressure from its spring. Dislodge the leg of the spring from its designated notch atop the slide-catch lever, while steadily pulling the whole lever out. This requires only little force, so don't get too hyper. If you hastily yank the slide catch lever out, you could lose its spring. The spring is NOT anchored to the frame, its other leg merely resting in a brief notch in the frame, just begging to be twanged out into the wild blue yonder. 

To reassemble, seat the spring, with its shorter leg in its frame-notch.
Begin inserting the slide-catch lever's pivot into both the spring coil and the pivot-hole in the frame. Use a screwdriver to lift the OTHER spring leg back on top of the slide catch (see photo) and into the groove there. Push the slide catch in until it's pivot is fully into the frame, check the action, and you're all good.

The Trigger pivots upon the trigger pin, and it is also that pin about which the trigger spring is coiled. The trigger pin can be driven out from the frame with very careful use of a stout punch slightly thinner than the pin (2.5mm or 3/32" diameter) and a hammer, applying force from the right side of said frame. The frame must be properly supported and stabilized on your wooden pounding block to discourage unwanted deformation. A wad of leather or rubber can initially come between the punch/dowel and the pin, to avoid marring any finish. 

The first photo below shows the pin punch pointing out the trigger pin. The second shows the frame temporarily lifted off the pounding block to show the trigger pin nearly out of the frame. Note that while it can take stout hammer-blows to induce initial movement in the pin, subsequent movement is much easier to obtain. With the pin removed, both the trigger and trigger spring can be removed out of the trigger well. 



Taking the trigger out is the easy part. Putting it back in can be quite an experience. 

The trigger spring will fight being properly positioned, and here's how you can humble it:
You will need a short piece of solid copper wire, TW 10 (2.6mm), only about 1/4" in length --actually you want it just long enough that if you insert it in the trigger pinholes, it has ends flush with the trigger surfaces. You want to make a nice copper wire rod with neat, filed-square ends. You will also need a small Philippine peso coin (a US dime or quarter will do), the punch you used earlier, a pair of long nose pliers, and a beer. Some laundry list, huh? hehe...

Keep the punch standing upright somehow --use pliers to hold it, then set it all down on a table. 
Position the spring in the trigger, shorter end to the rear of the trigger, and hold them as shown below. Protect your eyes --the spring can jump out at you.



Support the coin with one finger against the rear of the trigger and the short end of the spring, to keep the spring-end from sliding out (and boring a hole in your finger), then use the small screwdriver to push the spring coil down, so that the coil lines up with the pin hole (that's the smaller, lower hole through the trigger). As soon as the coil is lined up with the pinholes, bring it over to the upright pin punch and lower it onto the punch, so that the punch goes through the trigger pin holes AND the spring's coil  That's step one. 

Step two involves holding the short copper wire rod mentioned earlier with your pliers, and easing it into the trigger pinhole and spring coil --in effect replacing the narrower pin punch -you may have to wiggle the punch a bit so the spring coil lines up perfectly with the pin hole, to allow the copper wire rod in. The wire should be inserted until it totally traverses the width of the trigger. The point is that the wire is short enough to allow us to insert the trigger, with spring and the piece of wire included, all into the pistol frame's trigger well. See the third picture above, with the copper rod in the trigger pin hole.

Step three involves positioning the trigger (with the wire still in it and retaining the spring) properly in the frame, with the pin holes of the trigger lined up with the pin holes of the frame. The longer, forward end of the spring has to land in the designated notch of the ILS cylinder, nested forward of the trigger well. The trigger pin is then inserted (left side of the frame) and pushed or lightly tapped into place so that it gradually replaces the short piece of wire. If the spring goes slightly off-center when the copper rod exits, you can still use the punch (from the other side of the frame) to massage it into alignment as you push the pin further. Once the trigger pin enters the far-side pinhole of the frame, it will be more difficult to insert, and hammer blows may be necessary --avoid striking the frame itself!

Check the trigger action. Check that the trigger pin ends are properly flush with the frame finish.
If all is well, have yet another cold beer. Something imported. 

Relaxed again? Good. Now go search for that nice copper-wire rod you made. You probably lost track of it, tapping the trigger pin into place, and --believe you me-- there will be need of such a copper rod during future trigger tinkering.

The Integral Locking System (ILS) is really retained by a spring-loaded bearing set into the frame --just like the manual safety lever. The bearing snaps into  pits or recesses on the outside of the ILS cylinder. If, against my implicit dissuasion, you wish to take the ILS out (God only knows why,  because remember: this idiotic device has to be there for the trigger spring to work), use the ILS key to switch it to somewhere between F (fire) and S (safe). It can then be very carefully eased out of the left side of the frame, by applying some pressure from inside the trigger well and onto the rear of the ILS face. Reassembly simply involves inserting the ILS into its original position --and finally, making sure it is switched to F (fire).

The Ejector and Hammer Release are held in place by two pins. The second pin also anchors 
the Hammer, and we'll get to that second pin in a bit, but first:

The first pin, higher up, is the 'hammer release pin', which is a plain steel pin traversing the width of the frame, going through the hammer-release, the hammer release bushing, and the ejector. The hammer release pin can be driven out from the  frame with very careful use of a stout punch slightly thinner than the pin (about 2.5mm or 3/32") and a hammer, applying force from the right side of said frame. The frame must be stabilized and fully supported to discourage unwanted deformation. Removal of this pin allows removal of the Hammer Release Bushing wrapped around it, and leaves the Ejector and Hammer Release hanging drunkenly onto the second pin of our concern:

This second pin, the black-colored 'hammer pin', is the pivot on which the hammer turns. We've already run into this black pin earlier, uninstalling the disconnector. I'd been terrified of messing with this pin because of its delicate head-shape, and my notion that the hammer spring (aka mainspring) would spit parts out into low-earth orbit, and then fight hard against any attempt at reinstallation. 

My fears seem to have been ill-founded.
Two Chapterhouse forum members, "Mutinous Doug" and later "Tron Carter", have posted about 
their successful efforts to remove the Hammer Pin and thereafter uninstall the Hammer, 
the Hammer Spring, the Hammer Spring Guide and the Cocking Piece. I have pondered their procedures, and while I've not found a vise or press suitable (nor the time/courage) for trying it myself, I'm relaying their success here, wish to thank them profusely for sharing. 

Tron Carter's valuable, illustrated step-by-step is found in this article
Mutinous Doug's words (unfortunately unaccompanied by photos) are as follows:

Here's some prep applicable to what Doug describes:
The hammer's probably still cocked, right? It's probably a good idea to lower the hammer first, to relieve unnecessary hammer-spring pressure. To do this you can grip the pistol frame as you would normally, except with your left hand, and then use the left hand's thumb to restrain the hammer. The right hand's thumb can be used to push the cocking-piece's upright arm forward (toward the muzzle). This disengages the cocking piece from the hammer hooks, and the left-hand thumb can ease the hammer down all the way forward. 

Once the hammer pin is out, then the Hammer, and then the Cocking Piece with its attached Hammer Spring Guide and Hammer Spring, can be lifted out the top of the frame. The Ejector and the Hammer Release will have lost their last remaining anchorage and can also be removed. 

Much easier said than done, but intelligently reversing the steps for disassembly will permit re-assembly. (**evil cackle**)

The Barrel is held in place, sensibly enough, by the barrel pin. This pin can be driven out from the frame with very careful use of a stout punch slightly thinner than the pin (about 3mm or 1/8")  and a hammer, applying force from the right side of said frame. The frame must be stabilized and fully supported to discourage unwanted deformation. A wad of leather or rubber can temporarily come between the punch/dowel and the pin, to avoid marring any finish. Once the pin is removed from the frame, the barrel can be eased out rearwards (provided the ejector has been gotten out of the way). To reassemble, reposition the barrel properly in the frame, and simply return the barrel pin, administering blows to the pin from the left side of the frame as necessary to seat it fully.

The Disassembly Lever seems to be, somewhat ironically, pretty much the last item to be taken out. It can be eased out by pushing from the left side of the frame with a wooden dowel (padding may be used initially to help avoid marring the finish). With the lever removed, the Slide Stop and the 
Slide Stop Spring can be lifted up out of their recess in the frame. To reassemble, return the slide stop and slide stop spring to their proper position and push the slide stop down to allow return of the disassembly lever, until the lever's pivot can resume its role as the overhead restraint on the spring loaded slide stop.

If any amateur assumptions I've made on the Thunder 380's construction/disassembly are incorrect, 
I would deeply appreciate a correction. 

Of course, at every step of disassembly, extremely rich opportunities are uncovered to properly clean and lubricate the revealed parts of your firearm.

>-o-<

 
© 2003 Horge 
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