Profile : 

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 A Bersa Thunder 22 in duo-tone finish, with factory black polymer grip stocks. This is an earlier manufacture, sporting older rollmarks and lacking an Integral Locking System (trigger lock). 

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Sights :

.	Rear	- windage adjustable, notched blade, dovetailed into slide
.	Front	- staked onto slide

The old rollmark (above) has "(BERSA) THUNDER 22    BERSA S.A. RAMOS MEJIA ARGENTINA" 
on the left side of the slide. The serial number, and immediately below it, "INDUSTRIA ARGENTINA",
appear on the left side of the frame above the trigger well.  The legend ".22 LR" appears on the
right side of the slide, just under the ejection port.


The new rollmark (below) has "THUNDER 22    BERSA S.A. RAMOS MEJIA ARGENTINA" 
on the left side of the slide. The serial number, and immediately below it, "INDUSTRIA ARGENTINA",
appear on the left side of the frame above the trigger well.  The legend ".22 LR" appears on the
right side of the slide, just under the ejection port.



Controls : (images are of the similar Thunder 380)


Parts Diagram :

1. Slide 2. Rear Sight 3. Rear Sight Blade 4. Rear Sight Spring 5. Rear Sight Screw 6. Extractor     7. Extractor Spring 8. Extractor Pin 9. Firing Pin 10. Firing Pin Spring 11. Safety 12. Safety Spring 13. Safety Stop 14. Barrel 15. Recoil Spring    16. Slide Catch Spring 17. Slide Stop 18. Slide Stop Spring    19. Disassembly Lever 20. Trigger  Frame 21. Trigger Spring  Ejector Pin 22. Hammer Pin 23. Slide Catch / Ejector 24. Slide Catch / Ejector pin 25. Barrel Pin 26. Disconnector (trigger bar) 27. Disconnector Spring

28. Magazine Catch 29. Magazine Catch Spring 30. Magazine Catch Screw 31. Hammer 32. Hammer Spring Guide 33. Hammer Spring 34. Cocking Piece  35. Cocking Piece Pin  36. Hammer Release  37. Hammer Pin 38. Hammer Release Bushing 39. Hammer Release Pin 40. Magazine Safety 41. Magazine Safety Spring 42. Magazine Tube 43. Magazine Feeder Platform (follower)   44. Magazine Spring 45. Magazine Bottom 46. Magazine Bottom Holder 47. Grip Panel 48. Grip Screw  49. Grip Pin   50. Firing Pin Stop Spring 51. Firing Pin Stop  52. 53. Front Sight

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Introduced in 1995, the Thunder 22 is the current production standard-barrel .22LR pistol from Bersa. Succeeding the prior Model 23, the Thunder 22 features an aluminium alloy frame for weight savings, and goes back to featuring an external slide catch. Newer specimens (post-2001)  incorporate a key-operated trigger lock called an ILS (Integral Locking System) which is built into the frame

Disassembly begins with switching down the disassembly lever to allow a full rearward pull on the slide against recoil spring pressure, until the slide leaves frame-rail engagement. The rear of the slide is then lifted slightly up and off the frame and frame-rails, and allowed to return forward, until fully off the the frame and the barrel. 

The Thunder 22 represents the culmination of design and manufacturing improvements at Bersa over the past 40 years. The whole Thunder series of pistols has been Bersa's most successful, and longest-running generation of pistols ever.

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© 2005 Horge 
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