Did you know Bersa carries the iconic 1911 complete with many great improvements?
I got a chance to test out the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition and here is all about it’s performance.
During a recent trip to my good friend Bill Zupancic’s shop named Finest Firearms a very impressive looking 1911 was eagerly waiting for a thorough testing. The handgun in question is the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition. Did you know that Bersa actually makes this 1911 right here in the U.S.A.? Not only that, they have added some modern improvements that make a lot of sense. What’s waiting in that impressive waterproof and lockable case? Let’s find out.
First off let’s take a look at what Bersa has to say about their Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition:
BERSA’s B1911 Blue Stainless edition is a fusion of classic design and modern sophistication. Crafted with precision from durable 416 brushed stainless steel, this iconic pistol boasts a striking blue VZ Grips that set it apart from the crowd. With its timeless 1911 platform, crisp single-action trigger, and superior accuracy, the BERSA 1911 Blue Stainless Steel is the perfect blend of style and performance for discerning shooters.
- SKUB19117050SMBL
- ActionS AO
- Trigger Pull 3.5 lbs
- Caliber .45 AUTO
- Capacity 8+1
- Frame Material 416 Stainless Steel
- Frame Size Full Size
- Front Sight Tritium Night Sight
- Rear Sight Notched-Bar Dovetail
- Safety Grip Safety
- Height 5.5 in
- Series B1911
- Weight 39 oz
- Slide 416 Stainless Steel
- Width 1.3 in
What a thing of beauty right? Out of the box I found the grips to be very comfortable but have plenty of “bark” to hold onto. Check out that impressive blue coloration that mates well with the stainless pistol itself. It is certainly a feast for the eyes to say the least.
What can I say about the trigger on the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition? It breaks clean and at 3.5 pounds it is very manageable for high accuracy but not too light for safety concerns. That trigger pull weight has always been my “Goldilocks” for my preferred trigger pull weight. Kudos to Bersa on that choice!
Here is a close up look at the beautiful grips with the ambidextrous safety and of course the grip safety. Sweaty or wet hands would be no problem for operating the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition. The 416 stainless steel construction also guards against corrosion for a very long operating life. Did I also mention it gives this 1911 quite an impressive look?
Supplied with the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition is a high quality made in Italy Mec-Gar magazine. This magazine will hold 8 rounds and is a vast improvement over the old 7 round G.I. surplus mags found at gun shows and flea markets. Always stick with quality mags!
When the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition is completely field stripped for cleaning we can examine the internals quite well. No cheap parts here and everything is tight and well fitted. No slop in this 1911!
Drift adjustable Novak Sights adorn this Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition. Also check out that front grip frame checkering for maximum grip. Very well done!
Now that we’ve taken a close look at the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition, let’s head off to the range and see how this beauty actually performs!
It was an extremely hot, humid August morning when I arrived at my gun club on my review shoot day. First tested in the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition was CCI Blazer Aluminum Cased 230 Grain Full Metal Jacket ammunition. Funny thing about aluminum cased cartridges, either they function well in certain firearms or they perform poorly. I set the target up at 20 yards away and fired off five rounds from the first magazine full of the day. I was quite pleased that the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition was dead on target and functioned perfectly! No need for sight adjustment.
Right away I was very surprised how smoothly the trigger breaks even on live fire. While I practiced a bit with dry fire before I even hit the range, live ammo (with recoil of course) is always a bit different. Interesting note on dry firing: the instruction manual states you can dry fire the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition with out harming the handgun. Now that is a handy helpful training tool to say the least!
Time to measure the group size on my first target. Well I did pull low on my first shot (user error) but all of the higher shots grouped well. With more practice I was tightening up groups quite well with even that CCI Blazer load after this target’s picture was taken. If the shooter does their part the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition will certainly do it’s part too!
Stepping back to 30 yards I loaded up with a full 8 round magazine and one in the chamber of the Federal Black Pack 230 Grain Full Metal Jacket cartridges. These cartridges are the traditional brass cased “hard ball” ammo that was the military go-to for years. The results were also quite pleasing to say the least as the range temperature hit the high 80’s.
The Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition was proving to be a great shooter keeping “everything in the black” on target. A bench vice style pistol rest if handy during review would have certainly revealed the real accuracy minus the human element on this hot summer day for certain. In reality of course, a handgun is meant for carry and off hand shooting, not strapping to a table.
A little fun was in order now to test out the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition for functioning and overall handling. The random targets were quite impromptu, found at the range itself. Beverage cans were shredded and the below target perforated in quick fire drills for testing. The back view of this target backer board shows that many of the rounds fired into the center (others impacts were from previous shooters) by the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition sure made a mess out of it! Oh this 1911 has the looks and the performance all handguns should have!
The tritium front sight is a great addition to the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition. That sight comes quickly into view in low light conditions. There is no tritium in the rear sight. I find this actually quite helpful in quick low light shooting as I feel lining up the front and rear tritium sights is a lot slower than focusing on only a tritium lit front sight. Small details matter when split seconds depend on it.
The Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition functioned great with even a mixed bag of various hollow point and flat point projectile designs that was found in the bottom of my range bag. This update of the classic 1911 handgun design is unstoppable!
For range or carry, I found the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition to be a great fit. It is a high quality, well built big bore heavy hitter that is up to even competition standards and more.
I highly recommend the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition for anyone that wants a tough as nails stainless steel 1911 style handgun. Be sure to check out the Bersa B1911 Blue Stainless Edition and all of the other great firearms and even suppressors on the Bersa website.