The BP 9 CC uses a variation of the tried and true Browning locking system in which the hood of the barrel chamber moves up into and bears against the front edge of the ejection port. As the pistol is fired, the slide unit moves to the rear and then the barrel articulates on the slide stop shaft, pulling it down out of the ejection port, allowing the slide to continue to the rear, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case. The recoil spring, located under the barrel, then pulls the slide forward, picking the next round out of the magazine and chambering it. As the slide goes into battery, the barrel hood moves up into the ejection port again, locking the two units together.
Besides its DAO trigger and loaded chamber indicator, the BP 9 CC has a passive firing pin safety that prevents the pistol from firing without a complete stroke of the trigger. A magazine disconnect safety prevents it from being fired with the magazine removed. The Integral Blocking System on the slide is activated by turning it 45 degrees with a supplied key, which locks the sear and slide in place, preventing unauthorized firing of the pistol.
Fit and Finish
Eagle Imports, Bersa's U.S. distributor, provided me with a BP 9 CC to evaluate for POLICE. My sample pistol displayed very good materials, fit, and finish.
I was also taken with the BP 9 CC’s ergonomics, which provided a naturally pointing pistol. The thin cross-section of the grip, which I believe is one of the narrowest of this class of polymer pistols, will make this pistol a natural for persons with smaller hands.
The DAO trigger had a bit more than a half-inch of take-up before it broke and little overtravel. While the trigger had a bit of staging at halfway through the stroke and felt a bit "mushy," according to my RCBS trigger pull scale it took only 4.9 pounds of pressure to fire.
The controls on the BP 9 CC were well located and easy to manipulate. However, the magazine releases required quite a bit of pressure before you could drop the magazine.
Shooting Drills
I test fired the BP 9 CC from a rest at 15 yards with three different types of 9mm ammunition. This produced groups ranging in size from two to slightly more than three inches, more than adequate for a compact service pistol.
After chronographing was complete I set up a pair of combat targets, belted on a Gould & Goodrich Yaqui Belt Slide holster, and proceeded to run the BP 9 CC through the following drills:
At five yards, draw pistol and double-tap each target, firing the pistol with an unsupported (one-handed) grip. Re-holster and repeat.
At five yards, draw pistol and fire four rounds on each target, "head" shots only. Perform a combat reload and fire four rounds on each target, body shots only.
At seven yards, draw pistol and fire four rounds on each target. Use slow, aimed fire.
The Bersa BP 9 CC performed very well in these drills, although the mushy trigger caused a number of my shots to impact to the left of point of aim. The sights were large and easy to acquire, and recoil control was excellent for a pistol with such a narrow grip. The only fly in the ointment was the inordinate amount of effort required to depress the magazine releases slowed down reloads.
All in all the BP 9 CC proved to be a fine handling pistol with more than acceptable accuracy and good recoil control for its size and weight. I feel it would make a very practical concealed carry, backup, or off-duty weapon.
Paul Scarlata has served as an auxiliary police officer and is a frequent contributor to POLICE.
Bersa BP 9 CC Pistol Specs:
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Capacity: 8 rounds
Weight (empty): 21.5 ounces
Barrel: 3.3 inches
Magazine: Detachable box
Overall Length: 6.35 inches
Height: 4.8 inches
Width: 0.94 inches
Construction: Steel slide; Textured polymer frame
Finish: Black matte or nickel
Sights: Front white dot; Rear dual white dots
Trigger: Double-action only
Features: Ambidextrous magazine releases, magazine safety, Integral Blocking System (lock), loaded chamber indicator, tactical rail, carrying box, spare magazine, owner's manual
Price: $429 (matte finish); $449 (nickel finish)