Considering getting a Beretta Px4

[Ignition Override]

A PX4 Compact (9mm) was brought to the club, which I tried out.

Excellent trigger , overall ergos, everything.
This is Not a “commercial opinion”.....only personal.

Had I not —already— begun acquiring two 3rd Gen. S&Ws in December, I Gladly would have bought a PX4 Compact..

 

[Elkins45]

A PX4 Compact (9mm) was brought to the club, which I tried out.

Excellent trigger , overall ergos, everything.
This is Not a “commercial opinion”.....only personal.

Had I not —already— begun acquiring two 3rd Gen. S&Ws in December, I Gladly would have bought a PX4 Compact..

They made a mistake with the compact by only giving it a 3.3” barrel IMO. It’s essentially Berett’s DA/SA competitor to the Glock 19 so there’s no reason not to give it a 4” barrel. Barrel length is one of the reasons I went with CZ P07 instead.

 

[Ignition Override]

Elkins45:
Having a CZ PCR, the 07 must be an impressive gun.

The PX4 Compact, at least to be, seems like the answer to the extra length of the Beretta Compact.

 

[WheelGunMan]

Me and some other guys I worked with did some testing some years ago with the PX4's. We even got to keep the guns. I'm not a fan.

Exactly what didn't you like about it? The color, the frame, the grip, the recoil??

 

[Bacon buster]

I own and carry daily a px4 full size in .40 s&w. It has been a beast of sidearm. I have close to 25oo rounds through it and it has been reliable accurate and shoots nicely. The rotating barrel doesn’t make it shoot like a smaller caliber but it probably does help a small amount. The only con is when you completely strip the gun. Not talking about field stripping. It has lots of small parts and is difficult to navigate. I did this at 2000 rounds to completely clean everything and inspect for any potential problems. Everything looked good and it’s still going strong. I shoot it better than any other pistol I own from 380 to 45. I would buy another in a heart beat and highly recommend it. It’s good enough out of the box for precision work. Trigger is great for box stock. I upgraded to night sights but that’s it.

 

[Bacon buster]

 

[Bacon buster]

One other con is it’s slippery in the heat. I stopped it. Problem solved

 

[Thunderchicken]

I’ll skip over all the stuff I am not competent to discuss—like various handgunning religious matters. However, I do have a full-size and a subcompact PX4, both 9mm. They both run great, neither seems to be particularly hard recoiling, and my perception of the rotating-barrel one is that it “feels different.” Can’t say it’s better or worse, just feels a bit different, but I do giggle whenever I rack it—it’s a cool mechanism. They are both more accurate than the operator. Both are decocker-only, which I like. I also prefer DA/SA vs. strikers, just so you can calibrate my opinion. The triggers are not bad, in fact the full-size is my second-favorite 9mm to shoot—first is a CZ, but it is actually made of metal so I would rather *carry* the PX4.

 

[TTv2]

You a few days ago...



You today...



If you didn't want to know that the PX4 is a gun that was never popular, with features that haven't been popular in a generation, and has a rotating barrel design that if it was all that advantageous it would be used literally everywhere, why did you ask?

Because I don't think a design that belongs in the 80s is a relevant factor, nor is its popularity to indicate general quality, reliability, longevity, or value. If I had asked the same thing about a Glock 48 the response could have been along the same lines like, "The Glock is a popular, yet unremarkable striker fired gun that was designed in the 80s and belongs there."

See? That really doesn't say anything that I don't already know or that really describes how the gun works and lasts.

 

[TTv2]

They made a mistake with the compact by only giving it a 3.3” barrel IMO. It’s essentially Berett’s DA/SA competitor to the Glock 19 so there’s no reason not to give it a 4” barrel. Barrel length is one of the reasons I went with CZ P07 instead.

Modern defense ammo is all using super fast burning powders, so you're not losing much velocity and while I was once a believer of the sight radius concept for pistols, I'm finding that in reality and extra half inch or inch of sight radius doesn't make much difference for me.

 

[FL-NC]

Exactly what didn't you like about it? The color, the frame, the grip, the recoil??

The transitional double action, which we had sworn off several years prior in favor of striker fired pistols. Also the locking method- why Beretta was so averse to the tried and proven tilt-barrel method is lost on me.

 

[NWcityguy2]

Because I don't think a design that belongs in the 80s is a relevant factor, nor is its popularity to indicate general quality, reliability, longevity, or value. If I had asked the same thing about a Glock 48 the response could have been along the same lines like, "The Glock is a popular, yet unremarkable striker fired gun that was designed in the 80s and belongs there."

See? That really doesn't say anything that I don't already know or that really describes how the gun works and lasts.

Buy the gun then...

 

[WheelGunMan]

The transitional double action, which we had sworn off several years prior in favor of striker fired pistols. Also the locking method- why Beretta was so averse to the tried and proven tilt-barrel method is lost on me.

So pretty much a matter of personal preference. I have striker fired, SAO and DA/SA...I like them all. Every manufacturer attempts to carve out a unique nitch for themselves..hence their locking design. Kind of cool.

 

[TTv2]

The transitional double action, which we had sworn off several years prior in favor of striker fired pistols. Also the locking method- why Beretta was so averse to the tried and proven tilt-barrel method is lost on me.

Perhaps because everyone else at the time was copying that design and Beretta thought of something different that might work better for some? The DA/SA has been around since the 1880s, the design isn't going anywhere.

 

[Navy87Guy]

The transitional double action, which we had sworn off several years prior in favor of striker fired pistols. Also the locking method- why Beretta was so averse to the tried and proven tilt-barrel method is lost on me.

If John Moses Browning had used that same philosophy, we'd still be shooting single-action revolvers.

 

[gc70]

The transitional double action, which we had sworn off several years prior in favor of striker fired pistols.

We?

 

[UncleEd]

Decided original posting was too, too
wordy and probably more a waste of
forum members' time. Sorry.

 

[Jimbo80]

The transitional double action, which we had sworn off several years prior in favor of striker fired pistols. Also the locking method- why Beretta was so averse to the tried and proven tilt-barrel method is lost on me.

Don't count me in the "we". DA/SA is my preference.

 

[Homerboy]

We?

I think he was referring to himself and his friends who tried them.

but swearing off DA/SA is stupid. There are undeniable pros and cons to all types of weapon systems. It’s just up to the user to decide which his best for him. I carry striker fired guns, simply because they are smaller and lighter than hammer fired, but to this day I am still more comfortable with a hammer at rest on a gun stuck in my waistband than a striker fired weapon. And I also prefer a longer trigger pull on a weapon that might be used under stress.

 

[eyeshot]

I purchased, my first semi, three years ago and chose the PX4 Storm Compact in 9mm. I'm a lefty and liked the ambi features that covered everything but ejection. The 15+1 was a plus and the reduced muzzle flip, noticeable in online videos, is the real deal due to the rotating barrel. Noticeable to me anyways. It has never failed in three years regardless of what I've put through it. Accurate enough for a HD or CC weapon. It does have some heft to it but I like that in that it helps me to stabilize while getting on target. I carry it in DA ready to go and only use the de-cocker at the range or during maintenance.

I'm of decent size so printing isn't a problem. Skinny people might need to gain some weight.

Great pistols. You could do far . . far worse.

 

[Ignition Override]

TTv2: Have you bought any version of the Storm? As for obsolete guns, I bought both a 3rd. Gen. S&W 908...And a 6904 last December.
Really like the effectiveness and reliability of their obsolete features.

There's no doubt that I (also) would have liked the longer, standard-length version.

But the only Storm available that day was the Compact.....hence, my only, very favorable impression.

 

[wiscoaster]

I have a PX-4 and it's a damn fine pistol. Shoots great, 100% reliable, accurate, feels great in hand. That being said, any number of other 9 mm pistols match the same description. It's not a pistol that stands out head and shoulders above a crowded field. Get one only if it fills a niche or fills a need you have, or if you can get it for a damn good deal.

 

[TTv2]

TTv2: Have you bought any version of the Storm?

no

 

[eyeshot]

no

Honest . . I like that.

 

[TTv2]

Honest . . I like that.

I don't see why I'd need to lie, I don't know why you're asking exactly. Having owned two other DA/SA's in .22 and .32 (Ruger and Beretta) I understand how DA/SA works and I don't see it as some obsolete trigger mechanism for a pistol.