Considering getting a Beretta Px4

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TTv2

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After getting a Beretta 81 last year and a Ruger SR22 before that I have found that I really like the DA/SA trigger. I also like a polymer frame for the lighter weight and cheaper price. I see the Px4 has a rotating barrel or some such thing and that it reduces recoil, that it makes a 9mm feel like .380 and a .40 feel like 9mm.

So, is the Px4 worth it? I have the Glocks, but I want to try something different, meet new people, you know. I've mainly been interested in the compact and not the full size as 3.25" seems long enough for modern 9mm ammo, it should be fast enough for JHP's to expand. The subcompact doesn't use the rotary barrel, so I'm not interested.

Also, for those who have shot the .40 Px4, did you notice a significant reduction in recoil? I have focused mainly on the 9mm, but I'm not opposed to .40 either.
 
TTv2

I had a MAB PA15 in 9mm. that used a rotating barrel system. It was able to take a mixed magazine of light target and heavy self defense loads and cycle them all without any difference in felt recoil. If I ever came across a god deal on something like a Beretta PX4 I would get it just to see if it's rotating barrel worked the same as the one in my MAB.
 
Looked at a few, really liked them but was against DA/SA at the time. Now that I'm down with DA/SA I kinda wished I picked one up. Very nice in the hand, good smooth triggers.
 
The wife carries a PX4 daily. It is a good little gun, recoil is not too bad, it is fairly easy to conceal, and the wife gets decent groups with it. The rotating barrel was what really sold her, until she shot the Beretta, she hated the recoil on anything bigger than .22. I don't feel much difference between it and any other compact 9mm, but I think the rotating barrel tricks her mind, lol
 
I a fullsize PX4 9mm and the sub-compact PX4 .40sw. I like how they feel and look. But id rather shoot the 9mm for a range session. The subcompact does not have a rotating barrel, but I have doubts that even then it would help reduce the snap it has, probably the worst snap of all .40 guns.

In that regard as well I don't remember the full size 9mm being as soft shooting as a .380 because of the rotating barrel. But it's been since sometime last year that I shot either and I've shot a lot of other guns since.

I like Berettas and I have a thing for pistols with decockers so I'll never get rid of them
 
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.
 
I have two full size PX4's - one in 9mm and one in .45 ACP. The recoil reduction from the rotary barrel system is definitely noticeable with both pistols. They are two of my favorites. I have the .45 set up as my home defense gun downstairs. The 9mm sees its fair share of EDC carry, despite its size.
 
I think the recoil reduction is definite when compared to a Glock 19, but not to the level of a large plastic .380 like the Browning 1911-380. Also, I would give a good thought to "stealth" safety levers. It's not like the standard ones poke into your belly, but if you ever start taking that Px4 to classes and matches, you will grab it wrong and then it will hurt quite a bit.
 
Also, I would give a good thought to "stealth" safety levers. It's not like the standard ones poke into your belly, but if you ever start taking that Px4 to classes and matches, you will grab it wrong and then it will hurt quite a bit.
Stealth Levers https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/px4-safety-low-prof-type-g-mfg/c89169/

also available ...

Carry Levers https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/px4-carry-decocker-g-safety-assembly/c8d710/

92 Style levers https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/safety-assy-px4-f-large-le-part-c5d666-c5d667/c8a000/
 

What's not obvious from the Beretta website is that the "stealth" levers are completely flat, whereas the "carry" levers still have a flair that provides a small "shelf" for your thumb...but smaller than the stock levers.

Be aware that using these levers converts your gun to the G model - with decocker only. It eliminated the manual safety. Personally, that's the biggest attraction to me -- I detest guns with manual safeties. But if you want these low or stealth profile controls, you give up the safety. (There is also a stealth version of the decocker, which doesn't have any impact on function - it's just a smaller lever.)
 
A much better rotating barrel 9mm is the Grand Power K100, soft shooting, very accurate and 100% reliable.

I used to have a PX4 in 9mm and .45, the .45 wasn't reliable and the 9mm was horribly inaccurate, like several feet off POA. I spent $75 to send it back to the factory, they returned it the same and told me it was within spec. No thanks.

Even my Beretta M9 wasn't reliable.
 
A much better rotating barrel 9mm is the Grand Power K100, soft shooting, very accurate and 100% reliable.

I used to have a PX4 in 9mm and .45, the .45 wasn't reliable and the 9mm was horribly inaccurate, like several feet off POA. I spent $75 to send it back to the factory, they returned it the same and told me it was within spec. No thanks.

Even my Beretta M9 wasn't reliable.
I have the rotating barrel Grand Power Q100, the striker version of the K100, and I can confirm that it is an exceptional pistol.
I had more or less the same experience with the Px4; being an Italian, the Px4 is a pretty common gun here, so I had the opportunity to try numerous examples: they were all pretty accurate but the point of impact on the target was always different, LOL! Furthermore, the first examples had a very tight chamber and were not 100% reliable.
I still like the Px4, very ergonomic, soft shooter, nice trigger, but I prefer the Grand Power.
 
I have the rotating barrel Grand Power Q100, the striker version of the K100, and I can confirm that it is an exceptional pistol.
I had more or less the same experience with the Px4; being an Italian, the Px4 is a pretty common gun here, so I had the opportunity to try numerous examples: they were all pretty accurate but the point of impact on the target was always different, LOL! Furthermore, the first examples had a very tight chamber and were not 100% reliable.
I still like the Px4, very ergonomic, soft shooter, nice trigger, but I prefer the Grand Power.

Glad you like it, they seem to be relatively unknown over here. Believe it or not, I shoot the Grand Power about as well as a Sig P210 I used to own.
 
I have the Storm in sub compact .40. Snappy recoil (non rotating barrel). Somewhat chunky (thick). Like the double action decock feature. It’s been reliable but think I would prefer a compact model better.
 
It's an unremarkable modern gun with a DA/SA trigger and slide mounted decocker that belongs in the 1980s. If that's what you want then I guess it's for you. I'm certainly not saying you can't load ammo into it and shoot bullets out of it. That alone is a mark of excellence for some people.

I've shot it with it's rotating barrel, and I've shot guns with some other "feature" to reduces recoil that doesn't involve weight, ergonomics or bore height. None of them defeated the laws of physics or made the gun more comfortable to shoot. It'll feel very close to shooting any other modern plastic frame gun in whatever caliber you get it for.

Also, it was never very popular and is unlikely to ever be so. Don't count on a long period of aftermarket support when it gets discontinued.
 
Mine has been very reliable, is soft to shoot, and my daughter shoots it very accurately in matches. I can’t hit anything with it so I guess it’s hers now. :)
 
It's an unremarkable modern gun with a DA/SA trigger and slide mounted decocker that belongs in the 1980s. If that's what you want then I guess it's for you. I'm certainly not saying you can't load ammo into it and shoot bullets out of it. That alone is a mark of excellence for some people.

Also, it was never very popular and is unlikely to ever be so. Don't count on a long period of aftermarket support when it gets discontinued.
Jeez, if we only ever bought guns that were popular the world would be full of Glocks, Sigs, and S&W revolvers.

I don't see what the deal is with the design "belonging in the 80s", I didn't know 80s guns were obsolete by the 2020s...
 
Glad you like it, they seem to be relatively unknown over here. Believe it or not, I shoot the Grand Power about as well as a Sig P210 I used to own.
Considering how well my Q100 shoots, it's not hard for me to believe you. ;):thumbup:
 
I have the PX4-Storm. It's a great pistol for the range but not for carry concealed as it's too heavy. Mine is very accurate and I use it as home self-defense because of it's 15 round magazine.
 
I have a full-sized PX4 Storm in 40 caliber. I haven't shot it for a while, but I recall not being impressed with the trigger. I couldn't really tell if the recoil was any softer with the rotating lockup. 40 caliber recoil with a full-sized service pistols is always fine with me. IIRC, I shot shot it no better or worse than the average service pistol. I bought it because it was dirt cheap (LE turn-in). It goes bang every time. It seems like an okay pistol.

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You a few days ago...

So, is the Px4 worth it?

You today...

Jeez, if we only ever bought guns that were popular the world would be full of Glocks, Sigs, and S&W revolvers.

I don't see what the deal is with the design "belonging in the 80s", I didn't know 80s guns were obsolete by the 2020s...

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?
 
I'm a fan, I have them in 9mm and .45 ACP both have a Beretta competition trigger assembly installed. I also have a second DAO model in .45 ACP. The standard .45 ACP has the G model safety, it just drops the hammer and maintains the trigger function, it is very accurate and one of my favorite range pistols. My PX4 pistols are all full sized models with Talon grips installed.

One thing, there is a PX4 subcompact model, but it is the standard browning moving barrel action, not the rotating barrel action.
 
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