Range Report First Impression witrh a Beretta px4 Storm Compact

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Miguel Santa

Miguel Santa

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Today, I went to my local shooting range to try my new beretta with some Magtech 9mm luger full metal jacket I purchased not too long ago. I went through the safety checks, it was a little difficult to load the rounds in the magazine, maybe because I didn't know how to use that accessory that came with the gun that helps you load the rounds. Originally I thought the magazine carried 17 rounds but I can only put 15. I only had two magazines, I think I will need to buy two more, and load the magazines at home so all I need to do is shoot at the range. I grabbed the paper target that was left for me, hooked it up and brought it to the 50 feet mark(I think). The range had two red lines painted on the floor, it was the first red line. The gun handled flawlessly, no jams, recoil was acceptable, I think I wasn't using the sight correctly at the beginning because my first shots were in one specific area. About 15 of 100 rounds I shot were headshots, my instructor told me to always aim for the head since it is the only way to stop someone out cold. The gun got warm around the barrel, I guess it's normal after firing 30 rounds because I shoot left, I had some trouble releasing the magazine, you could probably change the location of the button, other than that I had a great time at the range today and will continue to go on a weekly basis to improve my skills.
 
Glad you like the gun! I've always thought beretta made a fine pistol and I've long been intrigued by the PX4 rotating barrel. Beretta ships 15 and 17 round mags so you might well have 15s, I believe there should be witness holes to indicate the intended maximum.

I am glad you sought instruction, and I'm just a guy on the internet, but head shots are a lot easier on paper than on men. A miss counts for nothing, or worse if you have an unintended impact down range. Center of Mass is what I aim for. A spine, lung, heart or similar vital shot is a lot easier than a head shot and highly effective.
 
sequins said:
Glad you like the gun! I've always thought beretta made a fine pistol and I've long been intrigued by the PX4 rotating barrel. Beretta ships 15 and 17 round mags so you might well have 15s, I believe there should be witness holes to indicate the intended maximum.

I am glad you sought instruction, and I'm just a guy on the internet, but head shots are a lot easier on paper than on men. A miss counts for nothing, or worse if you have an unintended impact down range. Center of Mass is what I aim for. A spine, lung, heart or similar vital shot is a lot easier than a head shot and highly effective.
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Agree. Center mass
 
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Miguel Santa said:
Can I buy 17 round magazines to use with my firearm?
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Yes, but they are longer and will stick farther out the bottom of your pistol. Folks sometimes do use the 17 rounders in their Compacts, but they are designed for the full size gun.

This video will show the full size mag (17 rounder) in the Compact pistol at about the 4:50 mark.

 
Beretta makes a great handgun. I used to have the PX4. Very reliable and fun to shoot. I didn't care for how slick the grips felt to me. That's just me though. As mentioned earlier headshots are plenty easy on a stationary paper target when taking your time, no adrenaline coursing through your veins, not drawing from your holster and rapid firing like you would in a true life or death situation.
Now he may be suggesting headshots on the target because it's smaller. "Aim small, miss small". For actual CC training though you need to become efficient in drawing, presenting, and firing. Once you can routinely keep every round within the 9 ring when doing that under stress, then you can move to headshots. COM hits will always stop quicker than head misses.
 
You are absolutely right, it is more difficult to hit moving targets and your adrenalin is rushing you. Especially at night and further away. The training you are referring to is the one that teaches you how to draw and fire while moving? What are COM hits? Normally, how much time should I spend at the range? How much do you practice?
 
I guess I feel slightly obliged to point out the point of using a firearm is to stop an attack. Shooting center mass may not kill an opponent outright, or it might, but it's a proven means to stop aggression. The point isn't to kill an opponent, at least not in the litigious society we live in.

There may be instances where the head is the only clearly presented target. The church goer who recently thwarted an armed gunman is a great example. But personally I think training to hit center mass as quickly as possible should come first. Going for head shots thrown in isn't a bad idea, but it's never really my main focus.
 
Miguel Santa said:
You are absolutely right, it is more difficult to hit moving targets and your adrenalin is rushing you. Especially at night and further away. The training you are referring to is the one that teaches you how to draw and fire while moving? What are COM hits? Normally, how much time should I spend at the range? How much do you practice?
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Since you're in Broward County as I am, and you like your adrenaline raising your heart rate, you need to check out Nexus Shooting in Davie.

Disclaimer: I am not connected to Nexus Shooting except as a member who sometimes shoots there. I'm not employed by them or in any other way financially associated with them.

 
460Shooter said:
I guess I feel slightly obliged to point out the point of using a firearm is to stop an attack. Shooting center mass may not kill an opponent outright, or it might, but it's a proven means to stop aggression.
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When I was in MP school at Ft Mac in Alabama our shooting instructor always said to shoot to wound, verbally suggesting arm or leg shots while pointing at his sternum.
 
Miguel Snta

Likewise I was always instructed to aim at Center of Mass most likely because that's where a lot of vital organs are and it's a fairly large area to aim for.

I went through the safety checks, it was a little difficult to load the rounds in the magazine, maybe because I didn't know how to use that accessory that came with the gun that helps you load the rounds. Originally I thought the magazine carried 17 rounds but I can only put 15. I only had two magazines, I think I will need to buy two more, and load the magazines at home so all I need to do is shoot at the range.
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Good idea! I always load all my magazines at home before I go to the range. Much easier to do it there and since you're "on the clock" at the range, you're not initially spending valuable time trying to reload magazines.
 
When the instructor asked in the class where can you immobilize an attacker I said the torso, he then said that when an attacker is full of adrenaline and/or drugs he may need more than one round to stop him, which makes sense. Then he proceeded to say that the head area(mouth, face, eyes) although smaller will stop the attacker. I know it is very difficult because the target may be moving, or could be dark or further, or even worse the attacker may be wearing a bulletproof vest or thick clothing that can protect him from a torso shot. It is definitely easier to shot an attacker in the torso and hopefully, that would be enough to stop him.
 
Congrats OP. I always wanted one. I'm eyeballing the new PX4 Compact Carry. A PX4 will be my last purchase for a long while.
 
Thanks, hope you get it soon, the px4 full size was a little too big for concealed carry, although some users might find it just right for cc, maybe because it's my first gun I need to feel comfortable carrying a firearm that it's easy to draw and conceal.
 
you'll get better at loading the magazines. I found most magazines difficult at first, and now don't even bother with the speed loaders, it is mostly practice and technique. one thing I found out at my local pistol range last time I was there that I found very useful, is they do not let you have any firearm out of a case if you are not in the shooting bay, but they do not care about magazines and ammo. So, when I asked, they said it was perfectly fine to sit on one of the benches to load magazines, instead of trying to lead them while standing in the actual shooting bay. This is particularly valuable if you have more than one person, because a second person can load magazines while another shoots, making better use of the meter running up the range bill minute by minute.
 
Congratulations, @Miguel Santa ! It sounds like you've found a gun that you like and that should serve you well. I've always liked the way the PX4 felt in my hand, and kind of wanted one. They've just never made it to the top of The Want List. There's always been something I wanted more.

I'll also echo those who said "good for you for loading your mags at home." If your range charges by the hour, you'll want to spend that time shooting, not loading mags. Especially when you get up to a half dozen mags or more per pistol. The last couple of pistols that I bought were accompanied by about that many extra mags. You can't have too many unless you're either on fire or trying to swim.
Miguel Santa said:
When the instructor asked in the class where can you immobilize an attacker I said the torso, he then said that when an attacker is full of adrenaline and/or drugs he may need more than one round to stop him, which makes sense. Then he proceeded to say that the head area(mouth, face, eyes) although smaller will stop the attacker. I know it is very difficult because the target may be moving, or could be dark or further, or even worse the attacker may be wearing a bulletproof vest or thick clothing that can protect him from a torso shot. It is definitely easier to shot an attacker in the torso and hopefully, that would be enough to stop him.
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Not that I've ever been in a gunfight, but .... While your instructor's words may technically be true, remember that in order to hit the attacker in the critical area of the fact, you've got to be able to hit: (a) a target about 4" in diameter; (b) that's moving; (c) while you're moving; and (d) under extreme stress. Again, technically true, but pretty damn hard.

I've also never been shot while wearing a bulletproof vest (or even while not wearing one, FWIW), but it's my understanding that that's not a lot of fun either. It might not kill an attacker, but my gut says it at least has a chance of slowing one down.

This post is given FWIW, from a guy who has never been in a gunfight and would like to keep it that way.
 
@Miguel Santa , let me also add that if you go to the range weekly, like you say you will in the OP, ammo costs will begin to add up. 9mm is the cheapest centerfire ammo out there, but when you start getting into hundreds and thousands of rounds, it makes a lot of sense to either: (1) learn to reload; or (2) buy in bulk. We have a reloading forum here, and as I don't reload, I'll leave that side of things alone.

I do buy in bulk, though, so I'll share some of the sites that I use, or that I've seen suggested here over the years:
https://www.sgammo.com/
https://www.targetsportsusa.com/
https://ammoseek.com/
https://www.wikiarms.com/
https://www.ammobuy.com/ (this one is pretty new, but it's being developed by a THR member)
 
It is way cheaper to buy in bulk, my first ammo purchase was 1000 rounds for $200, if I use 100 rounds a week which is basically how I will start, i'll last me for 10 weeks. This is what I paid by my local gun store, I just clicked one of your links and found the same ammo(Magtech 9mm luger) for $20 cheaper. Do you use one of these autoloaders? I think it might help me load the magazines faster.
Screen Shot 2020-02-23 at 4.56.03 PM.png
 
460Shooter said:
I guess I feel slightly obliged to point out the point of using a firearm is to stop an attack. Shooting center mass may not kill an opponent outright, or it might, but it's a proven means to stop aggression. The point isn't to kill an opponent, at least not in the litigious society we live in.

There may be instances where the head is the only clearly presented target. The churchgoer who recently thwarted an armed gunman is a great example. But personally I think training to hit center mass as quickly as possible should come first. Going for headshots thrown in isn't a bad idea, but it's never really my main focus.
Click to expand...
I totally agree with you, the main objective must be to stop the attacker, law-abiding citizens and normal people in general, don't have the instinct or desire to kill others or at least I don't.
 
I love the Beretta PX4. It’s one of the many guns I’ve owned, sold, and later regretted selling. On the subject of magazines, you can also buy 20 round 9mm magazines that will fit the compact similarly to the 17 rounders as far as the gap goes but have a larger floorplate.
 
Spats McGee said:
@Miguel Santa , let me also add that if you go to the range weekly, like you say you will in the OP, ammo costs will begin to add up. 9mm is the cheapest centerfire ammo out there, but when you start getting into hundreds and thousands of rounds, it makes a lot of sense to either: (1) learn to reload; or (2) buy in bulk. We have a reloading forum here, and as I don't reload, I'll leave that side of things alone.

I do buy in bulk, though, so I'll share some of the sites that I use, or that I've seen suggested here over the years:
https://www.sgammo.com/
https://www.targetsportsusa.com/
https://ammoseek.com/
https://www.wikiarms.com/
https://www.ammobuy.com/ (this one is pretty new, but it's being developed by a THR member)
Click to expand...

For comparisonthe cost of reloading 1000 rounds of 9mm is 32.00 for a pound of gun powder, 69.00 for 125 gr lead semi wadcutter bullets and 33 dollars for 1k small pistol primers. So 134.00 for 1000 rounds of ammo. This doesn't include cost of tools but the savings will pay for equipment. It does take time to load ammo, but it its a satisfying hobby that produces more accurate ammunition. There is also pleasure from shooting your own custom loads.
 
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