Hey Now! I think we have a winner!
Ok, took a three-hour lunch to shoot the Storm. Need to get back to work, so I'll keep it short and sweet. I'm not very good at writing these anyway...
In short, I liked it very much! I can't believe 13+1 shots fit in this tiny thing! No malfunctions of any kind with 200rds WWB. Next trip will be JHPs.
Feel
I have mostly shot "fat" double stack guns, but the gun this one replaced (and I had shot the most recently) was a single stack Sig P239. So, it took me a little bit to get used to the fatter grip. The reach from backstrap to trigger is a bit longer than the Sig, but it felt good to me once I got used to it. It's about 4oz. lighter than the 239, so its felt recoil was more, but still less than I expected. It's partially soaked up, I suppose, but the relatively wider backstrap. Follow-up shots were fast and easy. It came with the medium backstrap - I will probably try out the small and large tonight. The large will just be to try it, I don't think I'll take my CCW piece and see how big I can make it
but the small I might leave on.
Trigger
Both the double-action trigger and single-action were smooth and predictable. I would have to give the nod to the Sig in DA mode just slightly, but the SA reset was short much like the SRT action on the Sig, and I liked both the DA & SA of the Storm very much!
Controls
I like 'em. The fact that when you decock, the decocker stays down as a manual safety will take some getting used to at the range, but won't affect carry. For practice, I often decocked the Sig to practice DA. A couple times today I decocked, and pulled the trigger with safety on - trigger just comes back without resistance. I will carry with safety off, and can't imagine decocking DURING an SD encounter, so forgetting and leaving it on won't happen.
Accuracy
I had like 1-inch groups at 25yds. No, kidding, I just love when people claim that, though. I'm an adequate (not good) shooter, and the accuracy of the Storm greatly surpasses anything I can deliver. I found with deliberate fire I could group it as well as any gun I've ever shot, full size or otherwise. In a more rapid fire mode I confess I was better with the Sig, but I had put several hundred rounds through it, and it was heavier. The Storm is more than capable, I just need to get used to it. Shooting it one-handed (left or right) was very easy and controllable.
Carry
I've carried it in a SmartCarry, and while pretty fat, it is workable (about the same as carrying a Glock 26, except the length is even shorter). It fits in a Nemesis made for a Glock 26 (actually there's 3/4" of material left over at the bottom). It fit in the pants I had on, but like a 26, I would think this would be a VERY limited use manner. I intend to get a custom kydex holster made a la CTAC, and the barrel is so short, I might even look for something appendix style. That's my favorite way to carry when standing, it's just tough to find a gun that will work while sitting!
I can't think what anyone else might like to know - feel free to ask...
Keep in mind, folks, that there is a big difference between the full-sized Px4 and the smaller versions (beside the sizes I mean). The large one is a rotating barrel design and the smaller ones use the usual tilting barrel lockup.
Bart is exactly correct on the design, although I don't know what that difference can be expected to mean. I've heard high praise for the rotating barrel design - bummer they couldn't fit it in the Sub-C - but I don't understand why people praise it (and I would like to!). Is it more reliable? I thought I remember reading that it helps absorb recoil, is that right?
Gotta get back to work...
Safe shooting to all!
FT
