Opinions on 9mm px4 storm subcompact for a womans first gun.

Second sticky at the top of this sub-forum.

You don't say what her experience levels are.

It's all over at www.corneredcat.com; go browsing, and then go shopping.

We own a Beretta Px4 subcompact in 9mm. It's my favorite and will be my CCW pistol and I'm 6' 3" about 176 and very experienced shooter. My Wife is 5' and 110 and much less experienced and shoots our Storm the best of any of the 9mm's we have. It is a large pistol on her - she'd have a hard time concealing it due to the width but if it became her carry choice she could do it if determined and dressing accordingly. It *is* a thick and chunky pistol if the intention is IWB carry.

For my Wife, 9mm is a little on the snappy side for her to get fast accurate follow ups but then again she is pretty small.

I do recommend the pistol. Mine is out having adjustable sights and Talon grips installed. I do find the fun slippery to some degree and it could stand some more aggressive texture on the frame. It has been reliable but my Wife had several failures to feed when the gun was brand new - not recently as she has a firmer grip on the gun now and it has loosened up a bit.

But I give it a good rating if it fits the shooters needs. Check the Storm Compact as well as it is almost identical in size but uses a different barrel system that has less recoil and blanaces/shoots a bit diffeent than the Subcompact version.

VooDoo

Love mine. It is my primary CCW. Very accurate and it seems to handle recoil well. It doesn't have the rotating barrel of the larger models, but it still is soft shooting. You could do a lot worse.

Sig P250 is a nice gun too. I think the first thing to figure out is if she wants a manual safety and what kind of trigger she wants. The PX4 and 250 have very different triggers.

I have the PX4 full size and Sub Compact.


The PX4 is a big gun and the Sub Compact is also a big gun.

Although I like both guns (I was shooting the full size yesterday) they are both IMO too large for carry.
I think someone was probably having a joke when they named the gun "Sub Compact".

Women have shot the guns. All liked them and several bought them, but not to carry.


The PX4 Sub Compact is center top. It's larger and wider than even the G26 (top left).

If she's going to want to carry it, then she will most likely have to dress for it. Women's fashion these days is not CCW-friendly, in general; and like the other comments say, it's larger than it seems. It's fairly thick and, I think, heavier than other pistols in its class.

A thinner (single-stack), dedicated "micro" gun could be a better bet for her carry gun. Of course, there is always a trade-off. I know my wife could not carry this gun the way she currently dresses; and even if she altered, it still might be a challenge.

Also, I see you are in NE Ohio. Every other storefront in NE Ohio seems to have the "no guns" signs at their entrances. That presents another problem, and a dilemma. Sure, any petite woman COULD dress to accommodate a full-sized pistol if they so choose to do so... but would it hide it well enough in all of those cases where you may inadvertently end up in a banned zone?

It's certainly a good-looking gun, and I'm sure it shoots well.

M2 Carbine, if you think the Beretta sub compact is too big to carry, I assume you think a lot of popular carry guns are too big to carry. Lots of people carry much bigger guns daily.

I agree that is thicker than a true sub compact, which should be a slim single stack, but it is definitely easy to carry.

PX4

Length 6.2"
Height 4.8"
Width 1.2"
Weight 26 oz

Glock 19

Length 6.85"
Height 5.00"
Width 1.18"
Weight 20.99oz

1911

8.65"
5.45"
1.34"
39oz

South Carolina's Governor Haley got one for Christmas. Give her a call and see what she thinks of hers.

I love M2 Carbine's side by side pics.

Look how much higher the bore axis is on the PX4 Sub Compact compared to the Glock right next to it.

Yeah but the bore axis and resulting extra snap/flip of the Px4 is not a show stopper...it's just different than the Glock 26 (which I also own and shoot/carry) but it's not "bad" so to speak. The Storm has the "snap grip" extension which gets another finger on the gun instead of pinky curling under on the G26.

The Storm SC is not a little gun but it's really not big either...just kinda chunky. Hiding it/carrying it will depend on the level of commitment to carrying concealed, body shape, where it's carried, etc. I love mine and hugged my Mom and she didn't even detect the pistol AIWB carry.

I shoot my Px4 SC and G26 side by side and the difference in bore axis is apparent but I still prefer my Storm as a primary for CCW. Mostly because of the way it "feels" and balances, it's safety features (Which allow me to move/draw/shoot/reholster in complete safety) and the little snap grip thingie. The Px4 point shoots with smaller groups/faster than the G26 for me as it points better while moving. For me...

VooDoo

I'm a smaller framed guy; my hands are about the size of an average woman. I was unable to activate and deactivate the safety on the PX4 with a shooting grip--my thumb was too short to reach it. Since ergonomics are so personal, I can't recommend something else instead--she's got to put her hands on the guns to see what fits her--but I'd definitely raise the distance to the safety as a possible ergonomic problem with the PX4.

My wife is petite and recoil-sensitive. An ongoing illness has made it difficult for her to work the slide on most semi-autos.
With that being said, she can work the slide of my P250 9mm compact w/o difficulty and doesn't find the recoil especially bad (for her).
We ended up getting her the P250 subcompact in .380 and she really likes it. It's a true DAO so no manual safety to worry about under stress and the trigger is superb for a semi-auto.

I CCW a PX4 Compact 9mm and don't find it hard to conceal w/minimal wardrobe arrangement. I really like how the PX4's rotating bbl action redirects the recoil so it's more of a straight-back push w/less muzzle rise. I don't care for slide-mounted safety/decockers so had my 'smith do the simple changeover from safety/decocker to decocker-only.

Bottom line, let her try as many different handguns/calibers as she wants and let her choose what she likes best, *regardless of action or caliber* as she's better off w/a different/less-powerful pistol she likes and is confident with than something else she doesn't like and won't practice with.
JMHO...
Tomac

Glock 26 ; M&P sub..PX4 subcompact is a big man's 'small gun'. shorter slide and grip but the center bulk is still the same (and its quite bulky) with the same distance to the trigger, safety, slide stop/release.. linear stats alone doesn't tell the full story on size..

I assume you think a lot of popular carry guns are too big to carry.

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For many people, yes.

Bottom line, let her try as many different handguns/calibers as she wants and let her choose what she likes best, *regardless of action or caliber* as she's better off w/a different/less-powerful pistol she likes and is confident with than something else she doesn't like and won't practice with.

Click to expand...

This is true.

I have a lot of guns that I let new shooters (females) try.
It's not unusual for them to like/dislike a gun at first, that you think is the right gun for them. Then after shooting other guns they usually change their minds several times until they say, This is the one.

Recently a lady really liked my Ruger SR45, so much so that I gave it to her (I wasn't crazy about the gun).
Even though she has small hands she is very good with the big 45.



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I loved my PX4 Storm SC, thought it would be a great gun for my wife. She loves my 6906 and thought the PX 4 SC felt "like a toy." 'Nuff said, she likes what she likes.

Take the advice in post #2. Been there, screwed that up, wasted money. I'd sooner give novice shooters a can of pepper spray and a short barrel Browning Buckmark than something they can't manipulate the slide and safety on. Did I mention been there?

I like the Beretta PX4 Storm and almost bought one. However ...

... I really REALLY liked the sweet double action trigger pull and simple manual of arms of the P250. I find it very easy to shoot accurately and feel confident handling the gun. No safety. One trigger pull. Nice even rolling trigger break that is very resistant to pulling and jerking the sights off the target. AND you can get the medium sized compact model with a SMALL frame--if your lady has smaller hands.

Great sights. Great trigger pull. Excellent grip. Mine didn't need any break in and has been 100% reliable with all kinds of 9mm ammo.

The gun itself is good, but please please PLEASE do not just go out and buy her a gun and tell her that's what she's going to use. She needs to go down the same path that most of the rest of us did. Research, handle some guns, research, rent and shoot some, research some more, and choose a quality firearm from a reputable company. She needs to carry a gun that she is comfortable carrying, handling, and firing...and she is the only person in the world who can make that decision

I used to own a PX4 9mm subcompact and I liked it. Good capacity, good shooter, reliable, accurate..as expected from Beretta. While it is a "subcompact" it's not a tiny gun by any means. I'd say the same about the gen 2 SIG P250, which is what I carry these days (subcompact .40). It's the nicest shooting subcompact .40 I've ever owned/shot, but some spicy self defense loads will remind you that it means business

On the other hand, her HANDS may fit better on a Kahr K9 or Beretta Nano.

Probably should look at new Glock 42, single stack .380 that is getting very good reviews.