Advice needed-Beretta CX4 Storm?

[Prion]

Not sure what happened but my question wasn't posted. Opinions and experience with CX4 Storm. Saw one in person and really liked it. Caliber recommendations? I was thinking 9mm because it's going to be a range gun and it's more affordable to shoot unless someone has a good reason to consider .40 or .45. I use a shotgun for HD. I don't care about opinions on its looks, I like it and at least I don't paint my guns purple! I want to know about reliability, quality, and accuracy etc.

 

[Walkalong]

I had one in 9MM. I sold it to help finance an AR in 9MM. It was 100% reliable with ball ammo. That is all I ever tried in it. It is light and handy. It's pretty accurate. It has rails to mount cool stuff on. No complaints really. It was a tad short to suit me, and it was ugly. Great little carbine though.

 

[Prion]

Hey, be nice, I like the way it looks!

 

[Walkalong]

To each their own.

 

[jnocker]

CX4

I have the .45 CX4. It's fun to shoot. I put a cheap red dot sight on it and does pretty well at 50yds or less.

My only complaint is in regards to the nagazine capacity. The fun is over way too soon.

 

[lipadj46]

I see the 9mm as a range toy, not a bad thing I have a high point 995 in an ATI CX4 clone stock for this purpose. If you want a more serious and useful rifle I would get the .45. In .45 the price of a CX4 starts to look OK but in 9mm I would just get a Hi Point.

 

[classcpl]

CX4 9mm

I bough a CX4 last year as a primary HD weapon for the following reasons:

A shotgun was no good for us because my wife is a small woman and cannot handle the recoil or length of pull.

An AR/AK is out of the picture because of over-penetration concerns.

I prefer not to go deaf/blind after firing a shot inside of the house.

The CX4 is small enough for my wife to handle, with negligible recoil and considerably less muzzle flash/blast.

The manual of arms is basically the same as a semi auto pistol, which my wife is familiar with.

It has several attachment points for a light and or laser. The light, at least, is a good thing to have on an HD weapon.

20 rds of 9mm JHP out of a 16 inch barrel is nothing to sneeze at.

I have found the storm to be plenty accurate (80 rds made a gaping 3 inch hole at 50 yds) and 100% reliable with every type of ammo I have run through it. And oh yeah, I can actually afford to shot it *alot* since 9mm is still relatively inexpensive around here.

 

[Coronach]

An AR/AK is out of the picture because of over-penetration concerns.

I hate to break it to you, but your 9mm carbine is going to penetrate a lot further in housing materials than .223 out of an AR.

Mike

 

[Olympus]

I hate to break it to you, but your 9mm carbine is going to penetrate a lot further in housing materials than .223 out of an AR.

That's news to me. I shoot .223 and it goes completely through 1/2 steel plate targets. I think steel might be a little harder to penetrate than wood and sheet rock. I guess it all depends on whether you're shooting FMJ or not. I've read tests that show both sides of the arguement.

 

[MachIVshooter]

That's news to me. I shoot .223 and it goes completely through 1/2 steel plate targets. I think steel might be a little harder to penetrate than wood and sheet rock. I guess it all depends on whether you're shooting FMJ or not. I've read tests that show both sides of the arguement.

5.56mm ball rounds are still less likely to exit a structure than ball rounds from a handgun. External ballistics are a funny thing, and penetration characteristics from one material to another vary greatly.

My .17 Rem. will poke holes in 1/4" steel plate with ease, but will only achieve a few inches of penetration in ballistic gelatin, where my .454 Casull with hard cast lead will only dent the metal, but easily passess through more than two feet of gel.

Same concept applies to 5.56mm vs. 9mm/.357/.40/.45/etc., although none of those handgun rounds have anywhere near the penetration of a .454.

 

[Big_E]

I suggest looking at the Hi-Point carbine and then getting the ATI (?) stock that will make it look similar to the storm and save you money for a nice optic and lots of ammo.

Oh and HiPoint makes an excellent product for the money but it won't be as nice as the over-priced spaghetti shooter.

 

[Coronach]

I've read tests that show both sides of the arguement.

It does depend on what you're shooting (in both), but the general consensus is that .223 (in standard defensive loadings) will penetrate less far than handgun rounds (in standard defensive loadings) in building materials. Unless your walls are made of steel plate, the .223's admittedly-better AP qualities are moot.

Remember, the .223 is a fast/light round. It can punch through tough stuff that will completely stop a heavy/slow bullet, but will carry less far in any material it penetrates, because it will bleed velocity rapidly. IOW, if both the 9mm and the .223 round can get into the material, the 9mm round will go futher.

Mike

PS Yes, this is an oversimplification

 

[zx12rider]

I have one and love it.

I have the 40sw with all the rails, light, front grip. I put a red dot bushnel on it and it shoots very very well. I think the mags hold 26 rds and at 25 yards the bullets save paper by using the same hole. I highly recommend the gun. I like it better than the keltec sub-9 (another good gun) and Special weapons HK copy I had. You will not be disappointed. The prices have come down a lot on them too.

 

[briansmithwins]

As far as 5.56 punching thru steel goes, think of it this way: What happens to that bullet AFTER it goes thru the plate? Most 5.56 rounds are so lightly built that they start falling apart when they hit pretty much anything. Many handgun rounds, with their lower velocities, just don't break up the same way.

I thought about the Storm myself as there are several local matches that only allow pistol calibers. I wound up getting an Uzi for about the same price as the mags are cheaper and it looks more 'evil'. Of course, optics, lights, lasers (with and without sharks) are easier to mount on the Storm. I'm still very happy with the Uzi. BSW

 

[MartyG]

I ordered mine from Bud's on the night of the election. Same rationale as ClassCpl. 9mm. I bought several 20rd (PX4) mags, a red dot, a sling and a soft case. Have put at least 500 rds through it, my accuracy is as good as the others have mentioned.
I like it, it's "cool," the whole family likes shooting it, and 9mm is fairly easy to get and cheap. You won't be unhappy with it, supplies are limited so resale should be easy if you need to. Well-built, easy to field strip and clean, too. One other feature - if you're left-handed, the conversion is easy.