Vodoun da Vinci
Member
OK, I'm back from the range with my new Pico. Before I say anything else I'll say this: I really like this gun. That said, I was all worked up over possible problems after having my FP fail right out of the box. I sent the gun to Beretta USA for warranty repair and they turned the gun over in 6 days over the Thanksgiving holiday. I shot 250 rounds this morning: 50 rounds of Fiocchi 95 gr. Ball, 50 rounds of Winchester Train and Defend "Train" ammunition and 150 rounds of hand loads. The hand loads are *hot* hand loads developed for my Wife's G42 and we have shot quite a few of them. Xtreme 100 gr. flat nose plated bullets in mixed brass over 3.8 gr. of Unique.
I don't own a chronograph but a range buddy shot 100 of these in his G42 and they clocked about 1080 fps. Hot.
We'll cut to the chase and end the suspense - I had not one single failure in 250 rounds. Flawless performance that started with 4 mags (24 rounds) of Fiocchi feeling the gun out. I find the recoil to be not so bad as I feared. Not near as bad as the Ruger LCP but not near as mild as the Glock 42...kinda medium. I shot offhand and managed some pretty decent groups at 21' of about 2". Then I started loading and shooting 6+1 and finished the box of Fiocchi and 50 rounds of Winchester moving the targets between 15' and 30' and progressing to triple taps and mag dumps while staying center mass on the torso targets at all ranges. She warmed up good and I opened a box of handloads and proceeded to train with the pistol having complete confidence in it.
Continuing the load 6+1 I went to point shooting at 21' - this is how I really evaluate a SD pistol and the standard I'm looking for is to get consistent groups center mass that are generally covered by one hand (my palm is 4"across) and the get 3X in about 1 second. Flawless performance again and while the beginning groups were a little loose they tightened up as I gained familiarity.
I had a blast and would carry this gun (will carry this gun) based on today's performance. I let the LGS counter guy and range master test fire the gun for 2 mags as they are contemplating putting one in rental and one under the glass *but* were really upset when mine had the FP failure right out of the box. Judging by the reaction today I'd be suprised if we don't see one in stock next week. Matt at the LGS was surprised at how accurate the gun was in his hands and I was impressed....Dude put 'em on target very well but commented on the recoil. But he was shooting my hot Home Brew then so that would not surprise me.
I was pretty sure I'd not like the extended magazine but at the end of the day I don't have any bad things to say about the gun. I'll likely carry it with the short/flush mag and buy a few more of them. I'll add a pix or two to this post tomorrow of the gun and several targets. I wanted to also add that if you buy a Pico, be prepared to break it in or do as I did and take the pistol down, lube with premium lube of your choice, and then rack the gun over a period of days for at least 500 reps. Seriously....the slide and barrel need to get the mating areas burnished and the trigger really benefits from Snap Caps and 500+ trigger pulls. I started racking the gun in 20 rep sequences and have done a set of 20 every time I handled the gun the last few days and I can see the top of the barrel and the burnished areas. The springs are only the tip of the iceberg...the gun just needs to break in. Hot ammo will help but that's gonna get expensive if you don't hand load.
This one's a keeper for me and I'm extremely happy with it but I still feel that the pistol is extreme and not for the "typical" person who will buy it - the gun is not for the inexperienced or timid/occasional gun owner. The springs are stiff and always will be. Mags are a bear to load, the slide is hard to rack and the trigger is, to me, a classic DA revolver pull style of trigger. Yes it stacks a little but mine is not gritty. I like the trigger...it's never gonna go *BaNg!* unless you are seriously wanting to pull the trigger. It's no harder for me than my Ruger LCR but it's not cammed and the gun is *TINY*. To be comfortable with the trigger you'll have to train with it. Got big hands? This is not ever gonna be a comfortable gun to shoot with big, thick hands. Got weak hands or a grip compromised by arthritis? It's gonna be uncomfortable if you can ever get comfortable with the Pico. This is not a beginners gun - it's a heavy DA trigger hammer fired hide out pistol built to shoot thousands of rounds of hot SD style ammunition. It's a little tank, it is not a toy.
Pix added 12/7 Sunday.
VooDoo
I don't own a chronograph but a range buddy shot 100 of these in his G42 and they clocked about 1080 fps. Hot.
We'll cut to the chase and end the suspense - I had not one single failure in 250 rounds. Flawless performance that started with 4 mags (24 rounds) of Fiocchi feeling the gun out. I find the recoil to be not so bad as I feared. Not near as bad as the Ruger LCP but not near as mild as the Glock 42...kinda medium. I shot offhand and managed some pretty decent groups at 21' of about 2". Then I started loading and shooting 6+1 and finished the box of Fiocchi and 50 rounds of Winchester moving the targets between 15' and 30' and progressing to triple taps and mag dumps while staying center mass on the torso targets at all ranges. She warmed up good and I opened a box of handloads and proceeded to train with the pistol having complete confidence in it.
Continuing the load 6+1 I went to point shooting at 21' - this is how I really evaluate a SD pistol and the standard I'm looking for is to get consistent groups center mass that are generally covered by one hand (my palm is 4"across) and the get 3X in about 1 second. Flawless performance again and while the beginning groups were a little loose they tightened up as I gained familiarity.
I had a blast and would carry this gun (will carry this gun) based on today's performance. I let the LGS counter guy and range master test fire the gun for 2 mags as they are contemplating putting one in rental and one under the glass *but* were really upset when mine had the FP failure right out of the box. Judging by the reaction today I'd be suprised if we don't see one in stock next week. Matt at the LGS was surprised at how accurate the gun was in his hands and I was impressed....Dude put 'em on target very well but commented on the recoil. But he was shooting my hot Home Brew then so that would not surprise me.
I was pretty sure I'd not like the extended magazine but at the end of the day I don't have any bad things to say about the gun. I'll likely carry it with the short/flush mag and buy a few more of them. I'll add a pix or two to this post tomorrow of the gun and several targets. I wanted to also add that if you buy a Pico, be prepared to break it in or do as I did and take the pistol down, lube with premium lube of your choice, and then rack the gun over a period of days for at least 500 reps. Seriously....the slide and barrel need to get the mating areas burnished and the trigger really benefits from Snap Caps and 500+ trigger pulls. I started racking the gun in 20 rep sequences and have done a set of 20 every time I handled the gun the last few days and I can see the top of the barrel and the burnished areas. The springs are only the tip of the iceberg...the gun just needs to break in. Hot ammo will help but that's gonna get expensive if you don't hand load.
This one's a keeper for me and I'm extremely happy with it but I still feel that the pistol is extreme and not for the "typical" person who will buy it - the gun is not for the inexperienced or timid/occasional gun owner. The springs are stiff and always will be. Mags are a bear to load, the slide is hard to rack and the trigger is, to me, a classic DA revolver pull style of trigger. Yes it stacks a little but mine is not gritty. I like the trigger...it's never gonna go *BaNg!* unless you are seriously wanting to pull the trigger. It's no harder for me than my Ruger LCR but it's not cammed and the gun is *TINY*. To be comfortable with the trigger you'll have to train with it. Got big hands? This is not ever gonna be a comfortable gun to shoot with big, thick hands. Got weak hands or a grip compromised by arthritis? It's gonna be uncomfortable if you can ever get comfortable with the Pico. This is not a beginners gun - it's a heavy DA trigger hammer fired hide out pistol built to shoot thousands of rounds of hot SD style ammunition. It's a little tank, it is not a toy.
Pix added 12/7 Sunday.
VooDoo
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