Beretta Pico Range Report

[RenegadeBI]

I'm glad you're happy with the Pico. I waited & waited 'til I could get one, but when I checked it out I didn't like the grip, found it very hard to rack & the slide lock impossible to engage. I ended up with the Kahr CW380 which I like except I have had some FTE's (shooting cheap ammo), which I certainly don't like! Kahr does say there's a 200 rnd break-in period, I've run about 300 thru it, we'll see.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

As an update (since RenegadeBI resurrected this Thread...) I have put an additional 500+ rounds thru my Pico over the Christmas and New Years holidays without a single fail. They were all hand loads as that's what I train and carry with. So I have at least 750 rounds thru my Pico with not a single failure. 4 different shooters including myself - 2 of them shot well with the gun but would not buy one for themselves. One of them is my Wife.

The gun is not for everyone - it's very small and the grip is a compromise. The really hard to rack slide and stiffness of the gun disappeared completely after 250 rounds and a bunch of racking and dry firing and my small Wife, who couldn't load the Pico when we got it, manages it just fine now. It is built like a tank and it's stiff through it's break in then it's excellent if you can deal with the extremely small grip. The gun lives in my front pocket now. I got an extra standard mag and the extended pinky extension mag lives in the box. I don't care for it. With a little practice and shootin it right beside our G42 the Pico actually turns a tighter group in slow rested fire as well as rapid fire point shooting and it's a lot smaller than a G42. It's an acquired taste - I love the dang thing but can see where others will not care for it. It *is* extremely well built and finished and handles the hottest .380 with minimal recoil. Cleaning is a breeze due to simple take down and stainless/polymer construction and the really cool modular chassis which snaps out, can be given a shot of pressurized solvent and then a shot of pressurized Breakfree CLP and snapped back in the gun. It takes a couple minutes tops to clean this pistol. I'm stoked waiting for colored frames, .32 barrel, and accessories including a free holster from Beretta!

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=770359

This is exactly our experience with the Kahr CW380 and I have shot 2 of them. Hopefully you'll have better luck with it than we have or others have. They do seem to improve with a few hundred rounds down range as well.

VooDoo

 

[khegglie]

^^^^

As you, ve poined out so well this product has a lot of potential in it's crowded market.

I think it will replace the Tomcat.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

My local Scheel's has the Pico for $299! Very good price! I'm tempted to get one but I have a big tuition bill coming up in a month and I'm maybe going to be moving to a new house/apt soon...

 

[C0untZer0]

when I checked it out I didn't like the grip, found it very hard to rack & the slide lock impossible to engage.

Was the mag easy to drop? In addition to what you listed, the 2 that I have tried so far were very difficult to actually get the magazine to drop. I don't know if it was the magazine release button or the magazines, or the magwell or what but those magazines would not drop and even pulling on them with my left hand to try to get them out was a chore.

 

[Vodoun da Vinci]

The only issue I have had with mags has been when you load 6+1 the top round of the mag wants to move slightly forward in the magazine due to friction with the top round being stripped off and chambered. This makes the mag not want to drop free if you release it with rounds yet remaining after you rack one into the barrel.

Other than that the mags pop smartly into my hand when the release is pulled with the left hand. It takes two hands on the gun as releasing the mag release with the strong hand thumb is not gonna happen.

Slide locked back on empty mag? That sucker pops right out when the release is pulled.

VooDoo