Jenrick
Member
So the LGS had a full size PX4 for sale at a price that would allow me to resell it for a profit if I didn't like it. For a long time I hadn't been interested in the PX4, something about the look just didn't do it for me. However I had recently seen a few video of Ernest Langdon shooting the PX4 and this piqued my curiosity a bit, as I am a fan of Langdon and what he teaches regarding DA/SA shooting. So I had done just a little looking at prices and decided they were to high, when this showed up. Less than $350 dollars later I was out the door with my PX4 and 2 17 round magazines.
The PX4 is frequently touted as a "soft shooting" 9mm, due to the rotating barrel. I find there to be no perceptible difference in recoil between the PX4 and my full size M&P in 9mm (shot back to back) YMMV of course, but I figured I'd hit this right out of the gate since it is frequently asked or mentioned.
The PX4 has a very good DA trigger out of the box. It's very clean, crisp, and for a non-target trigger, has minimal over travel. My trigger pull gauge is out of service at the moment, so I can't give an exact number, but I'd estimate around 9-10lbs stock (it's noticeably lighter than my 686 which is a measure 12lb). The pull is smooth, with no stacking. It has a long trigger stroke, so it can be shoot as a smooth constant pull, or stage easily. I find no real difference in times on the first shot between the PX4 and my P225, even though the 225 has a shorter overall DA stroke. If you do want to stage the trigger the longer pull makes it MUCH easier to do so.
The SA trigger has the trigger hit the wall at a point much further back than you'd expect. It's instantly noticeable in dry fire the first time you try it. The reset is a bit longer than a DA/SA Sig or H&K, or most striker fired pistols. The SA break is clean with again minimal over travel. I have found that the longer take-up/pre travel on the SA trigger allows for a more aggressive trigger pull in SA without a risk of trigger slapping.
Control wise, mine has the full size "bat-wing" decocker levers (the largest of the three sizes available), the full size extended slide release, and standard magazine release. The levers were the M9 style decock and safety lever, which about 15 minutes of work (mostly spent cursing a stubborn roll pin) converted to the decocker only configuration. The safety function was the standard Beretta trigger disconnect, where the gun on safe has no connection between the trigger and the hammer (the trigger can be pulled, but does nothing). The decocker levers can bang up your hands a bit on immediate action drills, or if you're a fan of monkey paw slide manipulations. I might transition to the mid sized levers to see if the size is a little better.
The slide release is large and easy to utilize with either thumb to send the slide forward. It is easy to lock the slide to the rear, and ergonomically works well. The magazine release is a push button like most modern American pistols (except H&K) and can be swapped to either side.
Field stripping is the same as a Glock, except there is no need to pull the trigger first, and the take down latches are easier to manipulate. The field stripped gun has one additional piece compared to a Sig/Glock/H&K, and that's the cam block that the barrel rotates via. Field stirpping takes about the same amount of time as with any other major service pistols.
The gun features interchangeable backstraps that are held in place with a large metal staple. It's not the easier system to use, you'll probably need a flat head screwdriver to get the staple out of the butt of the pistol to allow the grip module to be removed. Once the staple is out though, it's easy to swap between the small, medium, or large module. The modules primarily change the trigger reach by increasing the front to back dimension of the grip. I have small hands for a guy, and found the medium to be my prefered option. The large was still very shootable, I just had to be careful on my grip when drawing at speed. I found the small caused the muzzle to cant downward when I presented from the ready, and didn't seem to affect trigger reach at all.
The standard magazine is a 17rd metal magazine, with a polymer base plate. It has witness holes on the even round numbers, and the 17th round. I had read other reports that the magazines are stiff when new, and they aren't lying. Definitely one of the stiffer magazine springs I've worked against. Both magazines fed, locked the slide to the rear, and dropped free with zero issues. Beretta factory magazines appear to be of high quality. Also offered are 20 round magazines, which have a slightly extended base plate to allow for the extra rounds. I currently don't have any 20 rounders to test, but I plan on ordering some. Apparently Beretta follows H&K's theory of using the pistol as the loss leader, and making their money on the magazines. Factory pricing has the standard mags at or over $40 each.
Accuracy is very good, and is more than acceptable for social work. I personally find the gun to be very ergonomic, and that in turns allows me to wring more accuracy out of it than I otherwise might. I have found that the full size slide stop may be a bit to big, as twice I have bumped it during longer rapid fire strings, locking the slide back inadvertently. Beretta makes a low profile "stealth" slide stop that I will try, and see if it solves that problem. The gun came with the factory night sights, which are not self illuminating, rather they require exposure to light first. I plan on replacing them with a set of tritium sights at some point. The stock sights have a wide rear notch, with a slightly chunk front sight. I find that it works quite well for "practical shooting."
The gun has a very rounded appearance, with few hard edges. This makes for a gun that carries and conceals well. It is very comfortable with nothing to really snag, abrade, rub, etc when carried. I haven't moved it into the rotation yet as I'd like to solve the slide locking back issue first. I haven't added a light to it yet (which I usually have on my carry guns), but the extra weight will only help to lower the already pleasant 9mm recoil.
Overall I find the gun pleasant to shoot, and very capable. I find I do better with it than any of my classic series Sig's (when trying for speed and accuracy, both are more accurate than I am at distance), and even with the DA first shot I am running times comparable to guns that a SF or SAO for the first shoot. The favorable ergonomics allow for 25 yd DA headshots in times around 2-2.5 seconds from the holster (if I remember my glasses), and 15 yd DA headshots are basically point and click.
For some reason my reloads are bit off of pace, and I'm not sure why. There's nothing I can find with the mechanical function of the pistol that is causing any issues. I wonder if there is a slightly different angle to the grip than what I'm used to with my M&P.
In short I like the PX4, a lot. Very few guns have felt quite as good in my hand from the start. Not growing up on revolvers, I had to learn how to shoot a DA trigger, and DA/SA guns haven't been my strong point. I'm good with them, as I have to be for work, but I never felt that I was quiet as good with a DA/SA gun as I was with a SAO or SF system. The PX4 changes that with probably the best out of the box DA/SA trigger I've shot (and I've tried a lot to find one that I ran well, before settling on Sig's largely, with the occasional Beretta 92). The gun is accurate, handles fast, and carries concealed very well for a full size gun.
The full size controls are geared towards a duty pistol, that is open carried. These don't compromise the ability to conceal it, but they may potentially affect the function for me. Transitioning to the smaller slide stop lever (or modifying the one I have) should resolve the slide lock issue I've encountered, and the smaller decocker levers will make practicing immediate action drills more comfortable. Adding tritium sights to the pistol should complete any work needed on the pistol itself. Getting a few 20 round magazines should finish things off.
So far I have approximately 700 rounds through it in the 2 weeks or so I've had the pistol with 0 issues other than the premature slide lock back. No light strikes, fail to feed, double feeds, etc. Ammunition has been either Federal Law Man 124 gr or 147 gr full power practice ammo, or 124gr +P Speer Gold Dot.
I'll post back as I change parts and get some more rounds through the gun. Overall, if you can find a PX4 for a good price, buy one.
The PX4 is frequently touted as a "soft shooting" 9mm, due to the rotating barrel. I find there to be no perceptible difference in recoil between the PX4 and my full size M&P in 9mm (shot back to back) YMMV of course, but I figured I'd hit this right out of the gate since it is frequently asked or mentioned.
The PX4 has a very good DA trigger out of the box. It's very clean, crisp, and for a non-target trigger, has minimal over travel. My trigger pull gauge is out of service at the moment, so I can't give an exact number, but I'd estimate around 9-10lbs stock (it's noticeably lighter than my 686 which is a measure 12lb). The pull is smooth, with no stacking. It has a long trigger stroke, so it can be shoot as a smooth constant pull, or stage easily. I find no real difference in times on the first shot between the PX4 and my P225, even though the 225 has a shorter overall DA stroke. If you do want to stage the trigger the longer pull makes it MUCH easier to do so.
The SA trigger has the trigger hit the wall at a point much further back than you'd expect. It's instantly noticeable in dry fire the first time you try it. The reset is a bit longer than a DA/SA Sig or H&K, or most striker fired pistols. The SA break is clean with again minimal over travel. I have found that the longer take-up/pre travel on the SA trigger allows for a more aggressive trigger pull in SA without a risk of trigger slapping.
Control wise, mine has the full size "bat-wing" decocker levers (the largest of the three sizes available), the full size extended slide release, and standard magazine release. The levers were the M9 style decock and safety lever, which about 15 minutes of work (mostly spent cursing a stubborn roll pin) converted to the decocker only configuration. The safety function was the standard Beretta trigger disconnect, where the gun on safe has no connection between the trigger and the hammer (the trigger can be pulled, but does nothing). The decocker levers can bang up your hands a bit on immediate action drills, or if you're a fan of monkey paw slide manipulations. I might transition to the mid sized levers to see if the size is a little better.
The slide release is large and easy to utilize with either thumb to send the slide forward. It is easy to lock the slide to the rear, and ergonomically works well. The magazine release is a push button like most modern American pistols (except H&K) and can be swapped to either side.
Field stripping is the same as a Glock, except there is no need to pull the trigger first, and the take down latches are easier to manipulate. The field stripped gun has one additional piece compared to a Sig/Glock/H&K, and that's the cam block that the barrel rotates via. Field stirpping takes about the same amount of time as with any other major service pistols.
The gun features interchangeable backstraps that are held in place with a large metal staple. It's not the easier system to use, you'll probably need a flat head screwdriver to get the staple out of the butt of the pistol to allow the grip module to be removed. Once the staple is out though, it's easy to swap between the small, medium, or large module. The modules primarily change the trigger reach by increasing the front to back dimension of the grip. I have small hands for a guy, and found the medium to be my prefered option. The large was still very shootable, I just had to be careful on my grip when drawing at speed. I found the small caused the muzzle to cant downward when I presented from the ready, and didn't seem to affect trigger reach at all.
The standard magazine is a 17rd metal magazine, with a polymer base plate. It has witness holes on the even round numbers, and the 17th round. I had read other reports that the magazines are stiff when new, and they aren't lying. Definitely one of the stiffer magazine springs I've worked against. Both magazines fed, locked the slide to the rear, and dropped free with zero issues. Beretta factory magazines appear to be of high quality. Also offered are 20 round magazines, which have a slightly extended base plate to allow for the extra rounds. I currently don't have any 20 rounders to test, but I plan on ordering some. Apparently Beretta follows H&K's theory of using the pistol as the loss leader, and making their money on the magazines. Factory pricing has the standard mags at or over $40 each.
Accuracy is very good, and is more than acceptable for social work. I personally find the gun to be very ergonomic, and that in turns allows me to wring more accuracy out of it than I otherwise might. I have found that the full size slide stop may be a bit to big, as twice I have bumped it during longer rapid fire strings, locking the slide back inadvertently. Beretta makes a low profile "stealth" slide stop that I will try, and see if it solves that problem. The gun came with the factory night sights, which are not self illuminating, rather they require exposure to light first. I plan on replacing them with a set of tritium sights at some point. The stock sights have a wide rear notch, with a slightly chunk front sight. I find that it works quite well for "practical shooting."
The gun has a very rounded appearance, with few hard edges. This makes for a gun that carries and conceals well. It is very comfortable with nothing to really snag, abrade, rub, etc when carried. I haven't moved it into the rotation yet as I'd like to solve the slide locking back issue first. I haven't added a light to it yet (which I usually have on my carry guns), but the extra weight will only help to lower the already pleasant 9mm recoil.
Overall I find the gun pleasant to shoot, and very capable. I find I do better with it than any of my classic series Sig's (when trying for speed and accuracy, both are more accurate than I am at distance), and even with the DA first shot I am running times comparable to guns that a SF or SAO for the first shoot. The favorable ergonomics allow for 25 yd DA headshots in times around 2-2.5 seconds from the holster (if I remember my glasses), and 15 yd DA headshots are basically point and click.
For some reason my reloads are bit off of pace, and I'm not sure why. There's nothing I can find with the mechanical function of the pistol that is causing any issues. I wonder if there is a slightly different angle to the grip than what I'm used to with my M&P.
In short I like the PX4, a lot. Very few guns have felt quite as good in my hand from the start. Not growing up on revolvers, I had to learn how to shoot a DA trigger, and DA/SA guns haven't been my strong point. I'm good with them, as I have to be for work, but I never felt that I was quiet as good with a DA/SA gun as I was with a SAO or SF system. The PX4 changes that with probably the best out of the box DA/SA trigger I've shot (and I've tried a lot to find one that I ran well, before settling on Sig's largely, with the occasional Beretta 92). The gun is accurate, handles fast, and carries concealed very well for a full size gun.
The full size controls are geared towards a duty pistol, that is open carried. These don't compromise the ability to conceal it, but they may potentially affect the function for me. Transitioning to the smaller slide stop lever (or modifying the one I have) should resolve the slide lock issue I've encountered, and the smaller decocker levers will make practicing immediate action drills more comfortable. Adding tritium sights to the pistol should complete any work needed on the pistol itself. Getting a few 20 round magazines should finish things off.
So far I have approximately 700 rounds through it in the 2 weeks or so I've had the pistol with 0 issues other than the premature slide lock back. No light strikes, fail to feed, double feeds, etc. Ammunition has been either Federal Law Man 124 gr or 147 gr full power practice ammo, or 124gr +P Speer Gold Dot.
I'll post back as I change parts and get some more rounds through the gun. Overall, if you can find a PX4 for a good price, buy one.
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