Current Pico

[halfmoonclip]

Did some research here; most of it is somewhat older.
Opinions wanted on this pistol; reliability, recoil, and, especially, trigger pull. Matter of fact, we give him a regular hard time about it.
Buddy has an older Pico, and the damned thing has the worst trigger known to man. It shoots remarkably straight, but it takes 35 seconds to break the shot, grunting the entire time.
But they are remarkably small, and more nicely made than, say, an LCP.
So, what's the verdict on the current iteration?
Moon

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I dunno, I had one circa 2020 and thought the trigger was actually pretty nice. Shoulda kept it, haven't seen ANY in the flesh in a couple years.

 

[Cary Turpin]

I bought a new one several years ago. It does have a heavy trigger but it is a pocket gun. Lately it has developed a feeding problem where the nose of the bullet will hit the feed ramp but will not travel up and into the chamber. Tried all four of the magazines I have as well as a different recoil spring. Factory ammo or my reloads it does the same thing. I have not fixed the problem yet but haven't given up. Personally I would not recommend this gun to anyone. I understand Beretta quit making these a year or two ago and that was probably a good thing.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Cary Turpin, you appear to be correct, it is indeed listed as "legacy" on their website.
I've been reading about some upgrades to suggest to my buddy, to make his gun more shootable.
So, swapping it on a new one isn't a viable option.
Thanks, gang.
Moon

 

[bannockburn]

Moon

I looked at a couple of them some years back, when I was trying to find another micro .380 to go with my Colt Mustang. The innovative design and build quality of the Pico was first rate. It even had a removal chassis (which was considered to be the actual "firearm" part that carried the serial number on it), so that you could swap out the polymer grip module without having any restrictions on buying them.

But that was where the good news ended and the shortcomings arose (no pun intended). For me, even with my small hands, I really couldn't get a decent hold on the gun because the grip module was too short; leaving barely enough space to get two fingers on it. It really felt kind of awkward and uncomfortable. The other problem I had was with the trigger: it was long, heavy, and rather gritty feeling.

I ended up going with a SIG P238 which was more like getting another Colt Mustang!

 

[halfmoonclip]

Bannockburn, your problems with the gun are similar to mine. The Pico seems more nicely made than, say, an LCP, and it has a milder recoil impulse. But the ergos, and the trigger, were deal breakers.
With the chassis system, there's a chance that someone would have made a more ergonomic gripframe. But that gadawful trigger would remain.
I'd still like something LCP sized, but more nicely made. Sorry, no single actions need apply, but that's just me.
It's worth telling my buddy that Beretta has made some upgrades that might apply to his gun.
Moon

 

[bannockburn]

Moon

Yeah it's kind of a shame because the Pico had a lot of things going for it, like the chassis design with the changeable grip module, some pretty decent sights (as I seem to recall), and made with quality materials. Just that heavy trigger, short grip module, and various ergonomic issues were deal breakers for me.

 

[Cary Turpin]

I think these small pocket guns are a challenge for gun manufacturers. They are a challenge to make in the parameters of a pocket size gun and operate without problems. They are also a lot more challenging for the purchaser to shoot well. Beretta released this gun to the public without sufficient testing and the public became the beta testers. With the initial problems they eventually released a version two with some upgrades to address those problems. I have the version two and it still has problems. I like it for a pocket gun but if I can't get it to be reliable I will need to replace it and move on. I know there are a lot of good guns out there made by Beretta but I will probably not be a customer for them again.

 

[jar]

My sister adopted my Pico but she finds it too hard to rack. She has a 'Handi-Racker' she keeps in her range bag that allows her to safely rack the Pico but it's far from the ideal solution.

 

[Tallball]

MIne goes bang every time and has nice sights. It seems well constructed. The trigger is an abomination, though, and they aren't worth much $, so it sits in my safe.

 

[SeanSw]

They are challenging. Very well made, nicely finished steel parts, genuine metal sights, but incredibly small and an unforgiving DAO trigger. There's no outsmarting the physics on such a small hammer fired pistol. I had bad luck with the LCP and Taurus TCP, the Pico is more reliable than either of those but I also tend to just run it with FMJ now. It's as accurate as I am. I added some grip tape and use the "banana" magazine plate, but I sanded it flush to create just a bit more purchase without looking quite so bad. Overall I think it's a decent pocket gun.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Thanks again, gang.
I may make a separate post on an alternative to the LCP, but I'm already aware of most of the alternatives.
The Ruger/KelTec twins are very much built down to a price, and they feel it. I've an LCP for really discrete carry, and mine have been reliable. They aren't any fun to shoot. The 'II' versions are a little more pleasant in recoil, but it gives me trigger slap.
It would seem that one of the makers could see a niche in a really small, really shootable, durable pistol. SIG/Glock quality, a really tiny 365/42.
Moon

 

[Speedo66]

I think these small pocket guns are a challenge for gun manufacturers.

Not so hard. If you’re like Ruger, I think you just look at a Keltec P3AT and pretty much copy it.

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

I bought a new one several years ago. It does have a heavy trigger but it is a pocket gun. Lately it has developed a feeding problem where the nose of the bullet will hit the feed ramp but will not travel up and into the chamber. Tried all four of the magazines I have as well as a different recoil spring. Factory ammo or my reloads it does the same thing. I have not fixed the problem yet but haven't given up. Personally I would not recommend this gun to anyone. I understand Beretta quit making these a year or two ago and that was probably a good thing.

How many rounds do you have though it. I sem to remember the recoil spring goes after 500? Rounds. I actually need to test this theory on mine and get a new recoil spring while they are available

 

[Cary Turpin]

Changing the recoil spring was one of the first things I tried,