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gonoles_1980
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Pico at 15 ft, RedHawks at 25 ft. Most of my guns are short barrel, so saying it's second to the RedHawk just means it's the best of the snubbies.
Disappointed with the Beretta Pico
- Thread starter gonoles_1980
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Tanshanomi
Member
I bought a Pico 11 months ago. After about 100-150 rounds, the firing pin broke. The UPS depot is a 40-mile drive from my house, so it sat in the safe for a couple of months until I got around to sending it back for repair under warranty ($56 shipping!). I also had the upgrade to lighter recoil and trigger springs done. I got it back a couple of weeks ago, took it to the range, and put about 20 rounds through it without issue. The trigger seemed better, and seemed to be smoothing out with use, so I figured I would put a snap cap in and work it a bit. I was very, very careful NOT to dry fire it without a snap-cap in place. Guess what? A couple of hundred clicks of the trigger with the snap-cap in, and I've got another broken firing pin. I am SOOO disappointed in this gun, because there's a lot to like about the design, but the execution is so bad its worse than useless.
W L Johnson
Member
I've had the magazine pop out in my pocket by the pressure of my pants pressing the gun against my leg upon sitting down with two difference pocket guns with button releases. So yes it can happen.
My current pocket pistol, Rohrbaugh R9, has a heel release and I've never had the mag pop out in my pocket.
Zendude
Member
Two broken firing pins would make me mad too. When you sent it to Beretta, did they upgrade the springs when they replaced the firing pin?
Tanshanomi
Member
Yes. The upgrade is worth having done.
Zendude
Member
You also mentioned the shipping cost. Beretta should pay for shipping on warranty repairs.
Tanshanomi
Member
Called Beretta and requested another firing pin. They agreed to send it out. The rep claimed that they've only seen firing pin breakages with "excessive dry firing." I asked if a snap-cap should be adequate to protect the firing pin from breaking. He replied, "Yeah, that shouldn't cause a problem."
I doubt I will ever pull the trigger on this gun again, regardless of what's in the chamber.
I doubt I will ever pull the trigger on this gun again, regardless of what's in the chamber.
Here here ! for the Rohrbaugh R9's heel mag release !
I never have to worry about the mag popping out.
But from the Pico I handled in the gun store you could have that gun in your pocket, take a fall from a two story window, land directly on the mag release button and the mag still wouldn't come out.
That was one hard to activate mag release button!
I never have to worry about the mag popping out.
But from the Pico I handled in the gun store you could have that gun in your pocket, take a fall from a two story window, land directly on the mag release button and the mag still wouldn't come out.
That was one hard to activate mag release button!
toivo
Member
The only effective way to work it -- and the way I think it was designed to be used -- is to pinch the mag release between the thumb and forefinger of your weak hand and pull it down. The mag will fall out in the palm of your hand.
As far as activating it one-handed, as they say in Brooklyn, "Fuggedaboudit!"
WardenWolf
member
Beretta and small guns = bad combination. They've never made a good small handgun. That should be well-known by now.
Tanshanomi
Member
Yeah, that's how I was doing it, and I thought it worked just fine; I never eject a mag without my weak hand under it to catch it anyway. Dropping your empty magazine to the pavement is so Hollywood.
toivo
Member
Respectfully disagree. The Jetfire 950 in .25 ACP is a fine small handgun. Might be their only one, though.
Tanshanomi
Member
There's a lot I could really like about the Pico. Between the revised, lighter hammer spring and the trigger starting to smooth itself out, I was just starting to re-think my original negatively towards it.
Too bad one extremely vital component is total crap. I even thought about chucking up some high-strength steel rod into my lathe and making a replacement. Then I thought about the stupidity of amateur gunsmithing in general and decided against that plan.
WardenWolf
member
Only because .25 ACP isn't powerful enough to break anything. Not even a skull. . .
I was just reading verbiage from a Bud's advert:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/90334#sthash.BM3448uf.dpuf
Bud's is still talking about the rumored .32 conversion?
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http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/90334#sthash.BM3448uf.dpuf
Bud's is still talking about the rumored .32 conversion?
.
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gonoles_1980
Member
Update: My wife is getting more comfortable with the gun, she actually likes the trigger pull, she hard to rack, but it's slowly getting easier the more it gets used. The "update" helps some, going from two springs to one stronger spring, not sure what they did for the trigger pull. It is a very nice looking gun.
toivo
Member
I think that's the old Beretta catalog verbiage. It shows up on a bunch of other retailers' websites too, but it's no longer there on the Beretta USA site.
If they come out with a .32 and have solved all the others issues, I'll buy one.
WardenWolf
member
Despite being a premium brand, Beretta has repeatedly failed to develop a reliable small pistol, even where cheaper brands like Ruger and Kel-Tec have succeeded.I don't know what's wrong with their engineering department, but their small pistols are about as reliable as a Jimenez or Diamondback.
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gonoles_1980
Member
WardenWolf I have a J-22, the gun is extremely reliable as long as I only use CCI copper plated 22lr's. Anything else, it will reliably jam 
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toivo
Member
Not to belabor the point, but regardless of what you think of the .25 ACP round, my Jetfire 950 has been 100% reliable.
Zendude
Member
I don't think any micro compact pistol is truly reliable. My Pico has worked fine through 800 rounds, but Tanshanomi's has gone through two firing pins while very new. My Bersa got sent in for warranty repairs three times for three different broken parts in the first year, but others have Bersas that are very reliable. This is the way it seems to go for most brands of micro pistols. Maybe it's a price point issue, as most micros tend not to sell for over $400 or so.
Tanshanomi
Member
Well, I've had my Pico back together with the (second) new firing pin for a while now, and between the upgraded springs and enough trigger pulls to smooth out the action, I am going to surprise myself by admitting that it's becoming a pretty nice-shooting little range gun. The big, 3-dot sights are mounds better than anything any of my other pocket guns have, and while the narrow grip does make the recoil more noticeable, it's nothing painful, even though I have some wrist damage that makes me somewhat recoil averse.
I wouldn't carry it for PD at this point simply due to the fragility of the firing pins, but I'm quite not ready to part with it. As long as it keeps going bang, there will be a place for it at the bottom of my range bag.
I wouldn't carry it for PD at this point simply due to the fragility of the firing pins, but I'm quite not ready to part with it. As long as it keeps going bang, there will be a place for it at the bottom of my range bag.
98bluewave
Member
I had decided to get back into shooting after a 30 year absence early this year and purchased a Pico. since I wanted something to carry in my pocket. The slide was extremely difficult to rack and I was so disappointed I took it back before I ever fired it. And I'm so glad I did!
I'm 80 yrs. old and if the slide doesn't rack fairly easily, it's not for me! In the last few months I have received my LTC, and purchased a Glock 19, Glock 43, and a Glock 42. All of these are easy to rack and are great shooters!
I'm 80 yrs. old and if the slide doesn't rack fairly easily, it's not for me! In the last few months I have received my LTC, and purchased a Glock 19, Glock 43, and a Glock 42. All of these are easy to rack and are great shooters!
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