Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
Finally, there is the \u201cF\u201d series, traditional double-action first shot with combination safety and decocking lever. The only format I have thus far actually put my hands on is a PX4 Sub-Compact. It is the format in which Beretta prefers to sell to the civilian market. Double-action-only systems like the \u201cC\u201d and \u201cF\u201d never sold well to anyone but liability-conscious folks, who generally come from the institutional markets of the law enforcement services and corrections. Our test gun for this article was a PX4F Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm system has been offered in four formats. The \u201cC\u201d style is double-action-only, very light and smooth, Beretta\u2019s answer to the light, controllable DAK system offered by Sig Sauer and the similar LEM option from Heckler & Koch. The \u201cD\u201d style is double-action-only with a long, heavy pull, which I personally don\u2019t like as well as the \u201cC\u201d option. Both of these are \u201cslick-slide-guns\u201d with no levers on the slides. Beretta also catalogs a \u201cG\u201d option, in which only the first shot is double-action and the subsequent shots will be fired from an automatically-cocked single-action platform. It mounts a spring-loaded slide lever that serves as a decocker only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, there is the \u201cF\u201d series, traditional double-action first shot with combination safety and decocking lever. The only format I have thus far actually put my hands on is a PX4 Sub-Compact. It is the format in which Beretta prefers to sell to the civilian market. Double-action-only systems like the \u201cC\u201d and \u201cF\u201d never sold well to anyone but liability-conscious folks, who generally come from the institutional markets of the law enforcement services and corrections. Our test gun for this article was a PX4F Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm system has been offered in four formats. The \u201cC\u201d style is double-action-only, very light and smooth, Beretta\u2019s answer to the light, controllable DAK system offered by Sig Sauer and the similar LEM option from Heckler & Koch. The \u201cD\u201d style is double-action-only with a long, heavy pull, which I personally don\u2019t like as well as the \u201cC\u201d option. Both of these are \u201cslick-slide-guns\u201d with no levers on the slides. Beretta also catalogs a \u201cG\u201d option, in which only the first shot is double-action and the subsequent shots will be fired from an automatically-cocked single-action platform. It mounts a spring-loaded slide lever that serves as a decocker only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, there is the \u201cF\u201d series, traditional double-action first shot with combination safety and decocking lever. The only format I have thus far actually put my hands on is a PX4 Sub-Compact. It is the format in which Beretta prefers to sell to the civilian market. Double-action-only systems like the \u201cC\u201d and \u201cF\u201d never sold well to anyone but liability-conscious folks, who generally come from the institutional markets of the law enforcement services and corrections. Our test gun for this article was a PX4F Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm system has been offered in four formats. The \u201cC\u201d style is double-action-only, very light and smooth, Beretta\u2019s answer to the light, controllable DAK system offered by Sig Sauer and the similar LEM option from Heckler & Koch. The \u201cD\u201d style is double-action-only with a long, heavy pull, which I personally don\u2019t like as well as the \u201cC\u201d option. Both of these are \u201cslick-slide-guns\u201d with no levers on the slides. Beretta also catalogs a \u201cG\u201d option, in which only the first shot is double-action and the subsequent shots will be fired from an automatically-cocked single-action platform. It mounts a spring-loaded slide lever that serves as a decocker only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, there is the \u201cF\u201d series, traditional double-action first shot with combination safety and decocking lever. The only format I have thus far actually put my hands on is a PX4 Sub-Compact. It is the format in which Beretta prefers to sell to the civilian market. Double-action-only systems like the \u201cC\u201d and \u201cF\u201d never sold well to anyone but liability-conscious folks, who generally come from the institutional markets of the law enforcement services and corrections. Our test gun for this article was a PX4F Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
With a polymer frame that both reduces weight and reduces cost at both the manufacturer\u2019s end and the buyer\u2019s, the PX4 Storm is priced to compete with other \u201cplastic pistolas.\u201d Those for the most part are striker-fired. The Storm is storming that market by attacking the niche that likes the older style hammer-fired autopistols. Why would there be such a niche at all? Well, (1) the Storm\u2019s design allows second strike on a recalcitrant primer with another simple pull of the trigger, and most striker-fired handguns don\u2019t. (2) The external hammer allows the shooter to holster with the thumb on the hammer, preventing its rise and subsequent fall if anything catches the trigger and pushes it back \u2013 something like the too-narrow safety strap on a poorly designed holster, or the drawstring of a concealing warm-up jacket, or the shooter\u2019s own finger, all of which have been documentably known to cause un-intentional discharges during holstering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm system has been offered in four formats. The \u201cC\u201d style is double-action-only, very light and smooth, Beretta\u2019s answer to the light, controllable DAK system offered by Sig Sauer and the similar LEM option from Heckler & Koch. The \u201cD\u201d style is double-action-only with a long, heavy pull, which I personally don\u2019t like as well as the \u201cC\u201d option. Both of these are \u201cslick-slide-guns\u201d with no levers on the slides. Beretta also catalogs a \u201cG\u201d option, in which only the first shot is double-action and the subsequent shots will be fired from an automatically-cocked single-action platform. It mounts a spring-loaded slide lever that serves as a decocker only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, there is the \u201cF\u201d series, traditional double-action first shot with combination safety and decocking lever. The only format I have thus far actually put my hands on is a PX4 Sub-Compact. It is the format in which Beretta prefers to sell to the civilian market. Double-action-only systems like the \u201cC\u201d and \u201cF\u201d never sold well to anyone but liability-conscious folks, who generally come from the institutional markets of the law enforcement services and corrections. Our test gun for this article was a PX4F Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Double-action trigger pull on our test gun averaged 9.96 pounds on my Lyman digital trigger pull gauge, and was consistent from first pressure to the shot without significant \u201cstacking,\u201d or increase in resistance as the trigger came farther back. In single-action mode, the same device showed an average pull weight of 4.84 pounds. As the shooter behind the sights, I couldn\u2019t feel any significant \u201cbacklash\u201d on the trigger after each shot broke. Sear release was clean and crisp. I\u2019d quantify the re-set distance of the trigger for follow-up single-action shots as medium in length, and definitely controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm differs from Beretta\u2019s classic 92F in that the 92F has one of the slickest, fastest-working safety catches in the history of slide-mounted safety\/decock levers. The first service-size PX4s had a differently shaped lever that was pointy toward the front (chewing up fingers in fast and furious clearance drills), and neither was so fast nor so easy to operate as the levers on 92s and M9s. The smaller size of the Px4 may be the reason that, at least in this writer\u2019s hand, the safety releases more easily on the Sub-Compact than on the full-size Px4. I find I can catch it nicely either with a 45-degree upward thrust with a straight thumb or with the middle joint knuckle of a curved thumb. This is highly dependent on the size and shape of the shooter\u2019s thumb, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, on the full-size Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm, I\u2019m inclined to the slick-slide \u201cC\u201d variation; as much as I like to have the option of an on-safe gun, I think it passes the point of diminishing returns if the shooter can\u2019t quickly and reflexively off-safe it on the draw. That seems to be a bit less of a problem with the Sub-Compact size PX4. And I have to say that over the years, I\u2019ve seen countless cases where someone got the good guy\u2019s gun away and tried to shoot him with it, but failed because the gun was on-safe, and no cases of trained people getting shot because they failed to off-safe their own pistol when they fired in self-defense. I did find one case of an untrained man who was shot and wounded because he forgot to off-safe a pistol of another brand, which he had not trained with. When asked why he hadn\u2019t drilled with the \u201csafety off, pull trigger\u201d protocol, his reply was something like, \u201cI\u2019m not Rambo, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 Sub-Compact in 9mm takes the same 13 + 1 cartridge capacity that those of my generation grew up finding only in the service-size Browning Hi-Power. It\u2019s still more than you\u2019ll find in most polymer sub-compact 9mm pistols today. The magazines are tough to load to full capacity, but that\u2019s something you have plenty of time to do before you load it up to carry it. I see the high capacity as a plus, and the time it takes to load the magazine as no big deal in a \u201ccarry gun.\u201d However, when the magazine is fully loaded, it locks easily into the grip-frame without resistance, unlike many other autopistols when their magazines are loaded all the way up. That\u2019s a definite \u201cplus\u201d for the Px4 Sub-Compact 9mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can point to a couple of features on this little gun that can be a \u201clife- saver\u201d in one case and can be a \u201ccareer and future saver\u201d in another. The lifesaver in a fight will be its \u201cstandoff capability.\u201d Most autopistols, when shoved into the attacker\u2019s body at belly-to-belly, shoot-or-die distance, will \u201cgo out of battery\u201d and fail to fire because the barrel slide assembly has been pushed too far back. The PX4 Sub-Compact won\u2019t, at least when pushed straight in against the opponent, or upward against him. The slightly protruding length of the recoil spring guide rod keeps that from happening. If you\u2019re pushing down-ward, though, it can go out of battery. This is a very significant advantage to the PX4 Sub-Compact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The full-size PX4 has a Glock-like takedown with twin levers in niches on the side. In the reduced-size model, there isn\u2019t room for that internally, so there\u2019s a separate lever for takedown\u2026but the niches remain. This leaves an excellent \u201cfelt index spot\u201d for the trigger finger in the \u201cready position,\u201d to keep it the hell out of the triggerguard until the shooter is in the very act of intentionally firing the weapon. I for one, having been an expert witness in all too many cases of unintentional shootings of human beings over the last 30 years, think this feature is a good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PX4 shares the rotary breech design of the 8000 series Berettas that preceded it. One reason for that design was slowing the recoil impulse. I have to say \u2014 it works. Most anyone who shoots a PX4 of any size comments on the soft recoil for the size and caliber, and the PX4 Sub-Compact is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing on this gun bites the hand on recoil. You\u2019d think with the bore axis as high as it is, would kick back into the hand more and jump more at the muzzle. It simply doesn\u2019t. I have to assume the rotary breech thing is what\u2019s softening the gun\u2019s movement upon discharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The short grip-frame only allows two fingers to take a really solid grasp in the bare hand, with the index finger deployed to work the trigger. I found myself tucking the pinkie finger under the butt to help stabilize, which actually worked pretty well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I ran this one off the bench with 147-, 124, and 115-grain 9mm rounds by the \u201cbig three makers\u201d on a day when I was shooting 2 inches or better with service-grade handguns, and the little 9mm just didn\u2019t make the cut in my hands. Every load shot very low and somewhat right. Remington 124-grain +P Golden Saber put five shots in 6.15 inches, strung mostly vertical with the best three in only 4.20 inches; Winchester subsonic 147-grain FMJ did 4.80 inches for all five with the best four in 3.65 inches, and the best three in 2.25 inches; and the \u201cbest of test\u201d Federal 9BP 115-grain hollow point went 4.15 inches for all five and 2.10 inches for best three. The distance was 25 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve found over the years that the \u201cbest three\u201d hand held from the bench compensates for human error, which is why I include that measurement. Still, I\u2019ve been spoiled by Beretta 92 pistols that out of the box went between 1 and 2 inches for all five shots, and am not happy with these results. In per-spective, though, the five-shot groups would all have been inside the maxi-mum point-scoring zone of any police qualification target at the same distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reliability, obviously, comes before accuracy in a defensive handgun. A test team of several competent shooters joined me in running several hundred rounds through the last PX4 I tested. The result? Zero malfunctions. This particular specimen didn\u2019t get as many rounds, but it still never jammed. I\u2019ve seen the PX4 Sub-Compact go through everything from qualification courses to 500-round shooting classes to 120-shot IDPA matches over the last year and a half plus, and have not yet seen one jam. That collective experience leaves me comfortable with the reliability of the 9mm PX4 Beretta Sub-Compact in general. The only malfunctions I\u2019ve seen have been \u201cshooter-induced;\u201d if you fire with a forward thumbs position, the thumb(s) may ride down the slide stop lever and prevent the slide from locking open on the last shot. That\u2019s \u201con the shooter, not on the gun,\u201d in this reviewer\u2019s opinion. We see the same thing happen with many other makes and models of semi-automatic pistols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All things considered, the Beretta PX4 Storm Sub-Compact 9mm has way more going for it than against it, and is a very promising pistol for someone who needs a concealable handgun that will deliver the life-saving goods in an up-close-and-personal confrontation. For an \u201call around use\u201d Beretta, I\u2019ll stay with one of my Model 92s, but for a high-capacity 9mm \u201cbelly gun,\u201d the PX4F Storm definitely passes the acceptance test.<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Pistol Review","post_excerpt":"In many quarters of law enforcement and the law-abiding armed citizenry the ole' standby snub-nosed .38 revolver is being replaced by 9mm subcompact pistols. We give the PX4 Subcompact a full test.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-18 14:35:04","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-18 18:35:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2010\/04\/05\/beretta-px4-storm-subcompact-9mm\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":true,"total_page":28},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_23"};
BROWSE BY BRAND
![Skillset Magazine](\"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/cboap2010-large.jpg\"){kind=small}
Final Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Author found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Author found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Author found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Author found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Author found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Author found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Shooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Shooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Shooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Shooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm uses a reliable locked breech and tilt barrel system, providing a more compact and lighter weight system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm uses a reliable locked breech and tilt barrel system, providing a more compact and lighter weight system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
The Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm uses a reliable locked breech and tilt barrel system, providing a more compact and lighter weight system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
The PX4 Storm Subcompact disassembles very easily and quickly into five parts, of course, not counting the spare mag.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm uses a reliable locked breech and tilt barrel system, providing a more compact and lighter weight system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The PX4 Storm Subcompact disassembles very easily and quickly into five parts, of course, not counting the spare mag.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm uses a reliable locked breech and tilt barrel system, providing a more compact and lighter weight system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BROWSE BY BRAND
Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The PX4 Storm Subcompact disassembles very easily and quickly into five parts, of course, not counting the spare mag.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Beretta PX4 Storm Subcompact 9mm uses a reliable locked breech and tilt barrel system, providing a more compact and lighter weight system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nShooting Impressions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PX4 Sub-Compact didn\u2019t give the author the tight groups he normally gets from a Beretta 92. This was best of test, with 115-grain Federal 9 BP standard pressure hollow point.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nAuthor found the PX4 9mm soft-kicking and controllable. At end of a burst of rapid fire, the Subcompact Storm locks open empty but still on target, with three spent casings (arrows) still in the air.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s see\u2026it functions reliably. It is compact. It can be had with a manual safety that buys the owner some time to deal with the horror of being disarmed by his or her attacker. It holds more rounds than most of its competition and comes back on target very quickly, with a very soft felt recoil impulse. At muzzle contact distance, it\u2019s more likely to keep working than most of its competition. It also has interchangeable grip backstraps to adjust size and fits many hand sizes well as it comes from the box. It doesn\u2019t have the accuracy we competitive shooters like. It may take a little extra effort to load its magazines up to full cartridge capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
