Beretta Pico 380 acp as pocket gun

T

TheGuyOfSouthamerica

Moderator
Hi ya all,

What you guys think of the Beretta Pico in 380 acp for every day carry pocket gun? It is meant for disguised EDC as an Primary SD gun.

I first was convinced of the NAA Guardian 380 acp but then I saw the Price and seems to be fairly limited production (no availlability).

Then I saw the Beretta Pico 380 and what shifted me in favour of the gun is it's Firing Control Unit exchangaebility (FCU is the actual serialised gun). If the Frame cracks in 20 years you just Change the polymer Frame for another and are good to go.
The polymer is just allways my concern with plastic pistols since that seems to be the weak part of the gun.

As well it is stainless (supposedly all metal parts). But it is as I understood a Little bigger than the NAA Guardian 380.
As well it is lighter than the NAA Guardian 380 and supposed to shoot well.

I allways thought the Firing Control Unit is the best concept with polymer guns since then you can Exchange endlessly the Frames (does not matter if the Frame cracks and the whole polymer is not anymore a worry). Since the Pico 380 is anyways not getting shot very often the actual metal parts of the gun may never wear out. I wished my S&W SD9VE had the same (FCU) concept.

What do you guys think? Any experinces?
 
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I have and carry a Pico and so far I really like it. It shoots very soft for such a small, light pistol that basically affords only a one finger grip (using the flush mag). It has a hammer! That's one huge feature for me. The trigger is safely long but pretty light, another good feature in a pocket gun. The sights are excellent. The price is modest. The slide is stainless. The pistol is very thin, easy to conceal.

The changeable poly frame is a neat feature. I already upgraded to a laser incorporated frame. Removing the module is fast and easy. Normal takedown takes seconds. Cleaning is a snap.

Beretta hit a home run with the Pico IMHO.

With laser frame and both mag styles.


With flush mag.
 
Thank you PSP so much for your first Hand info!

Glad to hear it shoots without big recoil. The only unstandable recoil I experimented is with an Taurus Judge with 410 shotshells which nummbed temporarely my fingers since the whole gun hit my Trigger finger and every bit of Hand which were in touch with the gun while firing.
I hope it recoils not that much as an Taurus Judge with 410 shotshells.

I was Kind of hoping to hear the Moses Browning tilt Barrel design softens the recoil compared to an direct Blowback design as the NAA Guardian 380 is.

Main reason is having a gun with me. The only time (almost) it will get shot is in an defensive Situation (which hopefully will never occur). I will shoot lead 120 grain Lee TC .356" mold casted bullets in it (my reloads).

My question is how much of use is the Laser Frame (Frame with the laser incorporated)?
Is it (laser) Point and shoot or is it cumbersome Long time to find the laser dot in an emergency Situation? The light may make more sense to me but may add to bulkyness besides it is Kind of pricey as does IMO the laser frame.

The gun gets a bit of negative Reviews on Youtube.
Is there a difference with updated guns (like late Serial numbers are better then earlier Serial numbered guns)? Regards stiff slide, failure to feed, failure to eject, stove pipe, etc.
 
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Yes the hammer Feature was a big plus for me as well.
With a hammer (DAO) it is IMO safe to carry a round in the chamber much alike to an Revolver.
It is basically an Revolver in an semi Auto package.

I have an SD9VE (Smith and Wesson) which is basically an Glock but I never would carry one round in the chamber since I feel very unsafe since I can not see whats going on inside the gun.
I feel much safer if I can actually see an hammer. All my Revolvers had safety bars.

Is the Beretta Pico 380 drop safe? That means can the hammer reach the firing pin if it is dropped?
 
One more question.

Has the Beretta Pico 380 an fully supported chamber?

Since I plan using my reloads and cast bullets I only can accept an fully supported chamber to avoid "Glock smiles" an one sided bulged cases (if I have to load it hot for whatever reason).

First Hand experiences (owners) are much appreciated (I believe it has an fully supported chamber but am not 100% sure)!
 
I also have the Pico (the newest gen), and carry it whenever a compact isn't practical, which for me has been a lot. It has the best sights of all the .380's I was looking at, it's the absolute slimmest making it easy to conceal, breakdown is simple, and it's rated for +P. It's been surprisingly easy to handle and shoot. I usually use the extended mag even for pocket carry.

On mine I added Talon grips, which I highly recommend for this pistol. It significantly upgrades the handling characteristics.

The one thing I will say is to keep the rails and the outside of the barrel lubricated. I once let it get dry, and was having FTE's as a result. Not a fault of the gun, I now do a quick wipe down and lubricate every other week.
 
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My question is how much of use is the Laser Frame
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I bought the standard frame Pico. The laser frame was on sale at Beretta last week for $80 so I bought one. It adds very little weight and little bulk. The laser is useful sometimes, sometimes not. Just another sight to augment your aim or point shooting. IMHO lasers do two things; they allow one to shoot accurately without having to hold the gun in front of your face, and allow you to shoot from very awkward positions.

If you don't want a laser or do... your choice.

Is the Beretta Pico 380 drop safe?
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Yes.

Has the Beretta Pico 380 an fully supported chamber?
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The Pico is +P rated.
 
Instead of laser sights I would go with the Trijicon night sights. These are more practical for real world use, and are available from Beretta's website. I have these also.
 
The gun gets a bit of negative Reviews on Youtube.
Is there a difference with updated guns (like late Serial numbers are better then earlier Serial numbered guns)?
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Yes, it's been upgraded. I believe the current is now generation 3. You want to see the "upgraded" sticker on the box. Anything that is in a gun store should be current regardless of the serial number, as the old versions were to be sent back for updates.
 
In addition to the sticker on the box, the upgrade is easy to spot as the slide serrations were changed. If it looks like mine, it's upgraded. The recoil spring was changed to a single spring. there are several other changes, mainly to improve the trigger.
 
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Any more gun owner experiences with the Beretta Pico in 380 acp?

Your info is much appreciated by me and all People in the coming years (decades) in search for info for this gun!
 
Lead SWC or Truncated Cone bullets for the Pico?

The idea of the Pico is to have an gun with the person all the time instead of no gun.

yes the 380 is "anemic". But even more anemic is having no gun in an emergency situation.
I ordered already the Hornady reloading dies for this caliber since I plan to buy this gun.
It reaches about 1000 US$ here with an spare frame to have a point of comparison for you guys. And local Police is prone to take your gun away if you have it with you.
But how much is peace of mind and the own life worth rigth?

Has anyone experience with lead Semi Wadcutters in this gun, Truncated Cone or any kind of lead bullets?
I plan to use Lee .358" 105 grain SWC in this gun since I have that mold and it's weight is similar to the standard 95 grain for the 380 acp. As well I may use the .356"diameter Lee 120 grain Truncated Cone lead bullet in it.
Any experience with reloads and cast bullets in this gun?
 
yes.
An 300 $ gun over there in the US costs here 1000 $.
Imgine an more fancy SIG Sauer which costs in the US 700 $ how much they will be here. Most likely near 2000 $. That is how it is. Same happens with ammo so reloading over here saves you about 50% of the ammo Price and casting on top saves you about 70-80% of the factory ammo Price. That's why I reload and cast.
 
If you can handle a Pico before buying it, I would highly recommend that you do so.

I have not handled an upgraded model, but the two I have handled did not impress me. I found the magazine release and slide stop/release to be very difficult to operate. Also operating the slide was not easy--although the new serrations may help with that. I understand that the trigger was improved and that's probably a good thing as the two that I handled had pretty heavy triggers.

If you handle one and like it, then you'll probably be happy with it. But I wouldn't recommend buying one if you've never had a chance to hold it in your hand and to try to work the controls.
 
That is rigth Johnksa

But as with these micro guns that as well is an trade off and compromise. I handled an smithwesson mp shield and did not like it at that time.

But now if I consider carrying at least something I figure all micro guns are somewhat awkward similar in handling. I may tailor the reloads for soft shooting. I may put in a weaker spring in the gun an download the 380's to 32 acp levels.

It would bet better carry allways an 500 magnum to assure one shot kill. But again from hip carry an SAA Pietta 5.5“ 357 mag revolver I know how heavy they can get. My workers say I already permanently bent to one side (joke)!
The mouse gun is for ease of carry. It may never been used other than for occasional practice.

The deal breaker is for me the Firing Control Unit. It gives the ligth weigth of an plastik and longevity of exchangeable frames. All brands IMHO have to have this FCU concept.
The DAO gives the possibility to have allways a round in the chamber which I never would dare to do in an striker fired gun.
 
My father bought one a couple of months ago to use as an "always" gun that he could slip in a pocket and carry in any type of clothing. He's very pleased with it, says it is accurate and reliable. His only complaint was that the surface of the grip area was kind of slippery in the hand in spite of the slight texture that it has. He solved that with some 3M textured tape, I had given him some pieces that were sized to fit a 1911 front strap and he cut them down to fit the front and back of the Pico grip. He said it makes a world of difference in being able to get a stable grip on the little gun.
 
Thanks all, and specially owners of an Beretta Pico 380 acp for replying.

There is no Chance to handle one since nobody imports them. Here only guns are mass imported if they sell well (the market likes them).
For example These adjustable stock (I Need shorter stocks) Mossberg 500 Turkey THUG shotguns you will not find here and have to be ordered specially/privately through an registered Company (FFL in USA and registred here). On eof These shotguns I ordered an 20 ga and an 12 ga (the 12 ga I have already and it is awesome).

Same Thing with the Beretta Pico 380. It is Kind of an novelty here. So online oredering is the only way and no Chance to handle one.
For example in this Country I never have seen an 1911 pistol. So no Chance ever handle one.

Since I have small Hands the Pico may fit me perfectly (except the Little finger is hanging off the grip). I once handled an BRNO 25 acp mouse gun and that felt perfectly (but they were not reliable and materials were of doubtfull Quality).
 
His only complaint was that the surface of the grip area was kind of slippery in the hand in spite of the slight texture that it has. He solved that with some 3M textured tape,
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Yes the addition of grip tape or Talon grips is a must with this small gun. I use the rubber Talon grips made for this model, and as stated before it completely changes the handling characteristics for the better.
 
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