Beretta PX4 Full-Size/Compact Storm Questions

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liberty1743

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I'm thinking of getting a Beretta PX4 Storm compact in 9mm. Currently, I carry a Glock 26 and a SIG P229 in .357 SIG. The SIG has a 9mm conversion barrel, but I'm looking for a dedicated compact or full-size DA/SA for a dedicated 9mm (in addition to my G26).

I've had quite a few striker-fired handguns (about dozen Glocks and S&W M&P's alone, a couple Walthers, a couple of FN's, SA, Ruger, etc.), but I'm really getting into hammer-fired DA/SA guns after owning my SIG.

As I've been reading and watching YouTube videos about the Storm, I've been hearing mostly good things, but I don't get the impression this is an excellent pistol for accuracy. Am I wrong about that?

In other words, you can find good and bad accuracy reports on most guns, but sometimes guns have a reputation for accuracy, even if some people might not shoot them well (e.g. Walther PPQ, Beretta M9, SIG P226, CZ 75, etc...). How does the Beretta PX4 Storm compact and/or full-size measure up accuracy-wise? How does it compare to a Glock 19, S&W M&P 9 Compact, CZ P-01, and/or CZ P-07?

I know there's a difference between a range gun and the practical accuracy needed for carry guns, but I like to have fun at the range with my carry guns, and I unfortunately have to punch paper where I live and not steel, so I like to err on one of the more accurate platforms and sight combinations.

Any insight based on personal experience with the PX4 Storm's accuracy is greatly appreciated.
 
PX4 full size very accurate, in my years of using both 9 and .40; however, I have not fired a compact.

Might want to search for the Beretta forum and ask over there. Quite a few very knowledgeable Beretta owners and quite a few questions on the PX4 compact.
 
First handgun I ever bought was a full size PX4 in 9mm. Had it almost 8 years now and is still accurate and reliable and is the softest shooting 9 I own. Only thing I’ve done is added a Beretta D spring. Check out the new Langdon edition.
 
Not my best grouping by far, but with exception of the fliers I can’t and won’t complain. Five shots each from 7, 10, 15, and 20 yards. Now true, my DAO CZ’s shoot tighter groups, but they also have just a little lighter trigger pulls (P-07 is 6.5# and my P-09 is 7#, compared to 9# for the Beretta).

c4e947dfd980c6091b21debf795b3847.jpg
 
I was on the fence between the PX4 Compact and the CZ P-07 for quite some time. I probably could have bought one for what I spent renting the two several times. :)

To your questions about the Compact, here's my "advice" or at least personal experience.

1. Anyone who's gun "isn't accurate" at 30' is not having a problem with their gun. Disregard any and all claims that Gun X is more accurate than Gun Y at any practical distance.

2. Every gun requires some getting used to. So many variables go into achieving accurate shots that you can't just pick up a gun and run it the same as every other gun. Gotta get used to it.

3. The DA pull is a bit long and heavy, although not out of the ordinary for DA standards. The SA pull is pretty good.

4. I found the ergonomics to be quite good and well contoured to my hand.

5. I did not find the recoil to be any softer than any other gun, although I'm told the rotating barrel design does make a noticeable difference in .40 or .45. 9mm isn't snappy to begin with.

Things that ultimately made me choose against it and turned me into a CZ guy:

- The grip was rather slippery in my hands, and would have required Talon Grips to stop the slipping
- The location of the safety/decock levers up on the slide is very awkward for me to reach
- The "Bat Wing" design of the levers bit into my hand when I racked the slide and made the gun wider than necessary -- could be fixed with aftermarket parts
- The DA pull was longer and heavier than the CZ's -- could be tuned aftermarket

Eventually I discovered the "Compact Carry" version that had Ernest Langdon's endorsement, that came with all of the above issues already addressed, and at a price of $800. The CZ never had the issues, and I got it for $450.

I can't imagine you'd go wrong with either PX4, but I just think there are better DA/SA out there, and at better prices once you consider the costs of upgrading the Beretta (if you find those issues annoying).

If you're not already set on Beretta, I'd definitely recommend looking at the CZ P-07 (compact) or P-09 (extra-full size!), or the HK P30SK (subcompact) or P30 (full size).
 
Bought a full size 9mm on a whim years ago. It turned out to be a wonderful pistol. Mine has been totally reliable with all ball and defensive ammo, has a good DA/SA trigger and feels great.

The complaints that are warranted in my opinion are....
The batwing safety decocker is sharp and protrudes out too far
The grip is a tad slippery and could do being more aggressive
The rotating barrel system will never be as reliable in harsh conditions as it would take much grime in that channel to lock it up IMO. Use a good grease here and you will be fine for any practical uses outside of swamp carry.

As for accuracy this was at around 10 yards, 50 rounds of range fodder probably WWB IIRC. I AM NOT a great shot by any measure and I don’t focus on any single gun or platform so with that said I feel like the PX4 is a fairly accurate handgun.

0321FDD4-22BD-4031-B4F5-311803852726_zpscurd6kcc.jpeg
 
Cyanide971 said:
Not my best grouping by far, but with exception of the fliers I can’t and won’t complain. Five shots each from 7, 10, 15, and 20 yards. Now true, my DAO CZ’s shoot tighter groups, but they also have just a little lighter trigger pulls (P-07 is 6.5# and my P-09 is 7#, compared to 9# for the Beretta).

c4e947dfd980c6091b21debf795b3847.jpg
Click to expand...
How heavy is your PX4 Storm's trigger? Those CZ's aren't exactly light.
 
OhioGuy said:
I was on the fence between the PX4 Compact and the CZ P-07 for quite some time. I probably could have bought one for what I spent renting the two several times. :)

To your questions about the Compact, here's my "advice" or at least personal experience.

1. Anyone who's gun "isn't accurate" at 30' is not having a problem with their gun. Disregard any and all claims that Gun X is more accurate than Gun Y at any practical distance.

2. Every gun requires some getting used to. So many variables go into achieving accurate shots that you can't just pick up a gun and run it the same as every other gun. Gotta get used to it.

3. The DA pull is a bit long and heavy, although not out of the ordinary for DA standards. The SA pull is pretty good.

4. I found the ergonomics to be quite good and well contoured to my hand.

5. I did not find the recoil to be any softer than any other gun, although I'm told the rotating barrel design does make a noticeable difference in .40 or .45. 9mm isn't snappy to begin with.

Things that ultimately made me choose against it and turned me into a CZ guy:

- The grip was rather slippery in my hands, and would have required Talon Grips to stop the slipping
- The location of the safety/decock levers up on the slide is very awkward for me to reach
- The "Bat Wing" design of the levers bit into my hand when I racked the slide and made the gun wider than necessary -- could be fixed with aftermarket parts
- The DA pull was longer and heavier than the CZ's -- could be tuned aftermarket

Eventually I discovered the "Compact Carry" version that had Ernest Langdon's endorsement, that came with all of the above issues already addressed, and at a price of $800. The CZ never had the issues, and I got it for $450.

I can't imagine you'd go wrong with either PX4, but I just think there are better DA/SA out there, and at better prices once you consider the costs of upgrading the Beretta (if you find those issues annoying).

If you're not already set on Beretta, I'd definitely recommend looking at the CZ P-07 (compact) or P-09 (extra-full size!), or the HK P30SK (subcompact) or P30 (full size).
Click to expand...
Great advice, and I'll take people's accuracy of a vs b with a grain of salt. I do pay attention to patterns. I'm a big fan of getting to know a pistol which is why I seldom rent. I usually buy and hold onto a pistol for a while and either sell or keep it. Sometimes I have to take six months before I let go of a pistol I'm not crazy about just to see if I can warm up to it. Sometimes changing the grip really helps as I've found that what feels comfortable in the hands isn't always what shoots better even when talking about one particular gun configured several ways.
 
Thanks for the feedback and the bat wings are a bit disconcerting. It seems to me that Beretta purposely kept the controls large just so you'd spend the money to upgrade, and I suspect that might be true about quite a few of their features. The trigger upgrade, while tame compared to upgrading other pistols, is still close to a $100 upgrade and I imagine it's not any better than some triggers out of the box. At least I won't have to pay to upgrade to a G configuration if I pick up a storm. I like how I can just remove the "detent" or whatever it's called.
 
liberty1743 said:
How heavy is your PX4 Storm's trigger? Those CZ's aren't exactly light.
Click to expand...
My PX4 D is a stock 9#. Compared to my DAO CZ’s that’s heavy, as again, they’re respectively 7# (P-09 MHS) and 6.5# (P-07 Duty). I won’t have them reduced any lighter, as they’re part of my regular carry rotation.

For me, the ergonomics of Berettas are second to none and I don’t think you can go wrong with them, as I’ve carried them (and CZ’s) for the better part of three decades now. Concerning the traditional DA/SA “F” Model, I would personally swap out the sharp, combo safety/decocker “batwing” levers for the slim “G” decock-only lever assembly. Also, like others have said, drop in a “D” mainspring to slightly reduce your DA trigger pull (should go from 11# range down to 9#).

Good luck, and keep us posted!
 
I have a full-sized PX4 in 40 caliber. It was a police trade-in, IIRC.

Its accuracy is similar to any other full-sized service pistol.

I've only shot a few hundred rounds through it, but have never had any problems. It even shoots my FiL's 40 caliber handloads, which a couple of my pistols don't like.
 
The PX4 in any caliber is more accurate than I am. Most modern guns are. The real issue tends to be how well the particular gun fits your hand, if it points naturally for you, etc.

I don't care for those bat-wing safeties either. Beretta makes a kit to convert to "decocker only" with more flush-fitting levers. Aside from my preference for decocker only, it makes a big difference in perceived thickness. (It also looks better IMHO.) This is the only change I thought was crucial.

I don't think Beretta puts large levers on there just to sell parts. There are people who like the large levers and they would be fine on a range gun. The low-profile conversion makes all the difference in the world for concealed carry. If you already like the PX4, it's totally worth it.

I think the trigger is decent right out of the box. Sure, it could be better. It's still very good compared to a lot of other stock DA/SA guns. I recommend starting with stock and giving it a little time before deciding.

The PX4 is a very soft shooter. That might not be a big deal in 9mm but it's remarkable in .40 S&W. Somewhere between the ergonomics and rotating barrel system, it distributes recoil to my hand differently. Once I got the right backstrap figured out, it quickly became one of my favorite recreational pistols.

I don't find the full-sized PX4 all that slippery. I'd consider the PX4 about average in that department. I don't know about the compact.
 
Bought a full-size PX4 in .40 a few years ago, when CDNN was closing them out at a steep discount. The gun was extremely accurate with my 155 gr. FP subsonic handloads, but shot about 6" low at 25 yards with the factory fixed sights, so I bought a set of adjustable sights directly from Beretta USA to fix that. I also replaced the hammer spring with a slightly lighter one from Wolff (which, together with the polishing of some internal parts, brought the SA trigger pull down to just a shade under 3 lbs.) and replaced the factory recoil spring with a heavier one intended for the .40 version of the BHP (the recoil springs are interchangeable between the two guns). The result is one of the softest shooting, most accurate .40 pistols in my collection.
 
I have a 9 mm PX4 Compact in my safe that belongs to my daughter. She lives in a place where she is not allowed to have it. Like a good dad, I take it out for exercise periodically. It is as accurate as any of the pistols in my safe, shoots softly, and has been completely reliable. My daughter thought it was too thick for carry when she lived in a place that honored her license, but she didn't get around to trying the slim safety levers before she moved.
 
I own a 9mm PX4 full size and it is the softest shooting 9mm I have (except for my CZ SP-01 Tactical), is very accurate, fits my hand well, points naturally and has been 100% reliable. I'm completely happy with it and would like to have the Compact version also. It's just a great pistol all around.

My SP-01 Tactical is just a dream to shoot, but it's an all metal gun and, thus, much heavier than the PX4.

Between the two, if I could only have one, it would be a hard decision. I haven't shot a polymer CZ, so I don't know how one of those would compare to the PX4.
 
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