Px4 Storm: Good? Bad?

M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hey all!

Well I've been on the hunt for the "perfect nightstand gun" which will be my dedicated home defense handgun.

I am wanting something in 9mm (we all know it's just as effective as the larger rounds but has a lot of benefits) and I want a DA/SA gun. No striker fired guns or SA only guns. Why? I leave my gun on the nightstand out in the open. I live alone, no kids. I want to be able to grab my gun and fire it as soon as I wake up. I'm a revolver guy by trade, so the DA trigger stroke and no need for a safety of any kind is natural for me. I simply do not trust to have a loaded Glock or other strike fired gun on my nightstand. The trigger is too light and has too little travel for me to be comfortable leaving it out of a holster.

So getting that out of the way, I really like what the Px4 Storm brings to the table. It's got a nice large magazine capacity of 17+1, is DA/SA. and they have a rail for a light (which I will defiantly want to add) and are night sights compatible.

But are they reliable? Are they effective guns? I know several U.S. police departments have adopted them, as well as a number of foreign LE/military entities.

I am looking for any and all feedback on this gun, good and bad. It meets my criteria very nicely and I'd like to get one but ONLY if they are known to be reliable and durable guns. If they have a penchant for jamming or are just not very good, I'd like to know about it.

So what do you say? Would the Px4 Storm be a good gun for my needs? Thanks all, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

M12
 
I wasnt sure about mine at first, but I am very happy now. All it took was a D spring install and some skateboard tape on that plastic grip. Its in my nightstand, and I shoot it at some local IDPA matches as well. Its a compact and almost as accurate as my 92 Brig. As for reliability, I had two malfunctions in the first 200 rounds (both FTE). I think it just wasnt lubed enough because it went away after I cleaned the gun after that first range session. No malfunctions in any IDPA matches or otherwise after, with my reloads or factory ammo. My advice would be to run it wet, seems to like that.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk
 
I have one in .40 S&W that I picked up a few years ago. To date, I've put nearly 4,000 rounds through it without a single failure. I'll admit that when I first bought it I wasn't completely happy with it for a couple reasons. I thought it was ugly. It's a polymer gun. And the 'serrated' safety is completely non-ergonomic.

However, it's been completely reliable, even going 1,800 rounds without being cleaned (I ran a boresnake through it after each shooting session, but that was it). And no, I didn't fire 1,800 rounds all in one sessions. I'm not made of money. It took about 6 months.

Also, for whatever reason the recoil impulse seems to be significantly softened in the Storm. Some people say it's because of the rotating barrel; I'm no engineer so I can't comment on that. However, a buddy of mine has the Storm in .45 auto and side by side with my 1911, the Storm seems to have less felt recoil. Same deal with my Sig P229 in .40 S&W. The Storm just seems to recoil less violently.

Also, the modular grips are a nice touch, though it does take a bit of fiddling too figure out how to get the things on and off.

Finally, I've run PMC, Winchester, Federal, Sasquatch, Hornady, and CCI ammo through it, all without a hitch. And a couple hundred rounds of my reloads, now that I think about it.

Oh, and even though it's a plastic gun, the looks do eventually grow on you. Sorta.
 
Love mine, which was an old police trade-in "D" model (DAO), that I put new night sights on and stippled the grip. Has been 100% reliable and gets carried on occasion, as it's extended twenty-one round mags make for a nice package, whether I'm in position to carry with only one mag alone or, choose that as a reload mag.
 
Good? Bad?

Try GREAT! The most underrated DA/SA 9mm on the market. One of my three is the most accurate handgun I have ever owned—without exception.

May not be indicative of the breed at large but all three I own shoot to the bull easily and one I carry is also like a laser at distance—but only with 124 grain ammo.

All of them eat everything I throw through them, just keep that cam tooth on the locking block lubed up.
 
Absolutely love mine. I think it's the most underrated gun around. The grip is near perfect for my hand.

At this point I own 4 9mm's including both Glock 19 and 26, and the PX4 is my absolute favorite gun. Partially because I shoot it better than anything else. Light trigger in SA mode really helps with the accuracy. Another thing to think about with the "night stand" gun is it has a rail for a light.
 
I'd also say "great". I've now had the chance to use a few of these in both 9mm and .40 S&W. My experience is limited to 300-400 rounds with more of them in forty. All have been accurate and reliable without a single hitch. Recoil is pleasant with standard-pressure ammo in both chamberings but I was surprised by how comfortable it is to shoot in .40 S&W. I think the rotating barrel system is a big part of it. With the right backstrap, it feels very good in hand. I think the trigger is good right out of the box too.

Take-down is easy. Just press the lever on each side of the slide and it slides right off. (It actually might be too easy and I'm still trying to decide if this is a complaint.) I don't care for the enormous bat-wing safety levers that come stock but there is a fix for that. A friend of mine installed the low-profile "stealth" levers which convert it to decocker only. The parts are made by Beretta and it really streamlines the gun. I also don't care for manual safeties on a DA/SA gun so it's the perfect mod in my opinion.
 
Good, bad..... I pick choice #3.... ugly....

Honestly I don't know. I've read lots of good things about them.

To me, they look like a Hi-Point.. but, like Forrest says... "ugly is as ugly does"..
 
The wife has a compact version.
-The recoil is quite light in comparison to the size, on the order of a full size pistol. Combined with the grip and recoil is pleasant with ease of follow up shots.

-Again very accurate for its size.

-The pistol has never had a jam.

-Sights are good.

-Both DA and SA action pulls are smooth and not heavy, especially in comparison to the FS 92.

-My only issue is its fat for its size.
 
Very competent gun. I didn't give enough credit to px4 until I tried it. It was more soft shooting, good balance, and good trigger.
 
I personally really like my full size 9mm in both function and appearance.

It's a big gun but very comfortable in the hand with a good aggressive texture.

I would say that the great great majority of folks who have experience with these on the web usually love them.

That being said like anything you got your negatives to be aware of.

-it's a beretta with slide mounted decocker/safety levers and the stock levers kinda suck. As far as I know the stealth levers are much better but I have no personal experience.

-the rotating barrel action is a pro and a con. The pro is reduced recoil, especially in the heavier recoiling calibers. The con is it is not nearly as resistant to crud in the action and can lock up pretty tight with debris/crud. You want to keep the cam area and little lug well greased.

-as I said above. The full size is a pretty sizable gun. Good/bad/indifferent it's just something to think about.

All in all, however, I love mine. Good trigger, feels great, low recoil, accurate, reliable, great capacity and great value. I agree very underrated and I believe this more so because it's a plastic hammer fired gun in a striker fired world.

Chris
 
I recently had the same thought as you, I wanted a DA/SA as my home defense handgun. I didnt give much thought to the berettas due to the decocking lever on the slide which just didnt feel natural to me.

Other than that I have heard nothing but good about them!

I decided on the CZ SP-01 Supressor ready in urban grey. It is a decocker version with nightsights already installed. I got it for an incredible deal and if I hadn't i would have gone with either a P-01 decocker with nightsights or a P-07/09 with a decocker and then added nightsights onto it.
 
I will add another "great" and "under-rated" comment. I have a 9 mm compact in my safe that actually belongs to a grown daughter who lives in a place where gun laws are too restrictive. I try to be a good dad and live up to my obligation to exercise it regularly. ;)

It is a very pleasant gun to shoot. I don't know if it is all due to the rotating barrel system or if there are other factors, but it is exceptionally soft on recoil. Accuracy is very good. Function has been completely reliable, as well. You read about occasional failures that usually seem to resolve with proper lubrication. Berettas are often said to like to "run wet," and that is true as long as one understands the term to mean thoroughly but lightly lubricated. There is no need for them to be slinging oil on your clothes and shooting glasses. If I were to use one as a bedside pistol, I would make a point of field stripping it and touching it with a little oil once a month even if I didn't make it to the range that often. If you don't mind that five-minute job, I would recommend it whole-heartedly.
 
I actually put a few mags through a friend's PX4 Storm (.40) this weekend. It was smooth in 40, but it didn't feel super secure in my hand. I didn't love the controls, they felt stiff and I don't love the safety. All of that said, it did feel well constructed, and I suspect that I could get used to the controls. I could also see a simple fix like some tape on the grip making a big difference.
 
I bought one three ago, and my daughter claimed it as hers, last year. In almost 4000 rds, we had 1 malfunction, which was bad ammo (squib load, Winchester White Box). I would highly recommend it.
 
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