Beretta PX4 Storm

[Mike Czap]

Howdy all.... I recently bought this gun on Wednesday... Unlike a car, I did not get a chance to fire it before I hired it. It was a very hard toss up between this and a used glock in .40 cal... The Beretta is a 9mm BTW.. the price difference was 100 bucks.. I did some research on both before I decided... Where the glock got very high ratings, the Beretta did also. Both guns are about the same weight and size.. The Beretta slightly bulky do to the safty lock and slide lock.. the Beretta had a lot of options that I liked.. changeable rear grips, exposed hammer, the safty decocks the hammer and disables the firing pin at the same time. A lot less likely to fire if dropped. And the barrel twist 1/4 turn as it ejects the shell to reduce recoil. Downfall, can't carry cocked and locked like I prefer but the glock would not let me do it either.. so without cocking the hammer, first shot would be double action, single after.. I wanted to get other peoples thoughts, if anyone has fired this gun before.. and if so did they fire it in both 9 and 40 cal.? I know its preferance, but what others would say about the Glock vs. Beretta... I also bought a ruger 380. ACP as a sub compact back up... Id love to hear thoughts, pros and cons, advise and any other recomondations for future gun purchaces... Thanks.. ( sorry about spelling and soforth, did not do well in English. Lol)

[Philbert]

Howdy all.... I recently bought this gun on Wednesday... Unlike a car, I did not get a chance to fire it before I hired it. It was a very hard toss up between this and a used glock in .40 cal... The Beretta is a 9mm BTW.. the price difference was 100 bucks.. I did some research on both before I decided... Where the glock got very high ratings, the Beretta did also. Both guns are about the same weight and size.. The Beretta slightly bulky do to the safty lock and slide lock.. the Beretta had a lot of options that I liked.. changeable rear grips, exposed hammer, the safty decocks the hammer and disables the firing pin at the same time. A lot less likely to fire if dropped. And the barrel twist 1/4 turn as it ejects the shell to reduce recoil. Downfall, can't carry cocked and locked like I prefer but the glock would not let me do it either.. so without cocking the hammer, first shot would be double action, single after.. I wanted to get other peoples thoughts, if anyone has fired this gun before.. and if so did they fire it in both 9 and 40 cal.? I know its preferance, but what others would say about the Glock vs. Beretta... I also bought a ruger 380. ACP as a sub compact back up... Id love to hear thoughts, pros and cons, advise and any other recomondations for future gun purchaces... Thanks.. ( sorry about spelling and soforth, did not do well in English. Lol)

A Glock will not fire from being dropped, only when the trigger is pulled. The firing pin is blocked internally when the trigger is forward. Of course, when a gun is dropped there is always the chance that something (your finger if you make the mistake of trying to catch it, or something else) will pull the trigger by accident. So in that sense, the Beretta would be less likely to fire when dropped.

[sprrdhawk44]

By all accounts both are quality firearms. You now have a belt gun and a pocket gun, which covers the bases pretty well. I recommend you get a quality holster for both of them, some Speer Gold Dots(or other quality hollow point) and finally, take some defense-oriented classes. As far as future gun purchases, only you can decide what you want. I'd would advise that you worry more about becoming proficient with the weapons you have now, instead of concerning yourself with acquiring more firearms.


Also, always carry one of them wherever legally allowed, regardless of what people think

[Mike Czap]

By all accounts both are quality firearms. You now have a belt gun and a pocket gun, which covers the bases pretty well. I recommend you get a quality holster for both of them, some Speer Gold Dots(or other quality hollow point) and finally, take some defense-oriented classes. As far as future gun purchases, only you can decide what you want. I'd would advise that you worry more about becoming proficient with the weapons you have now, instead of concerning yourself with acquiring more firearms.


Also, always carry one of them wherever legally allowed, regardless of what people think

I agree... I don't think I made bad choices on either firearm... I purchased the ruger for the simple fact that it can be carried anywhere. I will be carrying it on my ankle. And the beretta on either a shoulder or belt holster (mid back, I have long arms and its much faster for me to draw from that reach, I tend to pull sideways from a side draw and carrying CC has always given me trouble with shirt snags and pushing the holster towards my leg making the holster tighter.. the gun would end throwing my arm in an up and out floppy mess.. did not seem safe to me.. where I know drawing from the back takes a tad more time... For me, its less time then trying to get my flopping arm under controle.. I do train with friends who are LEOS, which can be a plus since they can help in the sence they can give me pointers that police know that the basic saftey class might not. I am going to be taking a course, never hurts to get more knowledge and training for one, it keeps you sharp, and having the documentation will help me aquire the AZ permit I would like to apply for.. I have owned a good amount of handguns since I started carrying when I was 21.. mostly Taurus.. PT-945, PT-911, 38.spl.. The 45 was stolen from me by a Darby Twp. Cop 10 years ago with a tiny .25.... Long story, tho you probably read it... The 911 was stolen in a break in at my apartment.. the 38 I ended up selling. Had a shotgun... More of a conversation piece and ended up selling it, had a really nice Remington 30-6... Loved that rifle, had to sell it to pay rent... So needless to say, I've had bad luck in the past... Was thinking I broke a mirror. Lol.... I know its 7 years bad luck, but I gave an extra 3 to be on the safe side. I let my permit expire since I had nothing to carry and since guns kept leaving me, I did not bother to re-apply or buy anything else... A lot has changed since then, I want to start anew. Learn more, train more, aquire more then 2 carry guns, get some target handguns and rifles. Other guns for show or that are just fun to shoot ( like a 50 cal desert eagle... That gun is just sick! Id never carry it tho. Lol) maybe you can recommend a couple different courses near me that won't kill my wallet or my poor old van driving there... Thanks brother... Again, sorry about yesterday, my brain was in my ass. I'm normally not like that.

[littlebluevette]

I have the 9m. PX4 Storm Compact and like it a lot.

[Mike Czap]

I have the 9m. PX4 Storm Compact and like it a lot.

AWESOME! Mine is the compact also... Hard toss-up on the compact and full size. The compact was on the shelf, the owner of the gun store told me they were hard to get in, so I went with what he had.. id like to put about 300 rounds thru it, break it in.. then decide if I also want to purchase the full size and or the sub compact models.. all the same price just have different options... I am going to purchase the tactical light and lazer combo for it. They have it on amazon.com. what do you think of the changeable grips? I went with the one that wraps up the back of the gun around to the hammer. I have long-ass hands and it makes the gun fill my hand.. really comfortable and I feel like I could handle the recoil better.

[sprrdhawk44]

A couple of things to consider: You mentioned that you carry the px4 "mid back" which I assume means small of back(right over the crack of your ass). This, in my opinion, is not optimal for several reasons. The most important reason why I feel this is a bad idea is that having a gun placed directly over your lower spine has potential to be disastrous. You are more likely to be in a car accident, or even merely fall down, than you are to be in a defensive situation. If you were in a car accident, or fell backwards, the LAST thing you want is a two pound chunk of steel sitting on your spine.

Secondly, if you were in self-defense encounter(which statistically speaking will be at very close distances) you could potentially lose leverage over the gun itself. If someone attacked you, and pushed you up against a wall, you're simply not getting to your weapon. If you managed to get your hand behind your back before the wall, that hand is now trapped, leaving you with only one hand to fend off the attacker. Shoulder holsters also present similar problems, as it is very easy for an attacker to trap your dominant hand against your body. There is a reason why police and most concealed carriers carry at 3:00 to around 4:30.

As far as ankle holsters go, I have no problem with a backup gun being carried in that position. I do, however, feel that it is not optimal for a primary gun. They are slow to reach, and leave you in a VERY vulnerable position while accessing it. With the options that we have available to us holster-wise, I see no reason to carry in that manner.

After a hearty thanksgiving, there is always room for food for thought

[littlebluevette]

AWESOME! Mine is the compact also... Hard toss-up on the compact and full size. The compact was on the shelf, the owner of the gun store told me they were hard to get in, so I went with what he had.. id like to put about 300 rounds thru it, break it in.. then decide if I also want to purchase the full size and or the sub compact models.. all the same price just have different options... I am going to purchase the tactical light and lazer combo for it. They have it on amazon.com. what do you think of the changeable grips? I went with the one that wraps up the back of the gun around to the hammer. I have long-ass hands and it makes the gun fill my hand.. really comfortable and I feel like I could handle the recoil better.

I have Trijicon night sights on mine and like them.

[Mike Czap]

A couple of things to consider: You mentioned that you carry the px4 "mid back" which I assume means small of back(right over the crack of your ass). This, in my opinion, is not optimal for several reasons. The most important reason why I feel this is a bad idea is that having a gun placed directly over your lower spine has potential to be disastrous. You are more likely to be in a car accident, or even merely fall down, than you are to be in a defensive situation. If you were in a car accident, or fell backwards, the LAST thing you want is a two pound chunk of steel sitting on your spine.

Secondly, if you were in self-defense encounter(which statistically speaking will be at very close distances) you could potentially lose leverage over the gun itself. If someone attacked you, and pushed you up against a wall, you're simply not getting to your weapon. If you managed to get your hand behind your back before the wall, that hand is now trapped, leaving you with only one hand to fend off the attacker. Shoulder holsters also present similar problems, as it is very easy for an attacker to trap your dominant hand against your body. There is a reason why police and most concealed carriers carry at 3:00 to around 4:30.

As far as ankle holsters go, I have no problem with a backup gun being carried in that position. I do, however, feel that it is not optimal for a primary gun. They are slow to reach, and leave you in a VERY vulnerable position while accessing it. With the options that we have available to us holster-wise, I see no reason to carry in that manner.

After a hearty thanksgiving, there is always room for food for thought

Very valid points! But I need to come up with something... I guess 4:30 would work ok but I would have to swing the butt of the gun facing to my left. With it in the small of my back the butt of it faces to the right.. I know, its weird, but my wrist just seems to work better that way at 4:30 and a strait grab at 6:00... Holsters will be a factor also unless I can find a nice flip flop model.. I work A LOT! And I have to sqwat, bend, twist, hunch, sqwat and side bend... Its a pretty painful job.. I am in and out of cars all day.. so mostly driving I think the ankle will work alright, belt gun usually goes on the floor next to my sseat or in the center console in my van, that's where it will be... 10 years ago I carried at 6:00. My spine is not strait, so it was comfortable sitting, standing, just about anything I did. Was printed a couple of times, but probably not as much if I carried at 4:30. I know..*damn, this guys got some issues* OC is fine at 3:00 with a strong backplate holster... Its just my CC I am having problems. Any suggestions on a place that can help me find the right holster, trying different ones one, and knowing the different senarios you mentioned? You made a lot of good points. I know their is no perfect holster, I know not every situation will grant you access to your gun... But in the right place def increases your chances.

[39flathead]

Some good advice here, except that I prefer a solid type .380 round over JHPs.
My first three rounds in my LCP are Buffalo Bore 100gr hardcast followed by four Hornady FTX Critical Defense.




Oh, welcome to the forum but please use paragraphs when you are going to another train of thought. Not trying to be the grammar police, but it's hard for some to follow run on paragraphs on a computer monitor. Just split it up some and this will make it easier to read and will probably get more responses.