Beretta Pico first impressions

[dannyb]

I recently bought a Beretta Pico for myself. The idea of having a slim, light, hammer-fired DAO .380 for pocket carry was very appealing. The advertising pointed out that everything on this pistol, from the magazine release to the slide catch was flush with the body of the pistol to prevent snags on draw. I really wanted one, and finally the wait was over.

Here are my first impressions.

The box contains the pistol in a small zip up case, two magazines - one with a pinky extension and one flush - the manual, and the pistol lock.

The pistol feels solid in my hand, especially when the magazine with the pinky extension is inserted. It does feel a bit top heavy, but that should be counterbalanced a bit when it's fully loaded.

The slide serrations are short and sharp. The recoil springs are quite strong making it hard to rack the slide with those serrations. I have small hands, but I could rack the slide with a bit of effort. This is one of those pistols that may not be good for women who do not have the wrist/hand strength to rack such a stiff slide.

The recoil springs are VERY tight. The Pico has both an out and inner spring working the slide making actuating the slide difficult. Other reviewers have commented about this. Here are a couple of references:

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...-beretta-pico/

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...a-pico-update/

http://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/bere...ew-gun-review/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&v=DZnIhWhS740

Jeremy in Truth About Guns mentioned removing the inner spring. I've seen that in a couple of other reviews. Beretta does NOT recommend this practice.

The other problem that I ran into has been that the slide catch is flush with the body of the pistol, and the spring is very strong. As a result, it's difficult to push on the catch to close the slide. Normally, when closing a slide catch of the John Browning style, one uses a thumb nail at about a 45 degree angle. When I tried this, the slide catch stayed in place, but my thumb nail splintered. I then filed my thumb nail and had to push straight down. This did close the slide, but the sharp serrations scraped on the knuckle as the slide closed. This is a further caution for women who tend to have long nails.

When I went back to the store for some other things, I noted another Pico in the case, and the sales person with a broken nail and abrasion on the left thumb knuckle. I think that we can call this condition "Pico Thumb."

Anyway, I am working the slide and dry firing before I take this to the range. The reviewers indicate that this pistol does require break in, and that break in should be done with hot ammo. When I get the time to do this right, I'll go try it; I'll post the results.

[itchinesu]

thnx for the write up. I love the LED light frame but I am reluctant to invest in another caliber.

[dannyb]

I regularly carry .380, so it's not a new caliber to me. My favored carry piece is a Colt Pony because I prefer a hammer-fired DAO. The Pico is just that, but clearly has some issues.

One thing that I didn't include in my first impressions is the ease of take down for cleaning or for installing other available grip/frames. Just turn the take-down screw half way and the whole things strips down.

[WVBob]

Good info. My LGS has one and I'm going to look at it today. I like Beretta's and hammered fired guns so this is one to look.

[WVBob]

Well, I looked at it and was not impressed. While it had a good solid feel to it, everything said about it was true. I have other .380's that I like more and fit my hand better. I'll pass until I can shoot one.