Any Beretta PX4 Storm owners?

[Inazone]

I just purchased my first Beretta, a PX4 Storm 9mm sub-compact. I wanted something that would be comfortable for me to shoot, and also for my wife if she is inclined to go shooting. She's in the Army Reserves, but didn't get any handgun training, so I wanted to find a gun that was easier to maintain than the somewhat goofy Walther P22 that I traded toward the PX4 purchase. Plus, I have to admit that it looks pretty cool.

(Stock photo)



Can anyone recommend a particular type of ammo for this? I've read that Federal is a good choice, and a friend of mine reloads 9mm if I just want something cheap for at the range, but this will double as a home-defense gun, so I want to have something very reliable too.

[rdamaral]

Dont use reloads for self defense, I find them very unreliable. Federal is a good round, but expensive. They make a top notch self defense round though.

[DRM]

Dont use reloads for self defense

This.

I carry Winchester Ranger rounds in my Glock 21. They're downright nasty in flesh.

Happy New Pistol Day!

[DRM]

Given the fact it's a Beretta, it'll feed with most any type of commercial 9mm. Winchester "white box" is cheap and plentiful and should cycle with no issues so long as you maintain your weapon. Avoid any of the +P or +P+ loads. The recoil spring on that pistol isn't going to be anywhere near stiff enough to cycle reliably under the heavier chamber pressure of those hot loads.

For going to the range and plinking around, just pick up a couple of boxes of FMJ. It's a sub compact, not a USPSA Match gun, so all you should really focus on is getting comfortable manipulating the weapon and being consistent and smooth in acquiring your sight picture and with taking follow up shots. No need to drop the money on Hornady or Federal if you're just gonna go plink around at 30/40 feet. As for a self defense load, so long as you run a JHP you'll be fine. Also, make sure you're comfortable with shooting in low-light/no-light and if you ever plan on self defense in your home, practice shooting between 5-10ft and using a flashlight while shooting.

Anyway...have fun.

*EDIT: Okay: so for actual brands I recommend, PMC for the range and Hornady for self defense. If your life is going to depend on it, then it's worth the money to pick up a box of Hornady. In a perfect world you'll never use it, but in that off chance you ever have to, I strongly recommend their ammo as it's the most consistant factory loads I've ever used.

[riffraff]

I have one of those too. I like the interchangeable backstraps. Put the small ones on for the wife when she wants to shoot...she has really small hands. Has a really small rail in front of the trigger guard for any add ons.

DRM knows his shit...go with it.

[SausageofPower]

I've carried the full size 9mm PX4 for 3 years. Great pistol and I've converted quite a few people to owning one. I just use Winchester White Box 115gr FMJ for general practice, but for defensive rounds/practice I use Winchester Ranger T-Series 147gr JHP's (RA9T). It's a very reliable round, tests well from material I've studied and it's not prohibitively expensive (you'll want to run at least 100 rounds of any ammo you intend to use for defensive purposes through the pistol you intend to carry/use, some JHP's make this very costly). The only issue being that Winchester won't sell it directly to non-LEO, however it is legal to own and readily available online.

You may want to get some night sights for that pistol though if it'll be a go-to in the dark, I recommend some Trijicon sights. Or, alternatively for home defense, you could get a shotgun. ;p

[Inazone]

You may want to get some night sights for that pistol though if it'll be a go-to in the dark, I recommend some Trijicon sights. Or, alternatively for home defense, you could get a shotgun. ;p

I actually bought a tac light for my Walther, but a buddy of mine has it at the moment. He's not using it now, so I'm going to see if the PX4 rail is long enough. The factory sights are the type that (supposedly) if left out in the light, will "light up" in the dark for a while, but that sounds like a gimmick.

It was either this, a shotgun, or one of the .22 M16/AR15 copies so the wife could come with me to do some plinking with something that at least resembles what she's already learned to shoot. But she's in a medical unit, and other than annual weapon qualification late in 2011, won't be doing any rifle shooting anyway - they spend most of their drill weekends tearing down, cleaning and reassembling guns, not shooting them. The indoor range I had a membership at burned down, so I've decided to wait until spring to check out some outdoor ranges. Then maybe I'll get the itch for a rifle. As it is, I have a Walther G22 bullpup sitting in its case with nothing to do.

[SausageofPower]

I actually bought a tac light for my Walther, but a buddy of mine has it at the moment. He's not using it now, so I'm going to see if the PX4 rail is long enough. The factory sights are the type that (supposedly) if left out in the light, will "light up" in the dark for a while, but that sounds like a gimmick.

The factory sights are 3-dot with "superluminova" paint, but I found that my front one wore off after a year. The Trijicon sights don't have any such issues of course and don't need to be charged.

In any case, I haven't fired the subcompact, but the PX4 is a great pistol. Congrats, I think you'll love it as much as I love mine.

[6string40]

My father-in-law has the Walther P22 and has been having issues with it. I read on a forum somewhere that it tends to have problems with certain types of ammo...wonder if that's his issue and maybe was yours as well? It otherwise seemed like a solid .22 pistol.

I've been consider a .22 pistol recently...been eying up the Ruger Mark II or Mark III.

Congrats on the Beretta!!

[SausageofPower]

I've been consider a .22 pistol recently...been eying up the Ruger Mark II or Mark III.

I'd go for the Mark II. I have a Mark II 22/45 and it's a great pistol. The Mark III has a magazine safety that tends to make breakdown and reassembly a bit of a pain in the ass (moreso, Ruger 22's are still a bit of a pain in either case).

[Inazone]

My father-in-law has the Walther P22 and has been having issues with it. I read on a forum somewhere that it tends to have problems with certain types of ammo...wonder if that's his issue and maybe was yours as well?

Yup, it didn't like . . . crap, now I don't remember what brand of ammo it was. Something "gold" that came in a green box from Wal-Mart. Big help, huh? That, and it was sort of a hassle to reassemble after cleaning. Two of my buddies who are very experienced shooters/collectors offered to help me out the first time I tore it down, and even they were stumped. I lost a screw in the process, and the US parts supplier had a $15 minimum order. Very annoying. Otherwise, it was a great gun, but I really didn't see the point of having both.

[DRM]

Yup, it didn't like . . . crap, now I don't remember what brand of ammo it was. Something "gold" that came in a green box from Wal-Mart. Big help, huh? That, and it was sort of a hassle to reassemble after cleaning. Two of my buddies who are very experienced shooters/collectors offered to help me out the first time I tore it down, and even they were stumped. I lost a screw in the process, and the US parts supplier had a $15 minimum order. Very annoying. Otherwise, it was a great gun, but I really didn't see the point of having both.

That was Remington ammo.

[DRM]

I actually bought a tac light for my Walther, but a buddy of mine has it at the moment. He's not using it now, so I'm going to see if the PX4 rail is long enough. The factory sights are the type that (supposedly) if left out in the light, will "light up" in the dark for a while, but that sounds like a gimmick.

It was either this, a shotgun, or one of the .22 M16/AR15 copies so the wife could come with me to do some plinking with something that at least resembles what she's already learned to shoot. But she's in a medical unit, and other than annual weapon qualification late in 2011, won't be doing any rifle shooting anyway - they spend most of their drill weekends tearing down, cleaning and reassembling guns, not shooting them. The indoor range I had a membership at burned down, so I've decided to wait until spring to check out some outdoor ranges. Then maybe I'll get the itch for a rifle. As it is, I have a Walther G22 bullpup sitting in its case with nothing to do.

My personal opinion, you might feel otherwise...

Skip the rail mounted tac light option. On a carbine, absolutely. With a pistol, it's my opinion that it's better to have a standalone flashlight and to do the classic "crossover" stance. I use my left hand to manipulate my flashlight and I maintain my pistol in a ready shooting position with my right forearm crossing over and resting on my left. I've always found this to be much more comfortable than slinging around all that extra weight and bulk on the bottom.

I have an RA Clicky Custom. It's a very small flashlight that I carry 24/7. I mostly use the strobe function and I've actually had to use it defensively in Afghanistan. (and yes, those titanium bezels up top really do fuck someone up) I prefer this because I can carry a separate flashlight for other things besides just shooting but when I need it, it's so lightweight and versatile I won't hesitate to bring it along.

[Inazone]

That was Remington ammo.

Yup, that's right. I had a hard time remembering, but it could pound down a box of Federal with no problem, and not even a single clip of the Remington. It was the gold plating that caused trouble.

As for your point about tac lights, it was really more of an impulse buy, but I figure I'll see if it mounts properly and doesn't hurt accuracy. I have a number of small LED flashlights around the house that are surely of better quality than the tac light.

[RacerX]

Nice fingernail, homes