Beretta CX4 Storm or Lone Wolf 9mm AR?

[mrozowjj]

I'm thinking about getting a 9mm carbine to use for 3 gun matches and also for the fun of it. The the ability to use the same cheaper ammo I use in my pistol is appealing to me from the just the logistics of only needing to order one style of center fire ammo seems like a good idea and most of these matches don't have super long shots anyway so any sacrifice in range vs a 223 gun would really be negligible for my intended use.

I started off looking at the Beretta CX4 Storm in 9mm and there's a lot to like about it but it seems that people either dislike or outright hate the trigger and the only after market trigger puts the price of the gun right into 9mm AR territory assuming I buy new. So I started looking at the Lone Wolf Complete Lowers and matching upper in 9mm because I already have a bunch of Glock mags and since I shoot a glock in matches it would really make going to matches super easy so that makes the 9mm AR very very appealing too but I remember a lot of people having lots of problems with 9mm ARs in the past and I don't know if that's still the case.

After comparing the pros and cons I literally cannot make up my mind; I just keep going around in circles. So anyone have any experience with either and care to offer up some input?

[nalesq]

I have owned and fired thousands of rounds through a Beretta CX4. I bought it because it was small, short (much shorter than a non-SBR'd AR carbine), lightweight, and would allow me to shoot a carbine both at an indoor range and outdoors at steel plates at much closer distances than I would really be comfortable doing with a 5.56mm carbine. I also already had a ton of Beretta M9 pistol magazines which worked with the CX4 as well.

Regarding the factory CX4 trigger, however subjectively one might "dislike" the feel of it because of its squirt-gun like mushiness, I can't say that it affected performance measurably for me or for almost anyone else I let shoot the weapon in the vast majority of circumstances. I say this even though overwhelmingly, my formal training and experience with shoulder-fired weapons is with the AR15 family of weapons. My impression is that hating the CX4 trigger is sort of like hating the Glock trigger - yes, if one compares it to a tuned 1911 trigger, it doesn't feel as 'sexy,' and no one's going to coo over it, but who cares? It still works well enough.

In my opinion, the worst thing about the CX4 is actually the iron sights. The front sight is tiny and hard to see, even through the larger of the two rear apertures, which is still too narrow for shooting at anything in less than ideal lighting conditions. Both sights are 'protected' by unnecessarily gigantic bunny-ear-like wings, which I thought obstructed much of my sight picture in a way that annoyed me. Eventually I got around these issues by attaching a red dot optic, which is the way to go anyway, but perhaps especially for the CX4.

In the end, though, I sold the CX4 and bought a Colt 9mm AR carbine, because all of my other rifles are AR-pattern weapons. While I still wanted and have use for a 9mm carbine, I wanted to simplify my life by keeping as many things as similar as possible.

But if I wasn't so entirely committed to the AR family of weapons, I would have been perfectly happy to keep the CX4. I still sort of miss it from time to time, but it went to a good home.

[orionz06]

Never shot the Lone Wolf but I do know that of the two the LW uses magazines that are likely the most common out there and the Beretta does not. The LW also has the AR modularity, though slightly limited, the Beretta does not.

[nalesq]

I do know that of the two the LW uses magazines that are likely the most common out there and the Beretta does not...

The CX4 I had used standard Beretta 92-series magazines. If that's not a common magazine, I
don't know what is. There are CX4 models which do use PX4 mags and 8000 series mags, too, but regardless of how it's originally set up, I believe Beretta makes some parts that allow one to convert the CX4 to use the cheap and plentiful 92-series mags.

[orionz06]

I was unaware, that helps tremendously then. Mec-Gar mags, IIRC, are cheap and decent.

[mrozowjj]

Yep. In 9mm you can get the Storm from the factory that either uses the 92 series magazines or the PX4 magazines and if you happen to get one in the other caliber you can easily swap to the other, there is this plastic magazine shroud thing you buy and then a different magazine release lever and then you just swap them.

At the end of the day though I have a bunch of Glock mags and no Beretta mags so if the 9mm AR works then it'd be the thing to get. If it doesn't then I'll start stocking up on Beretta mags.

[Joe Mamma]

Beretta temporarily stopped production of the CX4 earlier this month. They don't have a scheduled date to restart production. But it will probably not be this year. So I think the guns are going to be hard to get in the near-term future. If you want one, I would suggest you get one now.

By the way, mechanically speaking, the weak link in the CX4 is the mag release button and its spring. One problem is that the plastic part of the mag release button wears out where the spring contacts it.

Joe Mamma

[mrozowjj]

Beretta temporarily stopped production of the CX4 earlier this month. They don't have a scheduled date to restart production. But it will probably not be this year. So I think the guns are going to be hard to get in the near-term future. If you want one, I would suggest you get one now.

By the way, mechanically speaking, the weak link in the CX4 is the mag release button and its spring. One problem is that the plastic part of the mag release button wears out where the spring contacts it.

Joe Mamma

I've heard something similar. After looking at the Lone Wolf more I just realized it does not have a bolt hold open so I"m not leaning heavily towards the Beretta so I"m hitting the gun shop tomorrow at lunch.

I actually wondered about having that plastic on metal like that. Good thing the mag releases are cheap-ish and I could always have one made in metal should the need arrise.

[mrozowjj]

So I bought the Beretta. I've been playing with it all evening. I've noticed what you said about the mag catch, it is very thin piece of plastic and I can see it wearing down pretty quickly. I might show it to my father and see if he can make me one out of aluminium or something.

The trigger isn't good but it's not as bad as some of the internet posts made it out. It is mushy and inconsistent but not overly heavy... at least I don't think so. Once I get some actually rounds down the tube I might look into an upgrade.

[Joe Mamma]

So I bought the Beretta. I've been playing with it all evening. I've noticed what you said about the mag catch, it is very thin piece of plastic and I can see it wearing down pretty quickly. I might show it to my father and see if he can make me one out of aluminium or something.

The trigger isn't good but it's not as bad as some of the internet posts made it out. It is mushy and inconsistent but not overly heavy... at least I don't think so. Once I get some actually rounds down the tube I might look into an upgrade.

There's one specific thing you should be careful about.

*If I remember correctly* (and my memory could be off), the spring for the mag catch is like an upside down "U" when installed. As you will be able to see, it needs pressure on the top part of the spring to keep one of its ends engaged with the mag catch. If you have the gun partially disassembled, DO NOT push in the mag button without pressure on the top of that spring (to hold it in the mag catch).

If there is no pressure on the spring, the end of the spring (in the mag catch) will slip out. It might not seem like a big deal at the time, but it will very quickly wear out the hole in the plastic mag catch where the spring end goes in. Then it will slip out all the time, even when properly installed in a completely assembled gun.

So once it is worn, you will have to replace the mag catch. I don't know of any way to fix it. The Beretta factory just replaces the part too (instead of trying to fix it).

If your dad makes one, he should probably make some extras. You could probably sell them because the part fails so frequently.

Joe Mamma

[mrozowjj]

I'm going to see him next weekend I'll see what he says about making one.

If you look at the spring clip you can see that there is a part above it that needs to be below in order for it to stay in place. It makes inserting the clip again a bit of a pain last night.

The one thing I noticed about the mag catch is that it's not actually reversible. The position of the little plastic lip on the mag catch is such that if you reverse it and put it in on the other side it will be too high to actually catch the slot in the mag. It's like I need another one with the little lip on the other side... either that or I'm dummer than I think.

[Joe Mamma]

The one thing I noticed about the mag catch is that it's not actually reversible. The position of the little plastic lip on the mag catch is such that if you reverse it and put it in on the other side it will be too high to actually catch the slot in the mag. It's like I need another one with the little lip on the other side... either that or I'm dummer than I think.

If I remember correctly, you simply flip the switch over. The important thing is to always make sure the pointy small area in the middle (it's sort of like a "V" or "W" cutout) is always facing the back of the gun (whether you install it for left or right handed use).

Joe Mamma

[nalesq]

The one thing I noticed about the mag catch is that it's not actually reversible.

The mag release is definitely reversible. I reversed mine so that I could use my firing hand index finger to release the magazine. I did this because I discovered that it was a little too easy to accidentally hit the mag release (sometimes actually causing the mag to release) on my belt buckle, mag pouches, whatever on my body when I let the weapon hang from a sling.

Incidentally, the changing handle is also reversible. I reversed mine so that I could pull the charging handle to the rear with my support hand while keeping my firing hand on the grip.

[mrozowjj]

I figured it out, you have to remove the little thin peice of metal form the plastic mag catch and slide it back in on the other side so it will catch when reversed. I can't wait to shoot it. I had an IDPA match today and a USPSA match tomorrow though so maybe during the week.