Beretta PX4 Storm - Underrated is an Understatement!

[Ben_G]

So I am curious about the newer .45ACP versions, the tan ones. Is the extended barrel on those, I think they are .4 in longer and protrude from the slide about that much, the same principle? Finding a way to make it a heavier barrel in the mechanism and reduce recoil? Or was there another reason for making those an extended barrel? Just curious and I know it was not for threading or suppressors or any of that.

Those .45s aren't new, they were made for the Army's Joint Combat Pistol program in the mid aughts. The extended barrels where for a custom rail mounted silencer that used a gasketed sleave that rode on the barrel IIRC.

Interesting that this was developed off of the Compact extended barrel! Does the G-SD barrel happen to fit in a Compact slide? I'm interested in finding out just how much has changed about that thing off of the 100mm JBPX49CEXT model.

No, it doesn't. The Compacts have a feed ramp, so that old frankengun proof of concept had that bit cut off. The barrels in the new factory G-SD barrels are simply based on that concept; they're not that old compact barrel. The engineers in Italy did up a new barrel and slide based on the idea.

That's a really cool backstory.

I actually wasn't aware that the compact has a heavier barrel than the full-size (I own a compact, not a full size). Looking at pics, though, it's obvious. And it makes perfect sense that you'd have tamer recoil characteristics with additional weight in the action, etc.

It's cool to hear how you guys successfully navigated that idea through different "silos." I work for a bizz strategy agency/consultancy--with our clients, we see so many ideas get lost in translation between departments and internal politics. I'll be very tempted to try one of these heavy-barrel full-size guns. Figure it gives me an excuse to try the full size.

It shows the benefits of a proactive back and forth relationship with external SMEs, though we're still not exactly agile (though for 500 years, I guess that's relative). And this very nearly did get lost in the cracks from the time of the original pitch, but Ernest loves the PX4 platform, and I happened to jump 'silos' here at Beretta over the last 7 years and remembered that gun and the discussions around it.


We know the PX4 does still need some ergo and texture work, but those existing international MIL and LE contracts have 10 year service stipulations, meaning those old tools need to stay active and refurbished. Projects like this keep the platform advancing and maintain a commercial market presence and business case in the meantime. Until then, Talon and Toni grip tape, and Boresight stippling cover that gap, and some new opportunities for modifications were discussed at SHOT. We're going to keep working on these and moving that all forward as long as we can.

[Bucky]

Those .45s aren't new, they were made for the Army's Joint Combat Pistol program in the mid aughts. The extended barrels where for a custom rail mounted silencer that used a gasketed sleave that rode on the barrel IIRC.



No, it doesn't. The Compacts have a feed ramp, so that old frankengun proof of concept had that bit cut off. The barrels in the new factory G-SD barrels are simply based on that concept; they're not that old compact barrel. The engineers in Italy did up a new barrel and slide based on the idea.



It shows the benefits of a proactive back and forth relationship with external SMEs, though we're still not exactly agile (though for 500 years, I guess that's relative). And this very nearly did get lost in the cracks from the time of the original pitch, but Ernest loves the PX4 platform, and I happened to jump 'silos' here at Beretta over the last 7 years and remembered that gun and the discussions around it.


We know the PX4 does still need some ergo and texture work, but those existing international MIL and LE contracts have 10 year service stipulations, meaning those old tools need to stay active and refurbished. Projects like this keep the platform advancing and maintain a commercial market presence and business case in the meantime. Until then, Talon and Toni grip tape, and Boresight stippling cover that gap, and some new opportunities for modifications were discussed at SHOT. We're going to keep working on these and moving that all forward as long as we can.

I honestly hope Beretta does not go the agile route. As someone who has been in the software engineering industry for over 30 years, agile has been the downfall of quality software. Of course, I’m not supposed to say that out loud. You’re only allowed certain opinion these days. However, I’ve seen it with my own eyes and vast experience. YMMV.

[FowtyFigh]

Are the PX4 slides on the .45s wider than the 9mm slides? I tried installing decocker levers on a .45 and they don't fit. They're so tight you can't work them at all.
I installed the same levers on a 9mm, and they work fine.

I can't get any answers as to why though.

[MattyD380]

It shows the benefits of a proactive back and forth relationship with external SMEs, though we're still not exactly agile (though for 500 years, I guess that's relative). And this very nearly did get lost in the cracks from the time of the original pitch, but Ernest loves the PX4 platform, and I happened to jump 'silos' here at Beretta over the last 7 years and remembered that gun and the discussions around it.


We know the PX4 does still need some ergo and texture work, but those existing international MIL and LE contracts have 10 year service stipulations, meaning those old tools need to stay active and refurbished. Projects like this keep the platform advancing and maintain a commercial market presence and business case in the meantime. Until then, Talon and Toni grip tape, and Boresight stippling cover that gap, and some new opportunities for modifications were discussed at SHOT. We're going to keep working on these and moving that all forward as long as we can.

Cool. Thanks for the behind-the-scenes peak. Agile or not, I think the PX4 has earned a unique equity unto itself--it's a modern hipster gun that's as functionally excellent as it is unique. You guys have kinda turned the PX4 into its own de-facto brand, which is neat. Unorthodox... but unorthodox for a reason. I have a YouTube channel and my PX4 review is by far my most popular video. And there's nothin' but love in the comments. Certainly, there's no shortage of folks out there who dig the PX4.

And, personally, I find it reassuring/validating to know that MIL/LE contracts are fueling and supporting the platform--even if that means a few less consumer-y bells and whistles.

[TheNewbie]

More gun companies (or just companies in general) need representatives like Ben G.

[AdioSS]

Those .45s aren't new, they were made for the Army's Joint Combat Pistol program in the mid aughts. The extended barrels were for a custom rail mounted silencer that used a gasketed sleave that rode on the barrel IIRC.

You mean like…

No, it doesn't. The Compacts have a feed ramp, so that old frankengun proof of concept had that bit cut off. The barrels in the new factory G-SD barrels are simply based on that concept; they're not that old compact barrel. The engineers in Italy did up a new barrel and slide based on the idea.

Can you share if the 9mm G-SD barrel is the same OD as the .40 & .45 PX4 barrels?

It shows the benefits of a proactive back and forth relationship with external SMEs, though we're still not exactly agile (though for 500 years, I guess that's relative). And this very nearly did get lost in the cracks from the time of the original pitch, but Ernest loves the PX4 platform, and I happened to jump 'silos' here at Beretta over the last 7 years and remembered that gun and the discussions around it.


We know the PX4 does still need some ergo and texture work, but those existing international MIL and LE contracts have 10 year service stipulations, meaning those old tools need to stay active and refurbished. Projects like this keep the platform advancing and maintain a commercial market presence and business case in the meantime. Until then, Talon and Toni grip tape, and Boresight stippling cover that gap, and some new opportunities for modifications were discussed at SHOT. We're going to keep working on these and moving that all forward as long as we can.

Ever since the first time I picked up an APX I’ve been saying that the PX4 grip needs to match that as close as possible considering the internal real estate required by the hammer spring/strut/etc. they appear to use the same magazine tubes & grip angle. But I think the PX4 definitely needs to keep the old magazine design. The triangle area on the front of an APX mag hangs up in my mag carriers. The only way I’d like to see any change there would be a true ambi mag release instead of just swapping from one side to the other.

More gun companies (or just companies in general) need representatives like Ben G.

Most definitely! We definitely appreciate Ben_G here!

[No.6]

I honestly hope Beretta does not go the agile route. As someone who has been in the software engineering industry for over 30 years, agile has been the downfall of quality software. Of course, I’m not supposed to say that out loud. You’re only allowed certain opinion these days. However, I’ve seen it with my own eyes and vast experience. YMMV.

Complete detour off the topic, but both yes and no. "Scrum" and its variants are just a software version of Ohno's lean manufacturing process. The "yes" comes in because lots of people saw this as an opportunity to skip due diligence and bamboozle business folks with jargon. The "no" because people who have to make their work work in order to stay working do all the same diligence as before, but in bite-sized chunks instead of big quarterly/annual release-sized chunks, and applied properly leverages automation in testing and other areas to do *more* quality checking than otherwise. (There's a lot more of the former, admittedly, because doing it right is still work).

"Agile" the concept is just being willing to listen to what people want and not too stuck in process to do it timely. That applies everywhere, although obviously (wrenching this back on topic) "agile" for a business that must support its product for the long-term and on whose product lives depend is, properly, more ponderous than "agile" for a startup app company where the only downside is someone's stuck on level 78 of their puzzle game.

[HeavyDuty]

A new PX4CC2?

https://www.beretta.com/en-us/produc...carry-2-FA0135

[Noah]

A new PX4CC2?

https://www.beretta.com/en-us/produc...carry-2-FA0135

It was kind of missed in all the shot show stuff on the LTT PX4s, , but the base PX4 Carry and Compact Carry were updated as seen here, with the stealth levers rather than low pro and a different Talon grip texture.

[Bucky]

A new PX4CC2?

https://www.beretta.com/en-us/produc...carry-2-FA0135

Oh MY!

It was kind of missed in all the shot show stuff on the LTT PX4s, , but the base PX4 Carry and Compact Carry were updated as seen here, with the stealth levers rather than low pro and a different Talon grip texture.

I haven't dabbled in PX4s since the early years. I had so called stealth levers on mine, which were super flush. These look less flush, but also appear such that they are angled in a way they can't inadvertently be "decocked" while racking the slide.