Got to put a few rounds downrange with a buddy's PX4 full-size over the holidays. I smashed my pinky finger on a reload, but I also managed to get him signed up for a pistol class that the range was offering, so the pain was worth it.
A quality DA gun, I was glad to spend time with it, but I think I'll continue leaning towards the M9 pattern. I will, however, recommend that my buddy explore both the TJIAB and RDO options for his pistol.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
I got one of these (full-size, standard 9mm) as a Christmas present to myself. With the rebate this should come out to $375 shipped, which I couldn't pass up. The Px4 full really seems like a 19x type gun, as the barrel and sight radius are nearly identical to the 19 with the grip of a 17. I would guess the Px4 is lighter than an M&P, P320, etc., which for a duty-sized hammer-fired gun is pretty cool.
Changing the backstraps and that wire clip thing pretty much refuses to go in straight, so it's quite a lot of fun if you like carefully tapping things with a variety of small hammers. Once it is in it's solid, and the large backstrap feels good and fits tightly. I also did the g-conversion before taking it to the range. That conversion is pretty easy if you've disassembled anything more complicated than a Glock, but I imagine would be daunting to novices. Thankfully I must have done it right, as it functioned great. I made it a short session due to the Northeast weather, so I only brought my Glock 19 for comparison.
First impressions are the Px4 really does have noticeably less recoil, as it seems less sharp and more of a straight-back push rather than a snap/flip (to the extent large-ish polymer 9mms shooting 115 grain have "snap"). Shooting one-handed weak hand only, the Px4 is still extremely pleasant. I couldn't really perceive a torqueing/turning effect that some people describe, and a mantisx recoil control graph didn't reveal anything out of the usual in the way the gun behaves. It is noticeably different in feel than a browning tilt-barrel. Between the soft recoil and the ease of racking the slide (especially considering you can first cock the hammer, making it lighter) it might be a good candidate for people who are recoil-adverse or with lower hand strength.
The grip with the large backstrap seems to be about the same length front to back as a 92, but is noticeably thinner and pretty slab-sided. Consequently I need to be conscious to clamp side to side with my support hand if I want to get the best performance. Without that I had a tendency to pull some flyers to the left. The texture is obviously too slick on the sides, but the front and back is actually pretty good. I do have big enough hands that my support hand is almost entirely wrapping over my firing hand and not interacting with the grip though. The stock trigger is better than a new stock 92, as it seems a little lighter and smoother to me. The trigger return is way more positive than a 92, which I appreciate and personally care about more than the actual reset length. I still shot the Glock better in both accuracy and speed, at least for now.
The gun worked well for me with thick winter gloves. More room in the trigger guard with the Beretta was definitely appreciated over the Glock, as was the size of the slide release. The decockers really grip into and are easy to manipulate with gloves. On the other hand, the sharpness of the decockers is no joke; I don't think you'd cut yourself unless you *really* botched racking the slide, but a nice thumb blister is a definite possibility. Kind of weird because everything else on the pistol is so nicely smoothed and dehorned. The carry or 92 levers would be the first thing I'd change personally, but I have no interest in the stealth levers.
I like it enough it might be worth evaluating as a carry option; I kind of wish I'd sprung for a compact carry for the smaller size, but I am not sure I would go for their very short barrel and sight radius length. Generally when the sight radius gets around glock 26 or shorter length I start to lose the ability to self-diagnose my errors as reliably, and whether I shot a good group or not ends up being a bit of a surprise. I like it a lot though and am looking forward to shooting it more in the future.
Interestingly, the rotating barrel causing a rotation sensation in the hand might be urban (or YouTube) myth. The 45° rotation keeps the barrel and slide locked together longer than any other action I've seen. This causes more energy to dissipate, helping recoil mitigation. The rotation simply unlocks, like a bolt action rifle. The fact that the rotation locks them together means that the barrel stays straight and does not tilt up. The staying straight reduces muzzle flip. They actually stay locked together during cycling https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-and-how/page7 post 67 There is also a buffer on the rebound spring assembly.Originally Posted by GlockenSpiel
You seemed to figure out the backstrap retention wire... like a valve cover, tap in the center, then one side a little and the other side, alternating. Squeezing the backstrap in while inserting the wire helps.
I'll throw in a link to a suggested lubrication method that has served well for a few hundred thousand rounds.. https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ull-size/page3 post 27
Congrats!
Last edited by PX4 Storm Tracker; 12-27-2022 at 05:15 PM.
Hi,one of the guys at work recently purchase a PX4 Compact,he likes the pistol but it's shooting a few inches low,does anyone make front sights in a verity or height or should he just buy night sights?Thank you.
IIRC, the stock sights are designed so that you level the three dots. If you use a traditional sight picture where you level the top of the sights, the gun shoots low.
The two iron-sighted full-size PX4s I have wear the LTT/Ameriglo sights and shoot to POA with a traditional sight picture. If your coworker opts to change out the sights, I recommend that he pay a gunsmith to do it. Beretta puts those sights in there to stay forever.
In addition to what @revchuck38 wrote, different bullet weights will also change your point of impact.
I’m really impressed with my new pair of PX4s. I wasn’t expecting this…
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
In addition to what has already been said by others, Beretta themselves do make different height sights if your acquaintance still feels like he needs different height sights but wants to keep the gun "stock". (Although personally I don't think I would bother replacing the stock sight with another stock sight. The stock sights are okay and certainly useable, but there is room for improvement.)
IDPA SSP classification: Sharpshooter
F.A.S.T. classification: Intermediate
Does anyone have a PX4 Compact Extended barrel for sale? I have a project I am working on that needs that barrel and I cannot find one anywhere.
www.langdontactical.com
Bellator,Doctus,Armatus
I'm not sure you'd be able to find out outside of Canada and other locales that have pistol barrel length restrictions/requirements?
I'm not even sure that they sell PX4 Compacts in Canada any longer, or make any parts for them
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