Dumb Question - Does "Top Heavy" Matter at all?

[Jim Watson]

Right, when loaded, that top heavy sensation is gone.
A friend is an avid Steel Challenge shooter with a Glock.
He starts every string with a fresh full magazine. He is only firing five shots out of 17 but he wants the balance the same every string of fire.

[okie john]

When I went to the local gun store, the guy there said that he personally really didn't like the PX4 because it felt very "top heavy."

Ask him if he's ever shot one.

I'm guessing he can safely be ignored.


Okie John

[ford.304]

Thanks for the answers, ya'll!

Kind of confirming what I expected, but it's nice to check :-)

[HCM]

Hey, all.

I'm getting back into shooting and looking to buy an actual modern semi-auto. Following the advice of this forum, I'm looking at the standard suspects (M&P 9c, Glock 19), but the discussions here have made me really curious about the PX4 as well. I really like the idea of the DA/SA trigger (I have avoided one ND in the past only because of the incredibly long DA pull on my revolver).

When I went to the local gun store, the guy there said that he personally really didn't like the PX4 because it felt very "top heavy." I could feel what he meant just holding the gun in the store, but I've also learned here that how something feels in the gun store means jack for how effectively you can shoot it.

So is "Top heaviness" even a thing? Does it have any effect on recoil impulse/controllability, or how well the gun sits in a holster? Or does it only really affect that vague "feels good in the hand" at the gun store counter?

You are correct about how a gun feels in the store often has little correlation with performance. Prior posters who noted the balance of polymer pistols when empty in the store is different that the same pistol when fully loaded are spot on.

Early PX4’s had some reliability issues due to the rotating barrel system but those issues seem to be resolved. If you like the PX4 buy one, if you still like it after you shoot, it invest in a Langton tactical trigger job in a bag for it, and maybe some upgraded sites. My main criticism of the PX4’s is the grip being too slick but that’s an easy fix with $20 worth of pre-cut grip tape such as Talon grips.

The real issue here is your gun store counter person.

While there are some gun store employees who are knowledgeable and experience shooters, in my experience they are the exception not the rule.

My LGS, one of the larger LGS in my city has a staff of 10 including the owner who is a friend. The owner is a hunter and knowledgeable about / experienced in longe range rifle shooting. Otherwise his knowledge and experience is minimal other than knowing what sells.

Of the 10 staff members, including the owner. There is one, not the owner, who I would consider fairly knowledgeable.. only 3 of 10 go to the range or shoot with any regularity. The rest are gun buffs who are high on internet / gun magazine lore and low on actual experience.

[TCinVA]

When I went to the local gun store, the guy there said that he personally really didn't like the PX4 because it felt very "top heavy."

While there are some people working behind a gun counter who actually understand how to use firearms at a high level, those people are few, far between and the odds you encountered one are incredibly small. On the rare occasion I'm browsing in a gun store I just do my best to ignore whatever the person behind the counter offers up as wisdom. Or if they are sufficiently annoying I'll simply tell them that I know more than they do, thanks.

Any semi-automatic pistol where the frame is made of polymer will, when unloaded, feel "top heavy". It's kind of how the physics of the thing has to work.

[revchuck38]

I think pretty much all modern plastic framed pistols are top heavy. Don't think it matters much.

I've got four M&Ps, three PX4s, and a G45. They all feel about the same empty; ditto fully loaded. My guess is that he's a 1911 or metal-framed CZ shooter.

[TOTS]

I’ll go a separate direction and say it matters. A little. To me. I understand what everyone is saying regarding the gun balanced when loaded. And I don’t disagree with any of the previous comments. Especially how texture matters.

However, from an engineering perspective, the act of shooting shifts that balance point upward with each round fired. I would theorize this is detrimental to recoil control; since the center of gravity (mass) raises, the moment arm of the recoil impulse lengthens. With a pistol designed with a better “unloaded balance”, i.e, a lower cg, the cg lowers even more when loaded, and the impulse lever arm is shorter when the ammunition is expended. This is also why a gun with a longer grip is more shootable than the same slide on a shorter grip. Think G45 vs 19.

But that’s theoretical and other factors undoubtedly have a more significant impact. It was the way I thought and very important to me when I got into shooting. Thus, why I favored the classic SIGs over HKs and Glocks when I began.

Now, after actually getting some experience……meh 🤷