MichaelScott
October 10, 2006, 11:49 AM
Hey guys. I purchased a PX4 9mm a few months ago and have been going to the range every week to put a few hundred rounds through it. I have put around 2,000 rounds through it at this point and I wanted to write a review about the great things about the gun… and the not so great things about it.
First let me give you a little description of my shooting background.
I’ve only been shooting for about 6 months. I’ve shot a few Sigs, some revolvers, my father’s Berretta M9, some Glocks, and a Ruger 9mm. I try to hit the range every week to shoot at least 300 rounds- but I do not claim to be any sort of expert shooter- just a guy interested in learning how to shoot for defense and hobby purposes.
When I made the purchase of the PX4 I was deciding between the Berretta M9 and Sig P-226. I ended up going with the PX4 because it came cheaper then the above two models but it had more “out of the box” features.
I also thought the gun would be great for my wife as well as for me. The rotating barrel recoil compensation system, the light plastic frame, the exchangeable back strap, made me think that the gun would be a better choice for my wife then the M9 and P-226.
The great things about the gun:
1) The gun is really easy to take apart. It disassembles in less then 2 seconds (for real) into 4 pieces. The spring is contained within the rod so you don’t have to worry about something accidentally flying across the room.
2) There is almost no recoil when shooting. It is super easy to re-acquire the target. The wife likes shooting it because it doesn’t fight with her.
3) I’m a huge fan of the three dot low light sights. For the other guns I was looking at this was an additional cost. The PX4 came with them.
The not so great things about the gun:
1) The grip comfort is alright but not even close to a set of Hogue grips that can be attached to most metal guns. The back part of the grip area is really abrasive and I find it annoying the palms of my hand after shooting for extended periods of time. It’s not a huge deal but I think Beretta should come up with some softer rubber grip back straps for the gun.
2) I can’t seem to get the accuracy out of it that I want. I’ve A-B ‘ed it next to 4 other guns of various makes. Every other gun I shoot WAY better then the PX4. Not to say that the PX4 is inaccurate- just that I get much tighter groups on a more consistent basis with other guns.
I think that it has something to do with the barrel length. The PX4 is only a 3 inch barrel while most of the other guns I’ve shot are closer to 5 inch. Maybe some of you will think that the barrel length doesn’t matter. But the PX4 has so much else going for it that the barrel length seems to be the only thing it falls short on. I’ve also had a few other people A B test out the gun and they run into the same accuracy problems. Again, I want to say that the gun is not inaccurate. If I knew I was going to be involved in a shoot out I could trust myself and the gun to hit a head sized target at 25 yards. The PX4 just isn’t as accurate as the other comparable guns out there that one could buy.
So I guess I should say that I have mixed feelings about the gun. It gets a lot of stuff really right but it falls short on a key area. I’d still recommend it for people looking for a light/compact pistol. Its fun to shoot and it is even fun to clean! But I think I have been concentrating on target practice so much that I want something for accuracy first and ease of carry/use second. Guess this means I should buy another gun… oh darn.
First let me give you a little description of my shooting background.
I’ve only been shooting for about 6 months. I’ve shot a few Sigs, some revolvers, my father’s Berretta M9, some Glocks, and a Ruger 9mm. I try to hit the range every week to shoot at least 300 rounds- but I do not claim to be any sort of expert shooter- just a guy interested in learning how to shoot for defense and hobby purposes.
When I made the purchase of the PX4 I was deciding between the Berretta M9 and Sig P-226. I ended up going with the PX4 because it came cheaper then the above two models but it had more “out of the box” features.
I also thought the gun would be great for my wife as well as for me. The rotating barrel recoil compensation system, the light plastic frame, the exchangeable back strap, made me think that the gun would be a better choice for my wife then the M9 and P-226.
The great things about the gun:
1) The gun is really easy to take apart. It disassembles in less then 2 seconds (for real) into 4 pieces. The spring is contained within the rod so you don’t have to worry about something accidentally flying across the room.
2) There is almost no recoil when shooting. It is super easy to re-acquire the target. The wife likes shooting it because it doesn’t fight with her.
3) I’m a huge fan of the three dot low light sights. For the other guns I was looking at this was an additional cost. The PX4 came with them.
The not so great things about the gun:
1) The grip comfort is alright but not even close to a set of Hogue grips that can be attached to most metal guns. The back part of the grip area is really abrasive and I find it annoying the palms of my hand after shooting for extended periods of time. It’s not a huge deal but I think Beretta should come up with some softer rubber grip back straps for the gun.
2) I can’t seem to get the accuracy out of it that I want. I’ve A-B ‘ed it next to 4 other guns of various makes. Every other gun I shoot WAY better then the PX4. Not to say that the PX4 is inaccurate- just that I get much tighter groups on a more consistent basis with other guns.
I think that it has something to do with the barrel length. The PX4 is only a 3 inch barrel while most of the other guns I’ve shot are closer to 5 inch. Maybe some of you will think that the barrel length doesn’t matter. But the PX4 has so much else going for it that the barrel length seems to be the only thing it falls short on. I’ve also had a few other people A B test out the gun and they run into the same accuracy problems. Again, I want to say that the gun is not inaccurate. If I knew I was going to be involved in a shoot out I could trust myself and the gun to hit a head sized target at 25 yards. The PX4 just isn’t as accurate as the other comparable guns out there that one could buy.
So I guess I should say that I have mixed feelings about the gun. It gets a lot of stuff really right but it falls short on a key area. I’d still recommend it for people looking for a light/compact pistol. Its fun to shoot and it is even fun to clean! But I think I have been concentrating on target practice so much that I want something for accuracy first and ease of carry/use second. Guess this means I should buy another gun… oh darn.