A no-fail, modest-mannered big boy, Beretta’s PX4 Storm in 45 ACP certainly is something different for those who pay attention
by Paul G Markel
I need you guys to help me out. Do car guys, truck guys, and motorcycle guys go online cry and whine that “no one is doing anything new?” Because that certainly is the case with gun people.
Just like clockwork, the moment that the Christmas holiday has passed, gun people go online and start talking about the upcoming SHOT Show and how they are sure that there won’t be anything new, exciting, or groundbreaking. Then they post memes about how such-and-such a gun is just going to be featured in a new color.
We have all been there at least once or twice. We like to joke about how this company or that company is releasing their new pistol in new FDEOD (Flat Dark Earth Olive Drab) color. Let’s face it. In the 21st Century, the American gun community is both spoiled and jaded simultaneously.
Pause for reality check. If the tax slaves who inhabit every other continent on this planet could walk into a gun store and, minus a government permission slip, walk out with even an older model pistol from Glock, SIG, Beretta, HK, Smith & Wesson, et cetera, they would pee their pants with joy. I truly feel that we are so jaded that we often fail to appreciate some actual improvements and valuable changes to the guns we have available to us. Which brings me to the subject of this review.
My Beretta Experience
My experience with the Beretta family of handguns goes back to sometime around late 1988 or early 1989 when my Marine Corps unit swapped out our WWII vintage M1911A1 pistols for the shiny new, just-out-of-the-box M9 9mm pistols. Man, what a time to be alive. We felt like we were being given a futuristic, modern fighting gun. When carrying the M1911A1 pistols on duty, we had fifteen rounds spread out between three magazines. Now we had fifteen rounds in the gun and a spare 15 in another magazine.
Time marched on and I became a full time Small Arms & Tactics Instructor for the US Military during GWoT. Our cadre of instructors focused mainly on teaching the use of the M4 carbine and the M9 pistol. I did not have a personally-owned M9 and so, in order to be supremely proficient with the tool, I acquired one. During that time, I was talking with my contact at Beretta, and he wanted to know if I would be interested in trying out the new PX4 series — this one in 45 ACP. What could I say? Throw me in the briar patch!
PX4 Storm .45 ACP
My formative years with fighting handguns were based around the 45 ACP cartridge. The year before I enlisted in the Marine Corps, I took a four-day fighting handgun class from John Farnam and used a surplus M1911A1 for the duration, putting well in excess of 1000 rounds downrange.
What I learned from those years was that handguns chambering the 45 ACP tended to be finicky eaters unless a master gunsmith tinkered with them. If you wanted to ensure reliability, you ran “hardball” (230-grain FMJ).
The PX4 Storm pistols are definitely a modern hybrid in that they incorporate a polymer frame with a steel slide and barrel; however, unlike the modern PFSF (polymer-frame, striker-fired), the PX4 uses a double-action/single-action trigger mechanism with an exposed hammer. There is a decock/safety lever mounted on the slide in the typical Model 92 fashion.
The PX4 Storm full-sized pistol is essentially the exact same height as a Model 92/M9 but about an inch shorter in the slide/barrel area. The empty weight is 27.7 ounces — seven ounces lighter than its aforementioned 9mm cousin. The full-sized M1911A1, constructed of all steel, weighs around 39 ounces.
Yes, 45 ACP ammunition is chubbier than 9mm NATO, and the Storm magazines come in 9 and 10-round versions, with the 10-round mag sticking out from the frame. For the curious, you can run the gun in the “plus one” configuration, so you can start with either ten or eleven rounds in the gun.
All that being said, what truly makes the Storm pistols stand out is not what is on the outside but what is on the inside. Please allow me to quote from the manufacturer: “This pistol features a cold-hammer forged, rotary barrel encased in an ultra-tough slide machined out of solid bar stock. Besides being one of the strongest actions available, the rotary barrel dissipates recoil away from the shooter’s hand and greatly reduces muzzle jump, making it an extremely fast, accurate and pleasant-shooting handgun.”
And so, unlike most modern handguns, whose barrel actions are based upon century old designs, the rotary barrel design of the Storm pistols is really something. It’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom. The barrel does not “tilt” like you are used to and there is no locking block feature like the older Model 92 series. True to Beretta’s description, the recoil from the 45 Auto cartridge was truly manageable and not at all “snappy” as you might expect from a pistol in that caliber with a polymer frame.
Additionally, for those veterans out there who once struggled with the MILSPEC DA triggers on the M9, the Storm DA trigger is not light, but it is smooth and certainly manageable for those who possess normal hand strength. The SA press is not too light and not too heavy. My trigger pull gauge puts the SA press right around 4.25 pounds. The DA was around 11. I know that new shooters might view an 11-pound DA trigger press as heavy or unmanageable, but it really isn’t. Well, at least not for me. I suppose your mileage may vary.
Range Time
I guess I was feeling nostalgic when I busted out the PX4 Storm in 45 ACP. It certainly is a different animal from the PFSF guns in 9mm with which I spend a lot of time training. For those with experience shooting the larger caliber, you will notice a couple of things immediately.
First, despite being a relatively lightweight pistol, the felt recoil is quite manageable. Yes, you definitely know you are shooting a 45 ACP and launching big, fat bullets, but it is certainly not unpleasant. Rapid fire on target is not a problem as long as you put a bit of man-strength behind the gun.
The other big plus is the fact that the PX4 Storm consumed 45 ACP ammo like it was a 9mm. That is, it reliably cycled every imaginable style from flat-nosed lead semi-wadcutters to all manner of controlled expansion bullets — both subsonic and supersonic. I deliberately fed the gun a mixed diet.
For this review, I used standard ball ammo and four different loads from DoubleTap Ammo and Black Hills Ammunition. From DoubleTap came 45 ACP loads in 200-grain Bonded Defense (JHP), 160-grain DT Lead Free 100% Copper hollow-point, and 255-grain Hardcast Solid Lead +P. The Black Hills defensive round was their 135-grain “Honey Badger” load moving at 1250 FPS out of the barrel. I also had my OD green steel can of training ammo with numerous loads to include the ubiquitous 230-grain ball and a bunch of partial box leftovers from various makers.
I prepped this article by littering the range with a couple hundred pieces of once-fired 45 ACP brass. Never did the gun choke, and both of the included magazines ran without flaws. Yes, I made a habit of starting my shooting drills with the +1, fully-loaded configuration. Believe it or not, not every semi-auto handgun, particularly those whose caliber begins with a 4, will run 100-percent when “topped off.”
Your Cup of Tea?
Is a DA/SA pistol your cup of tea? Is a 45 ACP pistol likewise your flavor of choice? Perhaps yes, perhaps no; however, can we be honest in saying that just about every PFSF pistol from every maker is only about one percent different from all the rest? Sometimes it is nice to expand your horizons.
Also, let’s go back to our previous discussion about gun manufacturers not making improvements or changes. Folks, the rotary barrel design of the PX4 Storm is kind of a big deal, but it seems to have flown right under the radar of most people in the gun community. I have yet to shoot the Storm in the infinitely more controllable 9mm NATO. Regardless, based upon my experience with the big gun, if someone could figure out a way to put a “happy switch” on the 9mm guns, I’m sure you could manage controlled bursts. But that’s just me wishing.
Bottom line, the Beretta PX4 Storm in 45 ACP is a most reliable, comfortable to shoot, and accurate pistol. If you are looking for something a bit different than the common fair, you won’t go wrong with the Storm series.
