Why I Prefer The PX4

I have used many pistols in the time I have had the freedom to own them. I have used pretty much every type of trigger and have settled on the double action/single action trigger. Of the double action triggers out there, I have successfully used both heavy and light weight triggers. What I found is that I work well with the trigger that you find on the PX4 pistols. The triggers are a smooth polymer that come in at a smooth ten pounds. That said, I also found that I work well with HK USP pistols as well. There is just something about a smooth faced polymer trigger that I work so well with. Since HK USP pistols are on par with the PX4 as far as triggers, I had to select between the two pistols based off other features. I found that the PX4 had a better grip for gloved shooting, more isolated controls, and about the same recoil. For this reason and the price difference, I decided that the PX4 pistols were the way to go for me.

As with every choice a shooter makes, I received criticism and expect it to continue. The fact of the matter is that my choice in a pistol is based off of my experiences and what I work best with. I am an adult who can make his own choices. My decision to go with the PX4 family of pistols is my own and I hope that people can respect that. I have not lost any love for my other pistols, but for now I work the best with and have full confidence in my abilities as a shooter when I pull the trigger on a PX4.

 Meet my new preferred pistol for carry. The PX4 Compact was a decisive choice based off of my needs in a carry pistol. Through my experience, I found that I needed a pistol that was basically a downsized version of the full sized PX4 Storm which would be the PX4 Compact. This was based off the fact that I worked so darn well with the full sized version to an almost surgical degree, even under stress. As I mentioned before, I also was aware of how well I worked with the USP pistols and considered using the compact version of the USP9. The investment and disadvantages put together were very unattractive for me, so the PX4 once again became the obvious choice.
I did my research by asking around and searching for any information I could find that would be useful in giving me an honest answer as to whether the pistol would suit my needs long term as a carry pistol. As usual, all I found were basic reviews that delivered little more than what the pistol looks like and very little about what makes the pistol a good choice for carry. For this reason, I had to make a judgement call and decide for myself whether the pistol was a worthy risk. Once I had confidence in my choice, I went out and purchased one for myself.
After spending some time with the pistol, I found out a few things. First thing I found is that the recoil on the pistol was not necessarily as low as some of the reviewers were claiming right out of the box. I would say that the recoil was comparable to the recoil of the M&P9 when it is loaded with +P ammo. It wasn't hard to control, but it was not the same as the pussycat that is the full size PX4 Storm. I will say that after a few hundred rounds, the recoil of the pistol came down considerably to the point of being much more comparable to the full sized model with a little more of a thump.

I figured out while working and practicing with the PX4 Compact that the decock levers should be replaced with low profile "decock only levers". This would be the only thing I really wanted, but Beretta has not had the "stealth levers" available for a while. For this reason, I have simply had to make do with what comes stock on the pistol.
Overall the pistol as it comes stock, is a pretty good design without much need for improvement. The only thing I have done is push out the bearing that keeps the decock safety lever in the safe position, making it an F model pistol. Once you push out the bearing and spring, you instantly have a G model pistol. Other than this I have done nothing to the pistol, only because none of the parts that I needed were in stock.
​The height of the pistol, the trigger, the natural ergonomics, and the ease of use make this pistol an obvious choice for me. With one more modification to the safety levers and eventually night sights, I will have the perfect carry pistol. Well, it may not quite be the perfect pistol due to the relatively short barrel(3.3"). Personally I prefer a 3.5-4" barrel for my carry guns in order to maximize the ballistic capabilities of my carry ammo. But then again, you gotta make sacrifices in order to get to where you want to be sometimes. In general, I would say that barrel length is a small price to pay for the other qualities that I get with this pistol.