Beretta Storm CX4 carbine

[dnewton3]

Anyone have experience with the CX4 carbine rifle from Beretta?

I would like your impressions of:

how it shoots (accuracy, etc)

how it handles (ease of use, location of controls and buttons, etc)

quality of build (fit, finish, part failures, etc)

ease of service (breakdown and cleaning)

I'm interested in the 9mm version, but I expect that the .40 and .45 will be similar other than caliber.

Part of the reason I'm interested in this is that I might pair it up with the PX4; they have a new compact size (similar to the mid-size Glock 19/23).

All info would be appreciated. I'll listen to any comments, but am especially interested in direct use/owership. Even if you've shot your buddie's Storm, that input would be helpful before I spend this kind of cash.

[dnewton3]

I got a chance to shoot one over the weekend; in .40 cal. Very much liked it.

Still looking for other input if anyone's shot/owned one. Want to know about reliability, etc.

[dnewton3]

OK - I bought one. Many things to like about this gun; one thing to hate.

Upside: It shoots VERY well, is comfortable, well made and accurate. Easy cleaning (almost modular the way a Glock is) and easily converted to south-paw (which I am not, but makes it easy for those who are). It will eat any kind of ammo with no problems whatsoever. The ejections are clean, clear and consistent. Working on the innards (next topic) is very easy.

Downside: The factory trigger SUCKS! (By "SUCKS", I mean it really, truly, is horrible and worthless, and is a point of embarrassment for Beretta in an otherwise stellar gun). It's a bit of a bizzare design. Rather than the sear moving away from a fixed hammer pin location, the sear is fixed, and the hammer/pivot pin is pulled away when you pull the trigger. This is odd, and since the parts are plastic, and safety is paramount, the pull is HARD and the travel long.

There is an aftermarket upgrade from a place called SieraPapa (also available through Brownells) that offers a new metal trigger, a new metal hammer, and new lighter spring. They are not cheap ($175 for the group shipped) but they work WONDERS for the trigger pull and release (also trigger reset is adjustable). It's a shame one has to spend that much more money on a carbine to get what should be the normal factory trigger ...

Overall, I really like the gun now. But for the price I had to pay (gun plus upgrades), I could have almost got into a quality AR style 9mm for just a bit more.