Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Review

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact

Bottomline

The Beretta PX4 Storm Compact is sleek, reliable, and ready for action, but not without a few quirks.

Looking for a handgun that blends sleek design, reliability, and versatility? The Beretta PX4 Storm Compact might just be your perfect match. Whether you’re a seasoned shooter or just exploring compact pistols, this review is packed with everything you need to know. From its unique rotating barrel to its impressive accuracy, we dive into what makes this firearm stand out—and where it might fall short. Stick around; you won’t want to miss why the PX4 Storm Compact is making waves in the handgun world!

Bottomline

The Beretta PX4 Storm Compact is sleek, reliable, and ready for action, but not without a few quirks.

Pros

  • High capacity
  • Lightweight
  • Compact, sleek, and symmetrical
  • Interchangeable backstrap system
  • Ambidextrous slide release lever
  • Chrome-lined barrel
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Magazine-release button is not ambidextrous

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Specs

CaliberCapacityBBLOALWidthHeightWeight
9mm15+1, 10+13.2″6.8″1.4″4.8″27.3 oz., unloaded
.40 SW12+1, 10+13.2″6.8″1.4″4.8″27.3 oz., unloaded

Editor’s Review

I admit to being a fan of mid-size semi-auto pistols regardless of brand. To me, the perfect carry gun will still fill my hand but is no larger than necessary. I know, I know, this is easier said than done, but I’ve had a number of such pistols over the years, all of which have met my individual need(s).

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact left side photo
The PX4 Storm Compact from the left.

The first: is the Smith & Wesson Model 6906. This double-stack but compact 9mm was easy to hide when working plainclothes but was still large enough to use for uniform duty, which may very well be the standard I’m seeking. Other guns I’ve carried in this genre have included the SIG P225 and P228, the Heckler and Koch USP Compact and my current carry gun, the Glock 19. All have been big enough yet small enough for what I view to be the perfect combative carry gun.

While walking the aisles of the 2010 NRA Show in Charlotte, I went into the Beretta booth. While not as large as it is at the SHOT Show, it was still substantial, so I needed to be careful or I would miss something. I moved into a corner where they had their PX4 Storm pistol line displayed and, one of the display models caught my eye. It was a PX4 all right, but it was not the blunt-looking subcompact or the full-size service pistol. It was a mid-size I hadn’t seen before and interestingly, no one was paying any attention to it.

I picked it up and immediately liked both the contour and feel of the gun. It filled my had without excess material hanging from under my grip, it was not overly tall in my hand, it was compact enough to easily carry concealed but would also look right at home in a police duty holster. As soon as I got home, I made contact with the folks at Beretta and was told the PX4 Storm Compact would be introduced in the fall of 2010. I placed my order for a test gun chambered in 9mm (the Compact is also chambered in .40 SW) and sat back to wait.

The Details

With an overall length of 6.8″ and height right at 5″, the PX4 Compact is sleek and symmetrical, and at just over 27 oz. is not overly heavy for its size. At the same time, the PX4 series is one of the most advanced semi-auto firearms lines currently available. Built as a modular platform so the pistol can be adapted to a wide range of shooters, the PX4 uses an innovative locked breech system built around a rotating barrel that keeps the barrel constantly locked in position even as the slide reciprocates.

The steel slide assembly is mounted on top of a frame made from fiberglass-reinforced techno-polymer that features an interchangeable backstrap system. The ability to re-size the grip is an important feature these days as government entities look to equip their personnel with a service pistol they are able to adapt to fit a diverse workforce. The individual who is concerned with their personal security will also find such a feature beneficial.

The slide is contoured and resists snagging when worn concealed, and the forward and rear cocking serrations offer several options to manipulate the slide. I know many reading this consider forward serrations a waste because using them to chamber check the pistol is viewed as dangerous. I disagree with this assertion because I think the chamber-check process must not be hurried or performed when not paying attention. If you don’t like the forward serration, don’t use them, but I think options are always beneficial.

Like most modern pistols, the PX4 Compact has an accessory rail molded into the dust cover, but the rail is short due to the pistol’s compact profile, so you’ll need a special light or laser. Fortunately, most of the major light and laser manufacturers make compact units just for this reason.

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact extended mag right side photo
The PX4 Storm Compact with the extended magazine.

The ambidextrous safety lever, which is located at the rear of the slide, is easy to manipulate with the thumb of either hand and will either lock or unlock the gun’s action. It also acts as a decocking lever for the exposed loop, a commander-style hammer, dropping it safely when engaged. The lever offers a tapered shelf with deep serrations that are easy to manipulate even when wearing gloves.

The PX4 Storm Compact also introduces a new ambidextrous slide lock that’s actually large enough to use as a slide release if the end-user cares to do so. (Yes, using the lever as a release remains controversial, but it seems that almost anything can be made into controversy if people choose to do so, and the firearms community is no exception.) The slide-lock lever also offers a reasonable-sized shelf with serrations that are easy to use and accessible to the thumb of either hand.

I was taught years ago (decades ago, actually) to insert a magazine into the gun, seat it solidly and then rotate the support-hand thumb up onto the slide release to load the chamber. I perform this action in one smooth motion without conscious thought due to many, many repetitions. Truthfully, it’s just what I do, and I don’t plan to change at this stage of my life. If you want to work the slide manually, do so! But again, I like options, and the ambidextrous slide release lever on the PX4 Compact gives them to me. The magazine-release button is not ambidextrous, but it is reversible so you can set it up for left-hand thumb manipulation, a worthwhile feature, most certainly!

The no-glare Bruniton finish has been around for quite some time and works very well in keeping corrosion from the steel components, even in the harshest environments. The barrel locking system not only helps lock the barrel in place even as the slide moves, but it also dissipates recoil energy, which helps reduce muzzle rise and thus, felt recoil. Fast shot-to-shot capability is always a welcome feature in a combative pistol, and though proper grip and body position are the primary means of taming recoil, a bit of advanced technology never hurts.

The barrel is chrome-lined to provide corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning. The PX4 barrels also feature a deeply recessed crown to protect the rifling from harsh field use, such as getting dropped, thrown or—heaven forbid—used as a last-ditch impact weapon! Hey, to my way of thinking, whatever works for the good guys and gals to prevail.

Like all PX4 pistols, the Compact comes with a set of three-dot sights dovetailed into the slide. While the rear is a Novak-like ramp style, it has a flat front so you can use it to work the slide in the event you must perform a one-hand manipulation.
Each PX4 Compact comes with two 15-round magazines and will accept the full-size 17-round versions as well.

Range Report

While the PX4 Storm Compact has all of the right features needed on a combat handgun, only a trip to the range will tell the whole story. As a user of mostly striker-fired pistols these days, I was a bit concerned about having to re-educate my finger to manipulate the double action/single action (DA/SA) hammer-fired trigger system, and my first attempt to group the gun displayed this. Yep, my first shot went low left (7 o’clock), but once in the SA mode, I cruised right along.

Checking the trigger with a custom set of precision weights made for me by a friend, I discovered the DA trigger pull measures 10 lbs. and the SA 5 lbs. To be fair, the DA trigger was actually reasonably smooth, while the SA was about .5″ long, though a bit of over-travel was evident. Often such over-travel is built into a gun’s design to ensure reliable function with even the worst quality ammo, but the longer the trigger and its subsequent reset, the harder it is to separate the index finger from the rest of your hand. Fortunately, in my experience the more you shoot a modern DA/SA pistol, the better the action gets. Practice really does improve performance, regardless of the gun used.
I opted to test the PX4 Compact by shooting five-round groups from a bench rest at 25 yards using the excellent Giles Bags from The Wilderness. These bags vary in shape and size, can be stacked for individual use and are easy to keep in your range bag.

I placed my Shooting Chrony chronograph 15 feet from the muzzle of the PX4 Compact and also fired five rounds to obtain average velocity. I opted to use several street-proven loads for this testing (why would you use anything else?). The results:

  • Carbon 100-grain Powerball: 1,339 fps, 3.5″ group*
  • Federal 115 grain 9BP HP: 1,142 fps, 2.5″ group
  • Speer Gold 124 grain HST +P Short Barrel: 1,209 fps, 2.25″ group
  • Winchester 127 grain SXT +P+: 1,247 fps, 1.25″ group
  • Federal 147 grain HST +P: 1,010 fps, 2.5″ group

*Note: I believe a short explanation is due here. I stated earlier that when I first started shooting I pulled one of my first DA shots low left due to unfamiliarity with the long trigger stroke. That was the case when grouping the Corbon Powerball load. If I’d thrown out this round, the Powerball would have grouped at 2.25″.

As you can plainly see, any of the loads listed would make a good choice for the PX4 Compact. Considering the gun is equipped with a 3.2″ barrel, the velocity readings were most encouraging.

As I do with all guns I evaluate, I completed a combative pistol practice session with the Compact to finish the reliability portion of the test. I could’ve just target shot with the remaining 300-plus rounds I had on hand, that just seems like a waste of time to me because I consider a handgun a piece of personal security equipment. The way I see it, testing it combatively is the only way to go.

I didn’t have a holster for the PX4 Compact, so I enlisted the help of the Blackhawk Ambidextrous Flat Belt Holster that I keep on hand for just this type of situation. The Ambidextrous Flat Belt is designed to work on any belt up to 2″ wide and fits most small to medium-frame automatics and revolvers. It has an adjustable thumb break, which is fully ambidextrous and is made of ballistic 1000 denier nylon. This isn’t the optimal holster for concealed carry, but it does keep the gun from falling on the floor, and while it’s not as fast as a Kydex scabbard, it’s very usable with just a bit of practice and quite concealable due to its flat design. Most double-stack magazine pouches will work with the PX4 magazines, so I had a useful practice carry rig.

I completed my testing with a series of El Presidente Drills (including Ken Hackathorn’s more realistic moving, slide-lock version), Bill Drills, supine and seated shooting, concealed draws and reloads, and some shooting-on-the-move box drills.

When it came to speed reloads, the PX4 Compact has a nicely bevelled magazine well that allows for snag-free reloads. The flat magazine floor plates helped to solidly lock the magazines in place but did not hinder concealment.

In all, I shot 350 rounds with no hiccups. I like the Compact’s size, weight, feel and point-ability, as well as how nicely it came from concealment and on target without snagging. I also appreciated how accurate the little gun proved to be, no doubt due to the advanced rotating barrel design.

Further reading: Ultimate Gun Reviews

Final Thoughts

Would I change anything? Not much. I would probably have a gunsmith install an over-travel stop to shorten the reset and would look into having the safety lever turned into a de-cock only mode (spring loaded to always return to the up position) but these are small things and would not stop me from buying it. As a matter of fact, I think I will.

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact (DA) Score Card

ErgonomicsCompact and sleek!1.64
TriggerReasonably smooth.4.2
AccuracyImpressive accuracy.4.5
QualityOverall quality of the PX4 is highly regarded.4.5
ValueAffordable!1
OverallThe Beretta PX4 Storm Compact is sleek, reliable, and ready for action, but not without a few quirks.3.23
Dave Spaulding

Dave Spaulding is a 28-year law-enforcement veteran, retiring at the rank of lieutenant. He’s worked in all facets of law enforcement—corrections, communications, patrol, evidence collection, investigations, undercover operations, training and SWAT. He currently operates Handgun Combatives, a handgun-combat training program, and he’s authored more than 800 articles for various firearm and law enforcement periodicals. In 2010 Spaulding received the Law Officer Trainer of the Year award, and he’s also the author of the best-selling books Defensive Living and Handgun Combatives.

Related Articles

To read Spaulding’s review of the full-size PX4 Storm, click here.
To read Mike Boyle’s review of the PX4 Storm Sub-Compact, click here.

No votes yet.
Please wait...

19 thoughts on “Beretta PX4 Storm Compact Review”

  1. Bruce R. Brittain

    Great Gun; I love it.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  2. I’m just a little confused, as I often am. I was told that the sub-compact was called “Storm” and the compact was simply the PX4 compact.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  3. Fantastic gun and everyone who borrows it at the range falls in love with it.
    Walt, they are all called PX4 Storm, that is the family name. Then you have the full size, compact and sub-compact. I have the compact myself. There is also the Nano which I am thinking of getting but it is not officially part of the PX Storm family.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  4. I am kind of green when it comes to semi auto hand guns. I have shot them before but this is the first one that I have purchased. I have the Px4 Storm Compact. Both magizines that came with the gun are the 15 round size.
    I have large hands and the compact fit me well.
    I was a little taken aback by the length of the first round trigger pull. Seemed like I kept pulling and pulling and nothing then finally it shoots. The first two clips went fine and I found the gun to be very accurate. With the next two clips it jammed (stove piped) on the second to the last round in each clip. Not sure why that was happening. I was using Federal target rounds.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  5. I’ve been a fan of Beretta pistols for many years. A few years ago I inherited my father’s 92SB (yup, SB- the early model of the 92’s that the US Air Force adopted before the 92F – M9 came out). It has been my favorite semi auto and I’ve said many times that if it just wasn’t so big I’d use it as my daily CCW. I’d been carrying a Walther PPK .380 for years, but with the incidents you see in the news these days, I just wasn’t feeling that the PPK gave me enough fire power, so I started looking into something with more rounds in a 9mm (I’m not a fan of .40’s), did my research and purchased a PX4 Compact. It’s a little bigger than the PPK, but not too big to carry. I love it. It gives me the fire power of the big old 92 without the size. It functions flawlessly, has very little kick and is extremely accurate. I’ve had friends compare it at the range against other guns of its size like an S&W M&P and they’ve all liked my Beretta better.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  6. This is the Darth Vader of handguns. It has totally wicked looks, a powerful substantial fee and dead reliability in a compact nothing extra or not needed, size. When you put this in your hand, fully loaded, there’s no doubt your holding something that, like a good Doberman Pincer, is more than capable of handling violence. Like ole Darth, this thing does not lose gunfights.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  7. Love the pistol. Added the 15 round mag, and it feels great in the hand, shoots with precision, and is my CCW first choice.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  8. William Soldevila

    I have seen the gun personally and felt it in my hands, It is an excellent pistol. It is very lite and reliable to carry it a duty belt.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  9. I have this gun in the 40 cal. It shoots low and the left. I have had many failures to feed and stovepipes. After a 200 round break in period, no ejection or feeding problems. Still shoots low and to the left. I will work on that next. For now, even with the above mentioned problems, I love this Storm. It has little recoil, fits in the hand well, and easy to bring back for follow up shots. I am buying another one for my son to carry.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  10. Thomas McClimans

    Definitely a “diamond in the rough”.
    Pros: Rugged, reliable, decent trigger for a DA/SA, less muzzle rise (thanks to lower bore axis & rotating bbl action?), decent selection of holsters available.
    Cons: Insufficient grip checkering for a secure grip (Talon Grips fixes that), I’m not a fan of slide-mounted safety/decockers (either convert to Type-G decocker-only or install Beretta’s “stealth” levers which convert to Type-G and replace the factory batwings w/slim levers that don’t snag on fingers when doing malf drills), and night sights are pricey (custom install by Tool Tech) as the Compact’s front sight is proprietary and aftermarket front sights won’t fit properly, leaving a gap.
    However, these drawbacks are all fixable and the Compact’s favorable shooting characteristics outweigh them.
    I now own two PX4 Compact 9mm’s for nightstand/CCW duty.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  11. Jams and Jams. Sent back to Beretta 2 times.
    Unable to fix it and no new replacement.
    Last Beretta product I will ever buy.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  12. 100 rounds through my PX4 Compact and just like my Model 96 no FTF or any other problems. I am a small person average hands and this pistol fits me perfectly. I like the weight and low recoil. I believe Beretta is one that requires your aim to be at the target directly not at 6 O’clock like many others. That should cure the shooting low. as for the to the left comments it is a shooters problem usually due to either trigger pull or tightening up on the grip. I have not had any accuracy problems with the weapon but the DA first shot does take some practice. Excellent choice for me.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  13. First time at the range with any gun in 30 years. Does shoot low and left out of the box but adjustable (W&E) sights are available and have been ordered (reviews say installation is best performed by qualified gunsmith). Low recoil (124 gr FMJ), good feel in my large hands, and accurate enough to score 97% on Texas CHL shooting test with aim just right of 1:00 o’clock. Crimson Trace LaserGrip is not manufactured for this pistol, but I will be using this gun as a primary IWB carry weapon. First round trigger pull is long, but a bit of range time should overcome that quirk. A Browning Hi-Power used to be my favorite 9mm, I think I will be purchasing a second PX4 (Nano) which does have an aftermarket Crimson Trace LaserGrip available (perhaps in an ankle holster where IWB is not practical).

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  14. I’ve noticed several posts about DA shots pulling to the left. Trigger pull can mostly correct this by making sure the pad of your finger instead of the joint crease is used. Another remedy can be to pull the elbow closer to the body, aligning the hand/wrist in line with the arm, preventing wrist pull.
    I also saw someone complain about several “jams” (FTF, FTE, ?). He (she) didn’t specify what ammo they used but cheap ammo is, well, cheap ammo. It could also be a limp-writing situation. I seriously doubt Beretta could not fix it if it was sent back two times. These are solidly built guns.
    Just my 2 cent opinion.

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  15. I just purchased the PX-4 compact on Jan. 10, 2018. The first baretta along with first DA/SA hammer fired. The first 100 rds fired were a little dicey, but after putting a total of 800 so far through this gun has been good no malfunctions and a real nice gun. Positively my new EDC. However it appears she likes to run a little damp and watch the limp wrist. Other than that the gun has fantastic accuracy with little recoil. I really like this gun and would bet my life on it/
    Best Regards
    Mark
    Paris TN
    LAND OF THE FREE

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  16. Good review, Dave. I think I’m going to buy one of these pistols soon. The PX4 Storm has been out for about 15 years now, and the compact version for nearly nine. I think the whole striker-fired fad went a long way to obscure, from everything I’ve read, an otherwise great pistol .

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  17. I am a left handed shooter. How far does the shell eject and in what direction for pbx 4. Storm compact?

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  18. If your looking for the very best in quality and reliability this is the gun for you hands down

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...
  19. My Edc. Px-4 best hammer fired pistol out there. Have put 3k 4k without a burp. Underated pistol very accurate. Never sorry that i have that and subcompact . Best pisols ever its a beretta

    No votes yet.
    Please wait...

Comments are closed.