CX4 Storm Review

Canuck44

Canuck44

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Beretta CX 4 Storm 9MM Review​
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I just purchased my Beretta CX 4 Storm in 9MM new/used ( $890+ taxes for a total of $1069). I chose the 9MM over the .40Cal and .45acp as the gun will be used for IDPA Multi-Gun. 9MM brass is available everywhere and the cartridge is easy to reload, with a good variety of bullets available.

For those not familiar with the gun it is made of black polymer throughout with a thumb hole grip and comes in Canada with top, bottom, front and side picatinny rails along with a sling.

Caution order a decent sling mount. While the gun comes with a front knob where you can attach the sling it is fragile and there have been reports of it coming out resulting in the sling releasing with damage to the gun as it hits the pavement.

The Storm operates on a simple blow back operating system.

The gun is equipped with Ghost ring sights. The front sight is adjustable using a supplied tool. The rear sight consists of a flip up design featuring a short and long range aperture. From the factory mine required the front sight to be adjusted for elevation only.

I installed a Vortec Sparc red dot sight (http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-sparc-red-dot-scope) the gun after reading some very positive reviews on this sight. I bought mine from Grouse River Outfitters. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. The sight co-witnesses with the Beretta Fixed sights perfectly. I quickly sighted in the carbine for 50 yards using Lyman’s 356402 bullet cast from WW. This bullet is very accurate in my pistols and proved equally at home in the carbine.

As you would expect shooting the 9MM round out of a 16” barrel should and did result in a velocity gain on my loadings for pistol. Eg.:

4.1 gr Win 231 under 124 gr Lyman 356402 sized .357 Rifle 1283 fps Pistol 1088fps
5 gr. 800X under 124 gr Lyman 356402 sized .357 Rifle 1241 fps Pistol 1093

Local PF rules for Multi-gun rifle requires PF of 150. Out of the Carbine both loads make this level with ease. Both loadings are very accurate.

I have not worked up satisfactory loads using plated bullets but will. Sighted in at 50 yards I can place all shots, using a rest, into the down zero area at 100 yards by holding at the neckline of the IDPA target. I don’t believe the gun/cartridge combo is capable of decent accuracy beyond 100 yards without a significant holdover. I rather hope the rule book is amended to limit target ranges to 100 yards for Defensive Multi-Gun. Shooting at 200 yard targets with a pistol cartridge is optimistic at best (Sighted in at 50 yards a 124 gr 9MM bullet drops approx.52”!) I now have over 500 rounds through the gun without incident. Gun is very inexpensive to shoot with cast bullets, approx. $4.15 per hundred.


Pros:
  • Gun is good to go, accurate using either the supplied Ghost Ring sights or with optics. Picatinny sling attachment purchase is recommended.
  • Disassembly is easy and quick for cleaning. Total disassembly instructions are on the net and frankly the gun can be stripped down to its frame fairly easy with little skill required.
  • Gun is completed ambidextrous.
  • Ergonomics – for me are excellent. Controls are where they should be.
  • Gun performs extremely well with cast bullets and my 4.2 gr of 231 under my Lyman 356402 boolit sized .357 meets PF of 150
Cons: The trigger is heavier than I would like and likely won’t get much better. It takes some time to get used to, and I am slowly. You can buy all metal trigger kits for the gun which are said to improve the trigger pull.

This gun would appear to be the perfect fit for IDPA Multi-Gun in the Stock Pistol Carbine without the Red Dot Sight and excellent for the Enhanced Pistol Carbine Division with the optic sight. I’ll know better come Halloween when our next Multi-Gun shoot is scheduled. Until then I will be on the range testing loads and practicing.

For other 3 Gun events I plan on adding a compensator to reduce what little muzzle flip there is.

Take Care

Bob
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Here you go. Sorry for the picture quality.

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NaOH well it isn't very good but certainly good enough. Eventually I plan to install a metal trigger group which helps things along quite a bit. When shooting fast between targets at 50 yards you hardly notice how heavy it is. As a gun designed for defensive shooting it certainly is capable out to 100 yards. For what I bought it for it will do nicely. Very inexpensive to shoot which is a major bonus.

Take Care

Bob
 
I should add the gun appears to prefer my cast 356402 Lyman bullet over the plated bullets from AIM. The latter are .3545 in diameter and weigh in at 122 gr vs 124 gr for the lead variety. This may have something to do with the results so far. Too, I haven't spent a lot of time developing loads with the plated bullets yet but will. I also noticed using the same powder/load combo you lose about 100 fps using plated over the lead bullets.

Take Care

Bob
 
Mine is .40cal, it is stunningly accurate and I plink out to 200m It loves Noslers in 135gr JHP and with those you are getting .44mag MV


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If you are in Canada, good luck on getting that metal trigger kit. Brownells sells them but won't ship to Canada. I have been wanting to get my hands on a kit for my CX4 9mm. Mine is a custom with a stainless bull barrel at 18.5" length. No complaints other then the trigger.
 
Kevin M. said:
Brownells ships to Canada as long as the item in question is under $100 I believe. I have done it many times for parts.
Click to expand...
Yes if the manufacturer is registered with the DoD. This was news to me, too when I ordered a $5 part yesterday and was denied.

I ordered a CX4 in .45ACP almost 4 months ago and I'm still waiting. Since my club allows pistol rounds only (the other option is to pay $2 per round for frangible ammo) this is as close to a Tavor that I'll ever get. :D
 
One thing I have found while shooting the gun is the co-witness feature has me looking over my glasses which if you wear glasses can be a problem. Fortunately I am far sighted. I intend to use the third insert and raise the sight. By doing so I will lose the co-witness feature. Given my experience to date with the Sparc I don't see myself losing all that much for competition purposes. I don't think I will forget to turn on the sight before starting a stage. I'll report back here if raising the sight solves my problem with my glasses.

Take Care

Bob
 
I would really like to see a collapsible stock similar to that of the AR.
- Take out the piece that extends from the lower part of the pistol grip to the stock.
- cut off the stock and mount an adaptor behind the rear sight.
- Secure a collapsible stock.
Would there be any one reputable that can such a conversion? Is it even possible? Could the gun remain in nonrestriced with these mods if the barrel is 18"?
 
Lawrence D said:
I would really like to see a collapsible stock similar to that of the AR.
- Take out the piece that extends from the lower part of the pistol grip to the stock.
- cut off the stock and mount an adaptor behind the rear sight.
- Secure a collapsible stock.
Would there be any one reputable that can such a conversion? Is it even possible? Could the gun remain in nonrestriced with these mods if the barrel is 18"?
Click to expand...

Go to the Beretta Forum a guy there did just what you are describing to his. I am not sure is does much for function other than it gives the gun a different look.

Take Care

Bob
 
Here is the gun with a Harris Bi-Pod installed along with an added sling mount. Do not use the front stud provided to mount a sling. I did initially and ended up pulling the stud through the picantiny front rail. This has ahappened to others with damage done to the gun when it fell fron the owners shoulders. The stud is not retained strong enough to support the sling in use.

BerettaCX4Storm9MM001.jpg


Next up is to install a light and a compensator.

Take Care

Bob
 
Wicked Police I considered re-barreling but the $500+ cost is really out of line for any benefit I might accrue. I use the gun at the range for multi-gun competitions and demonstrating how badly I shoot rifle unsupported standing. Relatively inexpensive to shoot is the major attraction for buying this gun to compete with plus in the right hands it is very competitive and in my view an excellent choice for IDPA DMG Pistol Carbine Division.

For folks in your line of business this gun would be an excellent choice for your Patrol Car. Out to 100 yards you could get a BG's attention real quick and far more accurate than any pistol the local constabulary are likely to be issued. General Publics optics aside, the gun would probably be a better firearm for airport security over the handguns now in use.

Take Care

Bob
 
For me, it would be a fun plinking gun out at the farm (in non-restricted form).

It would be good in the car, but we're putting a lot of the MP-5's back into use, so no worries there.

For general patrol use though, we should try and get with the times and have a proper patrol carbine package with C8's like a lot of our municipal and provincial counterparts.
 
you could also consider a hi-point carbine for 1/3rd of the price of the storm, I want to get one but not sure if I want the 9mm or should wait until the 0.45 is available to compliment my 1911
 
Just a heads up for optics with these. They can be hard to fit. The Eotech protective shroud (not the shoulder thing that goes up) sticks out too far and interfers with the charging handle. Unless you mount it really far forward. This is why you see a lot of the Bushnell (Eotech inside) holographic sights. They are slimmer. Also with the rabbit ears bigger optics don't work well. If you want a scope you'd have to be very carefullwith your choice.
 
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