The last 13 years I served as a cop, I carried a Beretta 92FS. It was a heavy duty 9mm, tried and proven well enough for the United States Army to make it their standard issue sidearm, rebranded as the M9.

I still have that old 92fs, and it’s never failed to go bang when I pulled the trigger. I was always kind of surprised. A couple of years ago, my girlfriend bought me one of the newBeretta handguns .40 cal for Christmas, along with a tactical laser/flashlight and new holster. I used it when I took my qualification test for my Arizona concealed handgun license. The differences I saw between the PX4 Storm and my old 92fs were very considerable. The PX4 Storm doesn’t have the classic open slide, and the barrel is designed to rotate slightly every time the weapon discharges. This ingenious design reduces the recoil translation from the gun to your hand so much that you notice a massive reduction in felt recoil in the .40 caliber PX4 compared to the smaller 92FS 9mm. That is a really impressive Beretta handguns.

I’m no engineering expert, but I’m guessing that the significant lack of muzzle rise when firing this weapon can also be attributed to the design of the rotating barrel. The PX4 Storm is lighter than the 92f as well, thanks to the composite frame, but it’s still heavy enough that it feels solid in your hand or on your waist. Field stripping couldn’t be simpler. With no tools necessary, the average shooter can field strip this weapon for basic cleaning in less than 15 seconds. It only takes twenty seconds to put it all back together again.