Contents
My
Replica Pistol (CO2 .177 Air Pellet)
The Beretta PX-4 Storm is the ideal air pistol for plinking and target
practice. It is possible to use the weapon to kill close up vermin but a
.22 air rifle is best used to ensure an accurate and clean kill. I can fire the gun on my own land within a
specified safe distance of the people and public
walkways, which in my case is not a problem.
The Beretta is an exceptional gun for the money and it fires .177
pellets through a rifled barrel - so it is fairly accurate. Its fire
power averages out at 380 FPS (feet per second) using RWS R10 Match Premium Line
Kal 4.50mm pellets, which weigh in at 7.0gr. The slide blowback is very
realistic when firing the gun and it is field strippable (by removing a
pin). However, blowback lacks the 'last shot fired' lock back of the
slide, the only real downside, but you cannot have it all. Putting the
safety switch to safe, also safely decocks the loaded gun from the
firing position.
When you rapid fire the Beretta Storm PX-4, it eats its way through the
RWS R10 Match pellets as fast as you can pull the trigger. I now don't
use alloy pellets as in the past they have tended to jam the gun when
rapid firing. You can fire the gun (almost) as fast as Hickok45, firing
the real Part 1 Firearm in the 1st video below - the air pistol version
is not as loud - but not that bad. You can see an example of the Beretta
PX-4 Storm air pistol rapid fire, near the end (6:29) of Andy's video
review - 2nd video below.
The two videos that sold me on the Umarex CO2 .177 Pellet Beretta PX-4
Storm Replica Pistol was this one that demonstrated an authentic firearm
-
AND - Andy's review video of the Umarex Beretta (CO2 .177 Pellet) PX-4 Storm loading and firing performance -
My
Umarex Beretta PX-4 Storm -
I purchased the gun along with a spare magazine from Livelines Tackle and Guns in Scotland. The weapon cannot be shipped to a private home address. I had to produce my Scottish Air Weapon Certificate Licence at the shop. The Beretta is not a gun for carrying around in public. If I walk around in the UK with the gun in public view, especially with the pistol in a holster, I may find myself in the chokey, a guest of HM Prisons.
When you apply and receive your
air weapon certificate licence it is very important that you adhere to
any conditions for your use of the weapon. The main condition for my use
states "The air weapon shall be used for the shooting of all lawful
quarry, and for zeroing and practice on ranges and land, over which the
holder has lawful authority to shoot". The Beretta PX-4 Storm air
pistol has enough velocity and penetration power, especially at short
range, to inflict a serious wound or even cause death to a person, so it
is kept in a secure gun cabinet within my alarm protected home to deter
theft and it falling into the wrong hands.
Umarex CO2 Gas Capsules & Crosman
Pellgun Oil
I am a great believer in purchasing gun accessories (if possible) from
the same manufacturer of the gun. So
fortunately, Umarex supply their
own CO2 gas capsules for their Beretta.
Purchasing the capsules in large numbers is probably the most cost
effect way if you intend to
regularly fire your
Beretta and I
have to admit, I enjoy firing my gun almost as much as riding my sports
motorcycle.
My first purchase was 20 capsules but in the future, I will opt for 50
units which can be purchased from most on-line gun suppliers. Online you
can use
JS Ramsbottom to order and they
ensure a swift delivery. Locally, I use
Livelines Tackle and Guns in
Scotland.
I am using RWS R10 Match Premium Line Kal 4.50mm
7.0gr .177 -
pellets and my shots per CO2 capsule have greatly increased over heavier
lead pellets.
I recommend replacing the Umarex
CO2 capsule after 64 rounds to avoid any pellet jams - it may seem like
a waste of remaining power but soon after 64 rounds the gun's ability to
fire properly is greatly reduced.
Before fitting a new Umarex CO2 Gas Capsule in the butt of my gun, I
place a very small drop of
Crosman Pellgun Oil on the tip of
the
CO2 capsule and then insert it up into the gun butt before I screw it home. The
oil helps keep the air seals of the gun from drying out. NOTE: Do
not put any more than a very small drop of oil on the CO2 capsule
nozzle.
WARNING:
After using the gun, never leave the CO2 gas
capsule in the gun. Remove it and before putting the gun away, pop a
small drop of
Crosman Pellgun Oil
onto the gun's air seal in the butt. This
facilitates the seal to be kept in good shape.
The Types of .177 Pellets
I have now owned the PX-4 Storm for over a year and have finally settled
on the ideal pellet for the gun. I prefer the RWS R10 Match Premium Line
Kal 4.50mm, which weigh in at 7.0gr. They are very accurate and have the
ideal penetrating power. (See the Gun Firing Section below)
RWS R10
Match Kal 4.50mm 7.0gr .177 pellets can be purchased online from
JS Ramsbottom.
Firing the
Umarex Beretta PX-4 Storm Pistol
The Beretta is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
When loading an Umarex CO2 capsule it is important to remember to open
the butt base plate first (clockwise looking at the base of the butt) as this loosens the internal knurled black
wheel and makes it free to turn. This knurled wheel's screw spindle is
the often missed area for a few drops of Crosman's Pellgun Oil to keep
it smoothly turning up against the base of the CO2 capsule, before
finally closing the base plate (anti-clockwise looking at the base of
the butt) to force up the capsule and break the CO2
seal.
Now having used the Beretta many times I have found one weakness in the
CO2 capsule loading. Once or twice after inserting a capsule, I have
fired the first shot and due to the vibration, the capsule has started
to let out CO2 gas inside the butt. I have be fooled into thinking I
have screwed up the black wheel tightly before finally closing the base
plate to pierce the capsule nozzle inside the butt. There is very little
margin for the base plate turning to finally pierce the capsule and I
guess this is a deliberate design by Umarex to prevent over tightening
the capsule nozzle against the silicone valve inside the gun. So, I have
to screw the black wheel tight and even when I think it is tight, I
still try and tighten it a bit more, before finally turning the
baseplate.
The only other weakness that I have found with the gun is in the plastic
magazine which holds 8 x pellets at each end and after 8 rounds are
fired you eject it, turn it around and re-insert it for the next 8
rounds. It will invariable jam in the gun if you use alloy (non lead)
5.6gr pellets in a rapid fire situation. Another consideration to
remember, is when you insert the magazine, there are 2 pellets visible
and these must be tightly fitted into the plastic retainers because if
they are in any way slightly proud of the retainers, they can catch and
jam the magazine against the innards of the gun or worse, the breech,
when the magazine is inserted. (See more on the pellet magazine in
the warning bit of this section)
I have been using the PX-4 Storm for over a year and I now only use RWS
R10 Match Premium Line Kal 4.50mm 7.0gr .177 pellets in the gun. These
are a nice firm fit and are less
prone
to falling out of the magazine.
My
shots per CO2 capsule have greatly increased using the R10 Match
pellets. You can expect to
achieve excellent velocity and accuracy for up to 40
rounds from a Umarex CO2 Gas Capsule BUT remember, the gun is lined up to
the centre of the target for 10 yards shooting distance, otherwise if
too close, it shoots high.
The Beretta PX-4 Storm when hand held, even with both hands, is only likely
(on average) to achieve a 2" diameter grouping of shots at 10
yards. Place the Beretta on a support at 10 yards to the target and you
will get the grouping down to a 1" diameter in the centre area.
At 40-64 rounds, the gun shooting (to centre of target)
accuracy at 10 yards, gradually falls as the CO2 gas capsule begins to lose its power
and you must compensate for the loss of power by shooting higher above
the target or moving closer to the target.
I recommend replacing the Umarex
CO2 capsule at 64 rounds to avoid any rapid fire pellet jams - it may
seem like a waste of remaining power but soon after 64 rounds the gun's
ability to fire properly is greatly reduced.
I found there was no problem with the safety lever of the Beretta; sure
it was tight to start with and required a finger from each hand to move
it to fire but soon, I was able to pressure it back and flick it up to
the fire position with the thumb of my left hand whilst holding the gun
in my right hand. If the gun is cocked,
you simply press the lever down with your left thumb and the gun hammer decocks without firing the pellet round.
The Beretta is zeroed to the centre
of the target at 10 yards with a full CO2 capsule and RWS
R10 Match Premium Line Kal 4.50mm 7.0gr .177 pellets in the gun.
The sights are fixed, so one has to make accuracy and velocity allowances for -
-
Umarex CO2 capsule gradual power loss
-
The weight of lighter or heavier .177 pellets being fired
-
The distance to the target
-
Any wind interference
WARNING:
It is absolutely
imperative that the pellet plastic magazine of the gun is totally clear
of any oil residue on the plastic sleeve and any part of the rotating
ends. Oil can make the rotating end skip and jam the magazine due to the
pellet alignment being wrong and the pellet ends up jammed up against
the barrel. If this happens, the fastest way to clear the magazine from
the gun is to place it in SAFE mode, remove the CO2 gas capsule and then
press in the magazine release button and at the same time, pull/hold the
slide back and with a stubby plastic stick, gently push/wriggle
the magazine down (through the
artificial ejector port) until it is released and any jammed
pellet falls out.
If the pellet remains half stuck in the barrel, do not be tempted to
fire the gun; instead, pull and hold the slide back, and gently ease the
pellet out with a .177 gun cleaning rod by putting the rod in from the
exit end of the barrel and pushing it along the barrel until it makes
contact with the stuck pellet and gently push it out until it
falls through the magazine holder section.
WARNING:
5.6gr Light Alloys: I have tried light alloy (non lead) pellets,
including RWS Hypermax and RWS Hyperdome but these 'intermittently'
jammed the magazine under rapid fire and proved very difficult in
removing the magazine as it was hard jammed by a crushed pellet between
the magazine and the barrel entry point.
WARNING:
After using the gun, never leave the CO2 gas
capsule in the gun. Remove it and before putting the gun away, pop a
small drop of
Crosman Pellgun Oil
onto the gun's air seal in the butt. This
facilitates the seal to be kept in good shape.
Accuracy is greatly reduced if you fail to keep the rifled barrel of
your gun clean and the working mechanism well oiled. The Umarex Beretta
PX-4 Storm is just like any other weapon and must be maintained. I have
included a Cleaning Section below on how to
clean and oil the gun.
Cleaning and Oiling the
Beretta
(480 Shots Fired)
I have designed a
methodology for cleaning the gun. My main cleaning and lubrication tools are
Walther Oil Filled CO2 Maintenance Capsules
along with
Crosman Pellgun Oil
and
VFG Discofelt .177
Cleaning Pellets.
WARNING:
Always remove the plastic magazine from the
gun and never let oil come near it or any other spare magazine. Once you
have cleaned and oiled your air weapon and then when inserting a
magazine, especially a plastic one, remove it again and make sure that
any trace of oil from the internals of the gun are wiped down,
especially the rotating section of the magazine where the pellets are
housed. You may have to do this a few times to dispel any excess oil
before firing the gun.
Gun Accuracy After Cleaning
I have found that once my gun barrel is cleaned, I have to fire about 20
pellets before the gun's accuracy is fully restored.
Lubricating the Inner Seals
The main CO2 capsule seal of the gun is lubricated every time I fit a new
Umarex CO2
capsule but there are
other seals inside the mechanism that require to
be addressed. To do this I use a Walther 'Oil Filled' CO2 Maintenance
Capsule as recommended by Umarex.
I remove the magazine, fit the Walther capsule in the butt and fire the
gun until the CO2 and oil are exhausted. I then clean off any excess oil
of the exterior body of the gun.
Oiled magazine mechanisms, especially oil on the rotation loading
mechanism can jump or jam pellets. Walther advise that if you are using a Walther OIL
Maintenance CO2 Gas Capsule, you remove the magazine first. Once you
have cleaned and oiled your air weapon and then when inserting a magazine, especially a plastic one, remove it again
and make sure that any trace of oil from the internals of the gun are
wiped down, especially the rotating section of the plastic magazine where the pellets are
housed. You may have to do this a few times to dispel any excess oil
before firing the gun.
I had a hard time finding the Walther OIL Cleaning Capsules but
eventually I traced them to
Solware which is an online supplier
and the
delivery (1 day) was spot on.
Cleaning the Barrel
I then clean
the barrel by
loading a magazine - one
end with 8 x VFG slightly
Pellgun
oiled pellets and the other end
with 8 x VFG
dry pellets.
I fire the
oiled pellets first, followed by the dry
pellets
into a collection bin
and then inspect the
fibre pellets for signs
of cleaning.
The
VFG .177 Fibre Cleaning Pellets are ideal for using to clean the barrel
of the Beretta PX-4 Storm pistol. They fit the magazine loading bays
perfectly and are fired through the barrel with ease.
Pellgun Oil is also ideal for lubricating moving mechanical parts that can be
accessed without stripping the gun.
I was
able to trace VFG Fibre Cleaning Pellets at
JS Ramsbottom
Cleaning and Oiling
the Gun Mechanicals
The Beretta has a metal
top section on a composite body. It has several metal moving parts
that require a few drops of Crosman's Pellgun Oil -
I remove the magazine and the CO2 capsule
to gain access to these areas -
-
The black wheel spindle in base of butt (used for tightening up the CO2 capsule) - see Note below
-
Trigger hole (gun held upside down)
-
Safety catch (gun held on it's left side)
-
Hammer section (all moving parts)
-
Blowback slide (a few light oil drops where slide meets the body - both sides of gun)
Note:
When turning the black wheel to oil and disperse
oil on the screw spindle - first, make sure you have opened the base
plate on the bottom of the butt before you attempt to turn the wheel.
After oiling, move all the parts several times to disperse the oil
evenly. Do not fire the gun (CO2 capsule and magazine still removed)
flick the safety switch to red dot/fire, pull the blowback slide
right back to cock the hammer and flick the safety switch to safe and
the hammer decocks. Repeat but this time, hold the hammer, pull the
trigger and slowly release hammer
head back to the strike plate in the body - repeat and alternate these
processes several times.
Finally, clean any excess oil from the gun's body with a dry
absorbent cloth.
Gun Storage
For long-term storing of the gun, I will clean and oil it as
above and store it with
a
drip of Crosman Pellgun Oil
on its CO2 entrance nozzle in the butt, no Umarex CO2 gas capsule
fitted and the 2 x magazines are left empty and out of the gun.
Stripping Down the Beretta PX-4 Storm
The Beretta's internals, especially the blowback
slide will eventually require cleaning and oiling. Over time and
dependent on it's use,
the gun will become filled with crud made up of dust and grime mixed
with lubricant. The Beretta
PX-4 Storm can be field
stripped BUT be warned, it will invalidate the manufacturer's
warranty.
However, to field strip the gun, you
will have to remove the very small solid steel pin which sits in
the concave section of the gun's body ahead of the trigger guard of the
gun and forward of the larger split pin in the concave section. You do
this by knocking it out from the left side of the gun using a 'Starlett
Pin Punch' of a similar size with a light blow administered - the pin is
actually quite loose and only held by a hex engraving on the right side. The pin will come out
on the right of the gun and you will see the other end of the pin has
the
hex engraving which bites into the right side composite of the gun body to
hold the pin in place.
You then push the blowback slide right to the back and gently
lift it's rear upwards and forwards to remove. Carefully remove the spring from
the barrel by
pushing it along the barrel from the back - do not pull it. Clean and
re-oil the gun body mechanicals, blowback slide sections and main spring, then gently refit the spring on the barrel
(smaller end first) without harsh pushing or pulling. Make sure that the small block under
the base of the barrel has it's 2 springs still in place. Slide the
blowback slide on from the front and all the way back, raising the back
slightly and drop over (allow it to come forward) to secure.
Now, gently
lift the tab which has appeared in
front of the trigger (this raises the 2 spring block inside the gun) and slide in the pin (from the right
side of the gun)
with your fingers holding the hex end, most of the pin will easily slide
back in until the hex part meets the gun's body. Now gently tap in the pin
from the right side of the gun using the 'Starlett Pin Punch' until the hex part bites and both sides are flush
with the concave sections of the gun. If for whatever reason over the
years (after strip downs, cleaning and re-oiling) the pin has become slack at the hex end,
place a small drop of matt black paint on each end to bond it to the
composite material of the concaves to prevent it slipping out.
Targets
I have put in links to the suppliers of these targets - please click on
an image to open up the link. My Umarex Beretta PX-4 Storm is fairly accurate but it might prove a bit of a stretch
in me hitting the dead centre of those Remington 'Knock Down' figures or
similar targets - perhaps 3 in 8 shots?
I have started collecting tin cans from the dog food that I feed to my
foxes which make for great targets standing on a fence. I also like the
metal container (pellet collector) that holds paper targets. It can be
easily fixed or hung on a nail to a fence post.
A neat solution is the metal gong, which resonates when a bullet hits it and could prove ideal - it comes in all sizes -
Another ideal target might be the exploding Splatterburst figure?
My
Holster for the Beretta PX-4 Storm
I found the ideal holster in the
Umarex Belt Holster which is made
of ballistic nylon with a section for a spare magazine and the gun is
held in place by a clip over strap.
The holster is slid over your trouser belt and has 'Velcro Heavy Duty
Fixings' on the back with an additional cross lock Velcro strap to
firmly secure it -
