Old School
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- Joined
- Jun 13, 2008
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- 307
Today I had the opportunity to go to the pistol range. The exciting part was that I would be testing out two newly acquired guns. The first gun is a new Beretta PX4 in 45acp. The second gun is a used Smith & Wesson 625-3 4" revolver in 45acp. And, finally, my primary pistol - the Ruger P345 in, you guessed it, 45acp. The interesting thing to me about guns is that what you think might be the best by looking at it and handling it is not neccessarily what you will shoot the best with or enjoy shooting the most. Today was an excellent example of that.
My intention was to do both 15 yard slow fire and 7 yard rapid fire. However, a few things got in my way. Both of the new weapons needed some sight adjustments and some of the ammo I planned to use was as bad as everyone says it is. The ammo used consisted of Winchester white box 230gr FMJ, Sellier & Bellot 230gr FMJ, Fiocchi 230gr FMJ and American Ammunition 230gr FMJ. I did manage to do 1 round of rapid fire at 7 yards and slow fire at 15 but not nearly as scientifically and orderly as I had hoped.
First up was the 7 yard rapid fire. The ammo used is WWB. Because it was familiar, I chose to fire the P345 first. It function perfectly and put the 8 round magazine full of FMJ in a group about the size of my hand. Next up was the PX4. The PX4 also function flawlessly and created a group slightly smaller in width but roughly the same in height - roughly 6 inches. Finally was the 625-3. The 625 had the largest group of the 3 guns but it did so in a perculiar way. The first two shot were so close that they were touching. The last 4 gradually creaped up the target in nearly verticle line. This was an omen.
Next, I sent the targets back to 15 yards for some hammer drawn slow fire accuracy testing. In the same order, first up was the P345. Feeling confident in my steadiness, I unloaded the 8 round clip downrange at a pace of about 1 shot per second. The P345 printed the 8 rounds in an 8" circle. There was not particlur pattern to the shots. Next was the PX4. The Beretta placed the 9 round clip of ammo into a circle that was 6 inches. There was a definite verticle pattern with the center saturated to most. The PX4 was shooting to the right, but in a very consistent manner. Last up is the 625. To be fare, I drew the hammer everytime on the 625. This made for a slower rate of fire than with the autos. The 625 placed the first 2 shots dead in the bullseye about 1/2 inch apart. However the following 4 shots were 4 inches higher in a very tight 3" horizontal group. - The pattern continues.
I resumed the 15 yard test, but with Sellier & Bellot ammo. It function well, but I noticed the pattern widen on all guns compared to the Winchester. The Beretta was affected the least, and the P345 was affected the most. After that, I opened a box of American Ammunition. This was to put the brakes on the whole test. First up was the P345. Immediately, the pattern opened up to 18 inches. In fact, after retreiving the target I found that one of the shots actually hit the target sideways leaving a square lead imprint on one side. Next was the PX4. The PX4 managed to fire the ammo normally, but created a much larger pattern of roughly 10 inches. The Smith & Wesson protested immediately, throwing shots all over the paper and some off. In fact, the A-Merc ammo brass was so bad the following moon clip reload did not want to allow the cylinder to close. Upon checking 2 other clips, it was found that the cylinder would not rotate freely when closed. The A-merc was also very smokey and easily the dirtiest modern ammo I have ever fired. At this point, I chose to stop testing and inspect all 3 guns. I wanted to clean them on the spot but I did not have that equipment with me.
Although they were covered with black soot, the barrels were clear. I resumed testing with the winchester white box. All 3 guns did not return to their previous accuracy until 5 to 10 rounds of Winchester were fired through them. Admittedly, this shook my confidence on evauting any further comparison, but I forged on. What can I say, I came to shoot. With each succsessive round, two things were clear. First, the PX4 was by far the most consistent and best shooter of the 3 guns and was less picky about the variations of ammunition that I was using. And,second, the 625 seems to have a pattern of creeping up the target on successive shots.
After the A-Merc disater, I spent the rest of my WWB "cleaning out" the guns and adjusting the sites on the 625. In order to do one last test I purchased some Fiocchi 230gr FMJ from the range store. The Fiocchi seemed to function well in all guns but was not as accurate as the Winchester was on this day. Who would have believed that Walmart Ammo would be the pick of the litter? Anyhow, the last test was exactly the same as the others. The Beretta PX4 was the champ of the day. It was the most accurate, function perfectly, very comfortable and inspired confidence.
The Ruger P345 has been my "go to" peice for a couple years. It has always been accurate, reliable and compact enough to carry. I really like almost everything about it with the exception of one thing. The hammer is a bear to cock. Regardless, it did not disappoint me today. The only thing that happened today was that it failed to chamber the inital round on one reload. I eased the slide back a half inch and then let it go and the round chambered. No big deal I guess, but things like that stick in my mind.
The Smith & Wesson 625-3 was my newest acquisition. I have a soft spot for revolvers. They are the only gun that I will sit and handle just for pleasure. My experience with Smith & Wesson revolvers has always been extraordinary. I was disappointed in the 625's accuracy on this day. Perhaps it would like a different ammo, I am not sure. I am very curious about the shots creeping up the target. On a side note, I fired 12 rounds through the gun without the moon clips. All 12 went bang without a problem. The empty cartridges also fell out of the cylinder under their own weight. I have to say, I really like the guns beauty and feel. I truly hope to get it shooting more accurately.
The Beretta PX4 was a very nice surprise. Honestly, I was not sure what to expect. It was wonderful. It saw over 100 rounds today and made no missteps. It handled all ammunitions better than the other guns and was more accurate everytime it was fired. It is comfortable and controlled and had less muzzle flip than the other two. This unit will likely be my favorite until further notice. I only wish it was as compact as the P345. If I have to CC, I will still chose the P345. It is thinner and prints considerably less than the PX4 in an IWB scenario. Much of it has to do with the grip shape and thickness. I personally think Beretta made a mistake going for double row magazines on the 45 acp PX4. The one extra round that is gained does not justify the additional grip width in my opinion.
All details aside, there you have it. The Beretta PX4 - Winner by unanimous decision.
My intention was to do both 15 yard slow fire and 7 yard rapid fire. However, a few things got in my way. Both of the new weapons needed some sight adjustments and some of the ammo I planned to use was as bad as everyone says it is. The ammo used consisted of Winchester white box 230gr FMJ, Sellier & Bellot 230gr FMJ, Fiocchi 230gr FMJ and American Ammunition 230gr FMJ. I did manage to do 1 round of rapid fire at 7 yards and slow fire at 15 but not nearly as scientifically and orderly as I had hoped.
First up was the 7 yard rapid fire. The ammo used is WWB. Because it was familiar, I chose to fire the P345 first. It function perfectly and put the 8 round magazine full of FMJ in a group about the size of my hand. Next up was the PX4. The PX4 also function flawlessly and created a group slightly smaller in width but roughly the same in height - roughly 6 inches. Finally was the 625-3. The 625 had the largest group of the 3 guns but it did so in a perculiar way. The first two shot were so close that they were touching. The last 4 gradually creaped up the target in nearly verticle line. This was an omen.
Next, I sent the targets back to 15 yards for some hammer drawn slow fire accuracy testing. In the same order, first up was the P345. Feeling confident in my steadiness, I unloaded the 8 round clip downrange at a pace of about 1 shot per second. The P345 printed the 8 rounds in an 8" circle. There was not particlur pattern to the shots. Next was the PX4. The Beretta placed the 9 round clip of ammo into a circle that was 6 inches. There was a definite verticle pattern with the center saturated to most. The PX4 was shooting to the right, but in a very consistent manner. Last up is the 625. To be fare, I drew the hammer everytime on the 625. This made for a slower rate of fire than with the autos. The 625 placed the first 2 shots dead in the bullseye about 1/2 inch apart. However the following 4 shots were 4 inches higher in a very tight 3" horizontal group. - The pattern continues.
I resumed the 15 yard test, but with Sellier & Bellot ammo. It function well, but I noticed the pattern widen on all guns compared to the Winchester. The Beretta was affected the least, and the P345 was affected the most. After that, I opened a box of American Ammunition. This was to put the brakes on the whole test. First up was the P345. Immediately, the pattern opened up to 18 inches. In fact, after retreiving the target I found that one of the shots actually hit the target sideways leaving a square lead imprint on one side. Next was the PX4. The PX4 managed to fire the ammo normally, but created a much larger pattern of roughly 10 inches. The Smith & Wesson protested immediately, throwing shots all over the paper and some off. In fact, the A-Merc ammo brass was so bad the following moon clip reload did not want to allow the cylinder to close. Upon checking 2 other clips, it was found that the cylinder would not rotate freely when closed. The A-merc was also very smokey and easily the dirtiest modern ammo I have ever fired. At this point, I chose to stop testing and inspect all 3 guns. I wanted to clean them on the spot but I did not have that equipment with me.
Although they were covered with black soot, the barrels were clear. I resumed testing with the winchester white box. All 3 guns did not return to their previous accuracy until 5 to 10 rounds of Winchester were fired through them. Admittedly, this shook my confidence on evauting any further comparison, but I forged on. What can I say, I came to shoot. With each succsessive round, two things were clear. First, the PX4 was by far the most consistent and best shooter of the 3 guns and was less picky about the variations of ammunition that I was using. And,second, the 625 seems to have a pattern of creeping up the target on successive shots.
After the A-Merc disater, I spent the rest of my WWB "cleaning out" the guns and adjusting the sites on the 625. In order to do one last test I purchased some Fiocchi 230gr FMJ from the range store. The Fiocchi seemed to function well in all guns but was not as accurate as the Winchester was on this day. Who would have believed that Walmart Ammo would be the pick of the litter? Anyhow, the last test was exactly the same as the others. The Beretta PX4 was the champ of the day. It was the most accurate, function perfectly, very comfortable and inspired confidence.
The Ruger P345 has been my "go to" peice for a couple years. It has always been accurate, reliable and compact enough to carry. I really like almost everything about it with the exception of one thing. The hammer is a bear to cock. Regardless, it did not disappoint me today. The only thing that happened today was that it failed to chamber the inital round on one reload. I eased the slide back a half inch and then let it go and the round chambered. No big deal I guess, but things like that stick in my mind.
The Smith & Wesson 625-3 was my newest acquisition. I have a soft spot for revolvers. They are the only gun that I will sit and handle just for pleasure. My experience with Smith & Wesson revolvers has always been extraordinary. I was disappointed in the 625's accuracy on this day. Perhaps it would like a different ammo, I am not sure. I am very curious about the shots creeping up the target. On a side note, I fired 12 rounds through the gun without the moon clips. All 12 went bang without a problem. The empty cartridges also fell out of the cylinder under their own weight. I have to say, I really like the guns beauty and feel. I truly hope to get it shooting more accurately.
The Beretta PX4 was a very nice surprise. Honestly, I was not sure what to expect. It was wonderful. It saw over 100 rounds today and made no missteps. It handled all ammunitions better than the other guns and was more accurate everytime it was fired. It is comfortable and controlled and had less muzzle flip than the other two. This unit will likely be my favorite until further notice. I only wish it was as compact as the P345. If I have to CC, I will still chose the P345. It is thinner and prints considerably less than the PX4 in an IWB scenario. Much of it has to do with the grip shape and thickness. I personally think Beretta made a mistake going for double row magazines on the 45 acp PX4. The one extra round that is gained does not justify the additional grip width in my opinion.
All details aside, there you have it. The Beretta PX4 - Winner by unanimous decision.
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