Beretta Pico modifications: took out the inner hammer spring. (Gen 3 Pico candidate)

[Reloader of Southamerica]

Hi,

I just got a few weeks ago my Beretta Pico 380 acp pistol gen 2.

It has a way to heavy slide racking and Trigger pull.

So I took out the inner hammer spring and now it has an 4 to 5 lbs Trigger pull as it had before about 9 lbs (mine).
Some watchmakers skills and Patience is needed to make this fix which is easy but you ahve to know what you are doing.

The gun is 100% reliable and after taking out the inner hammer spring I neve experienced an light primer hit or any issue. Yes it does not indent that much as before the primer but has a good enough indentation.
Trigger pull without the inner hammer spring is about the same as the TCP and Bodyguard.

For the gen 3 upgrade Beretta should suspend the inner hammer spring completely and put a Little bit stronger outer hammer spring into the Pico in order to make sure there is never an light primer strike.
Like this the gun is IMHO the best mouse 380 acp and other than what here described and suggested is not necessary for the gen 3 Pico.

Tell me what you guys think.

 

[Reloader of Southamerica]

I just watched some Videos about the Taurus Spectrum.
That will be a strong contender for the Beretta Pico. It has the same take down System. Literally the same.
Built Quality of the Spectrum will be a bit less since the Chassis is aluminum (which I dont like) but saves cost to the manufacturer. As is the MSRP for the Spectrum between 250 to 305 $ depending on the colour. The Pico can be had right now for 278$.
But the Pico is a higher Quality gun with it's stainless Chassis. But the Spectrum has as well an stainless steel slide and Barrel. So the US made&engineered Spectrums Quality has wastly improved over the brasilian made pot metal TCP. Plus the spectrums Extended mag holds 1 additional round (7+1) instead being the Pico mags all 6+1 rounders.

But mostly the slide of the Spectrum is retracted easily. The Spectrum has an 7 to 9 lbs Trigger pull but is not staked but rather very smooth. With the inner hammer spring the Picos Trigger pull is stacky since at it's end it get's heavier and heavier and not so much smooth.
Supposedly the Spectrum is an DAO striker fire gun.
For average consumer the Spectrum is the gun of choice. Not for me though.

Bad Thing IMO is the Spectrums rubber plastic inserts in slide and Frame. Dont like that. Rubber reacts with oil and oil is allways present on guns. Most likely the rubber plastic inserts will fall off with time thus being the Pico a higher Quality gun and better engineered but with flaws.

 

[Reloader of Southamerica]

Hi,

I make a correction to my previous take out the inner hammer spring of the Beretta Pico.

I put the inner hammer spring back in!

I made some reloads whose primer pocket were that must expanded and worn as such that the primer went in very easy and much be somewhat loose. Maybe the result of the flat and cratered primer. Indicating the case was reloaded too much. However I reloaded it anyways.
I realised the primers of These reloads are deeper seated than normal and suspected already the firing pin would not Impact enough as to detonate them as I have such case as well with one of my H&R 12 ga shotguns (certain brand of factory deep seated primers the shotgun does not fire and has a light primer hit).

One of These worn primer pocket reloads did not fire today and had an light primer strike. All other normal reloads fired reliably. I use WSP primers exclusively.

So back in went the inner hammer spring of the Pico since the gun as CCW has to be 100% reliable.

Just wanted to comunicate that to you guys.

If Beretta would make to about 1 to 2 lbs stronger the outer hammer spring I am sure this "worn out primer pocket" reload would have fired.
Factory ammo to date all fired.

 

[SeanSw]

Thanks for the update. I'll be keeping my Pico stock. It has run very well so far. I agree that the trigger on my Taurus TCP was longer and smoother but that's what I gave up for a DAO hammer fired subcompact.

 

[stchman]

Not a good idea to modify your carry gun. The gun has a long heavy trigger for a reason.

 

[Reloader of Southamerica]

Not a good idea to modify your carry gun. The gun has a long heavy trigger for a reason.

Yes and no.
Beretta very easily could make the outer hammer spring 1 or 2 lbs heavier and suspend the inner hammer spring. The inner hammer spring is the reason why the Pico Trigger is stacky and gets heavier toward the breaking Point. When I had taken out the inner hammer spring the Trigger pull was easy and completely uniform till the breaking Point Kind of an Glock striker Trigger (no turning heavy then lighter and then again heavier. It was completely uniform). That is due the Little inner hammer spring was twisted and bent as I took it out due to interfering with the coils of the outer hammer spring. They Kind of bite their coils each other.
Beretta should put in just an heavier outer hammer spring while suspending the inner hammer spring and you have one of the best DAO Triggers ever.
I mean common all other DAO mouse guns have an lighter Trigger pull why could Beretta not figure something out.

I shot today the round (reload) which yesterday did not fire due to light primer strike.
With both hammer springs installed it fired flawlessy.
As I reloaded the case again today the primer seated this time very firmly so something has bent back inside the primer pocket I guess (last reload the primer pocket was overexpanded and seated primer loose and now with this reload same case the primer seated normally). Who knows really what happened to that brass.

The Long heavy Trigger is IMO only an safety precaution for People whose gun handling is at best insecure and are a risk for others. Yes if the Trigger pull is heavier it has more primer strike.
At least like the Pico gen 2 is now, no elderly People or women will be able to rack the slide and have even Problems pulling the Trigger (like Arthritis).

 

[Jeb Stuart]

I love the Pico trigger, it is on the heavy side but buttery smooth all the way through. Similar to the Ruger LCR. I am a very avid Pocket-gun Enthusiast. I had 4 lcp's before finding the Pico. I was sold from day one. The build quality is one of the best I have every seen. All stainless steel, even the recoil guide rod is stainless. The best quality mags I have seen. Built for total concealment. And Yes, I am sure other manufactures will try and copy the take down design the same way Ruger copied the Keltec.
The Pico is built like a tank. Designed for thousands of rounds. Hey, I liked it so much I bought a second one. 1500 rounds now through the first one withou ONE single Hiccup and almost 500 rds now through the second one and again with NO hiccups with many different ammo. If you are a avid pocketgun shooter, You Will like the trigger. As Hickcock45 said "I really like that trigger". I personally do not want it any lighter. I also like the fact that it has "DOUBLE STRIKE CAPABILITY". Some will not like the sleek design, nor mag release. I have no problem with it at all. Once get use to it, a piece of cake.
The gun is a terrific shooter. VERY MILD, if you have shot the LCP, you know they were not very pleasant with that High Five slap of a recoil. Shoot the Pico and you will be amazed at the difference.
A few weeks ago I also bought a Kahr CW380. I am really liking that gun as well, although I prefer the Pico trigger. 425 rounds now of range ammo and no problems. Going out to shoot both pocketguns tomorrow. Can't wait.

 

[Reloader of Southamerica]

well dear Jeb, most of the american consumer does complain about the heavy Trigger and hard slide rack of the Pico.
Only specialty guys like you and me are fine with the Pico as is.
Considered my Pico has loosened up quiet a bit but yet elderly People and women will rather not be able to handle the slide and maybe give up on the Pico Trigger as well. Unfortunatelly that is a fact.
Built Quality of the Pico is top notch though!

Yes I plan to buy as well another Pico since in my case the grip fits me perfect which is not the case for all other guns. Next year I may buy another Pico since at the Moment I have not use for 2 of them (besides that all guns here are registred an carry a hefty Registration fee with them every 3 years in Southamerica).

 

[Jeb Stuart]

well dear Jeb, most of the american consumer does complain about the heavy Trigger and hard slide rack of the Pico.
Only specialty guys like you and me are fine with the Pico as is.
Considered my Pico has loosened up quiet a bit but yet elderly People and women will rather not be able to handle the slide and maybe give up on the Pico Trigger as well. Unfortunatelly that is a fact.
Built Quality of the Pico is top notch though!

Yes I plan to buy as well another Pico since in my case the grip fits me perfect which is not the case for all other guns. Next year I may buy another Pico since at the Moment I have not use for 2 of them (besides that all guns here are registred an carry a hefty Registration fee with them every 3 years in Southamerica).

I would tend to agree with you Reloader, while the gun is a mild shooter, I do not believe it is a pistol for a beginner. Mine as broken in to the point that I have no problem with racking it. About the same with the Lcp. But maybe not for someone with a difficulty or newbie shooter. I am shooting both the Kahr now and the Pico. Lol, back and fourth. Have to say I am bias toward the Pico. Depends on what day it is. By the way, where do you live in South America? Do you have plenty of places to shoot? I would love to tour your county some day, hear it is beautiful. Thanks for posting.

 

[Reloader of Southamerica]

I live on an farm so I have the "range" just in front of my door all day Long.
Till now security wise it is fairly calm since I am in the Country side. In the City you wanna for sure carrying the Pico every time with you.

Well if the slide is easier to rack does that mean it's about time to Change the recoil spring?
I have heard some of the mini 380 acp mouse guns Need to Change the recoil spring every couple of 100 rounds (or was it the Rohrbaugh 9mm or Seecamp?. Dont remember). Have no clue when the Picos recoil spring or hammer springs are worn out.

 

[Reloader of Southamerica]

I do not believe it is a pistol for a beginner

Most customers are beginners though in a certain sense (for me the Pico was the beginning world of 380 acp).
Worst, most customers are women so they will tend not to go with the Pico since they by all means will not be able to rack the slide or Show up weekly at the gym to do Hand weight sports in order to be able to squeeze the heavy Trigger.
Even worse, General Population gets older and so will consider that in the Shopping for a new EDC 380 acp lill' pistol (like me I am considering already what gun will I be able to shoot when I am 50 or 60 years old (Arthritis and stuff as well considered).
Badest of all is competition, there are lots of other brands with an way lighter Trigger pull and very easy to rack slide.
Best: Price (278$). The Beretta Pico is reasonably Priced but competition got closer and closer (like the Sprectrum beat the Pico in Price and gets very Close in quality).

Could be that the Pico is a dead run but surprisingly many People own the gun since the Price Point of the Pico is really competitive (actually that was a Mayor sellout for me) compared to the hilariously expensive SIG brand (P238), Colt (Mustang), Glock (42) Seecamp. NAA Guardian and the like. "El cheapo" brands like DB380, TCP, P3AT however win the race although with lesser Quality.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

[QUOTE="Reloader of Southamerica,[/QUOTE]
Personally, I think the Pico is actually under priced. Look at all the quality of the machining of the the pistol. Every thing about the gun reeks of high quality. All Stainless steel, built like a tank. Even the guide rod is stainless and the magazines and even the follower. I do not know much about the Taurus Spectrum. Never even seen one except a picture. I know they were smart to copy the take down of the Beretta. I imagine other manufacturers will do the same as time goes on. It really is a total breeze to take down. Not many guns are totally stainless. The Rm 380 is 7075 aluminum and the LCP carbon steel which is about 30% less strong the the stainless. What is the Taurus?

I will do some comparison pics in detail i a few weeks. Here is a sample, LCP, Pico, Kahr Kahr is stainless as well.
Second pic has the large 7 round mag of the LCP, will compare with the standard on the next pic.

 

[SeanSw]

It should be mentioned that I found it necessary to add Traction Tape to my Pico for a slightly better grip. It's a very small grip for sure but also slick and a bit unbalanced with the high bore axis. It doesn't find my hand as naturally as the Taurus TCP which felt okay without grip enhancements. I don't usually carry a reload for the Pico so racking the slide doesn't bother me at all. It's only done at home in a safe and controlled environment or at the range. The build quality and all stainless magazines seem great for the price point and are worth mentioning to prospective buyers, especially since they are the same reasons I chose a Springfield XDS over a M&P shield. Nothing against cheaper guns, I own and trust many of them, but sometimes you get what you pay for me.

I'm glad to see more good reports coming in for the Pico. It was off to a rough start in the marketplace and I've been derided for my choice by a few people who don't understand the appeal. Most people can't stand the difficult magazine release. It requires two hands for me but it was another feature I was looking for specifically in my next pocket gun. Tactical reloads, slide wings, and extended slide catches just aren't wanted in this platform.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

I added traction grip material as shown in my video. I prefer to add my own on all guns if possible. When I first started shooting the LCP, I used a Hogue handlall. I later after much experience took it off. I found that the manufacturers knew what the were doing with the design of the gun. I started shooting better without any added widening of the grip. I enjoy the Pico without the extended magazine pinky. I have found that this gun anchors like a rock between the middle and and fourth fingers. Makes a very nice grip, I also took off the Pinky grips of the LCP's. They don't need it. I think if anything the extended pinky grips are for fast drawing out of certain carry situations.
The Pico did have a slow start. The first model was much harder to rack and the trigger way too strong. They modified all of this in the Gen 2. Also Beretta was not trying to appeal to the mass market. Ruger is swamped with ads, were one of the first to copy Keltec and had good timing and reputation in other products as well as great customer service. Go into any gun shop and some newbie wants a pocket gun they just pull out the LCP. Most have never even heard of Beretta. For many experienced pocket gun shooters in was like finding a diamond in the Rough.
I believe the Pico is a nich market. That is fine with me. I do believe Remington 380 will start to over take the LCP's. To me so far it appears to be a much better product and I will be purchasing one in the next few months. I think the Spectrum may make a big dent into Ruger sales of the LCP as well. The LCPll is not getting much success. And many feel the trigger very unsafe. We shall see.
I like a lot of the features of the RM already. It does have some of the 1911 similarity's in the style.A little too large for me in most applications but still nice.

 

[Al W.]

Interesting thread.
I picked up a Pico a couple of days ago.
I have a couple other .380 , both European Mil Surp .
I load for them.
Wanted a pocket gun and went with Pico.
I've had a chance to fire it a bit today and I like the gun.
My impression is positive.
The mag release is a non issue for me, its very similar to typical releases on my 2 other .380.
No big deal.
The recoil is a non issue.
The recoil spring isn't that big of a problem , though its stiff , not much stiffer than a blow back .380. Seems to be on par with that .
My experience was that the gun would not cycle typical .380 hand loads , which I thought was odd. I expect the strength of the spring is what is allowing this gun to be rated for +P. I don't much care about +P my self. Seems like it would just result in over penetration . I suppose folks think firing this thing with HP ammo at +P would solve all their problems, but HP are illegal for civilian use in my state, you can shoot them at the range but if you are found to have shot someone with a HP round its my understanding that you will be in hot water, real hot. You will also be fined for each and every HP round shot, justified shooting or not.
So anyway. I don't care about +P hollow point , at all...
So I was shooting some 95gr FMJ PPU as my factory ammo. Shot fine. With a 6 o'clock hold at 25 yards (yes I shoot at 25 yds with my .380) It groups low, but it groups. So thats all good .
The thing I found to be odd is that the gun would not cycle a 95gr FMJ over 3gr Unique at .972 OAL. Every other pistol I fire cycles with this charge.
I wish there was a lighter recoil spring for that reason. I would like the use the same load as practice ammo in all my guns.
I'll tool up a load for the Pico. And things will be OK . But I wonder if a lighter spring might not solve the problem more directly.
Unfortunately Beretta only supplies 1 spring , seems short sighted. I don't want to be firing a compressed load to cycle this thing. OK at 4.6 gr which is the max load for Unique in a .380 your are firing a compressed load.
Any of you folks have any thoughts on this ? Have an in with Beretta to make me a lighter spring ?
Howdy !
I dig this Pico and it solves a bunch of CC problems for me so I'm committed, but wish I could have a selection of springs like I do for my other guns. Spring tuning should be a given for any firearm.

 

[C0untZer0]

Is there a 3rd Gen Pico ?

I thought they changed some things on the original, I didn't know they've made a second set of changes?

 

[Al W.]

Is there a 3rd Gen Pico ?

I thought they changed some things on the original, I didn't know they've made a second set of changes?

To my knowledge its version 2 now. All they did was lighten the slide return spring , and lighten the trigger. Far as I know.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

To my knowledge its version 2 now. All they did was lighten the slide return spring , and lighten the trigger. Far as I know.

The Gen 2 lightened the trigger spring and the recoil spring. The Recoil Spring is now just one spring withOUT a inner. The third gen. Changed the receiver serrations to be slanted as opposed to straight. My trigger of both my Pico's is 8lb. and 8.1. with a Lyman Digital.
The pistol does need a Traction Grip. I also have experimented with a Hot iron. Grip frames are only $18.00 so not expensive to try different grips out.
For those that do not one on, the link below will shot the Pico up close. Really a beautifully built, solid firearm.

https://imgur.com/gallery/cbuqy5C





If you have the original Pico, Call Beretta and they will upgrade the springs at no charge. Customer service is Excellent. Takes about a week. I know of a number of folks that had the original and did this.

 

[Al W.]

The Gen 2 lightened the trigger spring and the recoil spring. The Recoil Spring is now just one spring withOUT a inner. The third gen. Changed the receiver serrations to be slanted as opposed to straight. My trigger of both my Pico's is 8lb. and 8.1. with a Lyman Digital.
The pistol does need a Traction Grip. I also have experimented with a Hot iron. Grip frames are only $18.00 so not expensive to try different grips out.
For those that do not one on, the link below will shot the Pico up close. Really a beautifully built, solid firearm.

https://imgur.com/gallery/cbuqy5C

View attachment 803739 View attachment 803740

View attachment 803741

If you have the original Pico, Call Beretta and they will upgrade the springs at no charge. Customer service is Excellent. Takes about a week. I know of a number of folks that had the original and did this.

Thanks for the info: It would seem that mine is Gen. 3 as the serrations on the slide are slanted and I have no inner spring. Still would like a lighter spring so the gun would cycle normal practice loads, not even a quibble , its just what I would prefer. They should provide access to several different spring weights so you could tune the slide for the chosen ammo as you can for any serious fire arm. Not every one wants to fire +P rounds at the target range . Its just a waste of money to blow a load of factory made HP , +P ammo down range for practice.

 

[Great Scot]

I really like the size (thinness) of my Pico, and I prefer it’s stock trigger to the LCP and RM380 I own. I do have one question for Pico owners. I notice some slop and a rattle with the Pico mags. Is this typical? Should I be concerned? Any info would be appreciated!

 

[Sistema1927]

I notice some slop and a rattle with the Pico mags. Is this typical? Should I be concerned?

That was my concern as well, but function has been flawless.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

That was my concern as well, but function has been flawless.

I have 12 magazines and do not notice any rattle. Every one has been flawless. They are heavy springs. I do load them up when first new to full capacity and let them "SET" for a few days.

 

[Sistema1927]

I have 12 magazines and do not notice any rattle. Every one has been flawless. They are heavy springs. I do load them up when first new to full capacity and let them "SET" for a few days.

I may be wrong, but I don't think that he was talking about a rattle in the magazine, but the fact that the mag rattles in the pistol, i.e. it doesn't lock up tight. All 4 of my mags have a bit of "slop" in their fit to the grip frame.

 

[Great Scot]

Thanks for clarification. I was referring to magazine movement once it’s in the pistol. The magazines themselves are well built. Sounds like a little “slop” is okay! Thanks!

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Got Ya,I will check some mags this evening.I know they fit very flush.