Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns S&W M&P vs Beretta PX4 Storm .45 ACP

Looking to get a non 1911 45 acp. Leaning toward the S&W M&P 2.0 FDE or the Berretta PX4 Storm.

Been looking for the Beretta Storm SD Type F with no luck.

Any opinions on either of these .45s?

My PX4 has good attributes:
1) Dependable with all types of ammunition tried.
2) Accurate.
3) Light weight and compact.
4) Comes with several grip inserts for individual fit.

Not so good:
1) Snappy recoil due to light weight.
2) The bottom edge of the trigger is sharp and can bite the trigger finger under recoil. Had to round it off with sandpaper.
3) Point of impact was 5" high at 15 yards with Browning 230 FMJ (a very accurate load, by the way). Bought an adjustable rear sight from Beretta since a taller front sight is not available. At the lowest adjustment it still shot 5"high. Drilled the cavities for the springs under the rear sight deep enough to allow the sight to be adjusted lower.

Conclusion:
Now that the tinkering is over I like it a lot.

I have an M&P .45. It is accurate and reliable. The only downside is the M&P trigger. I don't get too worked up about striker-fired guns with lousy triggers as it comes as the standard issue with the genre.

For me it was between the S&W or the Glock.
I went with S&W. Main reason was S&W was offering a $100 rebate at the time. And I found a good deal online (no tax, the only store left that I know of.)
I haven’t shot it much but it seems accurate enough for me. No hiccups.
I did throw a Timney trigger in it as I did with another S&W M&P and a G45 I have. I know a lot of members frown on replacing triggers or modifying them but it’s what I like. They are nice triggers.
Still thinking about picking up a G21 in the future.

I have the M&P in .45. I like it quite well. I have shot a Storm in .40 a few times and it just doesn't feel as good in the hand to me.

I have a S&W, bought it for no other reason than I didn't have one. lol (I was in "one of each" mode for a few years)

I did trigger work on it. Shoots well enough. Never had a malfunction. Used to shoot it about once a year at my clubs annual "plastic gun match", always worked well. After that went away, not so much. I stuck a light on it and made it a "house gun". Now I just take it out now and then stay familiar. (but I have a lot of .45's)


Down side, I'd say the factory trigger isn't amazing. lol And of course it's a double stack .45, so not a small grip.

Oddly enough, the small frame S&W 9/40 might just be one of the best feeling/fitting handguns I've ever held. Maybe the best, feels like it was made for my hand. I bought one.... and I couldn't shoot it for beans. Large frame doesn't feel near as good, I shoot it just fine.

I just acquired a Walther PPQ 45 a few days ago. I'm a long-time 1911 guy but have been trying "alternative" 45s lately. The PPQ blows away everything else I have owned. The list of other candidates includes a Kimber Target Elite, a CZ Custom Shop CZ97B (SAO trigger, accurized), HK USP, HK MK23, etc., etc., etc.

The PPQ has the best trigger - other than my Kimber - and is easily the most accurate 45 I have shot so far. I put 4 full magazines (48 rounds) into less than 3 1/2 inches at 10 yards. I know that's not gun-writer quality shooting but for the first time shooting it with cheapo ball ammo, offhand and crappy lighting at the indoor range (which I hate), I was really happy and somewhat surprised. I would sure give one a try if I were you.