[Z71bill]

Mr. Owl approves.

Took me over two months from the point I decided on the Beretta CX4 to actually getting it in my hands.

It was worth the wait.

I stripped and cleaned it - full of oil - the firing pin was a bearcat to remove - almost lost the little spring - not the firing pin spring - but the other smaller one. I think I will have a spare on hand before I remove the firing pin again.


--------------
I switched the cocking handle from the left side over to the right. It seems more natural - maybe because all my other guns - AKs, .22 rifles and VersaMax shotgun have it on this side.

A little strange when I eject a round manually - the round hits my arm - but I don't do that very often. :dunno:

What side do you like the cocking handle on better?

------------------
Need to decide what SD ammo I will use -

I have a supply of Plain Jane Winchester 115 gr JHP that I bought years ago - but no longer use for SD - have been thinking these may be a good choice out of a carbine - the longer barrel should get the bullet moving pretty fast.

My other choices - 115 or 124 Gr +P Hornaday, 124 Gr +P+ Federal Hydra-shok.

I need to get to the range -

 

[Z71bill]

Gun came with 3 mags - one 30 round - two 15 round

I bought one 18 round Mec-Gar mag just to see before I buy any more.

The 18 round Mec-Gar is virtually the same size as the Beretta 15 round mag -

How they get the extra 3 rounds in there is magic.

EDIT

I took the Mec-Gar & Beretta mags apart --

The Mec-Gar uses a different style follower - sort of like S&W M&P - the top coil loops through the follower

The Beretta follower is pretty deep - and the follower just sits on top of the first coil. The top coil is also bent at a steep angle - strange - never seem one like it.

Side note --

I happened to have a Mec-Gar CZ75 mag in my range bag - it looks the exact same size as a Mec-Gar Beretta mag - the base plate is even the same.

Too bad the mag catch notch is in a different place - if they were the same these mags would interchange.

 

[PattonWasRight]

That's a nice set up ... I've always been a fan of the "one caliber" approach. +P out of a longer barrel like that is nothing to sneeze at.

On a light set up like that, may want to try the cocking lever on the left ... would allow your shooting hand to stay on the grip and be ready for action that much sooner.

Planning on a red dot, or?

 

[Z71bill]

That's a nice set up ... I've always been a fan of the "one caliber" approach. +P out of a longer barrel like that is nothing to sneeze at.

On a light set up like that, may want to try the cocking lever on the left ... would allow your shooting hand to stay on the grip and be ready for action that much sooner.

Planning on a red dot, or?

I have never been big on optics - but while shopping for the CX4 I saw so many guns that had sights on them I have started looking at a few.

I will admit I don't know jack about them.

From $39.99 to $1,000 - they all look the same to me. :rofl:

 

[fnfalman]

Those guns weren't very effective against Cylons.

 

[PattonWasRight]

Those guns weren't very effective against Cylons.

The show escapes me ....

OP ... Think of a red dot as an easy to align iron sight. Doesn't add any magnification.

I researched them all and landed on a good option if interested.

 

[DPris]

Re ammunition, consider that the higher velocities affect terminal performance.
Pushing a JHP faster than it was built to run through a pistol barrel can cause it to expand much more violently & break up on impact, resulting in less penetration.

I did some limited waterjugging through a 16-inch Colt last week with one load in each bullet weight & while the results are NOT directly transferable to living tissue, they do illustrate the point.

Have not had time to shoot my own Beretta yet, but if accuracy is acceptable, it'll be eventually carried with 147 JHPs.
Last week the Win 147 PDX1 Bonded JHP held together perfectly & showed the best penetration of 115, 124, and 147 weights.

The 115 & 124 broke up entirely, fragmented, core/jacket separation.

If you do go lighter, might look for a BONDED bullet.

As for the rest- handle stays on left side, for the reason stated above, I can keep the firing grip.
Optic, for quick acquisition, is a new Aimpoint T-2.
Existing sights are too slow.

Once the project's completed, with internal upgrades from Sierra Papa, the gun will be used for serious purposes & not a range toy.
Denis

 

[ithaca_deerslayer]

looks like a nice carbine.

I'll be over this afternoon. Get the grill heated up, and the steaks defrosted. Make sure you have enough ammo

 

[ronin.45]

Good choice. There's nothing cooler than a good PCC. Fun to shoot, accurate, and plenty of power for just about anything you need. Enjoy!

 

[Z71bill]

Re ammunition, consider that the higher velocities affect terminal performance.
Pushing a JHP faster than it was built to run through a pistol barrel can cause it to expand much more violently & break up on impact, resulting in less penetration.

I did some limited waterjugging through a 16-inch Colt last week with one load in each bullet weight & while the results are NOT directly transferable to living tissue, they do illustrate the point.

Have not had time to shoot my own Beretta yet, but if accuracy is acceptable, it'll be eventually carried with 147 JHPs.
Last week the Win 147 PDX1 Bonded JHP held together perfectly & showed the best penetration of 115, 124, and 147 weights.

The 115 & 124 broke up entirely, fragmented, core/jacket separation.

If you do go lighter, might look for a BONDED bullet.

As for the rest- handle stays on left side, for the reason stated above, I can keep the firing grip.
Optic, for quick acquisition, is a new Aimpoint T-2.
Existing sights are too slow.

Once the project's completed, with internal upgrades from Sierra Papa, the gun will be used for serious purposes & not a range toy.
Denis

I recall reading an article about blow back action carbines & 147 Gr bullets. I tried to Google it - but can't find the article again.

I am not a reloader - or ballistic expert - just parroting something I read.

The ammo using a 147 Gr bullet may use a slower burning powder - so before the powder gets burned up and before the bullet leaves the end of the barrel -- the action opens up.

The result is way less speed.

One of these days I am going to buy a chronograph.

I have been saving 1 gallon milk jugs.

My theory on the 115 Gr Plain Jane Winchester is I would get close to the speed of pistol shooting a +P round. But I am just guessing.

Must be some Youtube videos of a Beretta shooting different loads - but I have not looked yet.

Part of the reason I bought the CX4 - my wife needs a better HD gun. She is using her favorite gun - a Marlin Model 60 .22 LR. So the cocking handle will be in the same place she is use to.

I see Midway has the cocking handle for sale - its only $15.

I may put one on both sides. :supergrin:


:dunno:

 

[Z71bill]

The show escapes me ....

OP ... Think of a red dot as an easy to align iron sight. Doesn't add any magnification.

I researched them all and landed on a good option if interested.

I would be interested -

 

[rotorwind]

very nice. I've been thinking of one of these. Let us know how it shoots

 

[DPris]

The 147 does travel markedly slower, but that's not important.
What IS important is not how long it takes to arrive, but what happens when it does arrive.

The Win Silvertip 115 gained 217 FPS in the carbine over a Glock.
The Black Hills 124 JHP gained 198 FPS.
The Win PDX1 Pers Defense 147 gained 107 FPS.

In order, through the carbine:
115 1454 FPS.
124 1339 FPS.
147 1109 FPS.

In this case, the slower & heavier bonded 147 retained all its weight & penetrated several inches farther at 15 yards.
The 115 fragmented the most & I couldn't recover all of the core, just two small bits of lead.

The terminal performance is what I'm looking for, and at that typical defensive distance the 147 is a clear winner, among those three loads.

At an estimated realistic max distance of 100 yards, the flight trajectories would be different, but I'd still expect more retained energy & deeper penetration than with the lighter bullets.

The declining speed of the lighter bullets by the time they traveled that far would put them back down closer to 25-yard PISTOL-LAUNCHED velocities, which should reduce their tendency to fragment, but I'd still expect more penetration with the heavier 147.

Just something to think about.
Denis

 

[PattonWasRight]

I would be interested -

The best "shootout" I saw was this test, which included, features, accuracy, impact resistance and water resistance. Some will say you need to spend more, whatever. I went with this because it was the most comprehensive evals of red dots I saw, of any price. I chose the Primary Arms Red Dot and have had it on my Tavor for some time. Has held its zero since it was first set. The Bushnell is another good choice in that price range, just a matter of preference between that and the Primary Arms.

Note there's 3 parts to the test

http://www.thebangswitch.com/budget-red-dot-sight-comparison-part-1/

http://www.thebangswitch.com/budget-red-dot-sight-comparison-part-2/

http://www.thebangswitch.com/budget-red-dot-sight-comparison-part-3/

 

[Z71bill]

The 147 does travel markedly slower, but that's not important.
What IS important is not how long it takes to arrive, but what happens when it does arrive.

The Win Silvertip 115 gained 217 FPS in the carbine over a Glock.
The Black Hills 124 JHP gained 198 FPS.
The Win PDX1 Pers Defense 147 gained 107 FPS.

In order, through the carbine:
115 1454 FPS.
124 1339 FPS.
147 1109 FPS.

In this case, the slower & heavier bonded 147 retained all its weight & penetrated several inches farther at 15 yards.
The 115 fragmented the most & I couldn't recover all of the core, just two small bits of lead.

The terminal performance is what I'm looking for, and at that typical defensive distance the 147 is a clear winner, among those three loads.

At an estimated realistic max distance of 100 yards, the flight trajectories would be different, but I'd still expect more retained energy & deeper penetration than with the lighter bullets.

The declining speed of the lighter bullets by the time they traveled that far would put them back down closer to 25-yard PISTOL-LAUNCHED velocities, which should reduce their tendency to fragment, but I'd still expect more penetration with the heavier 147.

Just something to think about.
Denis

The 115 or 124 Gr +P Hornaday I was referring to is actually Blackhills brand - they use the Hornaday JHP bullet.

IIRC the 124 Gr+P is listed at 1,200 FPS , the 115Gr +P at 1,250 FPS through a pistol (I assume 5") barrel.

Throwing an extra 200 FPS on top would put me in .357 SIG type velocities.

I will need to do some testing -

I really don't want to add another SD round to my inventory -but may have to.

:dunno:

 

[Z71bill]

looks like a nice carbine.

I'll be over this afternoon. Get the grill heated up, and the steaks defrosted. Make sure you have enough ammo

Long drive from NY - PM me when you are in Dallas -

I will wait 4 hours - then fire up the grill.

:rofl:

 

[DPris]

Carbine & rifle barrels with their velocity gains in pistol calibers can do odd things to various bullets in how they perform on impact.

I've gained up to 500 FPS in a couple loads with the .357 Magnum through a carbine, and in that caliber you can forget loads like the 110-grainers.
They just blow up on impact, not intended for those velocities.

When you switch up to 16-inch barrels, you need to pay attention to what you launch through those.

Bullet type becomes more critical at higher speeds.
Adding even 200 FPS to the mix can severely effect terminal ballistics.

The BH standard vel 124 did 1141 through the Glock 17, by the way.
Denis

 

[PattonWasRight]

^^^ You talking .357 through a revolver and a western style lever action?

 

[DPris]

Yes.
Denis

(Works the same way even in an Eastern-style lever-action.)

 

[PattonWasRight]

^^^ Nice set up. Been trying to find an excuse not to add a lever action to the gun safe. I have the Ruger GP100 in .357, so it needs a shooting buddy. What lever action do you own? I'm a neophyte to them, but like them inherently if can get set up with more modern sights.

Is "western style" a lame moniker I need to stop using? ;-)