Skeptical about px4 rotary barrel

[A-J]

I'm not a physics major, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. What I am though is someone who owned a PX4 and fired it on the same range trip as other guns of similar composition (metal slide/poly body). The PX4 has noticeably less recoil that the other guns I fired which were also chambered in 9 MM. The other 2 guns were of similar size and weight as well. I don't own that gun anymore, because I did not like the way it felt when it shoots.

[RAMCLAP]

For those that don't like striker fired pistols, the PX4 is an excellent answer.

[digelectric]

[aspenvalley]

I was always more concerned that the rotation of the barrel created mechanical complexity that might reduce lifespan of the gun. Not that I need to take it into battle or anything but it sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Plus I hate 40 (so don’t know if there’s a benefit there) but 9mm has barely any recoil to begin with so...

If I’m wrong about the overall durability I’d give it another look. It does feel really nice in the hand and it looks really pretty

Lots of guns run off cams running in tracks, I would not worry about that.

I see the biggest draw back about a rotating barrel design would be suppressor application. That is a lot of additional mass that you are going to have to twist, let along have to have a system that it would not loosen. I wish it was a problem we could have here in CA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIMTVLUBo6s

[digelectric]

I don't really care how it works. All I know is that my 9mm Storm is the sweetest shooting gun I own. And I have a lot of guns.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727A using Tapatalk

Sweet in terms of low recoil? Accuracy? Ergos of the grip? Other? Just curious.

My memory of shooting one (don't recall if it was 40 or 9) was that I wasn't real accurate with it. But a lot of rentals are so banged up and dirty that it might have given me a bad impression.

To the OPs question, I think most folks have correctly pointed out the physics of the rotating barrel means some of the energy released from the projectile is transmitted into the action of rotating the barrel as opposed to the muzzle rising or the slide moving back with as much force. Whether or not the bullet has left the barrel already or not is irrelevant. I don't think it would be easy to calculate the extend of the force reduction since the are so many other factors like friction and the mechanism of locking and rotating the barrel will impact it in ways that would be difficult to calculate without an accurate model or empirical testing.

So I agree with Maiden and others that, among other considerations, your perception of controllability and recoil and increased accuracy are the deciders, not whether or not the physics work out in it's favor.

That said, the physics are cool in their own right.

[TheFlash]

I also have a 9mm Storm. It is a soft shooting pistol and feels like it has less 'flip' than my other 9mm pistols with the tilting barrel design.
And, that pistol is more accurate than I am - at 15yds, easy to chew out the bullseye black on targets.
I still prefer 'hammer' pistols to striker, so the Storm is an excellent choice!

As a side note, I've put more than target ammo through my Storm, and even with the hotter defensive ammo - while I could tell the recoil was higher, it was still softer than running that same ammo through my other 9mm pistols.

[BrassCase]

The PX4 has been out for enough time now that it has already an established reputation for reliability. Read the webs and look at reviews, they don't bash the gun at all for reliability.

An earlier question about barrel rotation vs. the rifling direction. They are opposite so as to try and counteract each other. Another thing that is unique about the PX4 is the trigger is a pack unit that can be removed without much effort. I installed the Beretta Competition trigger pack in mine.

[FalconLair]

The PX4 has been out for enough time now that it has already an established reputation for reliability. Read the webs and look at reviews, they don't bash the gun at all for reliability.

An earlier question about barrel rotation vs. the rifling direction. They are opposite so as to try and counteract each other. Another thing that is unique about the PX4 is the trigger is a pack unit that can be removed without much effort. I installed the Beretta Competition trigger pack in mine.

i've had mine for about 5 years now - so reliable that i even use it as a carry gun even though it's full size - it's also my HD gun

very underrated gun, super reliable and easy to shoot and maintain - i've never had a failure with my Px4



did a few minor upgrades - added a stainless steel guide rod, replaced the plastic factory trigger with a metal trigger, and installed the low profile safety levers and slide stop - easy firearm to work on too

[digelectric]

[digelectric]

And to the OP, to me the recoil is a little different than the G19. A little less muzzle rise perhaps? Just not sure that it was very significant to me. Maybe in a different set of hands it would make a bigger impact from the barrel design.

[aspenvalley]

[QUOTE=BrassCase;An earlier question about barrel rotation vs. the rifling direction. They are opposite so as to try and counteract each other. Another thing that is unique about the PX4 is the trigger is a pack unit that can be removed without much effort. I installed the Beretta Competition trigger pack in mine.[/QUOTE]

I really don't buy this. I have never felt any handgun twist in my hand, because it lacks a rotating barrel counteract the rifling. Also the bullet has left the barrel buy the time the barrel starts rotating and unlocking. If it cancels out it would be more of a thrashing. First it would twist right then twist left.

I think the weight, grip design, recoil spring weight(which I can't find the specs on), slide mass, bore axis and slide fitment has more to do with felt recoil then how the action unlocks.