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So with all the recent chatter about pistol caliber carbines, I'm thinking I might need to jump on that bandwagon. As I have a thing for the .45 ACP, that's the way I'm leaning, I don't want to spend $1K+ but I also don't want to buy a High Point :rolleyes:. Not sure what else is available in .45 ACP, but I'm watching a Beretta CX-4 on GB right now. I'm familiar with the 92 and its variants, but the CX-4 is a total unknown to me. Looking for general opinions, pros/cons, things to watch out for, etc., but especially interested in info on the .45 ACP version. Thanks.

Dave
 
CX4 is a unique rifle. Something along the lines of a half bullpup half starship trooper gun. If you do not like plastic, go ahead and turn around and walk away right now.

The ergonomics are pretty decent, minus the magazine release. It is essentially useless on the pistol grip as the thumb hole part of the stock doesn't really allow you to get to it as you would a regular handgun. Besides that the bolt release is in a really good location and easy to use. It's the only thing that is not ambi though. Everything else can be swapped left to right.

The gun takes down very simply. One pin holds the upper and lower halves. The only quirk is that the hammer must be cocked. Otherwise you can break the recoil assembly. After the two halves are apart. The charging handle comes out once aligned, then the bolt and recoil assembly slide right out. The bolt is a huge chunk of steel, besides the barrel it is the second most metallic part. There is a retaining clip on the bolt that holds all of its externals together. Take that off and you'll be able to swap ejection from left to right, and clean everything.

Remember when I said plastic! Well, the trigger, hammer, trigger retaining pack, upper, lower, recoil assembly, are all plastic.

The rifle is very light, again plastic, and since it is sort of a bullpup, very easy to hold and manipulate. The bolt is a short stroke, so although a huge chunk of metal is moving backward ever shot, it isn't moving very far compared to other PCCs. Recoil, is very manageable. Not at all the least recoil of the many options out there now, but certainly not the worst. It has a different action noise too, again because plastic.

There is virtually no aftermarket support for it, though an older gentleman here in St. Helens makes some very nice yet berry expensive upgrades for it. Metal triggers hammers recoil assemblies etc. He is retired, and honestly, I'm surprised he still does the Berettas.

I enjoy mine, I'm on the second ironically as I sold off the first and it made such an impression I had to get a second to replace it.

Best luck finding your fix. Besides the CX4, there are some AR15 based 45acps out there. The CMMG is an amazing rig, which I also have, and is also an amazing pick.
 
Besides caliber and $ amount, do you have any other criteria you're prioritizing? I.e., magazine capacity, modularity, etc?

Not really. This could be another passing fancy, so I don't want to drop a lot of money for it. Also not totally sure just where it would fit in the line-up, IF I were to actually get one, I suspect it would end up mostly a range toy. Mag capacity isn't a big deal to me, I have 30 round mags for my Mini 14, I've used one of them one time, the rest of the time I use 10 rounders. The only handgun I own that holds more than 10 is my CZ PCR, but it's days may be numbered, my Sig P220 has kind of taken over, it does it all for me, range, bedside, and carry. 2 of the other 3 are also .45 ACP, did I mention I really like .45 ACP :D?

@Reno, was yours a .45? I believe SierraPapa is the gent you speak of for aftermarket, his trigger kit sounds like a worthwhile upgrade, and the price seems pretty reasonable for what you get. Reviews are good, too. Plastic doesn't bother me, in itself, but it can be overdone. Still, the CX-4 seems to have a pretty good reputation for reliability, and Beretta does have a fair bit of experience making guns ;). Just have to wait and see what the GB auction does once this thing gets closer to the end, there's no bids yet, but it's still got 9 or 10 days to go. Later, guys.

Dave
 
It would probably be a fun little range toy, so if it's in the sweet spot of the two things you care about, cool - let us know if you pull the trigger on it and whether or not you like it. Enjoy!
 
CX4 seems like a really old design now. Even the gen2 Sub2000 is newer and so much better to conceal or carry.

Let's start here, because this is the main question: What magazine do you want it to run? Invested in Glock mags? 92 mags? Something else? Maybe you are so fresh on this path that you don't have any mags. If that's the case, I would suggest you look into options that take Glock mags since they are cheap and plentiful and reliable.
 
The CX4 carbine has been great for me, haven't had any issues and it's had over 10K rounds through it. I've been thinking about SBRing to make it look more like the MX4 carbine, which has select fire capabilities and has a shorter barrel that's threaded.
The catch is, there's a barrel nut which needs a special tool, which can slide over the barrel. I made the tool with the nubs to fit into the barrel nut recesses while going over the barrel. Mine runs on 92F mags, while the newer ones run off Px4 pistol mags.

20190120_205626.jpg 20160409_215542.jpg
 
I believe the 45 acp version of the CX4 is discontinued. I thought about getting it but didn't want two of the same rifle.

I have the 9mm version in the Beretta 92 magazine variant. I had Sierra Papa do the buttstock conversion along with metal trigger pack and metal recoil spring, etc. I also had barrel threaded. It's a soft shooter.

The only thing that sucks was spending $800 in upgrades on a $800 rifle. So it's a keeper forever. :)
 
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Not really. This could be another passing fancy, so I don't want to drop a lot of money for it. Also not totally sure just where it would fit in the line-up, IF I were to actually get one, I suspect it would end up mostly a range toy. Mag capacity isn't a big deal to me, I have 30 round mags for my Mini 14, I've used one of them one time, the rest of the time I use 10 rounders. The only handgun I own that holds more than 10 is my CZ PCR, but it's days may be numbered, my Sig P220 has kind of taken over, it does it all for me, range, bedside, and carry. 2 of the other 3 are also .45 ACP, did I mention I really like .45 ACP :D?

@Reno, was yours a .45? I believe SierraPapa is the gent you speak of for aftermarket, his trigger kit sounds like a worthwhile upgrade, and the price seems pretty reasonable for what you get. Reviews are good, too. Plastic doesn't bother me, in itself, but it can be overdone. Still, the CX-4 seems to have a pretty good reputation for reliability, and Beretta does have a fair bit of experience making guns ;). Just have to wait and see what the GB auction does once this thing gets closer to the end, there's no bids yet, but it's still got 9 or 10 days to go. Later, guys.

Dave
Mine is 9mm.

I've almost had Brian at Sierra Papa do some major work done to mine as @sithc has. Just haven't committed to it yet. I still need to break down and order his trigger hammer and recoil assembly.

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I owned a CX4 92FS model back in the day. Had to sell it in order to buy a new home.

It definitely needed a trigger job. I did the poor-man's trigger job by watching a vid on Youtube and that was the single best improvement ever. The recoil is a little harsh as with blowback 9mm's, but completely manageable. Barrel is chrome-lined and had really good accuracy. Hit pop cans at 100m really wasn't difficult with it. It was fun being able to change from right handed to left handed operation very easily. Cleaning was a piece of cake. The picatinny rail for optics mounting is a non-standard rail dimensions (it worked just fine no issues, but changing out QD gear from one system to the CX4 required readjustment of the QD tensioning). Just FYI.

All-in-all I was very happy with it and it scratched my BSG 2009 itch immensely. Ergonomics were fine and pretty much left it stock other than the trigger job. Also it made since since I have two Beretta 92 series pistols so the mag interchangeability was sweet. I agree there are better options out there today, especially since CX4's seem to be drawing collector's prices now for some damn reason.

CMMG banshee looks pretty interesting for you, and is available in 45ACP, and the Stribog roller-delay is about to hit the shelves soon (9mm only I think).
 
Dave you and I are on similiar quests. I would LOVE to find a PCC in 45acp. My biggest thing is cost. Need it to be below a grand. All roads lead back to the High Point which I have refused to buy over the last several years. Had high hopes for the Extar in 45acp. Even signed up to buy one when they became available. They never have. The Marlin Camp Rifle is one I have also flirted with. Yet, price is the barrier with that one too. Right now I am working on taping a 45acp pistol onto a hand carved 2x4 with duct tape to create my own PCC. Sigh, illegal. SO for now I am at checkmate. Just gotta love it :rolleyes:
 
Dave you and I are on similiar quests. I would LOVE to find a PCC in 45acp. My biggest thing is cost. Need it to be below a grand. All roads lead back to the High Point which I have refused to buy over the last several years. Had high hopes for the Extar in 45acp. Even signed up to buy one when they became available. They never have. The Marlin Camp Rifle is one I have also flirted with. Yet, price is the barrier with that one too. Right now I am working on taping a 45acp pistol onto a hand carved 2x4 with duct tape to create my own PCC. Sigh, illegal. SO for now I am at checkmate. Just gotta love it :rolleyes:

Hey, Pops, there's a .45 CX-4 on GB right now, current bid is $410, but there's still 7 days to go. Will probably go too rich for my blood, but I'm betting it'll still be well under the $1K mark, might be right up your alley. Not a lot of choices in .45 ACP PCC's, seems like everyone except High Point has discontinued the big bores, the only other option is something AR based, and most of those are "pistols", IF I got this route, I want a carbine, NOT a "pistol" :rolleyes:. Well, either that, or they cost an arm and a leg, and half your... well, you get the idea ;). Good luck, and if you can't find that Beretta, let me know and I'll send you the link. Later.

Dave
 
Ok. My bad on the pistol...


 
Hey, Pops, there's a .45 CX-4 on GB right now, current bid is $410, but there's still 7 days to go. Will probably go too rich for my blood, but I'm betting it'll still be well under the $1K mark, might be right up your alley. Not a lot of choices in .45 ACP PCC's, seems like everyone except High Point has discontinued the big bores, the only other option is something AR based, and most of those are "pistols", IF I got this route, I want a carbine, NOT a "pistol" :rolleyes:. Well, either that, or they cost an arm and a leg, and half your... well, you get the idea ;). Good luck, and if you can't find that Beretta, let me know and I'll send you the link. Later.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Good luck to you too. Right now I keep ending back up at the MecTech 45 acp conversion. Metal [check]...PCC [check] ... Affordability [check]. For some reason I still cannot bring myself to pull out the credit card and purchase one?!?? I dunno :confused:
 
That looks like a viable option, IF you happened to own one of the pistols it's made for, I don't :oops:. Never owned a Glock, I don't do striker fired or polymer frames anymore so no XD, and I traded off my 1911 on my Sig P220. Guess I'll just have to keep my eye on that CX-4. Later.
 
I own a CX 4 in .45ACP and really like it except for the trigger pull. It feels like 50lbs! Been contemplating getting the SP trigger mod.
 
I own a 9mm and a .45acp version. Both with Sierra Papa triggers and guide rods. The extended .45acp mag is pricey but worth it. Especially fun suppressed.
 

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