Smith & Wesson J-Frame Revolvers

For more than a hundred years Smith & Wesson has been building revolvers and for six decades the J-frame models have been in production.  During this time they have been - at times - the preferred choice of many law enforcement professionals and civilian gun owners to serve the mission of a light weight, dependable, very concealable defensive handgun or BUG (back up gun).  These guns have proven themselves to be both rugged and reliable, and despite the evolution of modern manufacturing and metallurgical technology, the basic design remains the same.  When the “fit hits the shan,” an idiot-proof 5-shot 38 spl revolver in a pocket or purse, or perched stealthily at the waist or ankle, brings plenty of firepower to the fight.

Most S & W revolvers have been for a long time - and still are - built on one or another of a series of common frame sizes – J, K, L, M, and X – which differ primarily in their size, trigger systems, and suitability for increasingly more powerful cartridges.  The most common revolver cartridge these days is the 38 Special (38spl) and its more powerful younger sibling, the 375 Remington Magnum (357mag), and these rounds are also very suitable for small personal defense weapons. Being the smallest and lightest of the S&W revolver series, the J-Frame is the natural choice for a concealed carry weapon.  Modern variants of the model even have a shrouded (enclosed) hammer or “hammerless” profile to make the gun snag-fee when withdrawing from clothing concealment.

Before we discuss accuracy and ergonomics let’s remember that the primary, perhaps sole, mission of this gun is self-defense.  A shooter would not buy a J-Frame for use in marksmanship competition, nor would the little beast be very comfortable for an all-day recreational shooting session.  With some practice, however, almost any shooter can handle the short grip length and sight radius well enough to place bullets regularly on center-mass of a man-sized target at normal self-defense distances.  

As with most concealed carry revolvers, the sights on the J-Frame variants are optimized to the anti-snag profile, meaning that the front sight is relatively short and rounded while the rear sight is actually a square groove cut in the top of the frame at the rear.  There is no adjustability but none is necessary to permit acceptable accuracy at distances within the mission specs. The quick “draw-point-shoot” mission and short sight radius of an ultra-concealable defense weapon renders sight adjustability superfluous. The gun, however, is absolutely capable of placing bullets on target whether the shooter is or not. In fact, we’ve demonstrated that a highly competent marksman, with a little practice, can achieve surprisingly tight groups from the little J-frame even out to 25 yards. Simply put, bullets from a J-Frame absolutely will go where the gun is pointed.

On a related subject, ergonomics is an important factor in a shooter being able to successfully utilize a gun’s inherent accuracy. When potential purchasers pick up the J-Frame – or any of its similarly sized competitors – “too small for my hand” is a frequent first comment from those with medium or large hands. With the J-Frame, however, a bit of practice at the range and/or “dry firing” at home will usually allow those folks to find a grip method that suits them, allowing the shooter to effectively deploy the gun as a self-defense tool.  Aside from the dimensions, the J-Frame design is well designed to interface all of its controls to the human operator.  The mere fact that it has been selling well for over sixty years speaks volumes about its excellence in all facets of its design.

This may seem to be a rather short review but the simplicity and excellence of the J-Frame design leaves little else to be said.  It’s idiot-proof. Bullets go where the gun is pointed. It's reasonably priced and easy to conceal.  S&W offers a multitude of variants to closely fit the gun to a personal preference. There are several other manufacturers offering revolvers in this class and some are quite good but the S&W J-Frame is one of the two or three we would classify as “The best of the bunch.”

Respectfully submitted
The Bunker Bunch
September, 2014

Beretta CX4 Storm

Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A. (aka Beretta), headquartered in Italy, is the world’s oldest firearms manufacturer – in continuous operation since 1526.  Rather than resting on its ancient laurels, Beretta is known today for its frequently quite successful implementation of cutting edge technology while preserving old-world standards of high-quality craftsmanship. The CX4 is a recent example of this corporate commitment. 

"Pistol cartridge" rifles and carbines are not rare but are uncommon enough to miss the attention of many shooters.  9mm, 40 S&W, 357 Mag, and 44 Mag (among others) made by several well-known and some not-so-well known manufacturers have met varying degrees of success over the years.  Beretta chambers the CX4 in both 9mm, 40S&W and 45acp. Due to ballistics constraints, these rifles are not competitive in the long range marksmanship or hunting categories, but hold their own in accuracy very well out to about 150 yards, and some are extremely accurate at about 50 yards or less. When the mission includes “up close and personal” interaction with varmints, zombies, or paper targets, the pistol cartridge rifle or carbine provides significant advantages.

The CX4 looks like it might be more at home on a space ship than in Bubba’s pickup, and it’s on the cutting edge of current technology in both design and fabrication. Most of the parts are polymer of one composition or another. Barrel, bolt, firing pin, and most springs are obvious exceptions but most everything else is some kind of “tupperware.”  This gave us traditionalists in the Bunker Bunch some hesitation as we examined the “pretty little thing” shortly after its introduction.  It’s a Beretta, however, after all, so our trepidation soon gave way to a renewed respect for our Italian friends when we found the little beast to be every bit as tough and functional as it is stylish – much more so than we imagined.

The CX4 utilizes a semi-automatic, blow-back operating mechanism.  Rounds are fed by a detachable magazine positioned within the pistol grip.  In this regard, the design is similar to the operation of many current semi-auto pistols. In fact, the one of the CX4 variants uses the same magazines as the Beretta 92 (military M9) pistol. Charging the weapon is performed by pulling the bolt back via a “charging handle” similarly to most other semi-auto long guns.

Disassembly - as far as the consumer would ever need to go – is both easy and requires no tools. The gun comes apart far enough to allow thorough cleaning without having to strain to get into tight places with common cleaning tools. Left-handers will appreciate the fact that the CX4 can be “re-arranged” to accommodate them fully.  The charging handle, magazine release button, and even the spent cartridge exit gate, can be changed over to “left-hand” operation easily and without tools; with clear instructions included in the owner’s manual.

Compared to a 9mm pistol, the CX4’s 16.6” barrel gives most commonly available ammunition an extra speed boost, greatly increasing the terminal energy of the projectile, and the 12.9” sight radius gives shooters greater precision in lining up the target.  These factors make the carbine more effective than pistols for defense purposes.  Where the compact size of a pistol is not critical, the carbine becomes a better choice in a given caliber.

In any firearm we consider for personal/home defense missions, reliability is critical.  Two of the Bunker Bunch test crew own the CX4 in 9mm and have put lots of lead downrange with it because the little beast is just a lot of fun to shoot and is accurate enough to put smiles on our faces while we’re doing it. Through thousands of rounds of many, many different types, weights, and power levels of 9mm ammo, the CX4 has demonstrated its rugged reliability.  No “jams” or failures of any kind have shown up in normal use.

The built-in “iron sights” work just fine for shooters with normal eyesight, and a decent red-dot or other scope is easily mounted on the top picatinny rail for those older or otherwise “optically challenged” shooters. For work out to 50 or 100 yards, an inexpensive red dot or reflex sight makes the CX4 a perfectly acceptable tool.  Combined with an extended magazine (20, 30, or 32 rounds) the package rivals “evil black rifle” effectiveness at tactical defensive chores – at least for short range duty.

Some specs according to Baretta:

·       Barrel length (in)                    16.6

·       Overall height (in)                    7.5

·       Overall length (in)                  29.7

·       Overall width (in)                     2.5

·       Sight radius (in)                      12.9

·       Weight unloaded (OZ)                       90.8

Overall Impression – We really like the Beretta CX4 Storm carbine.  It is a reliable and accurate firearm with excellent build quality and superb fit ‘n finish.  More-than-acceptable accuracy, trigger feel, and ergonomics make it a “keeper” for range use, with enough reliability (i.e. 100%) to recommend it for personal/home defense duty.  The fact that it’s such a fun gun to shoot also means owners are likely to get enough practice with it to maintain proficiency.

Respectfully submitted

The Bunker Bunch

September, 2014