9mm magazine loading question

6

603Country

New member
I'm happy to say that I have a brand new Beretta PX4 in 9mm and that it shoots great in my hands and in my wife's hands. I do wish that she didn't shoot it quite as well as I do, but I'll ease my wounded pride by focusing on how well I taught her to shoot. As for the question, and I guess I have two questions. First, the magazines theoretically hold about 17 rounds, but it's a huge job to get as many as 10 rounds in either one. Will that spring resistance ease up with time, or should I put some rounds in it and leave them there for a while to help the spring relax a bit? Second question is also spring related. My wife has a tough time pulling the slide back to chamber a round in this new pistol. She's not a weak person, but it's a bit too tough for her to do. Will time, and firing of the pistol, ease that job up also? Thanks.

And...to make the Glocksters giggle with pleasure, I shot my brother-in-law's Glock 40 caliber better than I've been able to shoot my Beretta, and I think the Glock trigger was a bit smoother. Still, the Beretta is much classier looking than the Glocks.
 
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Discern

New member
Are you sure you have the 17 round mags and not the 10 round mags as required in some states?

Racking the slide on a handgun with an uncocked trigger/striker is not easy for many women and some guys. Make sure she maintains good muzzle control while racking the slide, trigger finger on the side of the frame and nothing goes in front of the muzzle.

Have her practice with an empty chamber, empty magazine and no ammo in the area. Verify and check again. The trigger finger should be on the side of the frame and nowhere near the trigger or trigger guard. Make sure she is pushing forward with her strong hand/arm while pulling back on the side with her support hand/arm. She could work on her hand strength (squeezing a tennis ball) and arm strength (weight training).

Here is a technique that works well for some. Again, try this with an empty chamber, empty magazine, no ammo in the area and trigger finger on the side of the frame. Have her turn her body about 90 degrees - similar to a Weaver stance. With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and trigger finger on the frame, bring the strong arm back so the handgun is in front of her body at chest level. Place the support hand over the top of the slide at the rear of the slide with the bottom of the palm on one side of the slide and the four fingers of the support hand on the other side of the slide. Grip the slide firmly and do the push/pull method.
 
6

603Country

New member
The mags are double stack type and have the number and peephole indicators on the back of the magazines, so I assumed that they would hold what they indicated they'd hold. I'll have a look in the morning and read the spec data provided with the pistol. As for the slide cocking info, that sounds like it'll work. I'll get her to have a go in the morning.
 
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ScotchMan

New member
I've read in almost every review of the PX4 that the mags are really hard to load, even with magloaders. Might just be the nature of the beast, not sure if they ease up over time.

Have her hold the slide with her weak hand and push the grip of the gun forward with her strong hand. Most people do the opposite, hold the gun and push the slide. It's easier to get leverage on the pistol grip than the slide, so push the body of the gun forward instead. Also make sure she's gripping the front of the slide and not the back. I doubt that it will ease up with time.

I agree about the Storm being classier than Glocks :)
 
6

603Country

New member
I showed my wife the suggested approach to working the slide, and she got it pretty quickly. She still grumped about it being hard to do, and she works out every day so she expects that it should be easy to do. Well...it is pretty easy to do, but I won't tell her that. And, with the help of the mag loader that Beretta kindly included in the package, I was able to get 17 rounds in both magazines. That wasn't an easy job. I'll leave the mags loaded overnight to see if that helps relax the springs just a bit.
 
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insaneranger

New member
Like mentioned earlier; it may take months to notice any real difference. You can try loading and unloading a few dozen times or grab an UpLula universal magazine loader and you'll be loading those 17 rounders with ease. It's the best tool I've purchased and works with nearly every brand of mags and calibers.
 
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oneounceload

Moderator
Springs do NOT relax by loading them tight - springs are affected by "work" - that is compression and decompression - not just being loaded and left alone
 
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m&p45acp10+1

New member
A female friend, and coworker of mine bought the PX4 9mm. Yes the slide was heavy for her at first. After about 1k rounds in 6 months she swears the slide is much easier to operate. Oh and she wears cloth grip gloves.

For the magazine. Get a Lula mag loader. She bought one it works like a charm. Especialy as seeing as to the fact that she has arthritus in her hands it made a world of differance for her. It also works better than the one that Baretta sends out with the gun. If you look in the case there will be a mag loading assist tool. It takes a bit to get the hang of, but it works too.
 
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Discern

New member
The more your wife racks the slide, the more she will build up the muscles that are used to rack the slide.
 
6

603Country

New member
Yes, I'm sure that the wife will get better with the slide over time. She probably doesn't have quite the specific muscle strength that she needs for that exact movement, but I'm not going to even hint that to her or she might slap that Beretta upside of my head. And no, I don't think that one night with the mags loaded is going to make even a tiny difference in spring resistance, but over time and under stress the spring is likely to slightly weaken (or relax) - you pick the word. And many many rounds through the mag just might smooth the contact surfaces. I'm reminded of the old 1911 that I was issued in the USMC MP's. That old pistol was certainly 'worn in' and I swear I remember that mine even rattled a bit when you shook it. It might take me a good while to get the PX4 to that point, if ever.
 
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Crankgrinder

New member
I also have px4 beretta in 9mm.I have to say reloading the mags takes the fun out of shooting it at the range. I have 1 mag that i use regularly for that purpose and 1 that stays in the box mostly. Ive had the gun a couple years now and i do notice a difference between the two but they are both still a pain to load. I can load my practice mag without a magloader just until the last two rounds now,couldnt come close before, cant do it on my extra mag.
 
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b.thomas

New member
I have two 9mm pistols with 10 round mags(Calif. legal), a S&W 910s and Ruger p95. I have 6 factory made mags for each and have never been able to load more the 10 in the Smith made mag? The Rugers work fine for ten and both are loaded with a UpLula loader (highly recommended) after more then three plus years of use.........................and still the Smith and Wesson won't load ten???:rolleyes:
 
6

603Country

New member
Shucks, it appears that my theories about relaxing the spring are worthless. I'll get the UpLula loader. I found it for sale in one of my gun catalogs.

After a couple of tough efforts to load magazines, I told my wife that if she or I are ever in a life threatening situation that requires use of this pistol, we'd better get the job done in the first 17 rounds.:D
 
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Stressfire

New member
Springs do NOT relax by loading them tight - springs are affected by "work" - that is compression and decompression - not just being loaded and left alone
Click to expand...

Yup, call it an excuse to go shoot it more. My 92 factory mags were very very very tight the first loading. After about 400 rounds loaded and shot in addition to a few weeks sitting loaded, they started to loosen up. I can load em to max just fine now.
 
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