Beretta PICO .380

[CincyDavid]

My local store has a one-day sale on the Beretta PICO...$149 after a $50 rebate.

My wife sent me the information...she has been looking for a purse gun and wants to take a look this evening. Anybody have any experience with this piece?

 

[bigj_16]

For $149, I would just get it. If she doesn't like it, use it for an alternate piece. My wife, who is pretty easy going, had too much trouble with slide racking on various autos. We finally settled on a Ruger LCRX 3" barrel adjustable sight .38 Special.

 

[bubbatime]

I used to drive my mom nuts when I would completely take the VCR/stereo/TV/whatever apart into 500 pieces to see how they work, why they work, and then put it back together again. Basically, I loved engineering and figuring out for myself why things work, and why things dont work when they are supposed to. I have a very scientific mind. Reason I say this, is I owned a Beretta .380. After taking it completely apart, and examining the parts, I am of the opinion that it is a 100% fundamentally flawed design. The feed ramp is at such an extreme angle, the most extreme angle of any pistol I have ever seen, that it would literally jam the bullets back into the case almost every time a bullet hit the feed ramp.

It pains me to say it, because I love usually love Beretta engineering, but the Beretta .380 is a turd, and I would immediately sell it if someone was to give me one for free. Its junk. A Ruger LCP is superior, and I'm not kidding.

PSA has been selling the Ruger LCP for about $169 if you are interested in a small .380.

For a purse gun look at the Ruger LCR in .327 Federal. 6 shots, and you can load it with about 5 different calibers, some much cheaper and with lower recoil, for training.

 

[funflyer]

I agree with bubbatime, there are much better choices to be had for not much more money. Even better than the LCP is the Remington RM380, if you can still find one, has a $100 rebate going on until the 18th. I got one on sale last week for $149 after rebate.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: funflyer
Even better than the LCP is the Remington RM380,

Just out of curiosity what makes it better than the LCP. I put many thousands of rounds on mine without a hickup. And I believe Bubba put more than that on. There is no way the Remington could be more reliable than the LCP...IMHO.

 

[kmrcstintn]

pico...[censored]! too [censored] small for my hands, difficult to rack the slide, impossible to engage slide lock, nearly impossible to manipulate mag release! the only purpose I would have one for is a secondary carry gun/secondary house gun; frankly I have chosen a ruger lcp to backup my s&w bodyguard 380 ssooo...I won't be getting a pico!

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Pico handles better upon firing, than my former LCP. But the Pico's slide is still tough to operate on the Generation2. The mag release has been improved with the Gen2.

The Pico won't beat up your hand like the LCP. My hand hurts after a box of 50 with the LCP. The Pico is more controllable.

 

[funflyer]

Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: funflyer
Even better than the LCP is the Remington RM380,

Just out of curiosity what makes it better than the LCP.


The RM380 is not a Remington design, it's Rohrbaugh. Thankfully Remington didn't screw up the design but they did make a few improvements. It's all metal and is the easiest to rack of all the 380's available. They added a last round hold open and an ambidextrous mag release. Unlike the LCP the RM380 has much less felt recoil and is more comfortable to grip for those of us who enjoy more range time. The trigger is similar to the first gen LCP as are the sights but I'll admit the LCP Custom is better than both in that regard as long as the front sight stays on

. I like the LCPs, they are a great little pistol but, I think for most shooters who would normally have problems operating a mouse gun, they'd prefer the Remington.


Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
...she has been looking for a purse gun and wants to take a look this evening.


So did she take a look at the Pico, what did you think of it?

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted By: funflyer
Originally Posted By: Al
Originally Posted By: funflyer
Even better than the LCP is the Remington RM380,

Just out of curiosity what makes it better than the LCP.


The RM380 is not a Remington design, it's Rohrbaugh. Thankfully Remington didn't screw up the design but they did make a few improvements. It's all metal and is the easiest to rack of all the 380's available. They added a last round hold open and an ambidextrous mag release. Unlike the LCP the RM380 has much less felt recoil and is more comfortable to grip for those of us who enjoy more range time. The trigger is similar to the first gen LCP as are the sights but I'll admit the LCP Custom is better than both in that regard as long as the front sight stays on

. I like the LCPs, they are a great little pistol but, I think for most shooters who would normally have problems operating a mouse gun, they'd prefer the Remington.


Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
...she has been looking for a purse gun and wants to take a look this evening.


So did she take a look at the Pico, what did you think of it?


Another wife's viewpoint.....

If she was like my wife, she was enthused when viewing and holding it.
BUT..... then she tried racking the slide and immediately gave it back to me and said "No Thanks".

She currently has a Kel-Tec P32 and loves it. I chose the new Pico for myself and am thrilled the wife doesn't want to snatch it from me.