Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Heller and McDonald decisions and grass roots gun rights campaigns throughout these United States, concealed carry is where it’s at. Money-wise. Smith & Wesson’s still running flat out trying to satisfy the increased demand for pocket pistols. Ruger’s running flat outerer. And now Beretta has jumped into the game with a fiberglass-reinforced thermoplastic nine millimeter striker-fired semi-automatic pocket pistol. The Nano. Beretta [via Guns & Ammo] says it’s a “modular, ergonomically sound compact that will be comfortable for shooters of all skill levels. The movable, serialized sub-chassis allows the user to easily replace grip frames and disassemble, and the Nano’s sights are user adjustable with a 1.5mm hexwrench.” Looks like a baby baby Glock to me. Sounds like fun. Not so sure about the .40 caliber follow-up . . . We shall see.

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37 COMMENTS

  1. The big question is what current pistol it is closest to in size; if it’s the size (length and width, forget thickness) of standard subcompact pistols (such as the xdsc, ppk, lc9, g26, etc.) then it’s absolutely useless.

    If its the size of a largish sub-subcompact (such as the P238) then it is marginally useful. Personally, I can’t see it being much smaller than this.

    Honestly, I own a P238, and it’s very borderline for pocket carry; unless this is the same size or smaller, then pocket carry is out, at which point the pistol serves no useful purpose.

    • Calling a gun useless simply because you personally cannot shoot one effectively is a bit silly. I can shoot 2 of the subcompacts you listed quite well, especially when considering what they are, not in spite of it. The fact is the fundamentals remain the same no matter what gun you are shooting.

      • I believe he said that as a ccw that the pistol serves no useful purpose. He did not say he could not shoot it. I can shoot very small guns well, does not mean I want one for ccw.

  2. It looks like a smaller version of a PX4 subcompact (Which is too small for me). Actually it looks like a Glock and a PX4 produced a child.

  3. I honestly think all of Berettas latest designs are ugly. From their pistols to their carbines… Ugly… I like my Cougar, but I hate all their new stuff.

  6. Like them or dislike them, Berettas have always been stylish guns. This one looks like a plastic cinderblock. Just plain ugly, like most other micro-9s.

    • There’s only so much you can do in a small amount of space. And you want a pocket pistol to be as flat & have as few protrusions as possible. So they’re all going to tend to look similar. I like the Glock-style trigger safety on this one, as well as the tapered slide. And being a Beretta, I’ll bet it’s solidly built too. If I weren’t already happy with my MK9, I’d give it a good long look.

      Assuming it’s reliable, my only possible complaint is that if you’re eliminating the external slide stop to make it slick, why not just go all the way and give it a nice, secure, European-style mag release in the butt? It’s not as fast, but you’re not going to be doing speed reloads with this anyway. For something riding around in my pocket, the extra security of not having an easily-pressed button would be a benefit.

  7. All these composite compact pistols look the same. All ugly as a Glock.

    If it’s similar in size to the PF-9, has a decent trigger and a manual safety, it just might be perfect. Even if it is a butta-face…

  10. The only Beretta I have ever shot that I liked was the now out of production 8040 Cougar. I wish I still had that gun.

  11. I don’t know what you guys are talking about – that gun looks beautiful to me. No edges or protrusions – no external safety even. If it doesn’t kick too much (like the kel-tecs), I’ll probably carry it for sure.

    The perfect form factor, in my mind, though is the KT P-11. It holds 10+1 rounds of 9mm, and is the smallest gun that does that. It is a little too light, so it has nasty recoil. I can’t imagine why more concealed guns are designed in that direction. I would much rather have 10 rounds and carry a few extra ounces.

  12. You know if Tom Cruise use’s it in his next action movie it will be a hit….Think beretta 8000. Which fit no ones hand comfortably… Watched the vid and it looks big but, maybe the guy has small hands…

  13. I hate striker fired guns so I will pass but to guess at some of the questions here… It looks like the warning on my px4 that says it will fire without a mag, so at a guess it will fire with no mag — but its only a guess. It looks like a taurus 709 clone without the taurus innovative double action design, and about that size at a guess. It looks to be a single stack so a thin pistol. It is probably bigger than the p238 (love that gun) by 1/2 to 1 inch. I carry the px4 subcompact in my pocket sometimes so I cannot understand the “too big” comment but it HAS to be larger than a small 380, the 9mm is over 2 mm longer which translates into 5 or 6 mm more length needed overall at the minimum. I would love to have my px4 in a single stack and had hoped this one would BE that instead of the striker, even an internal hammer DA would have been great. Anything in this size that is not double action only is great, the market lacks good choices in the smaller frames for those of us who cannot lift an elephant with our fingers.

  14. I seriously question the masculinity of men who criticize the *looks* of a defensive handgun. Get a nice looking purse to carry it in.

  15. I’m in the market for a sub-compact 9mm and came back the Beretta to investigate the PX4 after looking at the Kahr, CZ RAMI P, Glock 26/27, Sig P290, etc. The Storm interests me because of the +p tolerance for the 9mm, which would be a nice step-up, even if it falls short of a standard .40S&W. I also like a decocker/safety with a loaded gun pointed down my pants. But, that’s just me. Ultimately, the gun is still a little too bulky for me to justify the expense of a new gun. What is missing in the market though is a quality, single-stack 9mm (preferably that can take +p rounds), that is not DAO. For safety reasons, if there is no decocker/safety, then I want the trigger pull of a DAO when I conceal carry. For accuracy, however, I want a SA too. I also want a decocker or safety. A combined decocker/safety would be even better. For a pocket pistol, I have always liked my Beretta .32 except for the excessive first DA trigger pull. If the Nano fires every round like the first round of the Tomcat in DA, then I’ll probably pass. But, for now, I have hope. And, the price is right. With the Kahr and Sig well over $600 and the Glock no more than $550, the Nano has a market if it can put enough on the shelves at $475. I’m not concerned about the looks. It is a the ultimate utiltarian pistol. Unless you want to blind your attacker with the reflection from your nickel-plated pistol, then who cares what it looks like? Although, I agree, the latest Beretta pistol designs are kinda goofy.

    • So, I asked Beretta whether the Nano would be rated for +p ammunition like the PX4 Storm. Here’s the answer:

      “As per the Engineer the Nano 9 mm will be able to fire +P ammunition.
      Thank you for contacting Beretta Customer Support.”

      For the sake of full disclosure, the email also provided a link the Berretta FAQs regarding the use of +p ammunition wherein Berretta indicates that such use will shorten the life of the barrel. But, I’m not too worried about that if I only use plus rounds in a defensive setting, which is hopefully never.

  17. The only way to know if it’s right is to try it out! I’m getting one soon as I can get one, after trying all others except Kimber Solo, have not found the perfect one yet. I don’t need anyone asking “hey where did ya get that pretty little gun” I just need to be reliable and comfortable to shoot.

  18. The biggest issue with this gun is that it weighs 17oz.Doesnt seem like much but when i think of a NANO type gun i think of being able to carry it in my pocket.17oz is alot to tote in a pocket without pull that side of ya pants or shorts down some.My Ruger LCP fits perfect in my pocket with just a little smaller caliber and half the we.To also add if money not being an issue the Kimber Solo weighs about the same and being ive owned a few Kimbers theres just not a better gun than that.

  19. BUY,BUY,BUY. THE DESIGN AND ENGINEERING ARE SUPERIOR. REMEMBER BERETTA IS ONE OF THE OLDEST COMPANIES IN HISTORY. SO PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. IT IS MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN .40 CAL.. COMPACT AND FULL SIZE MODELS WILL PROBABLY BE AVAILABLE AS WELL. IT IS A WIN WIN SITUATION.

  20. i like the look and the size of the 709 taurus ,but when i saw the nano in the gun & amunition magazine it catch my interest espacaly the size ,style and the look i am going to put my hand on one to feel how it fit then added to my collection.

  21. I like that it was designed as a .40 SW and now is being introduced in 9mm. That should make it one durable little pistol. The reports so far indicate that it is quite accurate and has a Glock like trigger feel. The only feature I don’t care for or see a need ofr is the striker deactivation feature. At this point I am about ready to buy.

  23. At first, I didnt like the striker deactivation micro button but then I found out you dont even have to use it, you can go ahead and depress the trigger before take down (ie just like a GLOCK). I really like the fact that this is a striker fired micro pistol with a much lower price then KAHR, has an extremely low profile slide lock (internal) allowing the gun to be basically flat on both sides…the new CCW king? We’ll have to wait and see.

  24. Purchased one a week ago. First 6 shots out of the box were incredible. Would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a ccw. Nice balance and accuracy.

  25. my friend bought one recently and had the chance to shot it. we ran federal ammo and some cheap winchester ammo. the gun is very glock like which i really liked because i am a glock fan. it was suprizingly smooth shooting even without the pinky on the grip. the gun ate the smooth case federal with no problems but the ruff some what dirty winchester ammo had 4 double feeds of 100 rds.. this gun was shot for the first time when we shot it so the break in was not complete and the barrel was not cleaned before shooting so all that im sure didnt help. over all its a very nice sub compact, snag free, and very reliable with good ammo. ill be getting one for myself very soon and will be my summer ccw…

  27. I had a Diamondback DB9 what an unreliable pos. I bought the Nano and love it. You’d have to try it to like it. I have a self made leather pocket holster and I seldom leave the house without it. 2 inch groups at 7 yrds is good enough for me for what the pistol is designed for.

  28. I bought my Nano because of it’s size. I owned a Kel Tek P11 and it fit my needs well but it just flew apart after 60 rounds so I sent it back and they fixed it so I traded it off. I have had many CCW’s and this is so small and comfy in a DeSantis holster. I use the 8 round clip and find the gun very easy to hold and shoot. No it won’t win any beauty contest but that is not what I wanted, fiirst off all I was looking for a company that builds a good gun then it had to be small. I bought a Sig P250 sub compact but it was just too big. I love my Nano…

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