I found no problems in feeding or reliability with any ammo. The .45 ACP Storm didn't care what it was, as long as it wasn't some wretched reload from your brother-in-law. But not all parts of the Beretta were so accommodating.

At one point I practiced malfunction drills and found a problem right away: the decocking levers. The ambi levers let you decock the hammer safely and allow you to get the Storm back to hammer-down position for holstering. The levers are sculpted for good looks and ease of use. They are also sharp on the front edges. So if you grab the slide to rack it (say, if you had a dud primer) you'll find the edges are like hooks.

The PX4 Storm .45 isn't much bigger than its 9mm and .40 counterparts and with its reliability and features would prove a worthy service pistol—if the Army ever decides to go back to the .45 ACP.

I tried it a couple of times, found I couldn't grab the slide without feeling like the Storm was trying to bite me, and quit. I went back to the Beretta folks and complained (politely, of course). Vincent DeNiro, the Beretta vice president in charge of dealing with gun writers, immediately knew what I was getting on about.

"The designers went for looks, and I've already talked to them about it," he told me. "They're changing it right now."

So the future PX4 Storm .45 ACP pistols won't be like manic little puppies looking to chew your hands. As those were the only sharp edges I could find, I'm expecting the production guns to be marvelous indeed. After all, a medium-capacity .45 ACP pistol that is slim in the hands, light in weight, easy in recoil and simple to use can't be all bad, right?

I'm sure Beretta will solve that little accuracy glitch I encountered and take those sharp edges off. Add in the light rail, a finish that's impervious to all known solvents, Beretta reliability and sturdy magazines, and the complete package is quite attractive.

Now if the U.S. Army would just get over its squeamishness concerning handguns and get us back to the .45 ACP cartridge, we could have a Beretta service pistol able to carry us into the 21st century. Hmm, M45 anyone? Get yours before the Army gets smart.