Disassembly and Reassembly Of the Beretta CX4 Storm

It’s only a matter of time before civilian demand begins to build. The Beretta CX4 Storm is already getting a fair share of good ink in firearm publications. But why has it been called "politically correct"? Here’s why. These days, a significant number of law-enforcement departments are required to coordinate their activities with boards comprised of civilian commissioners. Some of these men and women have been elected, while others have been appointed. Not all law-enforcement officers welcome this arrangement.

Others have learned, or are in the process of learning, to cope with the decisions of people who never have and never will write as much as a parking ticket, let alone take part in a hostage situation or drug bust. As it happens, the CX4 was conceived and designed by Beretta to overcome the objections of civilian boards to departmental plans for stashing AR-15s (gasp!) or M16s (gasp! gasp!) in police cars.

These objections, it seems, have been based on a perception that such weapons are too "military looking." This, apparently, makes a huge difference to civilian board members. The public votes, and commissioners who’ve been elected have a distinct distaste for being voted out. Moreover, commissioners who’ve been appointed frequently become overly concerned with the future well-being of the elected politician who appointed them. Police chiefs, assistant chiefs, and supervisors are not elected to their positions.

Would you care to guess who wins the argument? Don’t ask me why the public wouldn’t feel that the Remington 40X or Remington Model 700 Tactical are too "military looking," despite the The disassembly latch, magazine catch, slide stop, trigger system, receiver rails, hammer, and levers between the hammer and trigger all require light lubrication after cleaning. fact that they are regularly modified, upgraded, and used in the armed services as sniper rifles.

And why do we never hear of the same fears regarding a police officer’s duty sidearm, be it a Beretta, Glock, H&K, or other high-capacity semi-auto? And another thing, Mr. Commissioner, how about those weapons that truly are military, and are routinely borne into action by a small legion of police SWAT teams? I can’t answer these questions, and I’m sure I’ll never understand what pushes the public’s buttons.

We’ll just assume that the folks at Beretta have come up with something that solves a problem without creating other problems, and we’ll end the discussion of politicians, police, and public perception. You figure it out—if you can.

So… Just What Is the CX4? If it resembles anything with its huge grip cutout, the Storm brings to mind a Bull Pup. (Apparently, shoulder arms with big holes in their stocks aren’t military looking at all.) Beyond that feature, there are few similarities. This Beretta is a semi-automatic blow-back carbine, available in 9mm x 19 Parabellum (Luger), 9mm x 21 (IMI), .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. Magazine capacity runs from 8 to 20 rounds depending on the caliber.

It fires from a closed bolt position down a 16.6-inch chrome-lined barrel impressed with six grooves and a right-hand twist. The front sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation; the rear is a two-position foldable peep. A manual safety on the frame can be activated with the hammer cocked, and decocked with the bolt open or closed. In addition, there is an automatic firing-pin blocking device, a bolt-travel stop, and a safety on the hammer.

Overall length is 31.5 inches with zero to three stock spacers in place, and the unloaded weight is in the neighborhood of 5.5 pounds. Where permitted by law, the CX4 carbine can use the magazines from Beretta handguns, including the Models 92, 96, 98, as well as the Cougar 8000, 8040, and 8045 pistols. Its extraction, ejection, cocking handle, and manual safety are all easily reversible, but I’ll get to that feature later.

Field Stripping Remove the magazine, check the barrel for obstructions, make sure the breech is empty, and put on your eye goggles. For field stripping, as with detailed takedown, work over a bench or table to prevent the loss of parts. Cock the hammer (#42) by retracting the bolt (#17) with the cocking handle (#31). Ease the bolt fully forward. Push out the disassembly latch (#58) in either direction.

Slide the upper part of the carbine forward and off its lower part to separate the barrel assembly and receiver from the stock. Fully retract the cocking handle to align its stud with the circular cutout in the cocking slot. Pull out the handle. (This may take more than a just a slight tug.) At this point, the bolt is no longer retained in the receiver by the cocking handle and could fall free, but you won’t let that happen because you’ll slide the bolt rearward and out first.

In reassembling after field stripping and cleaning, cock the hammer after holding the trigger (#37) fully to the rear. The hammer will remain cocked when the trigger is released. Align the bolt rails with their guides in the receiver, and run in the bolt until the hole in its body matches the circular part of the cocking slot. Insert the cocking handle completely, with its curved face toward the front of the carbine. Push the handle forward in the receiver until it comes to a stop.

Reassemble the upper to the lower, hold them together while you reinstall the disassembly latch, and pull the trigger to release the hammer. Detailed Disassembly The bolt assembly should be sitting on your work area with you looking down on it. The cocking handle has been removed previously, and I’ll assume the bolt resides in a carbine sold to a right-handed shooter. This places the ejector (#29) and its spring (#26) on the lower right side of the bolt body.

Press inward about 1/8 inch on the rear end of the ejector/ ejector spring. With your other hand, grab the retaining clip (#19) and lift it off straight up. This will uncover the recoil-spring assembly (#18, 20, and 21) with the buffer (#22) still attached. In my opinion, the buffer ought to be made of sterner stuff. Until it is, it should be inspected for battering after 1,000 rounds and replaced if necessary. The recoil spring should be replaced after 3,000 rounds as part of regular maintenance.

Lift the recoil assembly from the bolt body. Stand the assembly on its muzzle end, compress the spring a little, press down on the buffer, and rotate it off the mainspring guide. The guide stop is an index piece and will slide off. Remove the ejector and its spring from the bolt. Do the same with the extractor (#28). It’s located directly across from the ejector on the opposite side of the bolt. The

1 Barrel 2 Barrel Bushing 3 Upper Casting (not for sale) 4 Front Swivel 5 Front Swivel Spring 6 Front Accessory Rail 7 Front Sight 8 Front Sight Base 9 Front Sight Guide Bushing 10 Front Sight Guide 11 Front Sight End Cap 12 Front Sight Screw 13 Front Sight Plunger 14 Front Sight Spring 15 Rear Sight Pin 16 Rear Sight 17 Bolt 18 Main Spring Guide Stop 19 Extractor Retaining Clip to change without 20 Main Spring Guide 21 Recoil Spring 22 Buffer 23 Firing Pin 24 Firing Pin Catch Spring 25 Firing Pin Catch 26 Ejector Spring 27 Firing Pin Plunger 28 Extractor 29 Ejector 30 Ejection Port Cover 31 Cocking Handle 32 Firing Pin/Bolt Stop Spring 33 Trigger Group Housing 34 Trigger Bar 35 Trigger Spring notice) 52 Magazine Insert 53 Magazine Latch 54 Magazine Latch Retaining Plate 36 Trigger Bar Pin 55 Magazine Latch Spring 37 Trigger 56 Bolt Stop Release Lever 38 Trigger Pin 57 Disassembly Catch Spring 39 Bolt Stop 59 Inertia Bolt Stop 40 Safety Spring 60 Inertia Bolt Stop Pin 41 Hammer Pin 61 Safety Button 42 Hammer 62 Accessory Rail Screw 43 Hammer Spring 63 Side Accessory Rail Kit 44 Firing Pin Catch Lever w/2 Screws 45 Lower Receiver/Stock 64 Top Accessory Rail Kit 46 Cheek Rest w/3 Screws 47 Cheek Rest Retention Pin 65 Top Accessory Rail Washer 48 Recoil Pad 66 Bottom & Side Accessory Kit 49 Stock Spacer Screw w/4 Screws 50 Rear Swivel Pin 67 Stock Spacer 51 Stock Sling Plate Beretta CX4 Storm Semi-Automatic Carbine (Specifications subject

ejector-port cover (#30) is removed by inserting a small drift punch from the left side of the bolt, and pushing the cover out to the right. The firing-pin plunger (retaining pin), part #27, is drifted out in either direction. The firing pin has a couple of steps at its rear. Press fully forward on the back of the pin (#23) with a punch to release the firing-pin catch spring (#24) and firing-pin catch (#25). You may have to repeat the press-in a few times.

If the catch and catch spring don’t fall out on their own, they can be picked out of the bolt. The spring can fly, so watch out. The firing pin and its spring (#32) are removed to the rear. The front flat on the pin is there to accommodate the firing-pin plunger when it’s reinstalled. When disassembling the trigger group, the bolt stop (#39), stop-release lever (#56), and trigger spring (#35) are key elements.

A strong little bugger, the straight leg of the trigger spring engages a groove in a flat stud on the bolt stop. Use tweezers or a dental pick to move that leg out of the groove and to the right. Slide the For reasons explained in the text, the author envisioned possible breakage problems and fabricated tooling to prevent such an occurrence. bolt stop a little to the rear. It’s held in the assembly housing by two slots located in the front plus the release lever.

Move the lever to the rear, pull it out, and you’ll be able to free up the bolt stop. The latter serves a purpose other than stopping the bolt. It wears a dimple about half way back to lock the safety (#61) in place. When you’ve taken out the stop, you can take out the safety. Later, or sooner as the case may be, the safety can be reversed for left-hand operation simply by turning it end for end.

The next step is to insert a finger— or a wooden dowel if your finger’s too short—into the magazine well to contact the front of the trigger housing. Push up on the housing to get it started and lift it from the rifle. Drift the trigger pin (#38) right to left. The trigger bar (#34), trigger spring, trigger-bar pin (#36), and trigger come out as a unit. The trigger bar fits in a slot in the underside of the hammer. It also engages the firing-pin catch lever (#44).

Here’s a little more detail about the trigger bar’s multiple function. When the trigger is pulled, the bar moves the catch lever forward to engage the hammer pin, and moves the hammer out of engagement with the sear (#33). In the CX4, the sear is an integral and permanent part of the trigger housing. That’s why you don’t see it floating around as a separate component on the schematic. The trigger acting on the catch lever also raises the lever’s nose so it disengages the firing-pin catch from the firing pin.

The hammer spring (#43) has curled ends on both sides of its coils. The ends find a home in the housing. Carefully evict both ends by squeezing them together, then drift out the hammer pin (#41) so you can remove the spring and hammer. The safety spring (#40) rests in a trigger-housing slot and is lifted out from the left-hand side. Now locate the two parts #54 on the schematic. The one at the back of the housing is the catch-lever guide plate.

Get it started upward with a screwdriver blade until you can pull it all the way out with long-nose pliers. The other #54 is associated with the magazine-catch button (#53). It’s adjusted at the factory depending on the pistol magazine to be used with a given carbine, and there’s nothing you or I can or should do to readjust it. This brings us to the magazine catch and disassembly of the lower assembly. Pull the catch spring (#55) straight out and push the button out of the lower from either side.

The catch, like the safety, is reversible and doing so is accomplished in alike manner. Earlier, I mentioned the CX4 was designed to employ Beretta pistol magazines. That’s very true, but all Beretta pistol magazines are not the same. Along with the magazine catch’s factory adjustment, the magazine insert (#52) is also changed to accommodate the differences. The carbine I worked with here carried an insert and catch accepting the 9mm Model 92 or Model 96 magazine.

A 9mm Model 8000 (Cougar) magazine would require another insert and another catch adjustment. If it ever gets damaged, changing the insert is no big deal, though. There’s a small working space between the tab on top of the insert and the back of the magazine well. Push forward on the tab to extract the insert from the bottom of the grip. Moving along to the front of the lower, you’ll see the inertia bolt stop (#59) and its two springs (#32).

These appear to be the same as the firing-pin spring, hence the same part number.

The spring is strong and stiff. Expect a bit of a struggle when reinstalling it. The inertia bolt-stop assembly is a unique feature of the CX4 that interfaces with a hole in the bottom of the bolt body. The system was designed to avoid a potentially deadly situation—if and when the butt end of the carbine is ever used to beat open a door. During the course of the beating, it was foreseen the bolt could be jarred back far enough to eject around but not far enough to pick up the next one from the magazine.

The result? The officer doing the beating charges into the room with an empty gun—with the distinct possibility that the bad guy is waiting inside with a loaded one. What keeps that from happening is the way part #59 moves to the rear on an inclined plane, enters the hole in the bolt, and keeps the bolt from moving. I’ll tell you how to separate #59 and both parts #32 from the lower; just make sure you never let this carbine leave your bench without them in it. Notice part #60, the inertia boltstop pin.

It’s a roll pin, and you know by now I never recommend their complete removal. Leaving a small section of the pin in its hole makes reinstallation much easier and is extra insurance against damage to the pin itself. Okay? Okay. Move the bolt stop to the rear, align the pin hole, and drift the pin right or left until you can pull the stop from the front of the lower. After you dump out or pick out the springs, there’s not much left of the lower except the stock spacers.

You’ll need no advice from me on how to get them off and on. Now we come to the upper front end. The barrel (#1) is held in by its bushing (#2). Outside of the factory, no tool is available to undo the bushing, and Beretta USA prefers that you make no attempt to remove the barrel anyway. But what the heck; I’m going to approach their position with a worst-case scenario. Suppose that somehow the muzzle end has been mangled. Was it dropped from a height onto solid concrete? Was it squeezed in a vise?

Was it slammed in a car door? Who cares. It’s a mess, and through great good fortune you have a replacement. All that remains is to make the bushing tool. I see this as being patterned after a forend-removal wrench used on shotguns. It will span the bushing and have two studs that engage the bushing notches. Undo the bushing, pull out the old barrel, put in the new barrel, replace the bushing, and check the headspace. Need I say more?

Carbines ordered in with an accessory rail (#64) arrive with it already attached to the upper casting by three screws (#62). Carbines not so ordered have only the front hole pre-drilled and tapped. Such carbines in no way ace you out of any profit you may gain from the purchase and installation of atop rail. The upper-housing casting is only 2mm thick where the two rearmost screws are located.

Attach the rail using the single screw hole, position it on the housing, and rely on the two rear screw holes in the rail as your locators. Choose a drill that fits the screw hole. Turn it, by hand, to penetrate the housing and reach for two top accessory rail washers (#65). "Washers" is somewhat misleading. They’re more like T-nuts and trying to hold them in place while turning in the screws could become your worst nightmare. They could, if it weren’t for a little tool that comes with every CX4 carbine.

Officially, it is called the "front-sight adjusting tool," but it has a semicircular end that fits over the barrel. This is most fortunate. The foremost of the two rear screws is located immediately above the barrel. The T-nuts, or washers if you prefer, are nevertheless a neat idea for no other reason than they eliminate the need for tapping. The CX4 I received didn’t have a Picatinny-style rail (#6). If you get one in that does, the front swivel (#4) and swivel spring (#5) are keyed to the rail.

Loosen the swivel, pull the rail fully forward, press down on the swivel, and turn it 90 degrees counterclockwise. The rail comes all the way out, and goes back in by reversing the process. Still more attachments are present on the schematic. They area bottom-side accessory-rail kit (#66) and aside-access rail kit (#63). The two can work together, but I’m told the side kit can be installed on the gun without the bottom kit. I suppose it depends on how much "stuff" is going to be hung from a carbine.

With all attachment rails in place, I’m betting the weight of a CX4 can be brought up to the neighborhood of a dozen pounds. Maybe more. I’ll never know. I didn’t receive a bottom kit or aside kit, and I have no intention of attaching any extras. (continued on page 19)

Even without having the parts on hand, it seems pretty clear how they fit together, and I have no problem suggesting you call Beretta if you need help. I bet you won’t hear: "Return the gun to the factory" from whoever is on the other end of the phone line. Not this time. Reassembly Tips Mentioned earlier was the fragile nature of the bolt buffer. To be more precise, it’s the delicate construction of the T-shaped stud holding the buffer to the guide rod that concerned me.

The stud shaft is plastic, of small diameter, and is inserted into the rod—rather than being made of metal and threaded in like the tip on a cleaning rod. Either that arrangement or being manufactured as an integral part of the guide rod would be much stronger, I think. The existing configuration fairly screamed "watch out for a broken-off stud." So I sketched, fabricated, and used a little jig that allowed me to better control the stresses on the stud during reassembly. You might want to do the same.

Initially, I drilled through the center of a 2- x 4-inch hardwood block with a 1/4inch bit. (Steel or aluminum stock would be stronger, of course.) Then I used a 5/16-inch bit to enlarge the hole, leaving a 1/8-inch-thick, 1/4-inch-diameter ridge, or "recoil-spring stop," within. The guide rod would pass through the 1/4-inch hole. The guide rod and spring, being in combination 5/16 inch in diameter, would not.

A vertical slot was cut straight down through the wooden block to intersect the outermost walls of the 5/16-inch hole, and the hole was touched with a countersink. If metal had been used, a ball end mill would be employed for this purpose. Next, I secured the block in a vise. The buffer end of the guide rod, sans buffer, was fed straight in and I took care not to crimp the recoil spring throughout the process.

When the end of the guide rod protruded from the opposite side, I maintained pressure, slid on the buffer, and turned it to capture the stud. I did not ease off totally on the spring until I’d raised the assembly upward through and clear of the slot. The buffer must not be allowed to impact the guide rod at any time. The two have to be eased back together. Done correctly, the "T" end of the guide-rod stud will retain the buffer on the recoil-spring assembly, and reassembly of the bolt can proceed.

One other less complex tip is in order that involves the firing-pin catch spring. There’s a hole in the bolt body immediately above the firing-pin tunnel. A straightened-out length of paper clip or small pin punch should be inserted in the hole as a guide when reinstalling the firing-pin catch and spring. This will both protect and help align the parts. I further advise that a dab of grease be applied to the spring seat in the catch. This will help hold the two parts together as you work with them.

I’ve seldom seen a little coil of metal so intent on escaping. ■