Beretta TX4 Storm

. The shotgun’s popularity is partially due to the varied types of shooting done with it (skeet shooting, waterfowl and upland hunting, self-defense, etc.) and also due to the widespread cultural acceptance of the shotgun.
While the reasons for its acceptance vary, the evidence is incontrovertible. Homes that eschew “military type” or AR-pattern rifles will still frequently possess shotguns for hunting or defense. Likewise, city and law enforcement organizations that shy away from the more aggressive appearance of AR-pattern rifles still embrace the shotgun as an appropriate and necessary implement of domestic security.
Here in the South, I often see prison work details picking up trash along the side of the road. Nestled on the hip of the corrections officer is almost always the ubiquitous pump-action shotgun. Whether it’s for hunting or law enforcement, the shotgun’s omnipresence speaks of its popularity born from generations of exposure and use.

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The Mechanics
The TX4 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun. With the fore-end removed, the gas system is visible for both inspection and maintenance. There are two small holes in the bottom of the barrel that allow gas to escape and move down into the gas piston that cycles the action.
The piston is surrounded by a sleeve that allows the proper amount of gas to cycle the piston while simultaneously bleeding off excess gas. This self-regulation is the key to reliable functioning regardless of the load fired through the shotgun. The gas system is also self-cleaning, ensuring that extended range sessions or hunts don’t come to a premature end.
As I inspected the TX4, I noticed some features that are greatly appreciated on a tactical shotgun. The barrel comes threaded for choke tubes, making it possible to tailor the shot pattern to the round issued by one’s department or most readily available to the shooter.
Each load fired through a shotgun will pattern differently. The TX4 takes five different choke tubes, enabling the shooter to select the tube most appropriate for the range and load used. Where one load of buckshot might open up at the 30-yard line with the cylinder choke, a modified or even full choke can extend the range to 40 or 50 yards.
The Picatinny rail atop the receiver is also a welcome addition for the tactical shotgun. The TX4 comes with the rear sight affixed to the rail, but it can easily be removed and replaced with any number of red dot or holographic sights popular on today’s market. The Picatinny rail is what makes this possible.
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Shooting the Storm
One of the first tests I wanted to run on the TX4 was to see if it could digest the eight-pellet 00-buck reduced-recoil load so popular with law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement agencies like the load because of its lethality at typical LE engagement ranges, and the reduced recoil makes it easier for small-statured or recoil-sensitive officers to shoot effectively.
The major issue with reduced-recoil loads is that they raise holy hell with semi-auto shotguns. The one load that never worked in any semi-auto shotgun was Remington’s eight-pellet reduced load. This is problematic because the Remington load is probably the most issued load in law enforcement. Even the vaunted Benelli can’t digest the Remington load without some tuning from a qualified gunsmith.


Parting Thoughts
In the world of tactical shotguns, I crown the TX4 both King and Supreme Generalissimo—with caveats affixed to both titles. The TX4 gets the titles because, from the factory, it eats more loads more reliably than any other semi-auto shotgun on the market. Pump shotguns are great, but they can’t compete with the semis in the tactical realm when it comes to quickly putting rounds on target.
The caveats stem from the TX4’s lack of ability to mount a light and derth of aftermarket accessories for the 3-Gun crowd. Once both of these deficiencies are addressed, the TX4 will securely hold the titles and reign with adulation and distinction.
For those who argue that the shotgun is no longer relevant in the tactical world due to the presence of AR-pattern rifles, I say that nothing beats the shotgun for sheer awesome destructiveness at the ranges at which almost all LE engagements occur. With a load of buckshot and the right choke, nothing beats the shotgun at 40 yards and in.
Beretta’s TX4 features a unique new gas system that appears to cure what ails the semi-auto shotgun. Once the accessories catch up to the foundation laid by the TX4, I expect to see these shotguns in the hands of police officers and competitors alike. If you want a semi-auto shotgun that will eat anything, the TX4 is for you.