NRA 2013: New From Beretta The Pico .380 (The Nano's Little Brother)

The Pico.  Beretta’s new .380 pocket pistol is a departure from their traditional line of steel framed concealed carry guns, but completely in line with the aesthetic of the Nano.  It is sleek, slim, and completely snag free.

But the Pico doesn’t sacrifice function for form, the way a lot of the micro .380s do.  It locks back when empty and has a slide release.  The take-down is also easily accomplished by means of the small flat-head screw.

All of the Picos, at this point at least, have stainless slides. The polymer frame has a steel insert, which is the serialized part.  So frames can be swapped out to meet your whimsical fashion needs, or to include a laser from Lasermax (which is built into a frame), or a similarly situated flashlight (which has not yet been released).

The Pico is small.  Very small.  It is the thinnest production .380.  And it fall right in line with the Kel-Tec P3AT, and the Ruger LCP in terms of height and length.

One unique feature is the magazine release, which is ambidextrous.  It rides just below the trigger guard.  This is the only aspect of the Pico that will seem unfamiliar to shooters, but it is easily manipulated (especially with two hands).  I haven’t yet figured out how to make the magazine drop free, but the release allows enough movement to easily clear any potential feeding or extraction issues.

The sights on the Pico are really worth crowing about.  The gun has actual sights.  And they’re adjustable.  And they’re replacable.  There are optional night sights available, too.  I can’t wait to shoot this side by side with other .380s and see exactly what the sights offer.

The Pico is going to set the .380 bar high.  It is hammer fired.  It fires from a locked breach.  Beretta has timed their launch to include a variety of holsters and gear, so there shouldn’t be a long wait for all of the extras.

The Pico has an MSRP of $395.  It should settle out a bit lower at retail, probably somewhere from $350 to $375.  Not bad for the most functional .380 soon-to-be on the market.

We’ll have our review of the Pico as soon as these compact pocket rockets actually launch, which should be in the next two months, or so.  Stay tuned….