In the next few months I may be in the market for a new handgun. Find out how the civilian version of the Italian gunmaker's entry in the Army handgun trials fared at the range. Beretta APX accuracy I have a Beretta APX Centurion that I've put 200rds of Magtech 115gr FMJ and 50rds of Geco 124gr FMJ through. The Beretta APX Pistol family is now available in a single stack sub-compact profile. of pressure (ctr.). Reset required letting the trigger out by only about 1/4", and was accompanied by a tactile and audible click. That document essentially serves as the birth certificate for Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A.—the firm today more simply known as Beretta. Sponsored Post. The new Beretta APX 9mm handgun is a hot seller, and it’s the subject of our review in this article. For those not averse to pulling the trigger during disassembly, fieldstripping can more simply be accomplished by: checking that the gun is unloaded, rotating the takedown lever to the downward position, pulling the trigger and pushing the slide free of the frame. An internal backstrap retainer, which must be removed in order to change backstraps, features a hole for the optional use of a lanyard. No other handgun has fit my hand better than the grand old Browning Hi-Power 9mm pistol, and I’m not alone in this feeling, either. The Competition. I like the feel of it, but the accuracy … Get the American Rifleman Insider newsletter for at-a-glance access to industry news, gear, gun reviews, videos and more—delivered directly to your Inbox. Next, retract the slide slightly and press in on the striker-deactivation button with a small punch or the tip of a ball-point pen until a click is heard. Every aspect of this gun was designed with only one purpose in mind—to maximize the wielder’s odds of survival should worse come to worst—whether that be in the hands of a soldier, a peace officer or an armed citizen. The most visually distinct aspect of the APX is its unconventionally broad slide serrations, which run the entire length of the gun’s top end. It's shooting somewhat right, but more so it just isn't that accurate. I like the feel of it, but the accuracy is disappointing so far. The Beretta APX. Slight indentations have also been cut into the magazine well to allow a firm grip on the magazine’s flared baseplate to be achieved should it need to be forcefully removed from the gun in order to clear a malfunction. Beretta got it just right with the stout, little APX Compact. So in 2015, when the Army announced the XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) program to select a pistol to succeed the Model 92 (renamed the U.S. M9 upon adoption) and requested submittals for the associated trials, it came as absolutely no surprise that Beretta was among the companies to throw their hats into the ring for the contract. So yeah dude, it’s pretty good. Befitting of a fighting gun, the APX does not make use of a magazine disconnect safety, and will thus still be able to fire without a magazine fully seated within its well. I tallied somewhere in the vicinity of 600 rounds through one APX at the O’Gara facility. A three-slot section of Picatinny rail is formed into the pistol’s dustcover for the installation of any compatible accessory, and the APX’s squared-off trigger guard was designed to be spacious enough to accommodate a gloved finger. Prior to the APX, Beretta had favored the combination of a hammer-operated ignition system paired with a double-action/single-action trigger for its full-size, center-fire handgun designs (with either a manual safety or a decocker), as seen in its Model 92, 96 and Px4 series guns. Citing its own research and the insights gleaned from the project’s consulting operators, Beretta tuned the APX’s trigger to break at approximately 6 lbs. The initial APX series may only field the two full-size pistols, but given the capability of the chassis to be used interchangeably with either a 9 mm Luger or .40 S&W slide/barrel assembly, the potential exists for Beretta to further follow SIG’s lead and develop a full suite of differently sized, multi-chambering grip frame housings to fully take advantage of this flexibility. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. The dovetailed, drift-adjustable inserts provide a relatively long 6.25" sight radius. It is from these considerations that Beretta’s new APX Centurion and Compact models were created. Our test distance is 15 yards, which is quite far for a gun like this. While the company has revealed that future additions to the APX line are forthcoming, it remains pretty tight-lipped at this point regarding what form that expansion will take. Erik Stern, Product Manager at Beretta’s Pro Shop, told Guns.com that in their in-house testing such a barrel yielded a 20 to 30 percent accuracy … It’s reliable, it’s accurate, and it’s extremely affordable. The Great Ammo Shortage of 2020: When Will It End? The other two are state-compliant models, chambered for the same cartridges, but instead including neutered 10-round magazines for those areas that necessitate them. With this backstrap in place, my accuracy tightened up, and the Beretta APX was easy to control during rapid-fire strings. The Sentry 12: A New Kind of Shotgun. The trigger was designed with an intentionally wide and flat face in order to promote a straight, rearward trigger pull on the part of the user. First came the matchlock- and wheellock-operated firearms, with flintlocks, percussion guns and breechloaders being added as the technology progressed. The firm even released the M9A3 (an upgraded, more modular variant of its contract gun) shortly thereafter in an attempt to derail the XM17 process entirely, an effort that was quickly rejected by military brass. By the time Beretta felt the APX was ready for sale, the gun had been in development for four years, with more than 1 million rounds fired through test guns. This is a trade off against its good features including a crisp trigger action. I’ve heard the same thing over and over again from folks who own a Hi-Power. Two APXs were used during the course of this evaluation, both of which were full-capacity 9 mms. Well, all of that changed the moment I picked-up the new Beretta APX 9mm handgun. Located toward the rear on the right side of the frame is a striker-deactivation button. Range Life. Originally designed by Beretta in 2016 as their entry into the MHS (modular handgun system) competition last year, the APX was built to replace the trusty Beretta M9, the standard issue sidearm of the US military since 1985.. Take, for example, the [Beretta] 92 uses a spring good for at least 5,000 rounds. Beretta molds the APX’s frame, which the company calls the grip frame housing, from a rigid, glass-filled polymer, and, judging from the magazine well’s lack of flex when squeezed in the hand, it appears to be quite sturdy. The end result is a semi-automatic that Tactical Product Manager John Tamborino called “the most tested Beretta pistol yet”—quite a statement given the firm’s august pedigree. In testing, the APX exhibited minimal muzzle rise and mild perceived recoil for a full-size 9 mm. Manufacturers came out with new pistols and revisions of existing models in their efforts to win the lucrative contract to equip the United States Military with 74 boatloads of new handguns to replace the Beretta … The firm even released the M9A3 (an upgraded, more modular variant of its contract gun) shortly thereafter in an attempt to derail the XM17 process entirely, an effort that was quickly rejected by military brass. It's 100% reliable and puts the cases in to a nice small area. Beretta’s APX striker-fired 9mm is a top-tier duty gun; one that I can’t help but feel is oft-overlooked.But not by Jon Wayne Taylor, who liked the RDO, Centurion, and Compact to the tune of a strong 4 stars or by Dan Zimmerman, who gave the Full Size a full-on 5 stars and often carries it while out-and-about.. On the first day, right out of the box, 440 rounds went through the APX with zero malfunctions. Evaluation of the APX took place in two phases. Beretta’s entrant into the MHS competition, the APX (for Adaptable Pistol X—with “X” standing for multi-caliber) represents a marked departure for Beretta, as it is both the manufacturer’s first full-size, striker-fired pistol and its first full-size handgun to utilize a removable stainless steel chassis that serves as the firearm’s serialized component. After compiling accuracy and velocity statistics from the sandbags, I stepped away from the bench and spent some time running drills on my Action Targets steel practice torso. Armed with that information, Beretta’s engineers set themselves to the task of delivering the ultimate gunfighter’s pistol. Beretta put special emphasis on designing the pistol with a low bore axis relative to the shooting hand, with an eye toward improved controllability, and the effort appears to have paid dividends. According to the manufacturer, while initial development of the APX predates the XM17 competition, the handgun was nonetheless conceived from the outset to be a duty pistol for professional users. The gun ships with the Medium insert installed, as denoted by the small “M” molded into its interior, however, Small and Large replacements are also included. With roots reaching back into the early Renaissance, the Berettas of Italy’s Gardone Valley have been in the continuous business of firearm manufacturing ever since, a heritage that positions the company as the singular patriarch of the gun world and even places it among the most enduring firms within the entire annals of human industry. August 2, 2017. And again from Caleb: So if you’re asking “is the Beretta APX any good” the answer is yes. Many others have noted in their Beretta APX Centurion review that it's a remarkable pistol, comfortable, accurate and reliable. Beretta is the oldest firearms company in the world- more than 500 years old, although it can find records going back only 490 years- and established firms tend not to go off half-cocked. Given the inherent modularity of its chassis system, the possibilities are vast, and I look forward to seeing what Beretta has in store for the APX platform. To accommodate right or left-handed use, the APX’s magazine release button can be easily reversed, and the slide stop is ambidextrous. Through approximately 1,100 rounds between the two test guns, only two malfunctions were encountered—in both instances the APX failed to return to battery after the slide was “slingshot” with the support hand to close the action on a fresh magazine. The trigger on the APX broke consistently at right around 6 lbs., 5 ozs., of pressure, after 1/8" of take-up and slight creep. The Italian-made APX was a blank-sheet gun for Beretta, borrowing no components or inspirations from any of the manufacturer’s extant handgun lines. Today, 16 generations of family ownership later, the gunmaker’s catalog features everything from highly embellished sporting shotguns to rimfire pistols. The manufacturer’s first semi-automatic pistol design—the Modello 1915, chambered for the erstwhile 9 mm Glisenti cartridge—was adopted by the Italian military for use during World War I, and Beretta’s handguns have achieved great martial success since that time. It's shooting somewhat right, but more so it just isn't that accurate. "From an engineering point of view," Tamborino said, "it will last four times as long as a conventional spring assembly. The slide then continues rearward as the barrel’s chamber is tilted downward out of the way, and the empty case is extracted and ejected. The APX Carry has been specifically designed for users who have a need for ultra-concealment, but want the ease of handing, accuracy, and basic characteristics and ergonomics of the full-size and compact models of the APX family of handguns. More Gun Reviews. History. Beretta’s APX Carry is the latest edition to the APX line of polymer-frame, striker-fired pistols. The Centurion is a mid-­size pistol that’s easier to conceal than the full-­size APX. Beretta has been building semi-automatic pistols for professional users for a long time, but the Italian maker’s new APX takes the company’s full-size, duty handgun line in a whole new direction. No issues occurred when the slide release was instead used to accomplish the same action—which, fortunately, does not require much force on this handgun. A Bonnier Corporation Company. The APX utilizes a serialized, removable steel chassis very similar in function to the modules used by SIG’s P250 and P320 lines. The gun’s textured, almond-shaped magazine release ships from the factory configured for right-handed use, but can be reversed for use by the southpaw minority. The Beretta APX Pistol is one of several excellent, modern defensive pistols, including Glock, SA/XD, S&W M&P, FNS/509, Canik TP9SF/Elite, Walther PPQ/PPSM2, SIG … Designed largely for the U.S. Armed Forces' XM17 Modular ... these are fitted to each other at the factory to ensure greater accuracy. The long and heavy trigger on the Beretta APX Carry teamed up to produce some of the largest groups in our accuracy test. This device allows fieldstripping of the APX to be accomplished without it being necessary to pull the trigger, offering additional peace of mind to those who desire it. with an empty steel, double-stack, detachable-box magazine, four SKUs of the APX will be available at launch. Beretta APX Striker: Gun Test. However, let’s place those results in context. Each insert not only incorporates the backstrap, but also wraps around the sides of the frame to a significant degree. Three included wraparound grip inserts help adapt the APX to different hand sizes and can be changed out using an on-board tool (arrow) that serves double duty as a lanyard attachment point. If the Beretta APX were my issue firearm, I would consider myself well armed with a reliable and effective firearm. The modular nature of the chassis allows it to be removed (although not a particularly simple process) for maintenance or to be installed within alternate grip frame housings in case of damage to the frame or even simply for the sake of customization—and Beretta offers aftermarket housings in Olive Drab Green, Flat Dark Earth and Wolf Grey for just this purpose. In the beginning, though, Beretta was in the business of making military arms—and in 491 years the company has never abandoned that aspect of its identity. Later, upon receiving a test sample from Beretta, I ran the second gun through American Rifleman’s standard battery of accuracy and function testing. Latest. Designed specifically for military and law enforcement operators, the Beretta APX has been put through extensive testing and evaluation at the professional end user level. The aesthetics of these finger-width ribs will no doubt be polarizing, but they are unquestionably functional. Intuitive shootability has been successfully engineered into the Beretta APX. All rights reserved. As such, the company made the wise decision from the start to involve its target audience in the gun’s development. Two are full-capacity models, one chambered in 9 mm Luger and one in .40 S&W, shipping with 17- and 15-round magazines, respectively. The Air Force’s Suppressed M9 Pistol from the ‘80s. (tabulated on p. 67) resulted in an average extreme spread of 2.74" between three ammunition loads—more than adequate for a duty sidearm. At numerous points along the APX’s four-year design process, Beretta sought input from several hundred military operators and SWAT personnel regarding the qualities they needed and wanted most from a sidearm upon which their lives would potentially depend. However, longer barrels offer a longer sight radius and a longer sight radius can make a shooter more accurate. And with the Army’s announcement in January that SIG Sauer’s P320 had ultimately been chosen to replace the M9, Beretta is now turning its attention toward the law enforcement and commercial home-defense markets. A standard feature on most fighting handguns these days is a rear sight with a flat enough front surface in order to facilitate one-handed charging of the pistol against a sturdy surface like a countertop or a gun belt, and this feature has likewise been incorporated into the APX. Did Dirty Harry Use .44 Specials in his Model 29?! Range 365 may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. However, as the popularity of that combination has waned in recent years in favor of striker-fired guns, Beretta made the decision to follow the prevailing trend. NRA Gun of the Week: NRA Gun of the Week: Beretta 92G Elite LTT, ARTV Preview: Browning M2 and MG42, EAA Girsan Regard Gen 4 and 1803 Harpers Ferry Rifle, © 2021 National Rifle Association of America. We were also given the opportunity to use the gun on paper targets while working with a partner to clear a live-fire shoot house. Finally, rotate the takedown lever downward 90 degrees and push the slide assembly forward off the rails. So in 2015, when the Army announced the XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) program to select a pistol to succeed the Model 92 (renamed the U.S. M9 upon adoption) and requested submittals for the associated trials, it came as absolutely no surprise that Beretta was among the companies to throw their hats into the ring for the contract. The only knock is that there isn’t a huge aftermarket for it, but JM Custom Kydex makes holsters for it, and Beretta actually has a pretty good selection of parts. Find out how the civilian version of the Italian gunmaker's entry in the Army handgun trials fared at the range. Beretta’s APX striker-fired 9mm is a top-tier duty gun; one that I can’t help but feel is oft-overlooked.But not by Jon Wayne Taylor, who liked the RDO, Centurion, and Compact to the tune of a strong 4 stars or by Dan Zimmerman, who gave the Full Size a full-on 5 stars and often carries it while out-and-about.. My several groups at each of the distances averaged about 3 … As both components are forced rearward under recoil, the barrel cam acts on the barrel disconnector, forcing the barrel to disengage from the slide. And after spending a considerable amount of time behind the sights of the company’s newest pistol model, I can’t help but feel that the Beretta family’s nearly five-century-long legacy is in good hands. The gun’s sights are dovetailed to the slide and feature a three-white-dot pattern wherein the front dot, although slightly larger, appears the same size as the rear dots (l.). The APX’s slide and barrel are both made of a high-strength steel alloy and have undergone a black nitride treatment that diffuses carbon and nitrogen into the surface of ferrous metals, increasing their fatigue strength, lubricity, and wear- and corrosion-resistance. Sights on the APX follow the modern three-dot pattern, and a slightly enlarged front dot results in a sight picture that appears to feature three identically sized elements, which should translate into more intuitive aiming and faster target acquisition. Gun Reviews. So if you’re asking “is the Beretta APX any good” the answer is yes. The Beretta APX is a polymer-framed, striker-fired semi-automatic pistol designed and produced by Beretta. The APX’s trigger breaks at 6lbs and has a clear tactile and audible very short reset. It’s reliable, it’s accurate, and it’s extremely affordable. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. by Kelly Young - The XM17 Modular Handgun System competition was a joint U.S. Army–U.S. Running the APX on Gunsite’s “Scrambler” course, I was able to consistently hit knock-down and silhouette targets at just over 80 yards. The APX’s trigger is double-action-only, wherein the trigger pull first completes the cocking of the striker before releasing it to impact the chambered round’s primer. Baretta APX: Despite offering the Army a solid pistol design–and enjoying several advantages–Beretta lost. The result is a pistol that delivers superior performance in durability and reliability, ergonomics, trigger, and modularity. All told, the texturing on the APX is fairly aggressive, which really helps the shooter maintain purchase on the gun during firing, even while wearing gloves. What Gun Would You Use to Hunt a Werewolf? The Beretta APX underwent extensive testing, evaluation, and feedback from professional end-users before the final versions were submitted. Here’s why. Copyright © 2021 Range 365. The biggest issue between the Beretta APX vs Sig P320’s accuracy lies on their bore axis. No matter the position, the Beretta APX was plenty accurate and reliable. Tamborino did mention that a Cx4 carbine compatible with APX magazines is among the options that are currently being investigated. The decision to purchase an APX is difficult because the APX does not accept 92f magazines. The APX makes use of a replaceable backstrap system that allows the shape and circumference of the grip to be altered in order to fit the hands of multiple users. I can think of no other handguns on the market today with cocking serrations substantial enough to allow this operation. Since the bore axis of the Sig P320 was a little bit higher, there’s a marginal effect on its accuracy. The APX truly is the ultimate striker fired pistol from Beretta. Beretta’s entrant into the MHS competition, the, Beretta has chosen the tagline, “Win The Fight” for its new, Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Presented by Brownells, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, Mossberg 590 Shockwave: Top-Selling Pump Shotgun in 2020, Cowboy Action Shooting: Something for Everybody. Beretta has chosen the tagline, “Win The Fight” for its new APX, and I feel that this simple, no-nonsense phrase was a perfect choice to encapsulate such a simple-to-operate, no-nonsense pistol. E-mail your comments/questions about this site to:EmediaRifleman@nrahq.org For questions/comments about American Rifleman magazine, please e-mail:Publications@nrahq.org You can contact the NRA via phone at: NRA Member Programs1-800-672-3888, To advertise on American Rifleman, visit nramediakit.com for more information. of pressure—light enough to allow accurate fire to be brought to bear on the target, but heavy enough to forestall inadvertent discharge while in an adrenalized state. Privacy Policy   •   Contact Us   •   Warnings   •   FAQs   •  © 2021 National Rifle Association of America. Measuring 7.55" long and 5.6" tall with a 4.25" barrel, and tipping the scales at 27.8 ozs. A polymer-frame semi-automatic utilizing a locked-breech operating system, the barrel and slide of the APX are locked together at the moment of discharge. Feedback from these consultants emphasized reliability, durability, ergonomics, modularity, ease of use and an optimized duty trigger. Over the past 28 years, I bought numerous … The handgun I was considering is the Beretta APX. The new APX semiautomatic pistol makes The APX was born out of the Army’s Modular Handgun trials. It's 100% reliable and puts the cases in to a nice small area. First, I was among a group of writers invited to a Beretta tactical summit at the O’Gara Training Center in Montross, Va., where we ran the pistol through two days of square-range drills—including low-light maneuvers with a hand-held light and no-light exercises with the assistance of Steiner AN/PVS-21 night vision goggles. Many other examples exist, but this is best evidenced by the 1985 selection of the Model 92 SB-F to replace the venerable Colt Model 1911 as the standard-issue sidearm of the U.S. Army (and countless other militaries and law enforcement agencies across the globe). Apart from this preference (which both test models demonstrated), the pistols fed, fired and extracted without issue. Tuesday, July 25, 2017. Not only do they allow easy racking of the slide at any point along its 7" span, but they are even deep enough to allow one-handed manipulation of the slide—in the aforementioned manner as with the rear sight—should a tactical situation arise that requires it. The Beretta APX - Designed for Professional Operators. Also, the rear sight’s front face can be placed against the edge of a hard surface and used to rack the slide if necessary. Beretta APX Pistol -Designed specifically for military and law enforcement operators, the APX has been put through extensive testing and evaluation at the professional end user level. The Beretta family was already a known quantity in northern Italy even then, which makes firearm-related business prior to that date likely; however, floods, fires and wars during the intervening centuries have erased all earlier documentation. On the Beretta, this structure houses the gun’s firing mechanism, trigger, ejector, bilateral slide releases and the full-length rails upon which the slide travels. The APX strong points are reliability and good accuracy. The accuracy of the new APX was acceptable for me at distances of 7, 10, and 15 yards, but not great, especially at 20-25 yards. On Oct. 3, 1526, the Republic of Venice sent what amounts to a purchase order to Master Bartolomeo Beretta for the manufacture of 185 arquebus barrels. I have a Beretta APX Centurion that I've put 200rds of Magtech 115gr FMJ and 50rds of Geco 124gr FMJ through. While the Beretta APX features a relatively low bore axis and wide flat trigger … To disassemble the handgun using this feature, first remove the magazine and confirm that the chamber is empty. I also found that, when configured with the factory-default Medium backstrap, the gun pointed very naturally for me; transitioning from target to target was instinctive and swift. The takedown lever is stiff, and the magazines require considerable effort to load. If only this aging codger and his blurry eyes could do his part better I thought. Three finger grooves are molded into the frame’s frontstrap, the shallows of which bear stippling comprised of rows of small, relatively sharp, pyramids. Actually, when you start to examine this whole thing, the price point of the APX really starts to make other guns look unattractive. A double-action-only trigger with a passive blade-type safety breaks at around 6 lbs. Along each side of the frame are two panels with moderately rough skateboard-tape-like texturing, the bottom two of which bear Beretta’s three arrow logo, and the stippling on the backstrap matches that found on the frontstrap. Here’s hoping that it does. Its doors first opening at a time when the notion of handheld firearms was still in its infancy, Beretta’s offerings through the centuries read like the CliffsNotes version of the history of gun development; the company has made it all. While there is no manual safety present on the new Beretta, the gun does feature a striker block safety and a blade-in-trigger safety to help prevent accidental discharge of the pistol. Accuracy testing conducted at 25 yds. By David Maccar. The APX benefits from the simplicity of a modular chassis for its fire-control group (inset). APX .40 Caliber Pistol. In 1989, I bought Beretta 92f. From state-of-the-art designs and manufacturing to rugged and realistic training, the Beretta APX appears to have earned Beretta’s motto for this gun, “Win the Fight.” Development included: However, I simply can not justify buying a handgun and having to stockpile magazines just for it. The APX Carry, like the other compact 9mms in this test, are not meant to be tack-driving competition guns. The functional component of the Beretta APX was readily apparent on the range. Springfield Armory Introduces XD-M Elite 3.8″ Compact. A captive recoil spring then forces the slide forward again, stripping a fresh round from the magazine and chambering it prior to returning to battery. Rimfire Power. Magazines for the new model are not compatible with any existing Beretta handgun designs. FN Awarded U.S. Army Contract for the M249 SAW, Springfield Gets Into Hunting Bolt Guns with New Model 2020 Line.