Beretta APX

The Beretta APX is a polymer-framed, striker-fired semi-automatic pistol designed and produced by Beretta.

Beretta APX
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Place of originItaly
Production history
DesignerBeretta
Designed2016
ManufacturerBeretta
Unit cost$399[1]
Produced2016-present
VariantsAPX Centurion
APX Compact
APX Target
APX Combat
APX Carry
Specifications
Mass760 g (1.68 lb) (9×19mm)
780 g (1.72 lb) (.40 S&W)
Length192 mm (7.6 in)
Barrel length108 mm (4.3 in)
Width33 mm (1.3 in)
Height142 mm (5.6 in)
Cartridge9×19mm NATO
9×21mm IMI
.40 S&W
ActionLocked breech, short recoil
Feed system10, 15, 17, or 21-round detachable box magazine (9×19mm NATO)
15-round detachable box magazine (9×21mm IMI)
18-round detachable box magazine (.40 S&W)
Sightsdovetailed 3-dot low profile or Trijicon Night Sights
The full size version of the Beretta APX in 9x19mm. With serial number showing under slide above grip.

History

Designed largely for the U.S. Armed Forces' XM17 Modular Handgun System competition.[2] Beretta had offered to provide their M9A3 model at a reduced price as a continuance of M9 procurement program, but were informed that the changes to the M9A3 were so significant that it fell outside the scope of an Engineering Change Proposal (ECP), and that the United States Department of Defense preferred to go through a new procurement instead.[3] Should the Beretta APX have won the MHS competition it would have been manufactured in the Beretta factory in Gallatin, Tennessee. Beretta maintains administrative offices at the location of the first factory in Accokeek, Maryland, but moved the factory due to the Maryland Legislation posture of unfriendliness to firearms makers, dealers, and owners.[4][5]

On February 28, 2017, Beretta USA announced the APX availability for the US civilian market starting on April 15, 2017.[6]

In 2018, three variants of the APX were announced: the APX Centurion, with a slightly smaller frame, slide and barrel, and the APX Compact, with a subcompact-sized frame, slide and barrel, and the APX Combat, with a threaded barrel and a mounting plate for optics on the slide.

In April of 2019, Beretta introduced the APX Carry, a single stack magazine variant intended for the concealed carry market. The APX Carry is based on the Beretta Nano design with some features incorporated from the full sized APX. In July of that year, Beretta introduced three more designs, starting with flat dark earth variants of the Centurion and Compact models. The Centurion Combat was also introduced, which features a threaded barrel and mounting plate, just like the full sized APX Combat. Finally, the APX Target was introduced, which is a competition variant of the APX with a longer slide and barrel; these are fitted to each other at the factory to ensure greater accuracy. The slide also has a mounting plate for optics and the sights have been changed to a fiber-optic front sight and a blacked out rear sight. In addition to the changes to the slide and barrel, the frame also has no finger grooves to better suit the needs of competition shooters. The frame also features an extended magazine release and slide stop, as well as a green striker guide for a competition trigger. The APX Target trigger is half a pound (~2.2 N) lighter than a standard model and a shorter reset.

Design

The Beretta APX represents Beretta's first striker-fired duty-sized handgun. The name APX refers to "Advanced Pistol X" (the "X" referring to a caliber of choice), as the firearm is fully modular and you can change calibers and frame sizes somewhat easily. In order to comply with the MHS specification, the firearms must support different grip sizes to fit shooters of different stature. The APX supports this with replaceable grip straps. The distance from the axis of the barrel to the top of the handgrip has been kept to a minimum of 21 mm (0.83 in) in order to reduce muzzle rise, which increases the ability to accurately fire quick follow-up shots. As specified in the MHS specification, the APX also features a MIL-STD-1913 rail under the front of the frame.[7]

Unlike other Beretta pistols, the APX uses the traditional Browning tilting-barrel short recoil design. The serialized part of the gun is a stainless steel chassis which allows true modular reconfiguration.[7] by allowing the factory black frame to be changed with a number of different options, including flat dark earth (FDE), tan, wolf grey and olive drab. Replacement frames are also available without finger grooves. The slide and barrel are coated in a black nitride finish, except for a newer FDE model that has a cerakote FDE slide and black nitride barrel.

Similar to Beretta's 92 and PX-series pistols, when the APX's trigger is pulled, the top of the striker block safety extends from the top of the pistol. This serves as a visual indicator to the user that this safety is working properly and has been disengaged. Unlike a number of striker-fired pistols, such as the Glock, which have to have the trigger pulled during take down, the APX has a striker deactivation button that can be pushed to deactivate the striker, thus preventing accidental discharge, which other striker-fired pistols can suffer due to user negligence during disassembly.[8] There is also an automatic striker block safety.

The trigger mechanism features a drop safety. If the pistol is dropped, this prevents inertia from causing the trigger to fire the weapon, thus preventing accidental discharge.[9]

Users

References
  1. Douglas, Richard. "Why the Beretta APX is a Great Choice for Self-Defense". National Interest.
  2. "APX Pistol". Beretta Defense Technologies. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  3. "Army rejects Beretta's pitch for upgraded M9". Armytimes.com. February 13, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  4. "Gun maker Beretta celebrates opening of Tennessee plant". WTOP. April 4, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  5. "Because Freedom Matters, Beretta Is Now Making Guns In Tennessee". Forbes.com. April 15, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  6. "Win the Fight". www.beretta.com. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  7. "Exclusive: The Beretta APX Pistol Is 2017's New Duty Gun". tactical-life.com. Feb 28, 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  8. Lincourt, Wayne (February 27, 2016). "Trigger Recall : Understanding the GLOCK Trigger - GunsAmerica Digest". Gunsamerica.com. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  9. "The Beretta APX striker fired pistol". guns.com. February 26, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  10. Aj, Attar. "Beretta's APX Carry Strikes Back". The Patriot.
  11. B, Eric. "Brazil Orders 159,000 Beretta APX Pistols". The Firearm Blog.
  12. Boguslavsky, Eyal. "Thousands of Beretta APX pistols to be procured for Brazilian law enforcement agencies". Israel Defense.
  13. "Béziers : la Ville "dégaine" la nouvelle arme des policiers municipaux".
  14. Eger, Chris. "BERETTA APX WINS MAJOR EUROPEAN POLICE CONTRACT". Guns.com.
  15. https://www.milmag.eu/news/view?news_id=2959
  16. https://www.wkrn.com/news/gallatin-police-officers-now-outfitted-with-beretta-apx-pistols_20180326033007701/1077095261
  17. Sagi, Guy. "Glendale Heights (IL) PD Adopts the Beretta APX Pistol". Shooting Illustrated.
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