Beretta APX

Up until lately, the Beretta APX had been almost been classified as an urban legend in the firearms community. A couple years ago, a prototype of Beretta's brand new polymer/striker-fire pistol had been made, pictures released, and even some reviews of this pistol had been posted. But the gun's release date for the general public was never announced. The release information was withheld for so long, in fact, that the firearms community lost interest (and awareness) in the mythical APX. Conversations went from, "Hey - Beretta announced it's first polymer/striker-fired pistol! That's awesome!" to "Hey - what was the name of that Beretta pistol that they announced? Did they ever release that?"

It's difficult for me to say "all my patience has paid off" because I lost interest in the gun myself, but luckily a friend of mine didn't and he picked one up as soon as they hit store shelves. BEHOLD!

The APX is now available nationwide and it's been given lots of praise since released. Originally designed for the Modular Handgun System competition to replace the M9, the APX meets the qualifications laid out by that contest. One of the biggest differences between the APX and other Beretta pistols is, obviously, the striker. While they made a Px4 Storm model (Type C) with a constant action trigger, it wasn't quite what Beretta needed to compete with the likings of Glock, Smith & Wesson, and others that dominate the striker-fire industry.

My good friend, Adam, leant me his brand-new APX 9mm for my review. You may notice that this particular pistol looks different from the ones you see in official pictures. Adam replaced the lower of the gun with a lighter grey frame than what it originally came with - along with mixing and matching items like backstraps and mag plates. This is a good sign that Beretta is building towards an aftermarket community similar to other striker guns.

Only in the last few years has Beretta catered to the "tactical" market. I think it's fair to say that this is the most aggressive-looking duty gun Beretta has ever made. All Beretta pistols have a distinct look - the 92 has a classic look that has been copied time and time again, and the Px4 Storm looks as if it was developed in Area 51. The APX, however, looks like it's been battle hardened by allowing itself to get run over by a Humvee....while being yelled at by a drill sergeant.

The APX weighs around 1.7 pounds and fits my hand pretty well. That being said, it's a beefy gun. The trigger guard and the trigger feel oversized, the finger grooves on the grip are wide and the backstrap stippling is very aggressive. All these features make the gun easier to operate when wearing gloves. However, I don't normally wear gloves when shooting, so the average consumer might find these features a little too bulky.

Check out that recoil spring. Even it's oversized!

Once at the range, the APX performed just as well as I had hoped. No malfunctions were reported between everyone shooting. Right from the start, I was able to make a nice grouping from 15 yards on a paper target and hit steel targets consecutively from 20 yards. The 3-dot white sights are large and make it easy to quickly acquire the target. The trigger is fantastic - much better than the standard Glock or M&P trigger - but I'm sure an aftermarket trigger will be available soon if desired.

The backstrap stippling is just too aggressive for my liking. After just 30 rounds, I had a nice red mark on the palm of my hand. Other than the stippling and the aesthetics of some of the oversized features. I had no other complaints. The APX gets an "A" at the range.

Beretta needs to stay competitive in the American police market, an area where Glocks and Smith's rule the land, and the APX is a fantastic response. Be on the lookout for APX's in the holsters of many police forces in the future. Excellent work Beretta!