dovetailed 3-dot low profile or Trijicon Night Sights
The full size version of the Beretta APX in 9x19mm. The serial number appears just below the slide through a window in the grip.
The Beretta APX is a family of polymer-framed, modular, striker-fired semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Beretta. The series began in 2016, starting with the full-size standard model. The line includes compact, concealed carry, and competition models.
History
APX (aka APX A0)
Designed largely for the U.S. Armed Forces'XM17 Modular Handgun System competition.[3] 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.[4] If the Beretta APX had won the MHS competition, it would have been manufactured in the Beretta factory in Gallatin, Tennessee.[5][6]
The Army Times reported on January 19, 2017 that the winner of the MHS competition was the SIG-Sauer P320, but the APX performed well, passing every test in the competition.[7] According to Beretta, the pistol can withstand a 45,000-round firing schedule with 5,000 rounds between stoppages.[8][9] Soon after, on February 28, 2017, Beretta USA announced the APX availability for the US civilian market starting on April 15, 2017.[10]
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. Beretta started selling frames with and without finger grooves in black, olive green, flat dark earth (FDE), and grey.
In 2019, Beretta lowered the MSRP of the APX from $499 to $399 in an attempt to be more competitive in the oversaturated polymer striker-fired market.[11] That same year, in April, 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 design 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 has a threaded barrel and mounting plate like the full-size 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 has a shorter reset.
As of January 2024, Beretta still manufactures the first generation APX to fulfill existing contracts with military and police agencies, though only the A1 models are available on the civilian market.
APX A1
In May 2022, Beretta announced the APX A1, an ergonomically improved standard APX designed by Giovanni Prandini. The two main differences in the design are the slide and frame construction. The slide is red dot optic ready and features more aggressive slide serrations. The frame has more aggressive stippling, a higher, undercut trigger guard and an enhanced beavertail. Other improvements include Beretta's "Aqua Tech Shield" finish on both the slide and barrel,[12] a tritium front sight and blacked out rear sight, a stainless steel chassis, a heavier competition recoil spring to reduce recoil, and the green competition striker mechanism from the APX Target for an improved trigger pull. There are also no finger grooves on the APX A1 full size frame, though users may use the A0 frames with finger grooves due to parts interchangeability.[13][12]
Current APX A1 models include the standard full size, the APX A1 Tactical, APX A1 Compact (which has same dimensions as the APX A0 Centurion), APX A1 Compact Tactical, and APX A1 Carry (subcompact version). The APX A1 Tactical comes from the factory with three 21-round magazines, an olive-drab green frame, a threaded barrel and blacked-out suppressor height sights. The APX A1 Compact is the same as the APX A0 Centurion, but with all the improvements of the A1 and incorporating a new fiber-optic front sight. The APX A1 Compact Tactical is identical to the A1 Compact but with the green frame, threaded barrel and suppressor height sights of the A1 Tactical. The A1 Carry's disassembly pin now has a swivel lever like the larger guns in the APX platform. (The A0 Carry's disassembly pin had to be rotated with a screwdriver.)
Design
The APX is 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 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 has 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.[14]
Unlike the Beretta 92 series, 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.[14] 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 PX4-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.[15] 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.[16]
Users
The APX is used by professionals in more than 20 countries.[17] Some examples:
