Thoughts on APX

[Rickap7]

Looking to get one and just wants some thought, experiences on the APX.

[octagon]

Do a search for Beretta APX. There is a good thread with lots of feedback. I have one and it is a really nice gun for grip size and shape, smooth controls and very soft shooting. I thought of selling it with prices being so good but it is just such a nice gun especially for smaller hands or recoil sensitive I haven't listed it.

[RJ]

Quite a bit of discussion here:

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?22141-Beretta-APX&highlight=beretta

[Sammy1]

It's a hidden gem. I tried them all and settled on the Centurion . If I could find one, I'd get another in full size.

[Jared]

The long APX thread is a pretty solid source of info. I had a full sized that aced the 2000 round challenge, wish I had kept it honestly. I’ve got a Centurion now. I bought a compact grip module to go along with it and now it’s kind of a double duty piece for me. It’s been perfectly reliable although I haven’t put the rounds through it I did the full sized.

It’s big selling point before all the panic was that it was affordable. I think I paid about $325 for my Centurion. That’s a steal for a quality pistol from a reputable maker, in my opinion. Beretta seems to be doing a good job of supporting the gun with parts for sale on their website. It also seems they’ve won a fairly large contract in Brazil so hopefully that means the gun will stay around and supported for a while.

All in all, if you can find one for a reasonable price I’d say jump on it. In the current market, if you don’t like it you probably won’t have any trouble finding a buyer.

[jetfire]

Looking to get one and just wants some thought, experiences on the APX.

As of today, I have four Beretta APX pistols (two full size with dots, two Centurion) that have a combined round count of 5,277. The highest is my APX RDO, which is the full size gun with Beretta's red dot system. It has 2300 and change on it. Full disclosure, Beretta has provided ongoing support for me in terms of gear, including 3 of these APX pistols.

General recommendations: all the APX guns benefit from adding the APX Competition Striker spring (https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/reduced-pwr-striker-spring-apx-apx-striker/c8c673/). I have these in all of my guns, and have never experienced a light primer strike of any type. In the full size guns I also have the metallic RSA (https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/apx-9mm-heavy-rsa-guide-rod-assembly/c8c680/) to add a little weight to the front of the gun, since the shortish barrel/slide combos tend to be a little snappy.

General opinion: the best APX is the RDO full size, it has ballpark the same dimensions as the Glock 45, which to me is the butter zone for guns. I want a girl with a short slide and a long grip. Beretta is absolutely committed to the APX lineup, and is doing a pretty good job of supporting the product, the Beretta USA store has a ton of aftermarket parts for the APX, including sights, grip modules, and other accessories.

The only real "problem" with the APX is that Beretta was late to the market with it, and it doesn't enjoy the robust secondary support of the Glock or the Sig P320 platform. There are a lot more people doing work on 320s than there are APXs, so if you want an aftermarket trigger you have to buy it from some custom dudes in Italy.

[WARDOG68]

I did quite some work and usage, in the last three years on the APX, is a very good pistol, wonderfully apt for smaller hands, with really good ergonomics, I shot more than 100.000 rds on three apx, by far my favorite is the centurion, also the compact is really good for CCW, what I've found is that in full size version, return to battery with stock recoil springs are not always guaranteed, that would be a huge problem if used in adverse conditions, personally I use a custom recoil rod and spring, done by myself, single spring 18lbs, it performed flawlessy for 10.000 rds straight, with mud, sand, dirt and water. A simpler and cheaper solution, albeit perfectly functional would be using the recoil rod and spring for the .40sw caliber, it's stronger than the 9mm version, and always guaranteed return to battery. The .40sw recoil rod and spring is the nr.1 upgrade I recommand to any apx owner. In my very humble opinion.

As for the competition green rod striker spring, it performed well with commercial 9x21 rounds, BUT, I've had occasional misfires. But that's my experience. I would not use it for service/self defense use. It lower trigger pull weight very minimally.

One item that is truly useful is the oversized slide release. Back in the day when aftermarket was scarse, we bended out slightly the stock slide release. 10min with a leatherman tool, and you will have a perfectly functional release even with gloved hands.

I advised this mod during a shooting course done by BDSA (beretta defense shooting academy) done to lagunari troops (amphibious infantry), It worked quote good.

As for trigger mods, my very humble 2cents.. I'm absolutely against any mod done to trigger body or safety, in the apx the trigger safety is of paramount importance. For competition, anything (even silly things) goes, I work mostly on service/self defense/ccw items. I've seen here trigger safety springs cut with pliers to lower pull weight, or bending and cutting sear spring, and grinding trigger body or safety, I really would not do that.

You can have a nearly 1911sh trigger pull in a APX, with moderate work (done by a gunsmith worth his salt, obviously) It's mostly reworking the sear engagement, you can NOT shorten pretravel, that would pose significant reliability problems, as now.

The biggest problem in the apx trigger pull is the reset, it can be done amazingly short, BUT, it's really feeble, that is because the trigger return spring can not guarantee a forceful trigger return in battery, but, bear in mind this is shared by most of the newer striker fired pistol, in which trigger return is dependant only on a spring.

In my apx usage I've seen a problem with sand regarding trigger return to battery. But, this is a problem I've seen in other guns as well.

This is what I do regarding to trigger pull on the apx, I coat the components in a proprietary finish, rework the sear and trigger lever, Install an internal overtravel stop (I advice against external screws, for serious usage), done.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJAoDc9qSkJ/

(mods if the link is against rules please delete)

[jetfire]

Hold on, in Italy you guys get APXs chambered in 9x21? That's rad

[pangloss]

Looking to get one and just wants some thought, experiences on the APX.

I have a few hundred rounds through my Centurion. I like it a lot. If I didn't have so many Glocks and holsters for them, I could see having the APX as my main platform.

[Chuck Whitlock]

I'd probably get a Centurion, if they offered a thumb safety kit with a non-finger-groove grip frame.

[homeyclaus]

I am pushing 10k on the full size I use for competition, and concur with WARDOG68. Even on recon competitions with dirt and mud in the pistol, it worked with just the regular (heavy) recoil spring - I had no issues with it not returning to battery when fired, only when the slide is manually cycled. IMO it's the most comfortable full-size, striker-fired, polymer pistol to do volume shooting with on the market today.

The only other beef I have is the slide stop spring is generally too strong for the 21 round magazines to actuate once the magazine spring gets a little older. This is what causes the slide to not lock open on the big mags.

I carry the compact daily, it has seen a number of courses and competitions too, and it's my goldilocks grip size between the Glock 19 and 26 in terms of grip.

For the pre-panic prices, it was a total steal.

[rojocorsa]

Hold on, in Italy you guys get APXs chambered in 9x21? That's rad


Civilians can't own 9x19, so everything sold commercially is 9x21.




So, I wanted to add:

I am by far any authority on shooting handguns or anything, but I humbly suggest that in today's market the APX might be the best deal for the price in terms of what you get.

Name brand gun for meme tier pricing. I got one for $360 plus tax last week and saw another full size at a different store for $350. The APX Carry sells for $340 which is competitive with those little SCCYs and definitely more affordable than a G43/43X.

[HCM]

Civilians can't own 9x19, so everything sold commercially is 9x21.




So, I wanted to add:

I am by far any authority on shooting handguns or anything, but I humbly suggest that in today's market the APX might be the best deal for the price in terms of what you get.

Name brand gun for meme tier pricing. I got one for $360 plus tax last week and saw another full size at a different store for $350. The APX Carry sells for $340 which is competitive with those little SCCYs and definitely more affordable than a G43/43X.

The no military calibers / no 9x19 was a thing in France and Italy for many years but my understanding is it has been lifted or at least eased in recent years. There may still be local legal advantages to 9x21 but I don't think it's the only option.

[TheNewbie]

Has anyone tried one with a manual thumb safety?

[fly out]

Has anyone tried one with a manual thumb safety?

I'm still on the lookout for someone who has hotrodded a compact with the thumb safety...haven't seen it yet.

Mildly tempted to buy the part and drop it off at my 1911 'smith and say, "knock yourself out." I don't know what I don't know, and I don't know what he doesn't know, and he doesn't know what he doesn't know, so, I wait. Sounds simple, though.

[LockedBreech]

I have an APX.

It does not get used a lot, since I'm replete with about 9 guns between Gen5 Glocks and M2.0 Smiths and those really hit the sweet spot for me.

But that's honestly a shame. The APX is not only a good or acceptable gun, it's an excellent gun with few real critiques. It looks funky and the slide serrations don't work as well for bare-hand gripping as you'd think, but that's...really all. The trigger is solid for a striker. It's very comfortable. Recoil is very soft. Most critically, and typically of Beretta, it is superbly reliable with excellent build quality. I can shoot mine fairly accurately.

I'd say it's my 2nd favorite striker platform after the Gen 5 Glock / M2.0 Smith, which I consider equally excellent and tied for my #1 spot.

A person buying into a striker system with Red Dot, Full Size, and Compact options could do a WHOLE lot worse than taking the APX dive. If you need a Subcompact option, stick with Glock or M&P for the G43 / Shield M2.0, as the APX Carry is not ready for primetime.

At the $324 shipped that I paid, it is tied for my $129 truly excellent grade, all matching 1943 Izhevsk Mosin as the best gun dollar I've ever spent.

[rojocorsa]

The no military calibers / no 9x19 was a thing in France and Italy for many years but my understanding is it has been lifted or at least eased in recent years. There may still be local legal advantages to 9x21 but I don't think it's the only option.

It still is a thing, as far as I know.

[john c]

It still is a thing, as far as I know.

I can confirm, the 9x19 ban is still in force. .45 ACP is now allowed, though. Before 9x21 was developed, 9mm Steyr was an option, but didn't fit in 9x19 platforms. 7.65 Luger was popular in Browning HP and Beretta 98 pistols. Also a shortened .45 ACP cartridge called 45 HP. These oddball calibers go for half the price of 9x21 pistols.

I've been seriously tempted to pick up a P220 in 9mm Steyr. They're generally in 99.9% condition, and a few hundred Euros.

[john c]

I did quite some work and usage, in the last three years on the APX, is a very good pistol, wonderfully apt for smaller hands, with really good ergonomics,

This is what I do regarding to trigger pull on the apx, I coat the components in a proprietary finish, rework the sear and trigger lever, Install an internal overtravel stop (I advice against external screws, for serious usage), done.

When are we going to see your parts in the US? It looks like you have some APX grip frames with innovative molding, as well as triggers.

This video shows WARDOG68's APX triggers and grip frames:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlwekFW2Lcc&feature=emb_logo

The grip frame is at 15:54.

I didn't know Italians pronounce APX as "A-pix".

[rojocorsa]

I didn't know Italians pronounce APX as "A-pix".



"ix" is how you sound out the letter X in Italian.

[pangloss]

I ordered a FDE compact grip module and three 13-round mags for my APX Centurion. The order arrived yesterday, and I swapped out the grip module last night. Overall, the pistol doesn't seem quite as space efficient as Glocks, but I think this size pistol might really hit a sweet spot. I carry my G19 more than my G26, but I still carry the G26 a good bit. I don't think there's much of a compelling need for a gun between those sizes, but I find myself thinking that if I could only have one pistol, this APX Centurion would be a great choice. There are quite a few new APXs on Gunbroker in the $450 range. I just don't understand why this pistol doesn't sell better.

[Greg Bell]

I went ahead and started a 10k test on one. The gun's seem to be as good or better than the competition at around $200 less than the average competing design. I am really happy so far...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIWzUdVdneo&t=33s

[Jared]

I went ahead and started a 10k test on one. The gun's seem to be as good or better than the competition at around $200 less than the average competing design. I am really happy so far...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIWzUdVdneo&t=33s

I look forward to the results of this