Beretta Nano/APX Carry (If they got together and had a baby...)

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01-28-2021, 01:40 PM
medmo

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Beretta Nano/APX Carry (If they got together and had a baby...)

If you have a Beretta Nano and are looking to upgrade the frame for better ergonomics and want the option of a slide release the Nano will fit and function in the Beretta APX Carry grip frame and uses the same magazines. You can get the grip frame from Beretta USA for $39.00, https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/ber...no-grip-frame/ , and the APX Carry slide catch from MGW for $7.38, https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/ud5a1588 .

In 2017 I kind of went bananas on a finding/creating the best teeny single stack 9mm adventure with the Nano in 2017. You can check it out here if you are interested:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....no-9mm-Project

My personal journey of trying to find or create the perfect primary concealed carry teeny single stack 9mm ended when I eventually concluded that I'm never going to be as fast and accurate as I can be with a compact sized frame pistol. Results may vary. That is just my personal results. I definitely think the Beretta Nano/APX Compact Carry is a solid option for a teeny single stack 9mm based on my experience.

I completed the APX Carry grip frame and slide catch with my Nano. Fit and function is good.
01-28-2021, 03:17 PM
gato naranja

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Quote:

Originally Posted by medmo

If you have a Beretta Nano and are looking to upgrade the frame for better ergonomics and want the option of a slide release the Nano will fit and function in the Beretta APX Carry grip frame and uses the same magazines. You can get the grip frame from Beretta USA for $39.00, https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/ber...no-grip-frame/ , and the APX Carry slide catch from MGW for $7.38, https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/ud5a1588 .

In 2017 I kind of went bananas on a finding/creating the best teeny single stack 9mm adventure with the Nano in 2017. You can check it out here if you are interested:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....no-9mm-Project

My personal journey of trying to find or create the perfect primary concealed carry teeny single stack 9mm ended when I eventually concluded that I'm never going to be as fast and accurate as I can be with a compact sized frame pistol. Results may vary. That is just my personal results. I definitely think the Beretta Nano/APX Compact Carry is a solid option for a teeny single stack 9mm based on my experience.

I completed the APX Carry grip frame and slide catch with my Nano. Fit and function is good.

I like the Nano slide much more than the APX Carry slide. The NanX "lite" (everything Nano but the grip frame):
01-28-2021, 10:18 PM
medmo

Quote:

Originally Posted by gato naranja

I like the Nano slide much more than the APX Carry slide. The NanX "lite" (everything Nano but the grip frame):

Nanx Lite. I dig that. Nice. You use the same slide lock spring from the Nano when moving everything over to the APX Carry frame. Not sure how much experience folks have with the Nano. Theoretically, it’s a uni-body design. Just move over the chassis. Because of the design and gravitational forces the trigger pin and chassis pin that the slide stop attaches/rotates on falls off. Beware, and pay attention when you first remove it from the frame.
01-29-2021, 06:56 AM
gato naranja

Quote:

Originally Posted by medmo

Nanx Lite. I dig that. Nice. You use the same slide lock spring from the Nano when moving everything over to the APX Carry frame. Not sure how much experience folks have with the Nano. Theoretically, it’s a uni-body design. Just move over the chassis. Because of the design and gravitational forces the trigger pin and chassis pin that the slide stop attaches/rotates on falls off. Beware, and pay attention when you first remove it from the frame.

The pins did tend to just sort of slide out and test my patience until I made a point of not flopping the chassis over to one side or the other; after that it was a piece of cake.

The Nano and the APX Carry are absurdly simple, and I consider the the APX Carry to be the better of the two mechanically, but not by too much. The contour of the Nano slide is what kept me in the Nano camp. After using the NanX Lite a while, I could now be persuaded to put the APX slide latch on it, but it isn't something I have needed to do (yet).

I did mill off the bottom of the APX grip frame to be flush with Nano magazine baseplates without the extension... I have a bunch of the extended Nano magazines I never use, and I wish that Beretta would offer the regular baseplates as a replacement part. Since I consider the NanX to be my semiauto equivalent of a .38 J-Frame, I like to keep the grip and magazine as short as I can.
01-29-2021, 09:01 AM
Poconnor

Hopefully LTT thinks this is a good idea and makes them available from him
01-30-2021, 09:33 AM
MGW

Quote:

Originally Posted by medmo

If you have a Beretta Nano and are looking to upgrade the frame for better ergonomics and want the option of a slide release the Nano will fit and function in the Beretta APX Carry grip frame and uses the same magazines. You can get the grip frame from Beretta USA for $39.00, https://www.berettausa.com/en-us/ber...no-grip-frame/ , and the APX Carry slide catch from MGW for $7.38, https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/ud5a1588 .

In 2017 I kind of went bananas on a finding/creating the best teeny single stack 9mm adventure with the Nano in 2017. You can check it out here if you are interested:
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....no-9mm-Project

My personal journey of trying to find or create the perfect primary concealed carry teeny single stack 9mm ended when I eventually concluded that I'm never going to be as fast and accurate as I can be with a compact sized frame pistol. Results may vary. That is just my personal results. I definitely think the Beretta Nano/APX Compact Carry is a solid option for a teeny single stack 9mm based on my experience.

I completed the APX Carry grip frame and slide catch with my Nano. Fit and function is good.

How small is that exactly? Pocket sized?
01-30-2021, 03:08 PM
medmo

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGW

How small is that exactly? Pocket sized?

Yes, definitely pocket sized especially with the flush fit magazines.
01-30-2021, 03:40 PM
gato naranja

Quote:

Originally Posted by medmo

If you have a Beretta Nano and are looking to upgrade the frame for better ergonomics and want the option of a slide release the Nano will fit and function in the Beretta APX Carry grip frame and uses the same magazines.

I believe that I may get an APX slide release based on the possibility of someone other than me using my NanX... it will be there for them if they insist on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGW

How small is that exactly? Pocket sized?

I pocket carry it in a DeSantis Super Fly. It isn't microscopic, but it is about as small as I want a 9 to be.
01-30-2021, 07:05 PM
MGW

Other than the slide, what are the differences between the Nano and Apx Carry?

I eliminated J frames from my life primarily because of diminishing practice time a skill level. But I still occasionally need a pocket gun.
01-31-2021, 11:06 AM
medmo

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGW

Other than the slide, what are the differences between the Nano and Apx Carry?

I eliminated J frames from my life primarily because of diminishing practice time a skill level. But I still occasionally need a pocket gun.

From what I can tell and tested the only difference is frame cosmetics, better ergo design and the addition of a thumb operated slide release. The Nano frame does not have a thumb operated release only an internal slide catch. I was able to swap the lower frame on my Nano to the APX Carry and add the APX Carry slide release lever with no problems, hiccups or malfunctions. The dim specs are pretty close to the the same:

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/...etta-apx-carry

Compared to a J Frame:

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/...etta-apx-carry