Beretta APX

[arcfide]

The slide does seem a bit excessive in overall width, and size. I understand the concept, and in real life it is much more appealing than in photos. It is something I don't mind, but a lot, and I mean a lot of other folks don't like the design. Beretta have done a bit more market evaluating before deciding on the design. With so many negative comments about the slide design, there is no way they did enough research.

I suspect that there was no possibility of doing enough research to be able to predict what the market was going to say. I imagine at least two of the competing requirements for their slides would have been extreme durability for .40 and 9mm (that's a classic request item from a lot of people) and also slide serrations on the front and rear without too much weight. Of course, weight and durability and "40/9 convertibility" when it comes to modularity are all competing requirements.

And then there is the design itself. I know that plenty of people had to have had a chance to provide feedback on the slide serrations during testing, so I don't think that was likely an issue. However, there's the marketing aspect that comes into play as well. While there are a few people who really will go through each platform on its merits and decide what works for them, the majority of people will have trouble telling one gun apart from another without some visual cues. I suspect that Beretta wanted to make sure that the visual distinctiveness of the gun was retained while also providing slide serrations along the length of the gun.

I think this is a case where there is no way they could have got it right. If they went with more traditional serrations and a slide design, then people would have complained that it wasn't unique enough and didn't bring anything to the table, and they wouldn't have been able to make it distinctive for advertising. If they went with the distinctive design, then they were going to turn people off for being too unique and different compared to what they are used to. I don't think there was a way they could have avoided negative press regarding the serrations.

[arcfide]

Here is a very short video showing how to field strip: https://youtu.be/oPpX_o_Q5jw

It really isn't very difficult.

Note that this guy is not disassembling the gun correctly. The manual is simple and clear one this.

1. Disable or drop the striker in some way (trigger or the button).
2. Press in and rotate the lever down.
3. Slide will come off.

People seem to get #1 and #2 in the wrong order all the time, or try to retract the slide to the rear while rotating the lever and all sorts of other silly-ness. Does no one read a manual?

Also, some people have claimed that they can't get the striker deactivation button to work. The button requires that the slide be taken about .25 - .5" out of battery before the button will release the striker. Again, RTFM.

[arcfide]

There are lots of reports of the gun shooting low. I haven't seen the same volume of complaints for the M9/92 series or the PX4 guns. The apparent lack of aftermarket sight options for the APX makes this a problem that may not have an easy fix.

Finally, field stripping the gun - while I've handled the APX, I've not been able to field strip one - and I blame much of this on the clown show that is YouTube, but based on the available disassembly videos on the net, the field stripping does not seem as easy as the M9/92 and PX4 which are admittedly two of the easiest guns to field strip.

I believe this is due to the nature of the APX sight design and its enlarged dot, where people want to line up the dots rather than the sight blades, coupled with the drive the dots sight picture. Adjustable sights or other sights will fix this issue for most people. There are quite a few "shooting low" questions on the 92 and Px4 platforms fielded on the Beretta Forum as well as an FAQ on Beretta's Customer Service site.

As for field stripping, don't let the YouTube videos worry you. Reading the manual and following its advice results in a field stripping as easy as any other gun. It's absolutely a non-issue.

[JTQ]

I believe this is due to the nature of the APX sight design and its enlarged dot, where people want to line up the dots rather than the sight blades, coupled with the drive the dots sight picture. Adjustable sights or other sights will fix this issue for most people. There are quite a few "shooting low" questions on the 92 and Px4 platforms fielded on the Beretta Forum as well as an FAQ on Beretta's Customer Service site.

The APX enlarged front dot may be the issue, though I'm less sure about the drive the dot point.

One example is the Patrick E. Kelley Out of the Box to Match series. He shoots both the APX and PX4 in different videos, and while he doesn't care for a variety of things with each, he comments throughout the video on shooting low with the APX, but doesn't make that comment with the PX4. I believe GJM has made similar comments about the APX earlier in this thread. I believe both are experienced shooters with drive the dot understanding.

APX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LayiLbZHEDg

PX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kXgy8wtkpA

[arcfide]

The APX enlarged front dot may be the issue, though I'm less sure about the drive the dot point.

One example is the Patrick E. Kelley Out of the Box to Match series. He shoots both the APX and PX4 in different videos, and while he doesn't care for a variety of things with each, he comments throughout the video on shooting low with the APX, but doesn't make that comment with the PX4. I believe GJM has made similar comments about the APX earlier in this thread. I believe both are experienced shooters with drive the dot understanding.

APX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LayiLbZHEDg

PX4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kXgy8wtkpA

I think the combination of drive the dots with the enlarged dots exacerbates the issue for some. The sight picture on the APX where the blades are aligned usually leads to the front dot appearing slightly higher than the smaller rear dots. If one is ignoring the dots, that shouldn't, in theory, matter. However, at speed, if one isn't used to that, it's very easy to switch back to other sights and sight pictures, which would invariably lead to dropping low, especially if you're used to going fast.

On the other hand, the APX grip is also very small compared to a lot of other guns, and it has been my experience that when I'm shooting a smaller than accustomed-to grip, I have a tendency to drop shots low more often.

I think it's similar to the situation with people often having a tendency to push shots a little high or left with Glocks until they adapt to the design, or vice versa.

So, I don't think it's a lack of drive the dots understanding, just that the particular sight picture and alignment doesn't help for those who would already be predisposed to this issue. In particular, I get the feeling that Patrick Kelley's particular breed of informative and entertaining evaluations would make him more likely than many to experience this sort of issue.

I do think that many people have experienced this when shooting the APX, but I also think that it's likely a matter of familiarization more than anything.

Thinking about it some more, someone else mentioned that the trigger on the APX with it's relatively unique feel led them to anticipate the shot a bit more initially when firing, and they had a tendency to pull shots because of it. It took some familiarization and practice to stop that from happening for that shooter.

[10mmfanboy]

Buds gunshop has apx on clearance, basically about $200 off. I was going to get a couple, but now that I read the thread I guess not. How can you make such a huge oversight as far as holster compatibility between frames and basically another useless accessory rail on the smaller models? That is exactly what pissed me off about the px4 compact, as far as light rail.

[fly out]

Multiple distributors emailed out special pricing on all APX models this morning. The reductions are significant. If your favorite FFL isn't sitting on some at the old pricing, and tends to pass along savings to you, now might be a good time to jump in.

I'm not a source for ordering...I'm just passing along a PSA (and spreading the Beretta love).

[Kyle Reese]

Multiple distributors emailed out special pricing on all APX models this morning. The reductions are significant. If your favorite FFL isn't sitting on some at the old pricing, and tends to pass along savings to you, now might be a good time to jump in.

I'm not a source for ordering...I'm just passing along a PSA (and spreading the Beretta love).

Quite tempting...... Any reason to not grab one for $329?

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[fly out]

Quite tempting...... Any reason to not grab one for $329?

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

As long as it isn't a Carry model, I can't think of one.


ETA: That isn't a specific knock on the Carry. I haven't touched one, much less lived with one. It's just that the wholesale versus street price on the Carry was already compressed, so it is not nearly the deal that the FS, Centurion or Compact are, right now.

[JTQ]

I don't think I've seen the APX Target on the Beretta website before.

http://www.beretta.com/en-us/apx-target/