The editor has some fast-fire fun with Beretta’s latest
credit: Archant
Replica guns will always have lots of fans, but working CO2 versions are even more fun, especially when they’re officially licensed by the manufacturer. Take the Beretta APX on test that wears the company’s logo proudly on the slide. This pistol is so close to the original 9mm/.40 full-bore version that it can be used as a firearm trainer for those officers/soldiers new to shooting.
It has all the hallmarks of a truly modern, service sidearm with its polymer frame and double-action trigger, plus it has a nice heft. Of course, polymer frames are supposed to be light, but the metal slide is good and heavy, which in my world equates to a nice, powerful recoil sensation.
The handling is typically modern, with lots of supportive details moulded into the polymer frame. The whole grip area is textured and ribbed to aid feel and purchase, yet somehow I never felt that I really locked into the grip. I suspect that this is the fate of truly ambidextrous pistols
All that being said, in rapid-fire strings, I felt good muzzle control and the white dot enhanced, open sights were as clear and precise as you could ever wish for. With a fresh 12 gramme CO2 capsule loaded, I filled the magazine and soon had all 19 steel BBs just slightly high and right of the bull at six yards.
There’s something more...
Somehow I felt that there was more performance to be had, so I swapped to the Excite Smart Shot, copper-coated lead BBs and was happy that I did. The group size dropped to less than half and was centred on the bullseye. A three-inch group at full speed from 8 yards is pretty impressive from any BB gun. In an IPAS competition, this gun would have all the accuracy you need, and with the lead ammo would be competition legal. It would also have an 11-shot capacity advantage over the usual 8-shot Umarex magazine guns, so you’d have plenty of ‘top-up’ shots if you missed.
I enjoyed some of the real-world functionality, such as the empty magazine slide lock back, which is just like the real firearm. I also liked the matte grey slide that contrasted nicely against the flat-black polymer frame.
This is a truly superb, modern firearm replica from Umarex, and an absolute blast to shoot at full speed in an IPAS competition, or on plinking targets just for fun. Not everybody knows about this cutting-edge pistol today, but I’m sure it won’t be long until we do!
Specification: Umarex
Importer: www.bisley-uk.com
Model: Beretta APX
Type: Blow-back
Power: 12 gramme CO2
Ammo: 4.5mm BB
Magazine capacity: 19
Length: 106mm
Weight: 666 grammes
Trigger: Double-action
RRP: £89.70