Proud owner of a Berretta APX full sized 9mm. Here is some initial thoughts after 250 rounds of fun:
I was 2 seconds away from buying the Sig 320 until I picked up this thing. I thought my S&W MP 22 felt good in my hands, night and day difference. Is this normal for handguns? The Sig was solid but this just seemed to be made for my hands. After about 2 hrs of back and forth the $75 rebate from factory made it obvious I would not be disappointed and so far is the case. Total paid after deducting for rebate was around $400 after tax etc. Un boxing was enjoyed and I was greeted with 2 magazines, 2 additional backstraps ( ended up putting the large on there after shooting both the Medium and Small) a mag assist loading thingy ( basic engineering skills still haven't made this smooth to use so may get an aftermarket...but it was a thoughtful addition)Documents were pretty nice compared to all other gun paper I have seen in the past...good manual etc. Cleaning brush and of course the main event. The case itself is nice and everything fits nicely and has a easy to discern place to go. The gun itself was oiled fairly heavy and the slight stain was apparent on the foam. Disassembly was pretty easy and I could not for the life of me understand the grumbles from those online about the pushing in of the take down lever button on the right side before swinging the lever down on the left. Maybe after some additional experience in the handgun world it will make sense. Otherwise I liked the simplicity yet piece of mind of the design. The look of the gun is another point folks point out. The large serrations at set intervals are a sore spot for some. At first glance I felt impartial against them. The more I handled the gun it really began to grow. It isn't as sleek looking and wont win a beauty contest but it does either grab you or leaves you cold. Functionality of the serrations is OK. Not wow or yay..but OK. I was indeed able to grab it in any place and work the slide with as little issue as one can expect from a Arthritis infested hand. After I disassembled , wiped down, inspected and re lubed...I spent the next 20-30 min dry firing and familiarizing myself with the sights. Front sight does reach out and grab you..3 dot system and that front one is big. I like it. At the range I decided to shoot in 5 round spurts, mainly to let the mag springs loosen up and to focus on how she grouped. I sent the first 5 supported...I wanted to be as solid as I could. I used Winchester 115 FMJ brass casing and sure enough as advertised by many online..she shot low. 6 oclock at 7 yds. Another 5 supported and again a nice pattern in the same 6 oclock position. No elevation on rear sights just windage. 2 more 5 round bursts supported and figured out for me at least, the larger front dot placed just above the dead nuts center for that ammo made it go where I wanted. I moved to my Seller & Bellot 115 FMJ that are a bit more peppy then the Winchester and this is where I fell in love. Back supported the first 5 went a smidge high from my newly acquired sight picture. Moved it back to original hold and it was right in the zone I was aiming for. My thinking is since this was a contender for the Military and the 9mm stuff used there is a bit faster ( will have to check with my SF guys on base) it may be factory set for the +P velocities. Then remembering the crazy spring design on the guide rod...that's my theory anyhow and it makes me feel better lol. The Fiocchi 115 FMJ also shoots faster at 1200 much like the S&B and it too had similar POI. I shot 10 rds of Federal rated at 1080 and yep...back low like the Winchester. So I just settled on the fact she likes it fast
Trigger is good not great on initial take up...mushy isn't the word but if I were to compare it to the 2 stage triggers on my rifles it would definitely make me consider taking apart the trigger and working some magic. The wall before the break is firm so there is no surprise or creep. Its pretty solid at 6.4 lbs on my gun. It doesn't travel far from the break and reset is crazy nice making it tempting to just speed through a magazine cause its begging to be fired quick. Again makes sense since it was a contender for the military. Mag release was smooth and I spent the next 30 rds just enjoying and working my smooth transition of shot placement/trigger control, mag drop /reload , slide release back on target...rinse repeat. No speed records set but it felt very smooth even for being out of the box new/stiff. The barrel is stout and quality is apparent by the very good groupings even from my relatively low experienced hands. First shot randomness when swapping ammo types ( but I see this in my rifle as well ) was crazy and took me by surprise at the vast POI change but it settled quick ( 1 shot mostly except for the Sig Elite ammo took 2)
So after all that I will say if you are looking for a full sized 9mm this is worth a peek for sure. The current rebate ( which is digitally done and takes all of 4 min to complete) was already accepted and email received about my card being shipped, makes the end price of this pistol very attractive. The beefy spring makes for a very comfortable recoil ( when I compare it to my Ruger security 9 ) and less hand fatigue occurs for me with it so far. The gun is well built, solid and after about 150 rds the slide began to settle in and feel less stiff ( most seem to agree the break in period is 500 rds so I will keep a eye out) Next range visit and I will be pushing a few different 124s through it before I settle on purchasing a bulk supply of rds for it. Right now the S&B 115s are in the running. So if your eyeballing this gun definitely find a way to shoot it. Good weapon from a good manufacturer. More to come as the round count grows.
I was 2 seconds away from buying the Sig 320 until I picked up this thing. I thought my S&W MP 22 felt good in my hands, night and day difference. Is this normal for handguns? The Sig was solid but this just seemed to be made for my hands. After about 2 hrs of back and forth the $75 rebate from factory made it obvious I would not be disappointed and so far is the case. Total paid after deducting for rebate was around $400 after tax etc. Un boxing was enjoyed and I was greeted with 2 magazines, 2 additional backstraps ( ended up putting the large on there after shooting both the Medium and Small) a mag assist loading thingy ( basic engineering skills still haven't made this smooth to use so may get an aftermarket...but it was a thoughtful addition)Documents were pretty nice compared to all other gun paper I have seen in the past...good manual etc. Cleaning brush and of course the main event. The case itself is nice and everything fits nicely and has a easy to discern place to go. The gun itself was oiled fairly heavy and the slight stain was apparent on the foam. Disassembly was pretty easy and I could not for the life of me understand the grumbles from those online about the pushing in of the take down lever button on the right side before swinging the lever down on the left. Maybe after some additional experience in the handgun world it will make sense. Otherwise I liked the simplicity yet piece of mind of the design. The look of the gun is another point folks point out. The large serrations at set intervals are a sore spot for some. At first glance I felt impartial against them. The more I handled the gun it really began to grow. It isn't as sleek looking and wont win a beauty contest but it does either grab you or leaves you cold. Functionality of the serrations is OK. Not wow or yay..but OK. I was indeed able to grab it in any place and work the slide with as little issue as one can expect from a Arthritis infested hand. After I disassembled , wiped down, inspected and re lubed...I spent the next 20-30 min dry firing and familiarizing myself with the sights. Front sight does reach out and grab you..3 dot system and that front one is big. I like it. At the range I decided to shoot in 5 round spurts, mainly to let the mag springs loosen up and to focus on how she grouped. I sent the first 5 supported...I wanted to be as solid as I could. I used Winchester 115 FMJ brass casing and sure enough as advertised by many online..she shot low. 6 oclock at 7 yds. Another 5 supported and again a nice pattern in the same 6 oclock position. No elevation on rear sights just windage. 2 more 5 round bursts supported and figured out for me at least, the larger front dot placed just above the dead nuts center for that ammo made it go where I wanted. I moved to my Seller & Bellot 115 FMJ that are a bit more peppy then the Winchester and this is where I fell in love. Back supported the first 5 went a smidge high from my newly acquired sight picture. Moved it back to original hold and it was right in the zone I was aiming for. My thinking is since this was a contender for the Military and the 9mm stuff used there is a bit faster ( will have to check with my SF guys on base) it may be factory set for the +P velocities. Then remembering the crazy spring design on the guide rod...that's my theory anyhow and it makes me feel better lol. The Fiocchi 115 FMJ also shoots faster at 1200 much like the S&B and it too had similar POI. I shot 10 rds of Federal rated at 1080 and yep...back low like the Winchester. So I just settled on the fact she likes it fast
Trigger is good not great on initial take up...mushy isn't the word but if I were to compare it to the 2 stage triggers on my rifles it would definitely make me consider taking apart the trigger and working some magic. The wall before the break is firm so there is no surprise or creep. Its pretty solid at 6.4 lbs on my gun. It doesn't travel far from the break and reset is crazy nice making it tempting to just speed through a magazine cause its begging to be fired quick. Again makes sense since it was a contender for the military. Mag release was smooth and I spent the next 30 rds just enjoying and working my smooth transition of shot placement/trigger control, mag drop /reload , slide release back on target...rinse repeat. No speed records set but it felt very smooth even for being out of the box new/stiff. The barrel is stout and quality is apparent by the very good groupings even from my relatively low experienced hands. First shot randomness when swapping ammo types ( but I see this in my rifle as well ) was crazy and took me by surprise at the vast POI change but it settled quick ( 1 shot mostly except for the Sig Elite ammo took 2) So after all that I will say if you are looking for a full sized 9mm this is worth a peek for sure. The current rebate ( which is digitally done and takes all of 4 min to complete) was already accepted and email received about my card being shipped, makes the end price of this pistol very attractive. The beefy spring makes for a very comfortable recoil ( when I compare it to my Ruger security 9 ) and less hand fatigue occurs for me with it so far. The gun is well built, solid and after about 150 rds the slide began to settle in and feel less stiff ( most seem to agree the break in period is 500 rds so I will keep a eye out) Next range visit and I will be pushing a few different 124s through it before I settle on purchasing a bulk supply of rds for it. Right now the S&B 115s are in the running. So if your eyeballing this gun definitely find a way to shoot it. Good weapon from a good manufacturer. More to come as the round count grows.