Shooters who have had their eye on the Beretta ARX 100 have waited patiently for the carbine to hit the American market. That day has finally arrived, but does the rifle live up to the hype it's generated since appearing at the Shot Show a few years back?
Well, MAC at the Military Arms Channel feeds a few rounds to the semi-automatic version of the ARX 160 in the above video and finds plenty to like about the rifle. As his “First Shots” gun review shows, the gun chews through ammunition without a hitch, proves to be truly ambidextrous and, while different from many semi-automatics, takesdowns easily.
The most intriguing part of the review is a peek at the ARX 100's flexibility with the rifle switching from righty to lefty in a blink of an eye. There is also a glimpse of how easily the rifle can change calibers during the field striping segment. The barrel pops right out, piston and all, making for a painless switch from the 5.56mm factory barrel.
The ARX 100 offers plenty for its $1,950 MSRP. But the rifle has a few bugaboos that confounds MAC in the review and are certain to draw tongue clicks from some corners of the shooting world. This is particularly true concerning magazine compatibility. According to the video, G.I. Magazines and Generation 2 PMAGs were the only ones that worked with the carbine (there is more on the issue at The Bang Switch blog).
The entire video is worth a watch, particularly if you've been drooling over the potential of putting a Beretta ARX 100 in your gun cabinet. Even if you haven't still check it out, it's worth it to get a look at much different take on the semi-auto rifle than most are accustom.
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