The American firearms market can be a difficult scene to break into, particularly if a design ends up butting heads with the venerable AR-15. From price point to weight, accuracy and performance, the good old Armalite is a tough platform to beat and in some cases almost impossible to match. Despite this it’s also an aging design and some modern features had never been considered for the system. Back around 2008 Beretta tackled some of these features in a brand new military rifle and in some areas their design still leads the way, yet the civilian version of their ARX series struggled here in the States.
Back in 2012 Beretta had first shown off the ARX at SHOT Show, though the select-fire ARX160 version was already in Italian service as far back as 2008. It wasn’t until around eight years ago we had first gotten a chance to own a civilian version of the rifle, now called the ARX100. While an ARX160 did exist in the States it was only ever a .22 version produced by Umarex.
When it came out, and even now to some extent, the ARX platform brings a user-end level of configuration which I don’t think has ever been matched. Some systems can also claim to have a quick change barrel system, such as the Steyr AUG which beat it by three decades, but for modern designs the ARX more than holds its own. On either side of the receiver there’s a small lever not unlike an upscaled Glock takedown catch. Simply press down on both levers and the barrel and gas assembly pop right out the front of the gun.
Probably the ARX’s biggest feature is how ambidextrous it is. Many manufacturers claim to have full ambi controls but the ARX takes it to another level. Safety selector, bolt catch, magazine release, all ambi. Charging handle? Lock it partway, swing the lever around and go from one side to the next in seconds. Ejection? Push a recessed button in the back of the receiver with the tip of a bullet and the empty cases will depart in the opposite direction. In a manner of seconds an ARX can go from right handed configuration to left and back with no tools nor disassembly required.
A lot of polymer went into the ARX’s construction which houses an adjustable short stroke gas piston system. Total unloaded weight of the civilian version comes in around 6.8 pounds. The stock has three levels of length adjustment and both folds and locks to the right of the receiver. A full length aluminum Picatinny top rail provides plenty of mounting space while a shorter Picatinny section can be found at the far front end of the handguard. Steel sling loops can be found in two locations on either side with a single point at the back of the stock and another rotating loop on top of the barrel. There are no QD sockets, however.
Operation is a mix of simple and not, the ARX possessing a peculiar manual of arms. The charging handle reciprocates with the bolt and would be very familiar to AK or SCAR operators alike. The safety has a 90 degree throw and feels very familiar to an AR in operation. The same can almost be said for the magazine release except the button is quite skinny and oriented horizontally rather than the vertical release of an AR. You could almost think of the ARX as having a third gen Glock mag release whereas an AR-15 has the larger 4th gen release.
Where it gets really funky is the bolt catch and release. Ahead of the trigger guard is a small vertical slider which is mirrored on either side. This can be pressed up to engage the bolt catch or slid down to release the bolt, but that’s not all. Beneath the trigger guard is a larger chunk of material which can easily be seen in any side view picture of the ARX. Inside of this chunk is a larger button which is yet another means of manually locking the bolt open. Add in the last round bolt hold open on an empty mag and there are effectively four different ways to hold the bolt open on an ARX!
Out on the range I found the ARX to be a bit punchy for a 5.56 but this is to be expected. When combining a sub-7 pound firearm with piston operation physics do as physics are gonna do, thus it does have a sharper recoil than an AR. The upside is that short stroke gas piston rifles are known for their reliability and the ARX has strong military pedigree. These guns are workhorses and the ARX does indeed have a track record for being reliable.
One pull of the trigger will also confirm this is based off of a service rifle. The pull itself is pretty heavy, heavier than I had anticipated. On the other hand Beretta did an incredible job of tuning the other aspects of this pull. As soon as you put your finger on the trigger you’re at the wall, there is both zero take-up and zero over-travel on an ARX. It may be heavy but it’s a crisp clean break. If the weight could be lowered to the four or five pound range (I think factory pull is around 8-10 pounds) this would be a fantastic out of box setup.
Due to extensive use of polymers the ARX carries most of its weight up front which does have the effect of making the rifle feel heavier than it is. This feeling is further exacerbated by the sheer physical size of the receiver. The ARX is a wide beast! A Picatinny section can be found at the three and nine o’clock positions up front but removing these rails will still leave you with some chunky lugs where the screws would thread into.
While the ARX did have a lot going for it, the rifle was ultimately pulled from civilian sales only a couple of years ago, and having finally had a chance to put a few rounds through one I can start to see why. There’s a fair bit to unpack here.
First, sticker shock. MSRP on the ARX was a solid two grand. Combine this figure with a physical appearance which is not so appealing and a lot of shooters were immediately put off by the rifle. For that money you could get two decently built AR-15s or something a bit more exotic like a bullpup. Both the Steyr AUG and the IWI Tavor easily fall below the 2K mark.
Second goes to its appearance. It’s kind of an awkward looking thing which has been the subject of a number of unflattering nicknames on the internet. The stock is too short, the barrel just hangs out there up front, it’s wide, it’s tall… While it may be a very shootable gun it loses points in charisma and, as with all aspects of life, attraction matters.
Third, limited parts and accessories. If you want a full length Picatinny handguard at the six o’clock position you’d need to buy a different handguard from Beretta which would set you back another $30+ dollars. The barrel could be quickly swapped out but as far as I’m aware no barrels were ever offered. The grips couldn’t be changed and the stocks couldn’t be made any longer. For the most part ARX owners will always be stuck with what they’ve got.
Fourth, the charging handle. Out of the box it’s a tiny thing with sharp angles. Running it this way brings a risk of raking your hand against the receiver. A wider charging handle accessory could be purchased (and frankly I would consider this a mandatory upgrade) but installing it prevents the handle from being quick-swapped to the other side.
Fifth, the length of pull. While the stock can be adjusted it’s still quite short at full extension. I tend to run stocks fairly close in on my rifles but the ARX was so stubby that even I had found it to feel awkward.
There’s also the matter of magazine compatibility. The ARX has a tall magazine well and won’t work with every mag on the market. I believe second generation PMags will work but third gen mags won’t.
The factory flip up iron sights were also not a great option. They’re chunky, sit quite high on the receiver, and are wide enough to obstruct a lot of your field of view. While these could also be easily removed with the tip of a bullet the best thing you could do is to remove them and put them in a drawer somewhere then either run an optic or something like Magpul back up irons. The Beretta ones are honestly some of the worst rifle sights I’ve seen.
The ARX100 still carries with it a certain mystique. I had fancied these rifles since I first saw them but as time went on and I was able to handle all of three of them (did I mention they’re pretty uncommon?), each time left me feeling a little less inspired. They are great rifles though, and I think that’s the part which bums me out the most. Great ideas and great functionality were brought together into an overall package which at the end of the day was simply a “meh,” and an expensive one.
Back when Beretta was ending civilian sales these guns could be had brand new for as low as $700 (and I was One Day Short of grabbing one when taking a trip to Florida…) and at that price point they’re an absolute steal, worth grabbing without question. But, being out of production the collector’s market has already taken over and prices are currently hovering around the $1,700 mark for clean examples.
They are fun rifles. They have pedigree and will no doubt be collectible. Though for left-handed shooters the ARX100 may still be the best rifle available, if you can find one.
