Here’s one I’ve been wanting to get my hands on for a while. First announced a couple of years ago, Beretta’s newest entry into the large frame pistol or pistol caliber carbine market can be an enticing offer. Licensed from B&T, the PMX series was intended to replace Beretta’s aging fleet of M12 submachine guns. As usual, for the civilian market we got the semi-automatic only “S” model.
I’m a big fan of pistol caliber carbines (PCCs) and always love having an opportunity to try one out. The PMXs in particular intrigued me as there’s a fair bit going on behind the scenes. First is with the M12 where Beretta wanted to replace these old sheet steel guns with something modern while retaining similar controls to the M12. The PMX design came straight from one of B&T’s earlier models called the P26 and even shares magazine compatibility with B&T’s straight walled stick mags which had originated back with the Steyr TMP and SSP, a design which later went on to become the B&T MP9. Beretta has updated this magazine design further still.
Then there’s the really obscure detail which can be more fully appreciated when looking under the hood. The PMX is essentially a modern day Tec-9, one of the earliest guns which would later help form Kel-Tec. The PMX may be new to the market but it already comes with a lot of history!
The PMX itself is a simple design with few moving parts, featuring blowback operation with the entire bolt resting behind the chamber rather than having an UZI-like telescoping bolt. This goes away from Beretta’s own designs in both the M12 and with their previous 9mm carbine, the Cx4 Storm. The mag release and safety are ambidextrous and the reciprocating bolt handle can easily be swapped from right to left. The bolt release is only available on the left. Standard magazine capacity is 30 rounds.
I finally had my first opportunity to try a PMXs at an outdoor suppressor shoot hosted by MJ Gunsmithing a few months back. It was a great little event but I have to say in all honesty it felt like Beretta came to the party at the last minute. Down at the end of the line in a booth isolated from everything else were a couple of representatives and exactly one PMXs with one mag to try out. It seemed as though they weren’t expecting anyone to want to try it out. As the suppressors were the theme of the event it did have some manner of can on the end, but… The gun itself had no sights. No stock or brace. There was no target. With an opportunity to blindly send five rounds into a pile of dirt this experience told me almost nothing about the gun itself other than it was largely made of black polymer.
Months later I had a chance to try one which was better configured. It had a brace! It had a red dot! It didn’t have a suppressor, which I quite prefer for reviews as every gun will give you a vastly different experience the moment you put a can on the business end. Finally I had the perfect opportunity to test out the PMXs.
You know the expression “never meet your heroes?” I had set my expectations of this gun a little too high. The grip angle was good. The trigger felt very mil-spec AR-15-like, a little stiff with a super short reset. For a direct blowback this seemed quite good, too light of a trigger and you run the risk of the bolt causing an unintended discharge. Out of the box it’s worlds better than a factory CZ Scorpion Evo 3 S1 trigger, no question. A Scorpion benefits greatly from anything between a spring replacement or a whole new trigger pack, the factory pull is terrible.
The rest is unfortunately delving into a world of mediocrity.
I need to compare the PMXs directly with the Scorpion as they’re the closest on the market for price, performance, features, and build. The PMXs easily feels better built when picking it up, lacking the trigger group slop of the Scorpion which annoys me to no end. Both the PMXs and the Scorpion with factory components have an ambi safety which can do a great job of getting in the way of your trigger finger and getting on your nerves. The CZ wins out here in having a removable grip which does wonders for its ergonomics, not to mention different safety selectors or safety deletes. I have to imagine the third party market will catch up with the PMXs safety but so far it doesn’t appear to have any options and the factory grip, while nice, cannot be replaced. This is not likely to change with this generation of PMXs as I believe the lower wears the serial number and therefore is “the firearm.”
Both guns are fully encased in tough polymer shells which is a feature I prefer over bare aluminum or steel as polymer is far better at insulating against heat. The Beretta does win points here in having a one piece aluminum top rail which also helps hold the polymer body together. Compared to the first generation of the Scorpion pistol, the Picatinny rails at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions on the PMXs can be removed, something which you cannot do on the CZ without completely changing out the forend. One downside here is the tubular design of the PMXs which pushes those rail sections out pretty far compared to the CZ’s more flush fit rails.
The PMXs felt a tad lighter to me than a similarly upgraded Scorpion pistol and felt better balanced with the CZ wearing a little more of its weight up front. Recoil between the two felt very similar, though I think the PMXs gets a slight edge here despite having no muzzle attachment compared to the CZ which wore HB Industries’ excellent Ultra Comp.
Overall the competition between the two is quite stiff, but it’s about to get a lot worse for the PMXs.
The first of two Achilles’ heels (sounds like shooting yourself in both feet, doesn’t it?) is disassembly. Here the CZ wins handily, being what I would consider to be one of if not the easiest PCC to take down for cleaning. One push pin, trigger group pops off, bolt and recoil assembly pop out as a contained unit, done. The PMXs also has a push pin which separates the trigger group from the upper. Then it gets messy. Just like a Tec-9 the end cap needs to be unscrewed to start which reveals a recoil buffer tucked inside. Removing the end cap allows the rear sling mount ring, guide rod assembly, and dual recoil springs to come out. Then the bolt handle can be removed and the bolt can be dropped out. For those keeping track we’re already dealing with more than twice as many individual components as the CZ, including loose springs and smaller pieces which are more easily lost.
Then you get to put all of this back together again.
Even this wouldn’t be the death knell for me with a firearm. Sometimes having a little complexity can be rewarding! But you know what is never rewarding? Getting hit with a cloud of gas directly into the face every time you pull the trigger.
My single biggest complaint of any and all newer made guns is having both sides of the receiver cut for choosing which side the brass ejects out of or where the charging handle can be installed. The moment you cut into the side of the receiver, the part which is generally the closest to your face, you are introducing yourself to a world of misery. This is especially problematic with a direct blowback design. With a bare muzzle and no suppressor, standard ball ammo, and a well ventilated indoor range, nearly every pull of the trigger made me stop and wait for the air to clear and my eyes to stop burning. I am quite sensitive to being gassed out so this was not a fun experience! Compare this with the Scorpion having a completely sealed left receiver wall and next to no gas making it back into your face to speak of, the CZ wins hands down. Quality of ammo can make a difference, of course. But yikes!
Unfortunately, this one feature with the Beretta is what leaves it in the dust of its own making. With this style of charging handle, trying to make it ambi means neither side wins. It’s a shame too as the PMXs is genuinely a nice PCC to shoot. But when I can only take two or three spaced shots before I’m forced to wait for the air to clear out compared to a CZ where I can let a binary trigger rip through a 35 round mag and be no worse for wear, the evidence couldn’t be any more clear. It may only be a problem with a select few types of ammo but all it takes is coming across the wrong one to ruin a range trip.
