Current Opinions on the Beretta ARX-100

[mig1nc]

I have a ton of rifles exactly for the reason you quote.

I would like to see the AR unseated. I would love a manual of arms keeping my strong hand grip for BHO/BR and a CH I can work off hand keeping my rifle on target with a sight picture and cheek weld. I want a fully collapsible stock or folding stock.

Sure, the ARX has been on fire sale for a couple of years.

It does not matter what it makes sense to compare to in the market, the majority of buyers are going to compare to an AR.

But there are a few non starters if want to bump the AR-
The magwell better take anything an AR does
The selector can’t suck in comparison- preferable if same position and grip
The mag release better be the same

When someone picks up a contender, the selector requires a shit in grip to operate, the mag release is further/smaller to hit, and the trigger sucks-
Well-
It will end up on fire sale or discontinued.

As I have said for years,
When the AR is unseated,
It will be a gun that is essentially an AR lower,
With same grip/trigger/selector/mag release-
But folding stock capable with no break in strong hand grip to charge/BHO/BR.

There are a lot of legacy platforms around with strong side charging handles, hard to reach mag releases, non ergonomic selectors, etc. They may have even been a near or number one hit in their day. But they are not in the hands of the top winners and competitors. They are not going to be number one again no more than Duran Duran or Adam Ant are going to fill a stadium of crazed fans and have a number one album again.

When I pick up a new gun and have to break grip to work the selector, and the mag release is smaller, further, etc. I already know they have doomed themselves to not being number one.

And as much as some guys love bullpups, they are not the answer. It is kind of a mechanical conundrum to give them an awesome trigger. And there are some amazing AR triggers available now. And no matter how fast you get at changing mags with a bullpups, or paddle mag release gun, or rock insert mag, you will always be faster with the AR.

So-
To be very clear-
And state it again for the record-
A new Carbine platform that does not use AR pistol grips, does not have the same selector position, does not have the same mag release size/shape/position, and does not have 100% compatible magwell-
Is not going to unseat the AR.

Hell, it’s sort of like pistols and 1911/Glock/etc location of the mag release.
Some very good pistols with alternative mag release positions have actually revamped their models to put the mag release in the classic position. The advantages of alternate positions just are not enough to ditch the classics for most.

It is a different story for the BR and CH.
These are sort of like the clutch and stick shift in a car. Well entrenched, familiar, and people have made it work like a champ for decades.
High performance shooters are waiting for the equivalent game changer of , say, dual clutch paddle shifters in a car.

When driven hard, the classic clutch and stick versions of cars get smoked by the paddle shift versions. No matter how good they are and experienced with the clutch and stick,
The advantages of being able to keep both hands on the wheel, shift without breaking steering wheel grip, and freeing up the left foot,- the get better times on the courses and tracks.

Improved BR/BHO and CH ergonomics and manual of arms will be welcomed and improve times just like paddle shifters-
IF, IF-
The company doesn’t dick around and move the steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake to a shittier or different position.
Which is what not keeping AR grip, selector, and mag release ergonomics amounts to.

You are kind of describing the MCX.

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[Aries144]

You are kind of describing the MCX.

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The MCX doesn't have fingertip BHO and pays a price for the way they decided to design for a folding stock: less reciprocating mass, higher bolt velocity, and no anti-bolt-bounce mechanism. This makes it harder on trigger components and more prone to malfunctions from debris ingress. Further, the MCX is heavier than an AR15, partially due to cosmetic contours on the receiver halves, its receiver design introduces multiple large openings making the likelihood of debris ingress much worse, It uses a 60 series aluminum alloy instead of 7075, likely as a cost savings on tooling, and the barrels show mediocre to poor accuracy and pronounced POA shift from cold to hot barrel.

The Virtus seems to show better accuracy, but at a massive 1 lb weight increase through use of a much heavier barrel.

The only application the MCX excels at is as a compact sub 7" barrel .300blk intended for use in something cleaner than field conditions. And then, only because there aren't any better options in that size and caliber with a folding stock.

The best non AR15, non bullpup rifle out right now is CZ's Bren 2. If the new Bren2MS can support .300blk barrels shorter than 8", it will outperform the MCX series in every category, including weight and price.

It makes me want to weep when I think about how good the ARX could have been. "Much good work is lost for the lack of a little more."

[Hkbeltfed]

Is not going to unseat the AR.

You keep saying this, but it’s irrelevant (IMO). It doesn’t need to unseat the AR, all it needs to be is commercially viable. People are willing to pay double (ACR) and triple (SCAR) and even more (APC) than what an AR costs, specifically because they don’t want an AR. The ARX failed compared to the competitors that have something in common, the ones that aren’t ARs, and your posts about ARs aren’t helping. There are reasons why the ARX failed compared to the ACR, Bren, Scar 16, APC and so on, and they’re what’s relevant. That said, I don’t wish to bicker about this, so it’s all yours.

[MorphCross]

"reliable function with no recoil"

So you want a pistol that fires a counter mass back at your face every single time. Good luck with that.

[Ron3]

I'll say it again:

The ARX 100 is a competitor to the Kalashnikov, not the AR.

And it's an excellent weapon.

[ramairthree]

You keep saying this, but it’s irrelevant (IMO). It doesn’t need to unseat the AR, all it needs to be is commercially viable. People are willing to pay double (ACR) and triple (SCAR) and even more (APC) than what an AR costs, specifically because they don’t want an AR. The ARX failed compared to the competitors that have something in common, the ones that aren’t ARs, and your posts about ARs aren’t helping. There are reasons why the ARX failed compared to the ACR, Bren, Scar 16, APC and so on, and they’re what’s relevant. That said, I don’t wish to bicker about this, so it’s all yours.

The entire point of gen 3 Battle rifles is to be an improvement over the AR/better option than the AR.

Edit- in retrospect that is an over simplification. Some were specifically designed to be an improvement over/replacement for the AR. Some were designed to be a replacement for other older generation battle rifles. Some were designed so the country could have a current gen battle rifle produced internally and not reliant upon any other nation.

While specifically a replacement for the AR70, when viewed as a replacement for the AK, rhe ARX and some of these rifles do seem more favorable than when compared to the AR.

[1911-A1]

Found the other Steiner Optics video with John Chapman. Lots of nice slow-mo ARX SBR action.

VIDEO

[PD2BP253]

I didn’t realize it would be so hard to take pics, but here they are. The 2 stage trigger has a gap between the disconnector and hammer and while the single stage has a gap, it’s negligible. 2 stage is on the left in each pair of pics. Hope this helps.

Attachment 55765Attachment 55766

Attachment 55767Attachment 55768

Thank you, you have been a great help! I really appreciate you taking the time to point out the differences...

[thehun]

Wonder how many people have actually used an ARX100 before bashing it.

It has been an utter reliable weapon for me...runs cool...it shoots M855 ball exactly the same as my LMTs, Noveske, Tavor...right at 2-3MOA...its not a match grade rifle...nor do I care to achieve tacticool ninja accuracy of sub MOA out of a semi auto with a 5.56 NATO chamber...

Beretta released as close to the military A3 offering as possible outside of select fire...yet we complain...the gun was designed around the STANAG spec for magazines...not PMAGs....

The ARX100/160 is def not for everyone...but after owning several Gen 3 rifles...it is the one I gravitated back towards besides the TAVOR SAR.

My only complaint with the platform was that there were no factory cheek piece (easily solved with the CR-2 cheek riser...and the A2 finger nub...easily remedied with about an hour of sanding).

You also have to remember that the ARX100 represents a replacement that was solicited by the Italian Defense Force for the AR70...therefore...it never meant to be designed for the American civilian market...that was an after thought...I am just happy Beretta did release it...I do wish they would have at least released the 7.62x39 conversion...that would have been cool.

[Apoptotic]

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I echo your comments, though I find the stock adequate as is. My only complaint is the lack of an easy to use sling mount near the receiver/stock interface and lack of the promised 300 Blackout barrel. I use a Blue a Force Gear QD sling adapter that slips into the OEM rear mount to mitigate the sling mount issue. I have over 5000 trouble free rounds down range and while M4s and a M16A2 sustained me in combat over three deployments, I would categorically choose the ARX if I had to fight again. I have over twenty ARs so I think it’s safe to say that I am an AR fanatic, thus for me to praise the ARX over the AR suggests that I am markedly impressed by the Berreta. I will be buying a third ARX as a parts rifle to keep me shooting this platform for the remainder of my life. I recommend this rifle without reservation especially now that it’s a killer bargain at about 900 USD.

As an aside, I abhor 16” barrels, so I’ve had ADCO cut down the barrels of my two ARXs to 14.5”. Aside from practical reasons for doing this, the shorter barrel just makes the ARX more sexy than it already is.