I have an Echelon and the APX A1 and like both of them equally well. Both are completely reliable, accurate, and nice to shoot. Yes the trigger is lighter on the Echelon, but not so much that I notice it at all when actually shooting. And even though a heavier pull weight, the trigger on my APX A1 is excellent - mine breaks cleanly and has a very short and nice reset, with about the same amount of creep as the Echelon (I also compared it to several other striker guns, and the only one that I would say was noticeably better (meaning lighter and crisper) than the rest was a Walther PPQ). But the Beretta is a softer shooting gun, which makes me somewhat prefer it for that reason. The ergos are also much better on the Beretta and I love the checkering on the front and back straps, which also makes me somewhat prefer shooting it. I agree that the optics mounting system on the Echelon is unparalleled and fantastic, and while I don't mind having to order an optics plate, I do wish the optics cut was deeper on the Beretta to allow an optic to sit lower and potentially co-witness with the iron sights. Speaking of, the factory iron sights that came on both the Beretta and Springfield are excellent - both have a tritium front sight with the Beretta having a blacked-out rear sight while the Springfield has the U-Dot (though I do like the Springfield U-Dot sight picture more). Bottom line, both are outstanding firearms and I'd say equal in their own ways.
I carry this with an optic. No problem. No malfunctions after 4000 rnds.Trigger gets better after about 500 rnds. Take down is super easy after doing it a few times and cleaning the gun. My rebate was only for $50 and it came after about 6 weeks. This gun has been reliable and accurate for me at a great price.
I just got the APX A! compact a few weeks ago. I like how it shoots, and my hand is very comfortable with the medium backstrap. I have a few hundred rounds through it with no issues. I have an optics plate on order that has just shipped. I find the trigger ok. It's not Canik or Walther, but it is as least as good as a Glock 19 trigger. Not sure if I will ever carry this, but it is nice at the range, especially for $300, plus the optic plate.
I’m all for being critical, but this seems like you’ve made your decision based on a couple annoying quirks which I assume ruined your experience of the rest of the gun. This firearm is very well thought out both ergonomically and feature wise. It’s dead reliable, and built for both duty and defensive carry. Let’s not forget it’s Beretta, and the testing they did on this is second to none. Bad optics practices doesn’t negate all the positives this brings to the table. Not to mention the fantastic recoil impulse and very good reset. This is a great gun, and honestly should’ve been priced higher so it doesn’t fall into the budget category which is where most guns go to die. Nevertheless I appreciate your videos.
I would take the canik, the cz, the walther, and the vp9 all over this. Its a competitive market and with minimal aftermarket support, a bad trigger, bulky gun isn’t going to win
You’re mentioning some great guns there, but I don’t think this was ever trying to go after them. I think beretta set out to design a reliable pistol, with good capacity that can serve multiple purposes. This was their entry into the striker fire market. Mine is the compact model, and I don’t find it bulky at all. Conceals very well, and literally fits the hand like a glove. I don’t see it as a bad trigger at all, mine is pretty damn smooth in fact. Even down to how you find the takedown difficult. It’s such a simple task. The mere fact that you mention Canik makes me wonder, as I’ve bought two and had to sell both as they are unreliable and untrustworthy. None of this is a problem with the APX. To each their own. We will have to agree to disagree as we couldn’t be further apart. I respect your opinion though and will give a subscribe.
I’m with you on this. The APX is great and indeed was for military trials and modular chassis was part of that too. It’s not designed to compete in our market it’s designed to work and meet requirements. For me it’s purpose is to be a reliable piece that I’m not worried about if I had to use it. Mine was 350 and it just runs. Holosun is making a SCS for it so there’s a fix, but if aftermarkets made stuff it could be something great. I don’t think he bashed it too hard he’s just being real because we are kinda spoiled with a saturated market. The compact/centurion models are where it’s at.
It’s a good gun for the price and quality point. It’s not really meant for our market but they did give the option to mount an optic. It’s not a big deal to spend what you save on it for a plate. Now the website does suck tho and their customer service too lol. All the frustrations only apply to people who are picky. Not a bad thing just ain’t for them. I don’t care about all that it’s just a truck gun that runs like a tank for me. It has a place, but if you carry it go for the compact model it’s not that heavy.
The worst features of this pistol are that you have to send a card to Beretta to receive an owner’s manual, and the takedown is virtually impossible for someone with arthritic hands. Why in the hell doesn’t Beretta furnish an owner’s manual??? To further update this pistol, there is a rebate of $100.00 that is supposed to arrive within 10 weeks. I’ve now waited 15 weeks, and they tell me that it’s “still processing”. I’ll NEVER buy another Beretta product. I’ll stick with Walther…
No plates for any of the good footprints? I heard RMR mentioned which is the most popular…however they should’ve allowed us to redeem one free plate at least.
I have 3 APXs. 1 is an A1. As for optics, you can get plates discounted. The site is ok. And the 3rd is a Doctor plate. My issue is for cowitness sights. Even the A1 tall sights arent tall enough. Worst part is the A1 and the APX A0 use different sights. Silly move. The trigger takes getting used to. It's not anything like Glock. It's "intentional squish." A safety thing. And the trigger lightens to 4lbs after about 500rds. Theres an aftermarket from Italy that gives it a 3.5lbs. After getting used to it, the trigger works. You're wrong about disassembly with ammo in it. Dead wrong. Breakdown is tough at first but breaks in. The gun is reliable. But doesn't like reloads. I'll get 1 light strike every 80-100 reloads. But many Glocks would perform the same. Many strikers hate reloads. Your optics rant is just silly. Using an optic is good for duty and the range.. IMO. But as EDC? No. A lot of bulk. But an optic mount on this seems like an afterthought., The A1 Compact IMHO is a better gun. It's the same size as my Centurion. Only quirk is to use the FS mags, you want (don't need ) a mag spacer. But these are really goos, Especially for the money.
@@nycgrafix Are you referring to the mag spacers? They slip onto the magazine to make grip more flush. Just pay attention which one you order. If you have an A1 Compact, they're the ones for the Centurion. The A0 Compact one has 2 different sizes: one for the 15rd, 1 for the 17/21 rd. They're cheesy plastic, but are worth it if you're using 17/21 rounders.
Well actually this did better than the Sig 320. The APX A1 went 30,000 rounds with not issue. One reviewer went to Italy to speak to Beretta directly. Hear them out and also another reviewer whose former Army and cop. Both have a lot to say. th-cam.com/video/CSuWJwbQC7Y/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/HpFUidP1a2o/w-d-xo.html
@@randyreviewsit Yeah, thats why Glock put one on the 43 ( could have the number wrong) but European PD's don't want people pulling the trigger for cleaning.
I have an Echelon and the APX A1 and like both of them equally well. Both are completely reliable, accurate, and nice to shoot. Yes the trigger is lighter on the Echelon, but not so much that I notice it at all when actually shooting. And even though a heavier pull weight, the trigger on my APX A1 is excellent - mine breaks cleanly and has a very short and nice reset, with about the same amount of creep as the Echelon (I also compared it to several other striker guns, and the only one that I would say was noticeably better (meaning lighter and crisper) than the rest was a Walther PPQ). But the Beretta is a softer shooting gun, which makes me somewhat prefer it for that reason. The ergos are also much better on the Beretta and I love the checkering on the front and back straps, which also makes me somewhat prefer shooting it. I agree that the optics mounting system on the Echelon is unparalleled and fantastic, and while I don't mind having to order an optics plate, I do wish the optics cut was deeper on the Beretta to allow an optic to sit lower and potentially co-witness with the iron sights. Speaking of, the factory iron sights that came on both the Beretta and Springfield are excellent - both have a tritium front sight with the Beretta having a blacked-out rear sight while the Springfield has the U-Dot (though I do like the Springfield U-Dot sight picture more). Bottom line, both are outstanding firearms and I'd say equal in their own ways.
I carry this with an optic. No problem. No malfunctions after 4000 rnds.Trigger gets better after about 500 rnds. Take down is super easy after doing it a few times and cleaning the gun. My rebate was only for $50 and it came after about 6 weeks. This gun has been reliable and accurate for me at a great price.
I just got the APX A! compact a few weeks ago. I like how it shoots, and my hand is very comfortable with the medium backstrap. I have a few hundred rounds through it with no issues. I have an optics plate on order that has just shipped. I find the trigger ok. It's not Canik or Walther, but it is as least as good as a Glock 19 trigger. Not sure if I will ever carry this, but it is nice at the range, especially for $300, plus the optic plate.
Critical but wit good points. Thanks for the video. 👍
Bought this yesterday love it
I’m all for being critical, but this seems like you’ve made your decision based on a couple annoying quirks which I assume ruined your experience of the rest of the gun. This firearm is very well thought out both ergonomically and feature wise. It’s dead reliable, and built for both duty and defensive carry. Let’s not forget it’s Beretta, and the testing they did on this is second to none. Bad optics practices doesn’t negate all the positives this brings to the table. Not to mention the fantastic recoil impulse and very good reset. This is a great gun, and honestly should’ve been priced higher so it doesn’t fall into the budget category which is where most guns go to die. Nevertheless I appreciate your videos.
I would take the canik, the cz, the walther, and the vp9 all over this. Its a competitive market and with minimal aftermarket support, a bad trigger, bulky gun isn’t going to win
You’re mentioning some great guns there, but I don’t think this was ever trying to go after them. I think beretta set out to design a reliable pistol, with good capacity that can serve multiple purposes. This was their entry into the striker fire market. Mine is the compact model, and I don’t find it bulky at all. Conceals very well, and literally fits the hand like a glove. I don’t see it as a bad trigger at all, mine is pretty damn smooth in fact. Even down to how you find the takedown difficult. It’s such a simple task. The mere fact that you mention Canik makes me wonder, as I’ve bought two and had to sell both as they are unreliable and untrustworthy. None of this is a problem with the APX. To each their own. We will have to agree to disagree as we couldn’t be further apart. I respect your opinion though and will give a subscribe.
I’m with you on this. The APX is great and indeed was for military trials and modular chassis was part of that too. It’s not designed to compete in our market it’s designed to work and meet requirements. For me it’s purpose is to be a reliable piece that I’m not worried about if I had to use it. Mine was 350 and it just runs. Holosun is making a SCS for it so there’s a fix, but if aftermarkets made stuff it could be something great. I don’t think he bashed it too hard he’s just being real because we are kinda spoiled with a saturated market. The compact/centurion models are where it’s at.
Just got mine. Have a Swampfox on the way. Maybe I will just put the optic on another firearm.
My glock 20 Gen 5 came with 4 plates for optics , but you can mount a certain optic with no plate and co witness with the iron sites
Holosun is making a direct attachment optic for that pistol.
It will probably be in green though
It’s a good gun for the price and quality point. It’s not really meant for our market but they did give the option to mount an optic. It’s not a big deal to spend what you save on it for a plate. Now the website does suck tho and their customer service too lol. All the frustrations only apply to people who are picky. Not a bad thing just ain’t for them. I don’t care about all that it’s just a truck gun that runs like a tank for me. It has a place, but if you carry it go for the compact model it’s not that heavy.
The worst features of this pistol are that you have to send a card to Beretta to receive an owner’s manual, and the takedown is virtually impossible for someone with arthritic hands. Why in the hell doesn’t Beretta furnish an owner’s manual??? To further update this pistol, there is a rebate of $100.00 that is supposed to arrive within 10 weeks. I’ve now waited 15 weeks, and they tell me that it’s “still processing”. I’ll NEVER buy another Beretta product. I’ll stick with Walther…
Yeah the takedown was really wonky and required a bunch of force, good points.
U could use the bottom of the magazine to pusch the takedown button...is more easy if U can't use the finger.
How about psa dagger and rock?
No plates for any of the good footprints? I heard RMR mentioned which is the most popular…however they should’ve allowed us to redeem one free plate at least.
yeah there is no eps plate at all for the full sized.
I have 3 APXs. 1 is an A1. As for optics, you can get plates discounted. The site is ok. And the 3rd is a Doctor plate. My issue is for cowitness sights. Even the A1 tall sights arent tall enough. Worst part is the A1 and the APX A0 use different sights. Silly move. The trigger takes getting used to. It's not anything like Glock. It's "intentional squish." A safety thing. And the trigger lightens to 4lbs after about 500rds. Theres an aftermarket from Italy that gives it a 3.5lbs. After getting used to it, the trigger works.
You're wrong about disassembly with ammo in it. Dead wrong. Breakdown is tough at first but breaks in. The gun is reliable. But doesn't like reloads. I'll get 1 light strike every 80-100 reloads. But many Glocks would perform the same. Many strikers hate reloads.
Your optics rant is just silly. Using an optic is good for duty and the range.. IMO. But as EDC? No. A lot of bulk. But an optic mount on this seems like an afterthought.,
The A1 Compact IMHO is a better gun. It's the same size as my Centurion. Only quirk is to use the FS mags, you want (don't need ) a mag spacer. But these are really goos, Especially for the money.
Was it an F spacer? I’d like to do this for my compact
@@nycgrafix Are you referring to the mag spacers? They slip onto the magazine to make grip more flush. Just pay attention which one you order. If you have an A1 Compact, they're the ones for the Centurion. The A0 Compact one has 2 different sizes: one for the 15rd, 1 for the 17/21 rd. They're cheesy plastic, but are worth it if you're using 17/21 rounders.
Damn....now I'm seeing why the APX didn't do too well in the M17 trials..and thats just on the design front
Yeah I was more disappointed than I thought
Well actually this did better than the Sig 320. The APX A1 went 30,000 rounds with not issue. One reviewer went to Italy to speak to Beretta directly. Hear them out and also another reviewer whose former Army and cop. Both have a lot to say. th-cam.com/video/CSuWJwbQC7Y/w-d-xo.html and th-cam.com/video/HpFUidP1a2o/w-d-xo.html
Your answer for why they have the decocker button. European PD contracts.
Ooof really?
@@randyreviewsit Yeah, thats why Glock put one on the 43 ( could have the number wrong) but European PD's don't want people pulling the trigger for cleaning.
Ive come across you by accident......I must say I'm impressed. Definitely will follow you for sure. Thanks for what you do.