Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
by Greg Chabot
Back in the summer of 2019, I was looking to review an oddball type rifle. At my local shop I noticed a rifle that had been marked down a few times. Talking with the manager, he gave me the deal of a lifetime. I could have it at cost plus 10% on the condition I never bring it in to sell or trade. I could tell by the layer of dust that no one had shown any interest. After checking it out, I laid my money down and was now the owner of a Beretta ARX-100.
What is the ARX-100?
I’ll start with a little history. In 2008 Beretta launched the ARX 160 modular rifle for the Italian armed forces Soldato Futuro (Future Soldier) program. This was to replace the aging AR70/90 series rifles. The rifle was a success and was adopted by Italian forces. Due to its modularity, it was also adopted by some Eastern European militaries, allowing them to modernize from the AK series of rifles.
READ MORE from Greg Chabot: ‘Get the F— Down!’ The Entire City Went Insane That Day, When We Were at War in Iraq
Beretta designed caliber change kits to allow the use of AK magazines and Eastern Bloc ammunition. The weapon has also found success with some law enforcement agencies and special forces of various nations. Based on the success of the ARX 160, Beretta developed and released a civilian version for the US market in 2014, the ARX 100.
Quick Description and Specs.
The ARX 100 is a semi-automatic only rifle that uses a short stroke piston operating system. It is chambered in 5.56x45mm with a chrome lined cold hammer forged barrel with a 1/7 twist. The gas system is adjustable with two positions: “S” for standard conditions “N” for adverse conditions. The piston and gas tube are captive to the barrel to expedite cleaning and changing of barrels. Standard barrel length is 16” with the option to purchase a 10.25” SBR kit. The weapon is mostly constructed from polymer and is fully ambidextrous. It weighs in at 6.8 lbs. with an OAL of 35.75”. Height is 8.5” with a width of 2.75”. No tools are required to disassemble the weapon for cleaning. To remove the barrel, lock the bolt to the rear, push the retaining tabs down and pull the barrel out.
Greg Chabot with his ARX 100. Photos by Sasha Steadman.
The ARX 100 comes with a set of removable iron sights on a monolithic 1913 rail with a 15” sight radius. Rails are also at the 3,6,9 o’clock positions. The bottom rail is shorter than the other ones due to the proprietary rail for mounting the 40mm GLX 160 A1 grenade launcher which I was unable to procur.
A 1913 rail can be purchased to go over it if one doesn’t like the handguard. Out of the box the ARX 100 comes with adequate rail space in my opinion. Tactifools should have no issue doubling the weight with unneeded accessories if they choose to. Also included is a range bag, sling and one steel magazine. The manual was well written and illustrated. The rifle comes with a folding stock that is adjustable for length of pull. Controls are laid out well and easy to manipulate and reach for shooters with small hands. The charging handle is reciprocating, but small enough it didn’t get in the way while shooting from inside vehicles. By design, the charging handle is very small compared to other weapon systems due to the ambidextrous design of the weapon.
How has it held up?
I have around 6,000 rounds through the ARX, give or take. It has held up great with the usual dings and a scratch or two. I was worried about the polymer not being durable but that has been proven to be unfounded. I have had no issues in sub-zero or hot humid weather or with sand, snow or mud all over it. The rifle runs great with all ammo types, and I have no malfunctions to report. There is some minor cosmetic wear on the internals that is to be expected.
The rifle still shoots consistent groups with an average of 2” at 100 yards if I do my part. The trigger out of the box was 10 pounds. Wth use, it has smoothed out and weight is down to 8 ¾ pounds. The trigger still breaks clean and has a decent reset for a military rifle. The reason for the heavy trigger in my opinion is that the ARX 100 is based off its military issue cousin. Many military weapons have triggers on the heavy side to prevent negligent discharges due to lack of discipline and poor training. It was probably a cost saving measure by Beretta. The weight doesn’t bother me, and I have never experienced finger fatigue on long shooting sessions.
Why did it fail to catch on?
Why did it fail in the civilian market? In my opinion the original MSRP of $1950 USD didn’t help. With that price folks could buy two decent AR-15s with optics. That was a mistake on the part of Beretta, if it had been priced competitively, I think it would have done better. At the time of this writing the ARX-100 is discontinued. Prices are at rock bottom with $800 USD being the average street price for a new one if you can find one.
The other reason for poor sales in my opinion is the lack of caliber exchange kits. The ARX 100 is marketed as a completely modular platform. At launch, barrels in .300 Blackout and kits in 7.62×39 mm should have been available, not just a 10.5” barrel. This was another mistake by Beretta, and they should have learned from the failure of the ACR.
It baffles me that companies tout a weapons modularity and then fail to supply barrels and caliber kits. And they wonder why no one wants them. My suggestion is to bring the ARX-100 back into production with an MSRP of $1k USD and offer barrels and caliber kits at re-launch. The shooting public will buy them if they have options. And lighten the trigger as it is a turn-off to some potential buyers.
Final Thoughts
I am still satisfied with my purchase of this fine weapon. It has never failed me, and I keep it in my regular shooting rotation. Would I trust my life to it? Yes, I have full confidence in this weapon and would have no issues “taking it out the door” in a SHTF scenario. That is a statement I don’t use lightly.
I am still hoping Beretta will bring the ARX-100’s big brother, the ARX-200, to the civilian market in 7.62×51 with a 6.5 CM barrel. I’ll be all over that in a heartbeat! If you see an ARX-100 in your local shop, grab it up! Or if you run into me at the range, I’ll let you try mine. Beretta still supports it, if a trip to the factory is needed for warranty work. I’m looking forward to the next 6K down the tube and will report back. If I’m still on this side of the grass.
Be safe and thanks for reading.
