Beretta ARX-160 (also written ARX160) Modular Assault Rifle/Carbine/SBR Demo Video and Interview Transcript from SOFIC 2011: Military Special Operations Forces (SOF), Law Enforcement Officers (LEO’s), and Civilian Tactical Shooters Get Tactical Rifle/Carbine with Ambi (Ambidextrous) Controls, Side-Switchable Charging Handle, and Quick-Change Barrel (QCB) System!

By David Crane
defrev (at) gmail (dot) com

All photos and the first two (top two) video clips contained in this article were shot by DefenseReview.com, and are copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos and video clips. The accompanying photos and video clips were shot with a Canon PowerShot S90 10-megapixel digital camera (still camera with video capability).

October 24, 2011
Last updated on 12/26/13.

The Beretta Px4 tactical/combat pistol isn't the only Beretta product DefenseReview (DR) has gotten to view and handle this year. While DR was attending the 2011 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC 2011), we hit the Beretta USA/Beretta Military booth on the first day and asked Beretta representative Len Lucas to take us through the Beretta ARX-160 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO)/.223 Rem. Modular Assault Rifle/Carbine/SBR (Short Barreled Rifle)/Sub-Carbine, a gun that essentially out-SCAR's the SCAR (FN MK 16 SCAR-L), at the booth, and he was kind enough to oblige us. You can watch the result in the first video clip (top video clip), below.

Lucas also showed us the Beretta GLX-160 underbarrel-mounted 40mm (40x46mm, or "Forty Mike-Mike") low-impulse/low-velocity genade launcher, essentially Beretta's version of the Colt M4/M4A1 Carbine's M203 40mm grenade launcher.

The following is the transcript from the Mr. Lucas' Beretta ARX160 modular assault rifle/carbine/SBR demo video (top video clip, below), and our interview with him:

Len Lucas: [Talking while demonstrating the weapon] Len Lucas, Beretta USA [and Beretta Military]. The ARX 160, new platform for Beretta. It has three different extraction point for the magazine: traditionally like an M4, here, on the bottom of the weapon system where my thumb is [underneath the trigger guard], then on the [left] side, I can extract the magazine, cock the weapon system. Cocking handle is reciprocating. Extraction [and] ejection can be switched over from right to left hand without the use of tools. I have a witness mark here [toward the rear of the left-side ejection port]. I pull the [left-side-mounted] cocking handle [side-switchable/quasi-ambidextrous/semi-ambi charging handle/cocking lever] back to the witness mark, I pull out, [and] I run it through the ejection port. Now, I just, all you have to do is close off the opposite side back here for the ejector, everything is going to extract out the opposite side of the weapon system.

David Crane: Alright, and you have a bolt carrier release button on the inside of the trigger guard, right?

Lucas: That's correct…

Crane: So, here, turn the gun around, show me that, real quick. So we got, aw'right…

Lucas: And my bolt release is right here where my trigger finger is [bottom front of inside of trigger guard] [releases BCG (Bolt Carrier Group)]

Crane: O.k., and then it's easy takedown for the barel right? Swap the barrels out? Let's see that real quick.

Lucas: Lock the bolt to the rear, I have two locking tabs here [bottom of the rail in front of the magwell (magazine well)], pull down on my locking tabs, grab my barrel, lift out, grab my piston, and I can switch over [to] different barrel lengths.

Crane: Very cool.

Lucas: You can go even a step further without tools. Slide my bolt forward, fold my stock forward, push up on my selector, push down on the back of the buffer, and out pops my trigger group. So anybody that's run basically an MP5, like the Navy trigger group (NTG), it's pretty much similar to that.

Crane: Right, and then you can pull the whole bolt carrier assembly and op-rod [operating rod] right out the back, right?

Lucas: Again, I come back to the witness mark, pull the cocking handle to the witness mark, pull up, put the cocking handle to the neutral position, grab my buffer, and now my bolt and bolt carrier come out.

Crane: Wow, lickety split.

Lucas: You can the dual ejectors and dual extractors on each side of the weapon system.

Crane: Interesting. Aw'right, that's it.

Lucas: Very lightweight. Recoil is kept in the center of the gun, [which] fights the upwards climb on the outside. [Reassembling the weapon] Again, very simple to go back together [racks BCG to confirm proper reassembly].

Crane: Right, and you've got a magazine eject on the bottom [thumb-activated underneath trigger guard, directly behind the magwell], too, right? Yep, right there. And then you’ve got the standard ambi [mag release buttons]. Aw'right, cool. Thank you.

Company Contact Info:

Beretta USA
17601 Beretta Drive
Accokeek, MD 20607-9566
Toll Free 1: 800-237-3882
Toll Free 2: 800-929-2901
Office: 301-283-2191
Email Contact Page: http://berettausa.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/147
Website 1: http://www.px4storm.us
Website 2: http://www.berettausa.com

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