A few months ago Beretta released in Europe the semiautomatic version of its newest submachine gun, the PMX. This civilian version of the new main firearm of the Italian Carabinieri, named PMXs, had no known delivery schedule to the USA. We now have confirmation that it will soon reach the American market.
Beretta @ TFB:
The Beretta PMXs 9mm Pistol Soon To Be Released In The USA
The PMX traces its lineage to the humble Tec-9, through a Swiss makeover by B&T and with a final internal and external redesign by Beretta, as succinctly summarized by our James in his 80s guns review.
The Carabinieri (Italian Military Police) recently started replacing their venerable Beretta PM12S with new PMX submachine guns, acquiring 5,000 firearms in late 2018. According to Beretta, the Carabinieri were directly involved in the development of the firearm, to ensure that it would match their requirements.
One of these requirements is the presence of “back-up sights on the back-up sights”: even when the folding sights are not deployed, small pistol-like sights protruding on top can be used for practical aiming. Among the requirements are also the ambidextrous controls and the possibility to swap the charging handle side. The firearm is fed by translucent 20 or 30-round magazines.
Being like the PMX a closed-bolt submachine gun, the PMXs drops the select-fire capability but keeps most of the features of its military brethren. This similarity is likely what kept Americans from enjoying the pistol sooner: ATF has yet to approve the model in the USA, but the process is expected to be completed soon. The photos in this article however are still referred to the European model: expect a pistol with a rear Picatinny rail for brace/stock attachment.
Technical Specifications (EU model):
| Action | Straight blow-back |
|---|---|
| Barrel length (mm) | 185 |
| Barrel length (in) | 7.2 |
| Barrel Finish | Nitriding |
| Caliber | 9×19 |
| Magazine | 20 |
| Overall height (mm) | 220 |
| Overall height (in) | 8,6 |
| Overall length (mm) | 650 mm (stock extended) / 428 mm (stock folded) |
| Overall length (in) | 25.6 in (stock extended) / 16.8 in (stock folded) |
| Overall width (mm) | 86 mm (stock folded, right) / 100 mm (stock folded, left) |
| Overall width (in) | 3,4 in (stock folded, right) / 3,9 in (stock folded, left) |
| Safety | Ambidextrous selector |
| Sigths | Adjustable / Foldable |
| Weight unloaded (g) | 2400 (w/o magazine) |
| Weight unloaded (OZ) | 84.6 (w/o magazine) |
The price in the American market is not yet known, but the PMXs ranges around €1,600 (about $1,700) in Europe. As usual, it is likely going to have a lower price in the USA.
All pictures from Beretta.com
