[Review] Beretta APX A1 Carry: Best CCW Pistol Under $300?

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If you are looking for a concealed-carry handgun on an extremely tight budget, the quality options certainly seem to narrow very quickly. At first glance, it might not seem like there are any “good” options.

Certainly, when you think of budget guns, Beretta is probably not a company that pops into your head, but maybe it should…

The Beretta APX A1 Carry is a carry gun with a budget-minded price point, but does this 9mm pistol live up to the Beretta name?

We put over 500 rounds through it to find out. Kick back and relax as we walk you through reliability, ergonomics, features, and everything else you might want to know about the Beretta APX A1 Carry!

Beretta APX A1 Carry Specs & Features

• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: Striker-fired
• Overall Length: 5.63"
• Barrel Length: 3"
• Overall Height: 4.17"
• Overall Width: 0.9"
• Weight: 19.8 oz unloaded
• Magazine Capacity: 8 Rounds

Beretta APX A1 Carry

$239

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$239 at GrabAGun

Palmetto State Armory (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

A Little History

When you think of Beretta, the legendary 92 family probably comes to mind. I remember growing up in the 2000s, falling in love with the Beretta 92 after playing hours of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Being the military service sidearm for 2+ decades, the 92 solidified Beretta’s reputation for making excellent DA/SA, combat handguns. What Beretta is much less known for, however, is their striker-fired lineup of handguns.

Beretta’s original full-size APX, released in 2017, wasn’t exactly a big hit on the civilian market, but it did win multiple overseas military contracts. That was followed by the APX's little brother, the original APX Carry. That pistol didn’t fare so well in the market either.

In an attempt to turn the tide for the APX, Beretta updated the lineup, adding slide serrations, an RMSC optics cut, and reducing trigger pull length.

Shooting the Beretta APX A1 Carry

I ran 500+ rounds over multiple range sessions with the APX A1 Carry.

In terms of reliability, the APX A1 Carry performed flawlessly. Shooting AAC 115g, Monarch 115g, and Blazer Brass 115g, we experienced zero malfunction of any kind.

That said, I found it to be more difficult to shoot than similar guns in size and weight.

I have extensive round count through the Sig Sauer P365s, Glock 43x, and Springfield Armory Hellcat platforms – all of which are easier to shoot. Even compared to the original Smith and Wesson Shield, the shooting performance of the APX A1 Carry was lacking.

What trips the Beretta up? It’s the combination of its thin grip and long, gritty trigger that made shooting at speed and for precision difficult.

With practice and repetition, you could build enough proficiency to be able to suitably defend yourself with the APX A1 Carry. Out of the box, though, it would be the last choice compared to similar options in the concealed carry market.

However, if budget is the main concern and you’re willing to put in the time to be proficient, the Beretta is significantly less expensive than its competitors. So, that’s worth considering.

Accuracy

To be honest, the accuracy results were lackluster.

Accuracy testing is always accompanied by a Ransom Rest to remove shooter error at various distances with a variety of ammunition. For the APX A1 Carry, I also mounted a Holosun EPS Carry Green Dot.

Starting at 7 yards with 5-round groups, it’s normal for us to see handguns stack rounds basically through the same hole. Unfortunately, the Beretta did not meet that standard. In fact, accuracy was disappointing.

My groups averaged over 2 inches, which is not great considering the short distance of 7 yards. Basically, this means that the groups will continue to expand rapidly as the distance from the target increases. This makes consistent accuracy at distance a challenge.

If you only ever plan to fire this gun in a defensive context (within 10 yards), it shouldn’t be a huge issue, but it’s certainly something to keep in mind.

Ergonomics: Fit & Feel

Grip

The grip on the APX A1 Carry definitely strikes a sharp contrast between concealability and shootability. While many concealed carry firearms try to placate both camps, the APX A1 Carry grip design lends itself much more to concealability than shootability.

Being a true single-stack gun, the grip is extremely thin. For some body styles, this won’t make a difference. For those wearing tighter-fitting clothes, the thin profile lends itself well to proper concealment.

Grip texture is another factor that is highly subjective for the user, but in my opinion, the texture is excellent on the APX A1 Carry.

The front and rear straps have a sharp checkering that really digs into your fingers and palm, with the side panels sporting a sandpaper texture that extends all the way up the frame.

With the thin grip being difficult to hang on to, the aggressive grip texture is an absolute necessity to be able to run this gun reasonably well.

For those concerned about slide bite, the APX A1 Carry offers a thick beaver tail that will provide plenty of standoff to separate your hand from the reciprocating slide.

Trigger

Unfortunately for the APX A1 Carry, the trigger is going to be the major hurdle for this platform to overcome.

I’m no trigger snob (I carry a Glock with an OEM trigger), so when I tell you the APX A1 Carry trigger is bad…I mean, it’s bad.

The trigger pull and length are difficult for me to wrap my head around.

As you press the trigger all the way to the rear, you meet resistance where the typical wall would be, but then it keeps going, and going. Finally, right before the trigger touches the rear of the frame, the gun goes off.

While one could absolutely learn to master this difficult trigger in dryfire, I’m somewhat perplexed by Beretta’s decision to make the trigger in this style. Guns like the original Smith & Wesson Shield have a similar price and capacity yet boast a significantly better trigger.

I am not aware of any aftermarket triggers to improve the profile of the trigger pull, and even if they were available, it sort of defeats the purpose of such an inexpensive gun to start replacing tons of parts.

The trigger weight isn’t the best. Depending on where you pull the trigger from will affect the weight readings off the trigger gauge.

Pulling from the absolute bottom of the trigger, we averaged around 5lb 14oz trigger pull weight. From slightly higher, the pull weight is closer to 6lb 5oz.

In my opinion, a solid duty trigger pull weight should land between 4.5 and 5 lbs. Adding nearly an extra pound makes shooting the Apex A1 Carry at speed and distance quite challenging.

Controls

Controls on the Apex A1 Carry are nothing to write home about.

I found the slide serrations to be totally serviceable for racking the slide to load, reload, and press check the gun.

With the pinky having to float off the grip during a reload, this type of gun isn’t going to lend itself to particularly fast speed reloads.

For those looking to use their strong or support thumb to drop the slide on a slide lock reload, think again. I found the profile of the slide catch to be nearly impossible to use for a speed reload.

While this is not the end of the world, it would have been nice to have a more ergonomic design to allow for quicker reloads.

The one upside is that the magazine catch works well enough to depress with small-ish hands without breaking your dominant grip too badly.

Improvements We’d Like to See

First up, Beretta has to fix the trigger. It needs to be lightened by 10-20% with a shorter travel.

I also think that with today’s modern magazine technology, there’s no reason Beretta can’t pack more rounds into the APX A1 Carry. The Hellcat and P365 are similar in size and hold more than six rounds, so a small change to a 10-round flush and 13+ pinky extension would be a nice feature.

Another small touch I would like to see is the ability to maintain a rear backup iron sight with the optics plate. The current APX A1 Carry loses the rear sight with the optic plate. This.

As much of a supporter of pistol-mounted optics as I am, I still like to have a set of lower ⅓ or co-witness backup irons on my carry gun. This is useful in case the battery or tray malfunctions, and I don’t have a dot anymore. That small feature would make a world of difference in a defensive scenario.

I would love to see Beretta revamp the APX line to be competitive with the other micro 9mms on the market.

I know the company can make a successful, competitive compact gun – Beretta has already done that with the updated Cheetah line.

Who Is the APX A1 Carry For?

Beretta’s APX A1 Carry is well-suited for those on a tight budget who don’t mind a concealed carry handgun with limited features.

Though it suffers in some areas, it is reliable and concealable. Not to mention, it comes optics-ready (plate included).

It’s not a bad option if you only have a limited amount of cash to spend.

By the Numbers

Reliability: 5/5

Beretta’s APX A1 Carry ran 500+ rounds with zero malfunctions, so perfect score!

Ergonomics: 3/5

Ergonomics are just alright. They don’t make the gun unusable, but certainly have room for improvement

Accuracy: 3/5

Accuracy on the APX A1 Carry was subpar compared to other guns in its class.

Customization: 3/5

Aftermarket customization options are limited due to the lack of widespread popularity of the gun.

Value: 4/5

For a sub $300 pistol, it works. If you need something that will go bang every time for bottom dollar, this might be it.

Overall: 3.5/5

Beretta APX A1 Carry

$239

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$239 at GrabAGun

Palmetto State Armory (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

How We Tested the Beretta APX A1 Carry

Like every handgun we review, the Beretta APX A1 Carry underwent a course of fire that included 500+ rounds at various distances.

We shot four types of ammo – a mix of defensive and target – to include:

• AAC 115G FMJ
• Monarch 115g FMJ
• Staccato 124G FMJ
• Federal HST 124G +P

Accuracy testing included shooting from a Ransom Rest with a red dot. We also used a Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge to report the average trigger pull for the APX A1 Carry.

Meet the Experts

Leading this review is Preston H, who began taking shooting seriously after a near-deadly force encounter in 2016, where having his handgun saved his and another person’s life. Since then, Preston has jumped headfirst into the training and competition shooting world. He is passionate about bridging the gap between competitive and defensive firearms training with the goal of improving the skills of the average gun owner and concealed carrier.

Upgrades & Accessories for the APX A1 Carry

For this review, we opted for a Holosun EPS Carry as our primary optic.

Holosun EPS Carry

$329

at Primary Arms

Prices accurate at time of writing

$329 at Primary Arms

Brownells (see price)

Sportsman's Guide (see price)

Midway USA (see price)

We really like the AAC 9mm 115gr ammo for range day and practicing.

AAC 9mm 115 Grain FMJ 100 Round Box

$25

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$25 at Palmetto State Armory

Finally, if you're training, you need good ear pro. Check out our very own ShellShock Protection!

ShellShock Protection EXO PRO Electronic Earmuff

$99

at ShellShock Protection

Prices accurate at time of writing

$99 at ShellShock Protection

Final Thoughts

The Beretta APX A1 Carry isn’t a top-tier concealed carry handgun, but it does get the job done at a low price.

While there are areas for improvement, its reliability is solid, and it can easily be concealed under tight-fitting clothes.

What do you think of the Beretta APX A1 Carry? Let us know in the comments below. For more concealable options, check out our list of the Best Micro Compact Handguns.