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Beretta ARX 160 Carbine Review Some of my favorite firearms to review are those chambered in .22LR because they represent extremely cost effective platforms, which, in the end, equal more shots down range and more fun. Nearly every manufacturer makes some type of .22LR handgun or rifle and the styles range from plinking, hunting, target, competition, training, replicas and more. This gives us a tremendous selection to choose from and making a selection can sometimes be mind boggling when deciding on your next .22LR firearm. Recently the selection got even harder with another platform being added to the mix with Beretta's offering of the ARX 160 .22LR Carbine and Pistol. Although these products are branded Beretta, they are actually manufactured by Walther as part of their Tactical Rimfire Replicas. You can see both the Carbine and Pistol models below. I first started taking a look at this platform when one of my shooting buddies was looking at the Beretta ARX 160 Pistol version. As I studied the rifle, a couple of things came to mind which led me to purchasing one for this review. The first was that the ARX 160 is a very unique looking rifle. It is intended to be a replica of the Beretta ARX 160 modular assault rifle which was developed for the Italian Armed Forces in 2008. Thus the ARX 160 .22LR version is a replica of a proven fielded weapon system. This brings a level of uniqueness to this .22LR platform, but it gets better. This year Beretta has started offering their ARX 100 which is the commercial version of their military version ARX 160. This effectively makes the ARX 160 .22LR version a training carbine for those who purchase the ARX 100 5.56 NATO version. Another thought that came to mind when deciding to review this rifle was that I haven't had a chance to take a close look at Walther's replica firearms and reviewing the Beretta ARX 160 Carbine would make the perfect opportunity.
The last thing I considered was the price point on the Beretta ARX 160 .22LR Carbine. I found there to be a huge range of prices on this rifle which range from around $500 down to just over $300 which is a pretty wide spread. I ended up getting the rifle for this review from CheaperThanDirt.com for $305 which was the best price anywhere. I cannot say they will have the same price today, but they are worth checking out. I had the rifle sent to my local gun store Hi Caliber Firearms and it arrived 3 days after it was ordered. Since the rifle comes with a single 20-round magazine, I also ordered a 10-round and 30-round magazine from CheaperThanDirt.com which I will discuss further in this review. During my reviews I like to compare my results to the manufacturer's claims where possible so the following text in colored italics was taken directly from the Beretta website on 7/3/15 and the Instruction Manual and gives an Overview, Key Features and Specifications for the Beretta ARX 160 .22LR Carbine. The , and are my way to keep up with details that I have covered in this review with either photos, commentary or both. Overview
Key Features
Specifications
This review is broken down into multiple parts with this page providing links to each part along with an overall summary of the specifications, pros and cons, and my final "bottom line" comments. Make sure you take time to checkout the other parts of the review because they contain many photos and lots of commentary. Also, there is an extreme amount of detail in those parts which is not covered on this page.
As you read these Pros and Cons below, keep in mind that it is hard to keep my particular preferences from creeping in the equation. Therefore, it is important that you take the time to look at the other parts of this review so you can decide yourself on items which may be more of a personal preference. Pros:
Pro/Con/Comment (you decide)?:
Cons:
Bottom Line: The Beretta ARX 160 22R Carbine has quickly become one of my favorite rimfire rifles. It has proven to be reliable and accurate and I have been pleased with the overall quality of the rifle. So far it has proven to be 100% reliable with all the ammunition I have put through it and my round count is well over 1000. Will it prove to be as reliable as a Ruger 10/22 or S&W 15-22? Only time will tell. Since the action is extremely simple, I have a hard time believing reliability will ever become an issue. I feel me getting this rifle for $305 was an extreme value and I'm anticipating these low prices at certain retailers will become a thing of the past. If you are looking for a tactical styled rimfire rifle that is different from the standard AR styled models, then the Beretta ARX 160 is definitely something you should consider. Or If you would like to be notified about future Gunsumer Reports reviews via Facebook, make sure "You Like This" by clicking the Facebook "Like" button at the bottom or top of this page. If it already says "You Like This" beside the button, clicking it again will uncheck the "Like" status and you will not be notified.
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