Beretta ARX160
| Beretta ARX160 | |
|---|---|
Beretta ARX160, displayed at Interpolitex 2012.
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ulrich Zedrosser |
| Designed | 2008 |
| Manufacturer | Beretta |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
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| Length |
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| Barrel length | 302 mm (11.89 in) 406 mm (15.98 in) |
| Width | 80 mm (with extended stock) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56x45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | 700 RPM |
| Effective firing range | 5 position rear sight up to 600 m (656 yd) |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable STANAG Magazine, 100-round detachable C-Mag drum magazine |
| Sights | Front sight adjustable in elevation and windage |
The Beretta ARX160 is a modular assault rifle manufactured by Beretta. Developed for the Italian Armed Forces as part of the Soldato Futuro (English: "Future Soldier") program, the ARX160 was launched in 2008 as a commercial weapon system independent from the Soldato Futuro ensemble, complete with a companion single-shot 40×46mm NATO low-velocity grenade launcher, called GLX160, which can be mounted underneath the rifle or used with an ad hoc stock system as a stand-alone weapon.
The ARX160 departs from the previously issued Beretta AR70/90 on several points. The weapon is composed of an upper and lower receiver, both manufactured mostly from polymer, and operates through a short-stroke piston system. Feeding is through STANAG magazines.
The weapon's features include ambidextrous safeties, magazine catches and charging handle, the ability to change which side spent casings are ejected, a quick-change barrel which can be removed and replaced in seconds without tools, Picatinny rails, and a foldable telescopic stock.
The lightweight barrel is chrome lined and manufactured by the hammer forging process at the Beretta factory in Gardone Val Trompia, Lombardy. The standard barrel length is 16 in (410 mm), with a 12 in (300 mm) barrel for special operators. A 16-inch heavy barrel with match-grade rifling for marksmen and a 20 in (510 mm) barrel are being tested. The flash hider has 5 radial cuts and 4 smaller cuts to control muzzle climb in automatic firing. Barrels have a 1:7 twist to fire NATO standard ball and tracer rounds. The non-free-floated barrel is easily removed simply by pulling on slide levers and pulling it out. A bayonet lug, designed for Extrema Ratio Fulcrum bayonet is positioned above the barrel rather than underneath it.
The ARX160 operating system is unique in that the piston moves almost 2 in (50.8 mm), while other systems move fractions of an inch. The piston follows the bolt carrier almost all the way rearward, resulting in low gas pressure levels and a less sudden and more constant push on the carrier group.
The rifle has the ability to eject shells out of either the left or right for ambidextrous operation. The bolt has seven lugs and an extractor on the left and right, with no ejector. The extractors are spring-loaded and which way cases are ejected is selected by pressing a case through a small hole located past the port. It is small and optimized for the tip of a bullet to fit. The ejection port is open on both sides and directs shells at a 45 degree angle from the barrel. The cocking lever is on the bolt carrier and can be positioned on either side by pulling it out, swinging it through the ejection port, and pushing it in to secure it in place.
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