Technology
From Italy to Poland. Italian Arms offered by UMO
During the UMO Live Fire Days event organized in July, at the training range in Zielonka, UMO Sp. z o. o., supplier and dealer of military and police technologies, has presented numerous types of the armament that it offers. Among those pieces of kit, new products offered to uniformed services by a number of reputable Italian companies could have been found.
ARX-160A3 Rifle
Beretta ARX160A3 new generation assault rifle was really standing out, among the products showcased. The weapon has been offered by UMO since March 2018. Soon afterwards it was proposed, successfully, to the Polish Prison Guard Service. Last year the company managed to sell 350 examples of this rifle. This year, another 50 examples in a training variant have been ordered. The weapon is also being offered to other customers in Poland. UMO expects 700 examples of the rifle to be used in Poland by the end of the year.
Beretta ARX-160 is a lightweight weapon (weighing 3 kilograms without the magazine). It has been made out of polymers, above all. The important features include the simple stripping procedure, without any tools required. UMO representatives point out that the gun is very reliable. During the demo 1,500 shots were fired from a single rifle, without any malfunctions.
ARX-160 has been fitted with a quick-change barrel – this also does not require use of any tools whatsoever. The user may execute this procedure in around 40 seconds. Thanks to the above, the gun may be rapidly adopted for new tasks. The manufacturer offers barrels of different lengths, ranging from 8.5 to 18 inches. Another important design feature is the fact that the brass extraction and the charging handle can be set up on the left or right side of the gun thus making the weapon’s design ambidextrous. This can be done without any extra tools as well. The rifle is equipped with standard Picatinny rails. UMO offers the rifle with Aimpoint’s sight.
APX Pistols
When it comes to Beretta handguns, three APX pistols were presented during the event. The 9 mm guns included the standard APX, APX Centurion (compact variant) and APX Compact that should rather be viewed as a handgun that falls within the Sub-Compact category. The APX pistols are using locked-breech principle, instead of utilizing a hammer. The mechanism used is somewhat similar to the one employed in Glock 17 - and this gun is the main competitor of the APX.
The pistol may be stripped without using any tools. It is also possible to change the thickness of the handle and to install a myriad of accessories on the gun – laser sight or a holographic sight (under the barrel, on a Picatinny rail, or on the top, with the use of a proper mounting plate). The breech features grooves that make it easier to reload without slipping the hand on it, regardless of whether one holds the front or rear part of the pistol. APX pistols also have their barrel placed a bit lower within their frame. This diminishes the recoil and increases the accuracy.
Shotguns
Beretta’s weapons offer is complemented by the Beretta 1301 Tactical semi-automatic shotgun advertised to be 36% faster than any other semi-automatic shotgun available on the market right now. This has been made possible thanks to its BLINK gas system. 1301 Tactical is a sporting gun that is also eagerly used by the uniformed services. The gun features a peculiar-looking sight and it is very accurate.
1301 tactical holds six shells plus one in the handle, but magazine tube extension is available as well. The shotgun in question features an adjustable stock and a Picatinny rail mounted on top. Furthermore, the kit offered by UMO also includes a breacher barrel attachment.
Beneli Nova 20 was the second Italian shotgun presented by UMO. It has been made out of temperature-resistant technopolymer material. It is incredibly light (2.85 kilograms with a 66 cm long barrel). This weapon uses caliber 20 shells and holds 4 of them in the magazine. The shotgun in question is very ergonomic and easy to employ. Similarly as the 1301 Tactical, breeching attachment is also available for this shotgun. Beneli Nova 20 uses iron sight. However, the gun also features a topside Picatinny rail, so optics may also be integrated on it.
Victrix Corvus Sniper Rifle
Victrix Armaments is an Italian manufacturer of sniper rifles offering weapons across a broad calibre range (.300, .308, .338, .408 and .50). Recently the company has been acquired by Beretta which means that Beretta brand can be associated with its products. During the event, Minerva Tactical Corvus .50 BMG sniper rifle designed for military and law enforcement applications was presented.
Corvus is a weapon with a three-lug rotating bolt with a free-floating 27 inch barrel, weighing 13 kilograms. It uses a polymer mag holding 5 rounds. The weapon features a folding stock that is adjustable, vertically and horizontally and M-LOK handguard mounting system. Corvus was premiered in 2017 and it is marketed as a lightweight and compact gun. It is also far more accurate than its competitors. The weapon has been fitted with numerous Picatinny rails, allowing for installation of a myriad of accessories - the top rail is a 45 MOA system. The detachable elements also include a muzzle-brake. Thanks to the adopted solution the shooter only feels a minor recoil force and the recoil is experienced by the persons standing on the left and right side, on the path of the gases.