One of the greatest successes of the Gardone Val Trompia factory in the field of military weapons is undoubtedly the M-12 machine gun.
Born in the twentieth century 60 to meet the requirements of both the raiders and the riflemen of the Saint Mark of the Italian Navy (the model adopted by these departments was equipped with a longer rod than the standard one, equipped with flame-arrestor) was soon adopted by all the police forces, gradually replacing the old MABs dating back to the last war.
The main technical feature of the M-12 is the coaxial obturator that wraps part of the barrel, reducing its overall length, making the weapon very reliable and easy to control even in the burst.
However the M-12 starts the fire cycle with the shutter open, so when its mass slides forward it makes the aiming less precise. This drawback is obviously detected in the targeted single hit: firing mode pre-eminently used by special departments in hostage release interventions.
The initial model had the safety and shooting buttons full auto - the single shot was not foreseen - on two crossed buttons. The next model S, born in the years' 70, was characterized by a single lever that allowed to move from the safe position to the single shot, to the burst.
To replace this even excellent weapon, in the Beretta house, it was decided to create a highly innovative product. Thanks to the experience gained in these years and to the availability of new technopolymer materials, it has been possible to produce a weapon with reduced weight, also reducing costs.
The caliber adopted remains the classic 9x19 mm, an obliged choice to maintain homogeneity with the ammunition of the weapon from the side and suitable for use in urban areas by the police.
Presented at the end of the 2017, the PMX submachine gun uses a locking system with a striking mass, preferred to the one with a roller closure, as these are too difficult in terms of cleaning needs and adequate lubrication.
Unlike the M-12, the fire cycle begins with a closed shutter, a condition that limits the assimilation of external bodies and does not cause the movement of internal masses at the time of firing.
The PMX has a double spring that moves in the upper part of the castle while the tubular part of the upper barrel is fixed with a screw cap. The butt pad is a crutch, with a side release button and lock when the butt pad is in a folded position, after having turned sideways.
The loader (of straight prismatic shape in technopolymers is equipped with a lateral strengthening rib. The release is activated by pressing one of the two side levers) is immediately placed in front of the trigger bridge and the pistol stock, it can be used as a front handle , otherwise an additional vertical grip can be used attached to the slide Picatinny lower.
The barrel has a nominal length of 175 mm but comes out slightly from the arm of the weapon. An important element is the cold hammering of the barrel, a type of processing that allows it to be used over time, increasing its performance. Also features a 6 groove right-hand grooves with 254 mm pitch. The PMX is prepared for the installation of a sound suppressor, the degree of noise reduction is particularly high, obviously with the use of subsonic ammunition.
The metal parts undergo a special treatment to increase their resistance to wear and corrosion, types of procedures in which the Gardone Val Trompia factory is particularly advanced.
The cocking lever can be moved from one side of the drum to the other and has three tenons that fit together and are removed from the two side holes of the shutter door, one on the right and one on the left. The safe and the selector (single / full auto shot) are on a single ambidextrous selector while only the hold open button, which activates after the last stroke is released, when the shutter remains open, is positioned at left.
At the front there are 4 accessory slides, of which the upper one is much longer. The lower one is slightly longer than the side skids. On the upper one, usually the metal sights, of the adjustable type, are fitted with a type abatement system flip flop; however, other types of pointing systems can be installed. On the side skids you can attach laser pointers or infrared lights, leaving the lower slide free for the additional vertical handle.
The PMX is very compact and light, having a length, with an overturned butt, equal to 418 mm while with the extended butt pad reaches 640 mm. The weight is 2,4 kg empty, one less than the M-12, consequently the transport of the weapon is easier. The firing rate is 900 strokes per minute, however there may be variations up to about 100 strokes, depending on the type of ammunition used.
The PMX has been designed to operate with reliability in all weather conditions and in the presence of large quantities of powders, with special precautions to remove any foreign bodies.
With this new weapon, the Beretta completes the renewal of the line, alongside the ARX 160 assault rifle (in 5,56x45), battle rifle ARX 200 (in 7,62x51) and the APX gun, also the PMX submachine gun.
