It’s been a minute since Beretta gave the world a new submachine gun. Here in the U.S., SMGs are mostly something for the tactical fanboy crowd, the kind of guys who build AR pistols, slap suppressors on anything with a barrel, and spend way too much time arguing about what “counts” as an SBR. But over in Europe, subguns still have a very real role, especially with law enforcement. They’re compact, easy to maneuver, and—most importantly—they feed from the same 9mm ammo that every cop already has falling out of their pockets.
The old-school Beretta Model 12 served that niche well for decades. It’s a classic, but classic in the sense that your dad’s ’86 Oldsmobile is classic—functional, but very much a product of its time. It ran off an open-bolt design, had zero modularity, and if you wanted to customize it, your only real option was adding some duct tape. When the Italian Carabinieri needed an upgrade, Beretta went back to the drawing board and came up with the PMX. Modern, slick, and dressed up for 21st-century policing.
Here’s where things get interesting for us Americans. Since pistol-caliber carbines and “large format pistols” are all the rage stateside, Beretta decided to cut out the giggle switch, rip off the stock, and send the PMXs to the civilian market. It’s a semi-auto version of the PMX subgun, built to skirt all the stupid NFA rules. Let’s dig in.
PMXs: Subgun DNA in Pistol Form
At first glance, the PMXs looks like something straight out of a cyberpunk fever dream—a mix between a TEC-9, a Scorpion EVO, and whatever gun Robocop would keep as a backup. It’s not small, but at 5.29 pounds and just over 16 inches long, it’s light and handy enough to throw in a bag. The barrel runs 6.9 inches, which gives your 9mm rounds just enough velocity bump to justify the platform.
Beretta made the PMXs from the kind of modern polymers that Glock lovers dream about, with rails up top and all around the handguard. Mount your lights, lasers, optics—whatever tacticool nonsense you need. There are no sights in the box, but Beretta’s sister company Burris threw me a Fastfire 4, so at least I wasn’t squinting down the top rail like a caveman.
Internally, the PMXs runs on simple blowback. It’s not fancy, but it works. If I had my way, Beretta would’ve built it with a locked-breech system—something that soaks up recoil and feels less like a jackhammer smacking you in the shoulder. But blowback guns are idiot-proof, easy to clean, and about as reliable as a cast iron skillet. No complaints there.
Ergonomics: Mostly a Win
One thing Beretta nailed is the controls. Almost everything is ambidextrous—the safety, the mag release, even the charging handle can swap sides. The bolt release is left-side only, but that’s hardly a dealbreaker. The pistol grip feels great in the hand, and there’s a front sling point that doubles as a built-in hand stop.
I was a little worried the safety might be a Scorpion-style knuckle buster, digging into your trigger finger every time you fire. Thankfully, it’s not. After a few hundred rounds, my fingers were still pain-free.
That said, the charging handle is reciprocating, and that’s not my favorite feature. It’s big, sticks out far enough to snag on gear, and just feels like a design choice they could’ve skipped. If you shoot with a sling (which you absolutely should with this thing), you’ll want to be mindful of where that handle’s bouncing around.
Speaking of slings, Beretta promised a brace system for the PMXs, but thanks to the ATF’s ongoing war on fun, it’s stuck in legal limbo. Until then, you’re left with good old-fashioned sling tension for stabilization.
At the Range: Slings Make the Difference
I set up my Magpul MS3 in a two-point configuration and tightened it down until the PMXs felt like a third arm. Running it with proper sling tension turned a clumsy, awkward pistol into something that almost felt like a stocked subgun. Without the sling, the PMXs bounces and rocks like a drunk uncle at a wedding. It’s shootable, but not pretty.
With the sling engaged, everything tightened up. My splits got faster, my groups got smaller, and the whole gun just felt right. Out at 50 yards, I had no trouble pinging a 6-inch steel gong until the barrel was too hot to touch. Up close, at 25 yards, my groups practically stacked into one ragged hole.
The trigger deserves special mention. I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s surprisingly crisp, with just enough pre-travel to remind you this isn’t a match gun. Even so, it’s one of the better triggers I’ve run on a PCC-type pistol.
Eats Everything, As It Should
I fed the PMXs a steady diet of 115-grain FMJ, with some 147-grain subsonics thrown in for good measure. After burning through about 450 rounds, including a handful of random hollow points from Remington, Winchester, SIG, and Speer, I didn’t have a single malfunction. It runs like a sewing machine.
Recoil? Surprisingly light for a blowback design. Compared side-by-side with my Scorpion EVO, the PMXs feels smoother and more refined. It’s easier to rack, too—no massive buffer spring fighting you every step of the way. I wouldn’t call it soft-shooting, but for a straight blowback 9mm, it’s about as polite as you can hope for.
The Catch: Price and Magazines
Here’s the rub—MSRP hovers around $1,400, and real-world prices aren’t much better. That puts the PMXs firmly in the premium PCC category, right alongside tricked-out Scorpions, MP5 clones, and the B&T APC9. It’s also stuck with proprietary 30-round mags, so good luck finding cheap spares.
At least Beretta includes two mags and a hard case in the box, which helps soften the blow. Still, if you’re the type who likes to hoard mags like a doomsday prepper, prepare to open your wallet.
Final Thoughts: A Strong Contender
I’ll give Beretta credit—they didn’t just half-ass this thing to cash in on the PCC craze. The PMXs feels like a legit duty-grade firearm, not a range toy. It’s got modern ergonomics, excellent reliability, and enough modularity to grow with you. Sure, it’s pricey, and yeah, the brace situation is a mess right now. But if you want a high-quality 9mm subgun clone from a major brand, the PMXs delivers.
This is Beretta’s first time bringing a true submachine gun to the U.S. civilian market, and it’s a strong debut. Whether it can carve out a space in the crowded PCC world remains to be seen, but based on performance alone, the PMXs earns its spot. If Beretta can get the brace out and maybe drop the price a touch, they might have a serious hit on their hands. Until then, I’ll keep slinging it old-school and enjoying every ping on that steel gong.