Elite Shooting Sports' facilities are just that. From the time you enter (above) until you hit the range (below), the facilities are the equal of high-end country clubs anywhere.
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LastTuesday, I had the opportunity to attend a writers event hosted by Beretta at Elite Shooting Sports in Prince William County, Virginia. Before I even get into what I learned from Beretta I have to tell you about this amazing facility.
Upon first walking into the building, toted as the “nation’s most advanced indoor shooting range” I was quite impressed with the vastness of it. At the wide open and impressively large registration area sat 4 ladies all dressed alike, ready to get us checked in. After handing over my drivers license and signing a few waivers on an Ipad, my photo was taken and I was handed a barcoded card.
The public area was extremely clean with couches to relax in, a retail area and cafe. The strange thing I noticed was how quiet it was, I couldn’t hear any gunshots, yet I could see people shooting in the well lit bays through the glass windows.
Once I finished looking around I was ushered into a room where everyone shooting at the range for the first time watches a video of range rules. A perfect way to get everyone on the same page. Well thought out and professionally done.
The Presentation
The Beretta Event began with a presentation by Kim Eveland, the Director of Brand Marketing about the History of Beretta. Known as the oldest firearms company in the world, the company, located in Garden Valtropia, Italy originated in the 1400s. They actually have paperwork dating back to October 3, 1526 of an order placed by the Arsenal of Venice to make 185 arquebus barrels. Currently the 16th generation is involved in this family business.
Beretta came to the United States in 1977, opening shop in Maryland. On April 15, 2016 they opened their new manufacturing facility to Gallatin, Tennessee, closing the Maryland plant. At this location the new firearms family we were introduced to by Erik Stern, Beretta’s Tactical and Pro Shop Product Manager was designed and built … the 92X Series.
Beretta listened to the end users, studied what accessories are commonly ordered and used that information to design the 92X Series, fitting the needs of the modern shooter. They combined advanced ergonomics, full backwards compatibly with railed 90 series accessories along with the accuracy and reliability of the 90 series. Available in 3 sizes, Full, Centurion and Compact, the 92X family is perfect for both defensive and competitive shooters.
Speaking of competitive shooters, the 92X Performance is another member of the 92X family, developed for action pistol shooters, satisfying the need for both speed and accuracy. A steel frame, heavier Brigadier slide and the new Extreme-S trigger mechanism (which decreases the trigger reset by up to 40%) all add up to a great “out of the box” production competition pistol. I can’t wait to see if they come out with an open gun!
We were also shown the full APX Striker Family and 1301 Comp Pro shotgun. After time set aside for photo opportunities and lunch, we headed across the lobby to state of the art indoor range. A great place to get some trigger time with all these firearms.
I began with the shotgun. Since I shoot 3-gun I wanted to feel the changes they made from the previous version. The oversized cocking handle and bolt release lever are well designed and easily accessible. I believe in the heat of the moment during competition the shooter’s hand could easily manipulate this shotgun. I love the blue anodized Ergal stock, quite an attractive color that sets itself apart from the typical black semi-automatic shotguns.
The loading gate is enlarged, with a lifter that stays raised during loading operations. This makes quad loading easier (perhaps someday I will learn how to do that) and less likely for the shooter to pinch her thumb. Quite an important feature for anyone that has gotten their thumb stuck and practically ripped off while trying to quickly load their shotgun.
Next I decided to shoot the 92X family. It was easy to move among the lanes and test fire the various sizes and configurations. With ample ammunition available and awesome range safety officers who kept the floor free of brass and fresh targets up, I took my time in each lane. First dry firing to get a feel for the triggers, then onto live fire.
Not being familiar with the Beretta 90 series I was quite impressed with the feel of the gun in my hands. The extended magazine release was a welcome upgrade from other pistols I have shot. Having the opportunity to shoot variations of the grips, one after another, I believe a configuration can be put together for any hand size.
As for the APX Striker Family, I was at the event where the first introduced it and am quite excited to see how far it’s come. Those who like their polymer guns in different colors beside black have the choice of FDE, Wolf Grey and ODG. A Red Dot Optic (RDO) version is also available as well as the suppressor ready Combat version.
There may have been a few more items I’m not at liberty to discuss at this point but let me assure you, if you’re a Beretta fan, you won’t be disappointed!