AREX Delta & Alpha Pistols

Since there is only a single pre-production sample of the AREX Delta in the U.S. currently, every time AREX brings it to a media event it's the star of the show. We were itching to shoot the new Slovenian striker fired gun, but there was a shipping mixup that kept it off the firing line for the first day of the Big 3 East Media Event. There was a silver lining though, we were able to spend some quality time with the AREX Alpha shooting at some XSteel Targets.

While the Alpha has been on the market for a while, the chance to shoot a plate rack with one hasn't presented itself at media events until now. Normally we're limited to 5 or 10 round mags at most media events but Big 3 East is a different animal. We put several hundred rounds downrange to get a good feel for the pistol and the soft shooting Alpha quickly became one of our favorite guns to shoot at the event.

Photo: Lobster Media

The Alpha not only had a pretty fantastic trigger and spot-on ergonomics but the hefty 39-ounce weight and lightened slide kept the pistol insanely flat during recoil. Once we got used to the light single action trigger it was almost as if the pistol guided itself from one steel plate to the next.

While the Alpha is currently listed on the USPSA Production Class list, we did some quick math to confirm our suspicion that the Alpha would come in at just under the 45oz weight limit when fitted with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. We were told that AREX is working on a dovetail mount for the Shield Sights RMS that replaces the rear sight, but the survey of Carry Optics competitors at the 2018 USPSA Optics Nationals tells us that a milled in DeltaPoint Pro would likely be more popular with competitors with 33% of competitors choosing the Leupold optic.

Another point in that survey that I hope AREX takes note of is that only 7% of competitors accepted a dovetail mount for their optic, the other 93% either went with an optics ready slide or a slide milled for optics. While we like red dots on handguns, one mounted with a dovetail is a less than optimal solution at best in most cases.

AREX Alpha Specs:
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Magazine capacity: 17
Height: 6.1-inches
Length: 8.9-inches
Barrel length: 5-inches
Weight: 39 Ounces
Trigger: DA/SA with manual safety
MSRP: $1,099

On day two of the event, the Delta showed up at the range and quickly became the most shot pistol by attendees. Interestingly the pistol felt like a production model with some small exceptions like many of the internal parts being one off milled pieces. While we have shot the Delta previously, we were able to spend some quality time with the midsized striker fired gun.

The AREX Delta brings a ton of features to the table like forward slide serrations, a trigger shoe that sits halfway between flat and curved, and an ambi magazine release. Normally shooters are forced to seek out aftermarket solutions, but we are told that the Delta will ship to dealers roughly as it was shown to us.

One of the standout features of the AREX Delta is the takedown process. The only similarity to other polymer pistols is that you pull the slide to the rear slightly while pulling down on what could be described as the slide lock. Once you have the slide lock held in the down position you only need to move the slide forward slightly and it comes off the frame without the need to pull the trigger.

Arex displayed the Delta with a flush fit 15-round magazine and a 17-round magazine which we suspect will be what the Delta will ship with once production versions hit U.S. dealers. AREX also had several size backstraps at the range with the gun suggesting the production model will have four options to tailor the grip size to their hand.

AREX Delta Specs:
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Magazine capacity: 15 & 17
Height: 5-inches
Width: 1.18-inch
Length: 7-inches
Barrel length: 4-inches
Weight: 22.2 Ounces
Planned MSRP: $479

Find more information about the AREX Alpha & Delta pistols on either the FIME Group website or on the AREX website. MSRP for the Alpha is $1,099 at the time of publication and the Delta has a planned MSRP of $479.

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