What are y’all’s thoughts on the Arex Delta? Any of you folks spent any time behind the trigger on one of these?

I have a Gen 1 that exceeded my expectations. The M size is slightly thicker than a G48 and significantly thinner than a G19. It fits most G19 holsters and works w/ CZ P-10 mags.

Some guys have criticized the Delta frame for looking & feeling cheap. I don't have any complaints about it, except I put grip tape on mine. Most people prefer the Gen 2 texture.

I'm impressed w/ the Delta's build quality. It uses more steel than a Glock (e.g., longer steel rails, steel sights) yet somehow manages to be significantly lighter. A lot of the internals are coated w/ something like nitride.

I'm generally not a fan of striker indicators. I thought the Delta's would annoy me, since it sticks out of its hole everytime you pull the trigger. Turns out the design is sort of like the Glock gadget. When you holster, you can put your thumb over the striker indicator hole. If you feel it try to pop up while holstering, then you know the trigger is caught on something. I like that.

The trigger is designed for combat not for competition and those obsessed w/ lightness. It's a little heavy, about 6 lbs, but breaks in nicely. There's a good amount of take-up to a distinct wall and crisp break. The break does not roll like a typical Glock trigger and doesn't feel gritty. The reset is much shorter than an OEM Glock trigger.

I like the clean look of an internal extractor. The origami lines to the gun IMHO look better in person than they do in photos. The mag catch is stiff and takes some breaking in. It's pretty flush w/ the grip, so that can be a dealbreaker for shooters who like extended mag release buttons.

If you find a standard model for under $400, I recommend it. An optic-ready model is worth $50-60 more and comes w/ optic plates. I've noticed prices have dropped recently. A couple months ago, they were around $500 or more, which made it much less of a value leader.

I’ve got the Gen2. Love everything about it. The mag release was extremely difficult for my old thumbs, but the factory offers an extended release with a standard weight spring and a light one.
Really transformed the pistol for me, and I don’t have a pistol that feels better than the Delta in my hand. Very thin, and totally reliable.

Skip

quote:

Originally posted by skipper49:
I’ve got the Gen2. Love everything about it. The mag release was extremely difficult for my old thumbs, but the factory offers an extended release with a standard weight spring and a light one.
Really transformed the pistol for me, and I don’t have a pistol that feels better than the Delta in my hand. Very thin, and totally reliable.

Skip

I bought a Delta M Gen 2 and am just waiting for my RDS to show up to finish it (shipping delayed by Covid at PSA). How hard was it to change the mag release with those tight quarters and little springs? Looks challenging compared with how easy the P320's is to install or reverse..

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Blackmore,

I've handled but not shot the Gen 2 and was very impressed by the quality and features at their price point; so much so that I plan on trying one out once I send some other nines down the road.

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:


The trigger is designed for combat

Tell me more about what a “trigger made for combat is”? I ask, as most of the guys doing combat with pistols are running 3.5-4 pound triggers in their Glocks. (CAG and Devgru). Larry Vickers actually said that when the Glock was adopted by CAG, the first thing the Unit armorers didn’t was dropped the trigger pull.

Hell, for 10 years the same guys have been running the SSA-E in their rifles. The new contract Fed rifle comes with the SSA-E installed standard. The latest and greatest SOPMOD upper being fielded by SOCOM, the URG-1, is heavily influenced by three gun competition.

So, if the guys that are actually doing combat with pistols are running 3.5-4 pound triggers, I am made of questions about what a heavy trigger is being marketed as “made for combat”, and exactly what that entails.

They seem to be perfectly happy actually doing combat with stuff influenced by competition.

Hey man, don't shoot the messenger. The concept of "combat trigger" would make a good subject for a separate thread.

I don't know where it originated, but as lighter triggers and trigger-snobbery became more prevalent, the civilian market (more specifically Americans) would often question why ___ gun didn't come w/ a lighter &/or smoother trigger.

The oft reported excuse became, "These guns are designed for combat, not specialty competition shooting."
Perhaps the manufacturer that became most frequently associated w/ this rationale was HK. Their USPs cost $1K-2K, yet their triggers are gritty, stacky, & heavy as all get out. HK of course is the choice of operators, and operators seemingly don't obsess over competition-style triggers.

This excuse became accepted as conventional gun wisdom (or lore), such that I often read reviews and descriptions that explain why such & such gun doesn't have a sub-5 lb trigger, b/c it's designed (or marketed) towards LE/mil service.

As for CAG & DevGru, don't they have reputations for getting whatever they want? I read CAG adopted Glocks long before Glock was officially awarded a contract for the SEALs.

Are CAG & DevGru good representations of the average infantryman? Aftermarket triggers are extremely popular, yet what do US serviceman get in their M4/M16s? Do most of those have Mil-Spec triggers, or is it common for them to be changed out?

Since you know about the preferences of CAG/Delta, can confirm the following story? I heard that STI (which is now Staccato) had a contract to provide 2011s to Delta. Delta used them and fiddled w/ them for a while but ultimately sent them back due unreliability. Do you know anything about that?

Your average infantry dude is mil-spec to the bone. They rarely if ever do combat with a pistol. Most infantry dudes don’t get a pistol.

As to CAG, the story was told to me by a FBI HRT guy. During the early days of GWOT, Delta and HRT deployed abroad together a bunch. Stayed in the same barracks, trained together, deployed together. Both issues high end custom 1911s. The dust and dirt caused a lot of malfunctions. So HRT ordered up a crate of Glocks from the Academy. They both found out that they weren’t missing much with the Glocks. So, they started the process to put the gun into service with the squadrons.

I haven’t heard much about the Stacattos. Matter of fact, I’ve heard nothing but good about them.

The whole “combat” thing is interesting. The days of “keeping it stock” seem over. But, the big military likely never will on cost alone.

What do you want to do with it? Collector of unique and rare pistols that may not have the best support? Go for it!

I prefer to rely on pistols that are in wide use as they have been better vetted, have better aftermarket support, and potentially better factory support.

quote:

I heard that STI (which is now Staccato) had a contract to provide 2011s to Delta.

I can somewhat speak to that.

I talked to a friend at Staccato (he wasn't there at the time, but was familiar with the history) who said this was early/mid 2000s when Delta was issuing Glock 22s. They also wanted to look at 1911-style pistols in .40S&W as a fair amount of guys were more comfortable/familiar with the platform. It was a limited run (50-ish). The reason the STIs didn't take off in CAG/Delta is they were trying to make a combat pistol out of a competition gun. They weren't "sent back" so much as fell out of favor with users who eventually moved onto other pistols.

He did have to add (somewhat obviously) the current Staccato line is a far cry from the STI pistols from 20 years ago.

AREX Delta M Gen 2 OR with optic and "L" backstrap installed. Now if it would stop snowing and warm up to at least 32° for a day I could try it out.



I need a steel building lined with tires for an indoor range like our Slovenian friends.

I was impressed with this gun until I worked the trigger. Heavy and mushy. Heavy is ok if the trigger is clean. This one was not.

The comments about a "combat trigger" are spot on. It's often used to make excuses for a poor trigger.

Once again, it is not so much about pull weight as it is about feel, smoothness and consistency.

I like the svelteness of the gun but decided against buying one.

This gun has an uphill battle with so many proven guns available from companies that are known commodities.

To my eyes, the Gen 2 looks like they took the Walther PDP slide and combined it with a Steyr M9-A2 frame. I'd be interested in shooting one, if my LGS had the pistol in stock.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimmo952:
I was impressed with this gun until I worked the trigger. Heavy and mushy. Heavy is ok if the trigger is clean. This one was not.

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Once again, it is not so much about pull weight as it is about feel, smoothness and consistency.

I wonder if you handled a dud, b/c I've shot just about every significant player in the striker-fired market as well as several aftermarket triggers, and the Delta trigger rates among the top for 'clean break' and 'lack of mush'.

Glocks and most of their copycats have rolling breaks in their triggers by design. Aftermarket triggers have to work against that design. The Delta clearly has a lot of Glock influences, but Arex took out all the mush and gave its trigger a very defined wall & crisp break. OEM Glock triggers also have a lot more overtravel.

The take-up does have more resistance than Glock's. The Arex manual says the Delta has 5.6 lb pull weight and 2mm reset. Most owners say their Delta triggers break in nicely and lighten up a little.

I have a Delta and G19 Gen5, and their triggers feel just like the ones in the following vid.

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
To my eyes, the Gen 2 looks like they took the Walther PDP slide and combined it with a Steyr M9-A2 frame. I'd be interested in shooting one, if my LGS had the pistol in stock.

IMO the Delta looks a lot better in person than it does in photos. The slide ridges are a little too shallow. If my hands were wet, I'd have trouble racking it. By contrast, the PDP has super deep cheese-grater slide serrations.