THE first shipment of PMXs pistol calibre carbines recently arrived in South Africa and they are one of the few commercially-available weapons that comply with NATO standards. Given the fact that this is a semi-auto-only version of a submachine gun designed to handle the rigours of full automatic fire during combat, it should be able to withstand almost any abuse a civilian can subject it to.
The original PMX, a closed bolt and blow-back operated submachine gun, was introduced in 2017 to replace the old Beretta M12 which has been around since the 1970s. At 2.4kg and only 640mm long with the folding stock extended (418mm with the stock folded), it is a lightweight, compact gun. It is fed with a 30-round magazine, chambered in 9mmP, and able to fire 900 rounds per minute. It has an ambidextrous,