Beretta BRX1 Rifle- Review

When Beretta announced the BRX1, it turned quite a few heads, and not just because it was something new from a company better known for its shotguns and military firearms. The BRX1 represents Beretta’s first venture into the modern straight-pull hunting rifle market, promising the speed of a semi-auto with the simplicity of a bolt action. That alone makes it interesting, but add in a fully ambidextrous action, an easily swappable barrel system, and a trigger that can be adjusted without tools, and you’ve got a rifle that’s clearly designed for real-world practicality rather than bench-rest bragging rights.

eGunroom spent some time with the Beretta BRX1 chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor to see how all of that translates when you’re actually pulling the trigger. From the first handling session it’s obvious that Beretta built this rifle with speed and versatility in mind – it feels like a tool that wants to be worked quickly, handed around, and used in all weather. But does that practicality come at the expense of refinement? Let’s find out.

Beretta BRX1 Overview

• Reversible ambidextrous linear bolt,
• Closing system with 8 lug bolt (16 for magnum calibres) – this is already adopted on military weapons with maximum safety,
• Interchangeable barrels of different calibres (.243 WIn., .30-06 Sprg., .300 Win. Mag., .308 Win. 6.5 Creedmoor)
• 3 position safety system: shoot and reload, locked trigger and free bolt for safe loading and unloading, trigger and bolt locked,
• M14 threaded barrel with thread cover for 16mm barrel profile,
• High performance polymer forend with two textured grips and sling swivel ring,
• Adjustable trigger weight with 3 different positions (950 grams, 1,250grams, and 1,500 grams),
• High performance polymer stock, adjustable LOP with spacers,
• Weight: 7lbs 4oz (3.3kg),
• Picatinny rail as standard,
• Removable magazine, made of high visibility orange polymer with 5 shot capacity (also for magnum calibres) and double release button.

Build Quality & Ergonomics

Fit & Finish

The BRX1’s finish is functional and tidy with neat machining on the receiver and a matt barrel finish. The polymer stock is well-fitted (no play or misalignment on the rifle reviewed here), though it has the expected hollow note if tapped. This is not a structural problem, just a material characteristic.

Controls

A large bolt knob, big three-position safety (shoot and reload, locked trigger and free bolt for safe loading and unloading, trigger and bolt locked) and a bright magazine make the rifle easy to use with gloves and in low light. You have to ‘pinch’ two tabs on either side of the magazine to release it, this is easily done whilst wearing gloves, or with cold hands, and makes it harder to lose the magazine if one side catches on a branch or part of a high-set, etc.. The magazine’s bright orange colour is a good detail – it was easy to spot when dropped in grass or woodland leaf litter.

Ambidexterity

You can easily switch the bolt to accommodate right or left-handed shooters. You don’t need any special tools to do this, only something to depress a small pin on the underside of the bolt carrier (a pencil was successfully used on the test rifle just to see how easy it was to do), before sliding the bolt handle out and inserting it in the opposite side. Being able to quickly reconfigure the rifle would be great if this rifle were being used as an ‘estate rifle’ where a multitude of people would be using it throughout the course of a season.

Grip & Texture

The palm & forend texture genuinely help in wet weather. To really test the texture the rifle was taken out in the rain and fired and handled by three shooters. It was agreed by all that the texture gave just enough grip without being too aggressive.

Comb Height

One practical caveat: the comb height of this model is not adjustable, and that can make getting a comfortable cheek-weld tricky if you fit a scope with a large objective bell. With long-range scopes you may find your head sits a little low (which can upset cheek position and affect consistency). It’s less of an issue with low-profile red-dot sights or compact scopes, which keep the sightline closer to the stock – and if you prefer a magnified optic there are simple fixes (a small aftermarket cheek riser/shim for example) that restore a natural, repeatable cheek-weld.

Action, Bolt & Trigger

Bolt & Action

The straight-pull action is intuitive and converts follow-up shots into near-instinctive moves. The bolt was smooth and a joy to work – you do find yourself thinking that you are Franz-Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg thanks to the speed that you can operate it.

One drawback of this straight pull action was how noisy it was to operate. It is noisier than a conventional bolt-action rifle, with a noticeable mechanical sound when worked quickly. Slowing working the bolt does reduce the noise but doesn’t eliminate the distinctive noise entirely; for driven boar shooting the trade-off is acceptable, but if absolute stealth for night-time foxing is critical you should consider this.

Trigger

The BRX1 uses a removable single-stage trigger unit with three factory positions. Adjusting the weight between the three settings (950g, 1250g, and 1500g) is easy – using a screwdriver you lift the trigger group latch, slide the trigger group forward, drop the trigger unit down through the magazine well, then slide the trigger weight adjustment button (found on the left side of the on the trigger group) to the correct notch. Simple and fast.

Safety

 The big, positive three-position safety is easy to operate with gloves on. It had good detents and tactile feedback. The only negative here was grooves cut into the safety, they are necessary for grip, but they did feel rather aggressive at first.

Barrel System, Modularity & Maintenance

Barrel swap

Swapping between calibres on the Beretta BRX1 is deliberately user-friendly; conversion kits are readily available and (at the time of this article being written) are less than £1,000.

When swapping calibres you slide the new calibre’s bolt head into position, and swap the barrel by loosening two screws in the forend, then slide the existing barrel off before performing the reverse procedure with the new barrel.

This makes the BRX1 a genuinely flexible platform if you want one action and multiple calibre options.

Maintenance

Maintenance is made simple thanks to how easy it is to remove the trigger unit and bolt carrier.

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What’s It Like To Shoot The Beretta BRX1?

Handling Without Moderator

Without a moderator the rifle swings quickly and returns cleanly – helpful for driven work where fast reacquisition matters.

Recoil & Follow-Up

Balance and the straight-pull action make follow-up shots feel natural. The test rifle was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and recoil was manageable, and muzzle rise was moderate.

Feeding & Magazine

The magazine release requires pinching both sides to drop the mag – a secure design that prevents accidental ejection if the mag catches on something. The magazines are deliberately bright which makes field recovery easier. Feeding was positive with no issues experienced.

Final Verdict – Who Should Buy the BRX1?

If your shooting life involves driven game, regularly taking clients out who don’t have their own rifle, or you need a single adaptable rifle that can be handed between left and right-handed shooters, the BRX1 makes a convincing case: fast handling, practical controls and easy calibre changes give it real day-to-day usefulness. If your priority is a whisper-quiet stalking rifle for night foxing, or you want the utterly silent feel of a heavy laminate stock and a traditional bolt-action, the BRX1’s emphasis on speed and modularity means it isn’t the ideal match.