Arex Delta Gen 2 Review: What you should know

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The 9mm market is way overcrowded. With the exceptional choices for ammo in the caliber, it isn’t any wonder that manufacturers are spending so much energy on 9mms—but much of the current investment is focused on the subcompact EDC carry gun. The Arex Delta 9mm, or perhaps we should say Arex Defense writ large, is different. They’re taking on a class of guns that has been pretty stable for the last 30 years – we’ll try to explain why they’re doing so well with this Arex Delta Gen 2 review. 

Arriving at the range to do an Arex Delta Gen 2 review - step 1 is an overview of all the models.
Arriving at the range to do an Arex Delta Gen 2 review – step 1 is an overview of all the models.

The second generation of the Arex Delta Gen 2 line is rooted squarely in the full-size and compact space. These are double-stacks with capacities of 15 or 17, respectively. This is familiar territory for a generation that has seen GLOCK, Beretta, H&K, Sig Sauer, and just about every other handgun manufacturer take the same set of internals and stretch out or trim fractions of an inch from the frames and grips. 

Yet Arex is doing something compelling. Their Delta line takes this familiar set of design specs and tricks them out to be completely functional, right out of the box, and at a price that many people doing a double-take.

Arex Delta Tactical model with Silencer Central Banish .45.
Arex Delta Tactical model with Silencer Central Banish .45.

Arex Defense

Arex Defense isn’t a household name in the US. Rather than using their guns as their reason for existence, Arex tends to brag about its tooling capabilities. In an era when so many companies rely on others to make their parts, this ability to do it themselves provides Arex with control.

Over the last three decades, they’ve moved into defense contracting in Europe. These handguns are the logical outgrowth of that. Arex makes ammunition, too, and is now a company that contracts with other European brands that rely on Arex’s capabilities to build their respective brands.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review: different models of the Arex Delta 9mm pistols. Seen here are the M2 L, M2 T, M2 M, and M2 X.
Different models of the Arex Delta Gen 2 9mm pistol: the M2 L, M2 T, M2 M, and M2 X.

Arex is in Slovenia. If you need a brief geography lesson, Slovenia is to the east of Italy—on the more dangerous side. It is a region known for firearm production (as Slovenia also shares a border with Austria).

If you’re not familiar with the brand, you’re not alone. Arex is new enough stateside that many gun guys don’t have a working context for the brand. That’s changing, though, and for good reason. These guns perform well. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be wasting the ink.

The main reason? This is no secret. The Arex Delta pistols have a rock-solid feature set at a price that undercuts almost all of the competition. In economic terms, we would call this value—but most of us will just focus on the price.

Arex Delta Gen 2 Review: What distinguishes the Arex Delta series?

Every pistol on the market has aggressive slide serrations. There’s nothing magical about great grip textures anymore—they’re the norm. Guns have gotten to be so similar in their construction that trying to find unique attributes is very complicated.

But the Gen 2 Arex Delta pistols are built with options in mind.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review: sizes of pistol compared.
The 3 sizes we’ll focus on in this particular Arex Delta Gen 3 review…as you’ve read, there is a tactical model too. We’ll hit that in more detail soon.

There are three main sizes of the Delta:

• Delta M2 L. Long slide: long grip (i.e. full-sized)

• Delta M2 X. Short slide: long grip (i.e. compact slide on full-sized grip)

• Delta M2 M. Short slide: short grip (i.e. compact)

The internals on the Arex Delta frame.
The internals on the Arex Delta frame.

Slides are available with optics cuts, or without. The sights on these, though, are not high enough to co-witness.

Taking down the Delta is easy. The levers on both sides are easy to actuate, and the slide drops free.
Taking down the Delta is easy. The levers on both sides are easy to actuate, and the slide drops free.

On the Tactical version, the sites are high enough to both co-witness and clear a suppressor. The Tactical version is essentially a compact with a threaded barrel (which further blurs those lines between the three).

The optics-ready guns come with all the mounting hardware needed for almost all optics patterns.
The optics-ready guns come with all the mounting hardware needed for almost all optics patterns (including my Holosun).

The good news is that there are only two sizes for holstering for the four main variations.

And the guns come in the familiar shades of black, grey, FDE, and OD green.

The Arex Delta guns have rail sections for adding lights—which is a must for any gun you plan to take out of the box and actually use.
The Arex Delta guns have rail sections for adding lights—which is a must for any gun you plan to take out of the box and actually use.

Arex Delta Action

Now say that in a B-grade shoot-em-up movie voice.

Arex boasts about how their actions are built around true double-action strikers. Some of the more popular pistols on the market use actions that—if more of us understood what was really going on under the hood—could make you worry a bit. Some leave the strikers cocked all the time.

The striker when the trigger has been pulled and when it hasn’t. As you pull the trigger, that red dot will travel farther out before falling.
The striker when the trigger has been pulled and when it hasn’t. As you pull the trigger, that red dot will travel farther out before falling.

The Arex Delta striker is not under full spring tension until you pull back on the trigger. They refer to this as the Striker Double Action system. If something catastrophic were to happen, there’s not enough mechanical energy behind the striker to send it into a shell.

The feed ramp on the Arex Delta M2 M.
The feed ramp on the Arex Delta M2 M.

You can actually watch this work on the back of the gun. Drop the mag. Check the chamber. Make sure it is empty. Point the gun in a safe direction. Then rack the slide and watch the striker move back as you pull the trigger.

Even running fast, holding a tight group together isn't hard. This is a full mag from 25 feet.
Even running fast, holding a tight group together isn’t hard. This is a full mag from 25 feet.

The Aesthetics

The Delta has a reliance on geometric shapes. Perhaps this is linked to the metaphoric and symbolic representation of the Greek letter. There are triangles all over this gun. Even the A of Arex is represented as more of a Delta than an A.

The length difference on the M2 L and M2 M.
The length difference on the M2 L and M2 M.
Models of the Arex Delta sub-compact: The M2 L and M2 T.
The M2 L and M2 T.

This triangle motif, though, shows itself in both triangles and in the use of straight lines. There are few flowing, graceful curves on the Delta pistols. Even the grip panels have delineated borders that show reflect this geometric theme.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review: the M2 X and M2 M.
The M2 X and M2 M.
The full array of colors on the Delta line.
The full array of colors on the Delta line.

How does it shoot?

I had four on the range. Each performed slightly differently. For me, the sweet-spot was the Delta M2-X (the compact slide on the longer grip). I’ve got big mitts, and this fills the hand well.

The recoil impulse was what you’d expect from each. There’s almost no perceivable difference between the three versions of the frame size, as far as recoil impulse is concerned.

Recoil on the Arex Delta guns is easy to hold down. Ejection is clean and consistent.

I had no difficulty holding any of them down. That said, I’m still a fan of the X version.

What’s the advantage? For me, it’s mental. I like knowing I’ve got more capacity in each magazine and less slide to get clear of the holster. I know that an extra half-an-inch isn’t going to make or break a draw, just as I know that 15 rounds should get the job done, but I’m a creature of habit.

Silenced, the Delta is even easier on the recoil.

I’m a gun writer, and—as a rule—we tend to dwell on the little things that make one gun better than another gun.

The mags are steel and have the expected witness holes in the back. The bright followers are easy to see on a spot check of a locked-back slide.
There are three main sizes of mags, 15 and 17 rounds, respectively—the small one fits more flush.

The Arex Delta mag well has slight bevels to make inserting a mag easier.

Any Hiccups?

There was only one. The sights on the Arex Delta are hardly a concern for anyone running an optic—but they still matter. One of the four Arex guns I had in for review was shooting well left of point-of-aim. I did a bit of sight pushing (Delrin rod and a ballpeen hammer) and brought the point of impact more into alignment.

The box has a cut for the optic—in this case, a Holosun 507. That’s a nice touch for those who want to carry their Delta in its box.

The front and rear sites are drift adjustable. They’re steel. This alone is a nice upgrade over some of the more expensive guns in the Delta neighborhood.

Arex Delta Gen 2 Review: weapon sights.
Check out the drift adjustable front sight on the Tactical model.

I function-tested each of the models. I ran the tactical Delta both naked and with a suppressor. I don’t have any complaints about the way the guns shoot. As I moved into more dedicated drills with the X, my round count increased significantly.

The Arex Tactical Delta has a taller set of sights. On the standard Deltas—even those ready for optics—the sights are lower.
The Arex Tactical Delta has a taller set of sights. On the standard Deltas—even those ready for optics—the sights are lower.

The only real issue I had was a couple of slide-drops on empty mags. This is, more often than not, user error. When I was thinking critically about the placement of my thumb, I couldn’t replicate the problem.

One criticism I have heard from others has to do with the spring pressure on the slide. This isn’t an easy slide to rack. While I wouldn’t call it cumbersome, this is a stiff pull. The tactical even comes with a second spring to help balance suppressed fire.

The guide rod barely clears the can, but it does. There’s no interference, but it is a close connection.
The guide rod barely clears the can, but it does. There’s no interference, but it is a close connection.

One element of the design that I really like is the mag release. On the left side of the gun, the button is bigger. Hardly oversized, but large enough.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review: mag release.
The mag release on the Delta—strong side—is big, but not oversized. The flipside has a smaller button.

On the right side, though, is a smaller button. You can drop the mag with your left-hand thumb if you are shooting left-handed.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review: slide release.
Don’t ride the slide release. There’s more depth to it than this image shows.

While it isn’t as easy, it is possible, and the left-sided button isn’t going to be accidentally pressed by a right-handed grip.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review; additional backstraps.
For those who want options, there are three additional backstraps.

Little things like this completely set this gun apart from so many of the other 9mms in this class.

If you’re looking for a new CCW gun, it’s worth consideration.

Arex Delta Gen 2 review
Learn more about these pistols from their importer, Global Ordnance.

Check out more in our Review section.

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