The APEX Carbine Conversion Kit is the world’s first bullpup-style pistol conversion kit. Turn your Glock or Smith and Wesson pistol into a handy carbine for range fun and home defense. The APEX is compatible with most 9mm Glock, Smith & Wesson, and P80 handguns. Available in Black, Stealth Grey, OD Green, and Flat Dark Earth it has an MSRP of $599.99.
The APEX is the right gun at the right time. The ATF’s newly proposed rule may turn arm braces into stocks, making many pistol conversions short barrel rifles. Each APEX kit includes a 16” barrel and chassis with a 26-inch extendable stock making the APEX a legal rifle in all 50 states.
The bullpup configuration is ideal for this conversion. It is very light and balances perfectly in your hand. With the real estate to mount sling, sights, and lights, it gives you all the capability of a rifle for home protection without the length or over-penetration. A quality 9mm defense round with 200+ extra FPS provides plenty of energy.
Set up is quick and easy. I chose the Glock 17 as a host gun so the longer slide would support that long barrel. The assembly is really as easy as the video. Swap out your barrel with the APEX 16” barrel and slide your handgun into the hinged stock of the chassis. Close the hatch and insert a pin. Boom, you have a carbine.
I am not a big bullpup guy. I had the Styer AUG in the Customs Service and liked it well enough, but I haven’t really fallen for anything since then until the APEX. This conversion kit is a fun way to shoot pistol steel targets with a rifle. This idea is not new, but Meta does it better than anyone else. The bullpup design is perfect for the range and the home.
If you are a one-gun shooter with a Glock or S&W pistol, the APEX conversion is a fun way to expand into rifle training and home defense without buying another gun and magazines. The APEX is fun to shoot. Short, balanced, and lightweight, the aim is fast and felt recoil negligible.
I never tire of shooting reactive steel like the dueling tree and Texas star. These targets aren’t feasible with rifle calibers, but the APEX carbine tears these things up for hours of fun. Now that 9mm ammunition is back on the shelves, it is time to get back to the range.
The ability to mount sights and lights makes this hand package perfect for home defense. In close quarters you can beat the bullpup’s handy length. At room distances, you can identify and engage a threat with great precision.
I shot more than 500 rounds on paper and steel with a variety of ammunition. The reliability of the conversion is the same as the pistol, exceptional. I used extended KCI USA magazines with great success. With the bullpup, magazines extending past the grip made handling much easier.
The low-profile Streamlight VLR VIR II gives you 300 lumens of white LED light with an IR illuminator and laser if you want to break out those NVGs. An anodized aircraft aluminum body stands up to abuse but it is lighter than many other options. The switch is a nice match-up with the bullpup hand position.
The APEX features a 35-slot Aluminum NATO Picatinny Rail at 12 O’clock with M-Lok on the sides and bottom. accessory system. Standard features include:
- Drop in 16” barrel conversion
- Adjustable stock
- Compensator included
- Built-in cheek rest
- Non-reciprocating charging handle
- M-Lok accessory compatible
- Quick-disconnect sling adapter
The APEX is designed to work with the most popular pistols used with conversion kits and is compatible with most 9mm Glock, Smith & Wesson, and P80 handguns. It is available in four colors Black, Stealth Grey, OD Green, and Flat Dark Earth
MSRP $599.99.
For more information on META Tactical and the APEX-Series Carbine Conversion Kit, go to metatactical.com.
ABOUT META Tactical
META Tactical is a Minnesota-based company that designs, engineers, and distributes carbine conversion kits and innovative shooting accessories for firearm enthusiasts and Law Enforcement. All META Tactical products and accessories are made in the USA.
Photos by Mark Miller.
What’s the length of pull? Or range of lengths of pull given the stock is adjustable?
What an amazing write up guys! We appreciate the time and effort put into this review, and you guys really knocked it out of the park!
We take great pride in our work here at Meta Tactical, and we love seeing people enjoying our product as much as we do. Our goal is to make a product that can be as simple as a fun range toy, to something used for home defense or even hunting. The Apex carbine conversion kit is extremely user friendly and a great place to start learning about shooting a larger firearm.
Thanks again for the article, you guys rock!
– Meta Tactical
Looks like a fun addition
The answer to a question that was never asked
The question is, how can I take my pistol and have more fun a the range? If you want to play around with a bullpup design, maybe try a gun that you can shoulder and mount an optic, this conversion is a blast. Everyone has their own interests, maybe this kit isn’t for you.
Obvious question. How’s the trigger pull?
Great question! It is hard to describe a sensation, but I will try. The host gun is a standard 5 pound Glock rigger. The conversion kit doesn’t make it heaver, but it does make it seem a little bit longer, but smooth. My perception was very smooth pull, but not quite as quick on the reset as a normal Glock trigger. Very similar to a stock AR trigger.
Always great articles