Made in Slovenia, the Arex Rex Zero 1 Standard (1S) pistol will make its American debut at the 2016 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. The new pistol is the first of three different sizes and four different calibers the company is making that may make their way to these shores.
The Rex Zero 1 Standard is a duty sized pistol with a 4.25″ barrel that is hammer fired. Chambered in 9mm, the gun uses a 17 round magazine. Unloaded, it weighs about 28 ounces.
SIG, Not SIG
To my eye, the gun bears a striking resemblance to the traditional P-series of SIG SAUER handguns. However, the dimensions are definitely different, as are a number of features. I’ve never handled one of these pistols, so I do not know if there is any similarity between the guns other than a visual resemblance.
In the above photo, the Rex Zero 1S is on the left. The SIG P226 MK25 is on the right.
Arex equips the gun with a dual purpose de-cocker. When pressed down, it de-cocks the weapon. When pressed up, it can lock the slide to the rear. For those familiar with the SIG P-series pistols, the de-cocker on the Arex gun appears to be in the same general location as where it would be on the SIG.
Closer to the user end of the frame, the company has an ambidextrous manual safety. According to the company, the gun is designed to be carried either cocked and locked or with the hammer down in a DA/SA mode. Using the SIG pistol as a reference, the safety is where the slide stop would be on the SIG.
A disassembly lever is located on the frame of the Arex – pretty much where the lever would be on a SIG.
Arex Rex Zero 1 Features
Arex uses a frame machined from 7075 aluminum. The frame has a hard coat anodized finish. The slide is steel and is nitrocarburized. In theory, this provides greater resistance to corrosion and daily wear and tear.
The sights are a 3-dot configuration. Thankfully, they are made of steel so should wear well over time. The rear sight appears to have a fairly flat face that might work for one-hand slide manipulation.
Not surprisingly, the sights can be replaced with other SIG-sized sights.
The barrel is cold hammer forged and is also treated to the nitrocarburizing process. The gun is rated for +P ammunition.
Arex machines an accessory rail into the gun frame. It appears to be large enough for most, if not all, pistol lights on the market.
The transition from the sides of the slide to the top appears to have a hard angle, rather than machined radius. I presume that this is because the company is using hex shaped bar stock similar to what SCCY and other companies do.
For a highly-stylized look at the manufacture of these new pistols, check out the below video created by Polenar Tactical.
Pistols come with two magazines, small cleaning kit and a hard plastic case.
The MSRP on these guns will be $599.
Other Models
Arex offers other sizes, colors and calibers in the Rex Zero 1 line. In addition to the Standard, the company also makes a Combat and a Compact pistol. The Combat is slightly shorter in length and lighter with a 3.85″ barrel and a 27.5 oz weight. It maintains the same grip size and magazine capacity.
The Compact pistol has the Combat pistol’s length and chops the grip. The smaller magazines hold only 15 rounds and drops the weight to 25 oz. It also takes 0.4″ off the height.
Currently, the company offers three frame colors: graphite black, foliage green and flat dark earth. The imported gun will be available only in black initially.
The imported Arex pistols will be chambered in 9mm. However, the company also makes the Rex Zero 1 in:
- 9×21,
- .40 S&W, and
- .32 ACP.
I imagine the .32 would be a very light shooter indeed.
Warranty
The new pistols are being imported by FIME Group in Las Vegas. FIME will provide warranty support on the guns. All of the Rex Zero 1S pistols will have a limited lifetime warranty unless purchased by law enforcement or the military. In those cases, the company will only warrant their product for a single year.
According to the company, the pistol has a service life in excess of 30,000 rounds.
Last Update: October 23, 2022
Ed. note: Originally, this article misidentified the country of origin as Slovakia instead of Slovenia. This has been corrected. I apologize for any confusion. Thanks to readers Marek and David who pointed this out.
12 replies on “Arex Rex Zero 1S Pistol”
Great write up, but AREX is located in Slovenia. Grand Power is located in Slovakia. Great people with a fantastic work ethic in both countries.
Thanks for catching my error. I was editing another article on the Grand Power and clearly had a brain fart. The article has been corrected – thank you!
-Richard
The former Yugoslav republics certainly love their SIG-Sauer P226 clones with combined decocker/slide stops and ambidextrous magazine releases. This makes the third after the Croatian HS95 and the Zastava CZ99 family from Serbia.
Bummer about the manual safety. It looks great though, like a high end imported EZ9.
the manual safety allows you to carry it as single action only, like a hi power or 1911, or you can not engage the safety and carry it like a traditional sig
Looking forward to this one.
The tan version looks like a P226 mated with a Lionheart (LH1?) and had a beautiful baby. Although the grip appears quite chubby, sort of like a P226 with thick grips. I would sure love to shoot one regardless. Hopefully they make a single stack variant and/or one with slim grips!