TFB Review: META Tactical APEX Carbine Conversion Kit for PSA Dagger

When META Tactical showed me their APEX Carbine Conversion Kit at SHOT2024, I knew I had to get my hands on one. The concept is very cool — take your pistol and turn it into a bullpup carbine in about five minutes. After talking with their team and seeing the thing in person, I bought one with my own money along with some accessories to see if this "world's first pistol-to-rifle bullpup conversion kit" lives up to the hype. After 250 rounds through a PSA Dagger Compact setup, here's what you need to know about this $399 space gun.

Conversion Kits @TFB:

• The Rimfire Report: A Neat CB 22 Short Ruger 10/22 Magazine Conversion
• Heresy Design .300BLK & 9mm AUG Conversion Kits
• [SHOT 2024] META Tactical Taurus G3 Apex Carbine Conversion
• TFB Review: Lingle Industries SCAR AR 17 Caliber Conversion
• Hungarian Globserver’s Pistol-to-SMG Conversion Machine Pistol Chassis

Specifications: META Tactical APEX Carbine Conversion Kit

The APEX system is designed around the idea of converting your pistol into a 16" barreled carbine while maintaining a compact bullpup configuration. The kit replaces your pistol barrel with a 16" drop-in barrel and houses the entire pistol mechanism in a polymer chassis. The bullpup design keeps the overall length manageable at 26" fully extended or 23.375" collapsed, while the 3.25-pound chassis weight plus your pistol gives you a surprisingly lightweight package.

• Model: APEX-DAG-GR-19 (PSA Dagger Compatible)
• Overall Length: 26" extended, 23.375" collapsed
• Chassis Weight: 3.25 lbs
• Barrel Length: 16"
• Barrel Material: Chromoly with black nitride finish
• Rifling: Polygonal
• Stock: 6-position adjustable
• Controls: Ambidextrous charging handle, mag release
• Accessory Support: M-LOK at 3, 6, 9 o'clock positions
• Rail: Full-length Picatinny top rail
• Colors: Black, OD Green, Gray, Tan
• Compatibility(different models of APEX): Glock, S&W, Taurus G3s, Shadow Systems MR920s, and P80 patterns (9mm, 10mm, .40, .45)

At $399, this kit sits in an interesting spot. You're not buying a precision rifle or a duty weapon—you're buying a fun gun that happens to be legal in most states as a rifle. For that role, the price makes sense. Any more expensive and it would be a stretch, especially considering you need an inexpensive host pistol to make the math work. The fact that it works with cheap guns like the PSA Dagger is actually a feature, not a bug. You're getting a unique shooting experience and conversation starter for less than many quality optics cost.

The one-year warranty and USA manufacturing add value, though the real question is whether the novelty factor justifies the cost for your specific use case.

“The META Tactical APEX-Series Carbine Conversion Kit is the world’s first pistol to rifle bullpup style conversion kit allowing you to shoot your pistol further and more accurately than ever before with the most responsive and compact platform ever created. Designed, developed, and tested to be the most versatile and innovative conversion kit on the market while complying with all federal laws and regulations. Be sure to check with your state/county rules and regulations.”

I used the Meprolight Tru-Vision SR Red Dot, and it suited the space gun look perfectly. I've put about 250 rounds through the conversion at 15 and 25 yards. Here's where I need to be honest about performance: accuracy isn't great. At 15 yards, it grouped like normal, but at 25 yards, things opened up quite a lot. This isn't a deal-breaker for me personally because this fills a "fun gun" role. I don't plan on having it under my bed for when things go bump in the night or for competition shooting.

Features That Actually Matter to Me

Bullpup Trigger: The trigger in the Dagger sucks, and adding it into a bullpup action is like taking a poop sandwich and putting some wasabi on it. The trigger linkage doesn't improve an already mediocre trigger.

Ambi Charging Handle: I liked this feature. It works smoothly and feels natural from either side.

Cheek Weld: The built-in cheek rest wasn't comfortable for my shooting style. The positioning felt awkward and didn't give me a consistent sight picture.

Stock Adjustment: This is cumbersome and takes some weird hand positioning to get things on the stock looking smooth and easy. I'm guessing the stock is the way it is because of that access hatch to put the gun in, but I don't like it.

Muzzle Device: The muzzle device consistently came loose, but it's nothing some thread locker couldn't fix.

The Fun Factor: Here's the thing about this kit—it's fun as heck. I handed it to at least two different people, and everyone remarked on how fun it is. There's something satisfying about the bullpup configuration and the whole "pistol turned into a carbine" concept that just works from an entertainment standpoint.

Final Thoughts: META Tactical APEX Carbine Conversion Kit

The META Tactical APEX Carbine Conversion Kit is exactly what it claims to be—a fun, unique way to turn your pistol into a bullpup carbine. The accuracy issues I experienced are likely a combination of factors and probably not representative of every unit. For me, it was “just fun” because of the accuracy issues, but I doubt it's like that for all of them, and it's definitely a barrel/gun issue and not the chassis' fault.

If you're looking for a painless all-in-one bullpup conversion for funzies, this delivers. The installation is easy and painless, the safety works well, and it's genuinely entertaining to shoot. The lack of suppressor compatibility is disappointing but makes sense given the physics involved—I've seen videos of people shooting them suppressed, and it looks like someone wiggling a hot dog on a stick at a campfire.

This isn't a precision instrument or a duty weapon. It's a conversation starter and a fun range toy that happens to be legal as a rifle in most states. For that role, the APEX kit succeeds admirably. Just manage your expectations accordingly.

Meta Tactical has since come out with their all-new MX-1 conversion. I’m tempted to check that one out too, but time will tell!

In closing, I want to say thank you to the Meta Tactical folks I talked to at SHOT24.They have a very cool product line. As always we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that this conversion kit is worth spending your money on? Would you run this bullpup setup for fun? Would this be your go-to range toy? Let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.