The SAR9 Service Pistol
A Professional’s Gun At A Working Man’s Price
The SAR9 is a nicely executed modern 9mm service pistol
with all the bells and whistles at a very reasonable price.
The SAR9 is a full-size, high-capacity 9mm service pistol made in Turkey. It sports all the rarefied bells and whistles you might find on any high-end combat handgun at a price that is at least a c-note less than its competition. Additionally, where certain other striker-fired handguns feel like you are trying to palm a 2×4, the grip of the SAR9 is absolutely divine. This gun drops into your hand like it is part of your anatomy.
The guys who made this thing burned 150,000 rounds getting it ready for prime time. The end result is a fully mature, exceptionally effective design that looks cool, feels right, and shoots great. You could spend more on a personal defense handgun, but you could just put your money in a tidy little pile and set fire to it as well.
The flat-faced aluminum trigger has the obligatory safety tab in the center.
Weighty Things
My grandparents survived the Great Depression. My grandfather told me he would load the family’s old single-barrel, muzzle-loading 12-bore with rocks and nails because they couldn’t afford store-bought shot. He would then stalk up to the fence line and use that terribly dangerous old gun to kill scads of loitering blackbirds with a single blast. These he would take back to his Mom to feed him and his eleven siblings. By contrast, your typical Information Age college student believes a temporary diminution in cell phone service to be an existential crisis.
We Americans have certainly blurred the lines between wants and needs these days. However, I would assert that every responsible adult American actually needs a proper defensive handgun. The only reason our curious experiment in democracy has prevailed for so long is that our government rightfully fears us. An armed population is ungovernable without its consent. We should all do our part.
That being established, now we haggle over price. You can dump a holy fortune on a bespoke combat pistol these days. Like everything in our capitalistic society, there are gradations based upon relative wealth. However, you could also pick up a SAR9 at a very reasonable price, have all the same capabilities, and enjoy a little cash left over for ammo and bling.
Tritium night sights keep you shooting straight even in dim light.
Lightening cuts and gripping grooves mean ease of manipulation and fast lockup times.
Origins
We are conditioned to believe that something that is inexpensive has little intrinsic value. In the case of the SAR9, this gun is inexpensive not because it’s cheap but rather because of an economy of scale.
The SAR9 is made by Sarsilmaz in Turkey. Sarsilmaz sounds like something your scary Hungarian grandmother might force you to eat when you are five years old. What Sarsilmaz actually is, however, is the third-largest defense manufacturer on Planet Earth. They’re the largest in Europe. Sarsilmaz produces missiles, artillery systems, and countless sundry lethal trinkets used by the world’s militaries. They also make some truly superlative firearms.
The dust cover accepts accessories like this superb Streamlight TLR-8AG light/laser.
The grip on the SAR9 is simply sublime.
Details
The SAR9 has a curiously HK-feel when you first heft it. In fact, the grips look almost identical when compared side-by-side. The fit and finish of the gun is very nice throughout. The aluminum flat-faced, striker-fired trigger is outstanding. Most striker-fired triggers are honestly about the same. However, that of the SAR9 is on the good end.
The forged steel slide features lightening cuts up front and gripping grooves most everywhere. The top is cut to accept an RMSc optic. Top-quality tritium night sights keep you shooting straight even in the dark. The dust cover is naturally cut for accessories. Anything less would be uncivilized.
The SAR9 features a delightful 20-degree grip angle that perfectly interfaces with the human form. Three interchangeable backstraps and six grip side plates let you customize the experience for any particular anatomical eccentricities. The gun also offers an exceptionally low bore axis for rapid and controllable follow-up shots.
This SAR9 has a fantastic bilateral manual safety. This low-profile appendage is in the perfect spot. Use it if you want, ignore it if you don’t. Personally, I like having the option. The gun also features a flared magwell for rapid magazine changes, feeds from a 17-round box, and comes with a spare.
The SAR9 comes very nicely accessorized right out of the box.
At 12 meters off a simple rest, this is the sort of performance you can expect.
Ruminations
Every responsible American adult should be armed. Not unlike our right to go where we please, attend the church of our choice, and speak ill of our politicians as the Spirit leads, our Second Amendment right to self-defense is much akin to a muscle. Fail to use it regularly, and it might just atrophy.
The SAR9 really is the ideal personal defense handgun. Big enough to fill your hand for those times you hear glass breaking downstairs in the wee hours, yet still light and handy enough for concealed carry, the SAR9 offers combat-proven performance at a very reasonable price. I could find no fault with it.
For more info: SARUSA.com
