By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
Among the most heavily armed nations in the world is Israel.
Many – in fact most—nations in the region do not have citizens but rather the people living in those nations are enslaved, disarmed, and marginalized. There are other places such as the UK that are far from a free nation. There are those who wish to make America a mirror of those poor lands.
Israel manufactures a wide range of military weapons. Some such as the Jericho pistol are based on the CZ 75 while others are fresh designs. Israeli Weapon Industries offers good quality firearms. Their entry into the polymer frame striker fired handgun is the Masada.
The Masada is a full size 9mm service pistol. IWI has introduced a slim line version of the pistol. This handgun is more compact than the original, skipping the compact design category and earning the popular sub compact designation. A compact usually has a short slide, the subcompact features a shortened slide barrel and grip frame. Despite the abbreviated nature of the Masada S (Slim) the pistol features thirteen round magazines.
While the Masada Slim is a reliable and useful pistol as capable as many service handguns this is a handgun designed for concealed carry. The pistol weighs but 20 ounces unloaded. Most smaller handguns are a compromise of some type in performance size and weight. The Masada Slim is less of a compromise than many. The pistol is delivered with two magazines, a tool to remove the optics mounting plate and a gun lock. A card is scanned on the smart phone to download the owner’s manual. Fit and finish are credible.
This handgun features modular construction similar to the Beretta APX and SIG P320. The fire control unit is easily removed. While advantageous in some ways IWI doesn’t offer optional grip modules or slides. Perhaps later? But don’t let this be a factor in your purchase.
IWI may not have name recognition like Smith & Wesson or Ruger but their name carries great respect. IWI works with IMI and the Israeli Defense Force in designing weapons. No room for compromise or unreliable firearms in this role! IWI has taken the Masada and modified it into a surprisingly slim pistol. While thin the grip offers a good gripping surface and the texture offers an attractive and useful balance between adhesion and abrasion. While snag free there is sufficient texture for a good firing grip.
The pistol is simple enough with no manual safety. There is the usual blade type safety set into the trigger face. The slide lock and magazine latch are the only controls. The trigger is the heart of a handgun. The trigger action breaks at 4.6 pounds’ pressure with a sharp consistent trigger re-set.
The 13-round capacity metal magazines are well constructed and did not need a magazine loader to load to full capacity. In common with many modern handguns a tapered shape of the magazines and wide magazine well make for rapid magazine changes.
The pistol is optics ready an option I did not explore. In smaller handguns take down is sometimes more difficult, there is less room for designers to include a take down lever. The pistol is unloaded and the take down lever – actually a cover- is pressed forward to reveal the take down pin. Study the location and orientation of the take down pin before you field strip the piece. Lock the slide to the rear remove this pin and allow the slide to run forward. The recoil spring assembly and barrel are easily removed. The pistol features a dual recoil spring assembly. The pistol features forward cocking serrations and well-designed combat sights including a wide U notch rear sight. This is ideal for combat shooting.
I began the test with a likely supply of ammunition, common items on the shelf, and a pistol straight out of the box. The Masada’s heft and balance are good leading to a natural point as man sized targets were addressed. Good hits were not difficult. The pistol’s recoil is modest and practical accuracy excellent for the size. Most of the ammunition expended was FMJ type but a number of JHP loads were also tested.
I also fired the pistol for absolute accuracy from a solid bench rest.
Accuracy testing-
Load Velocity 5 shot group 15 yards
Black Hills 115 gr. EXP 1190 fps 2.0 in.
Black Hills 100 gr. Honey Badger 1277 fps 1.8 in.
Black Hills 124 gr. JHP 1100 fps 2.3 in.
Federal 124 grain Hydra Shock 1090 fps 2.3 in.
Federal American Eagle 124 gr. 1122 fps 2.5 in.
Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr. 1088 fps 1.75 in.
Winchester 147 gr. FMJ 901 fps 2.2 in.
The Masada Slim handles well and never failed to feed camber fire or eject. I have fired a modest amount of ammunition about 300 cartridges over the past month. The pistol seems as well made and reliable as the full size Masada. The full size gun has an excellent reputation. The Masada Slim doesn’t shoot as well as the full size pistol- the laws of physics don’t allow that- but compared to any other sub compact handgun this is a great shooter. With an average retail less than five hundred dollars this is a pistol well worth its price.
Masada Slim
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 13 rounds
Action: Striker fired, polymer frame.
Bbl.: 3.4 inches
Weight: 20.2 ounces.
