IWI Masada OR 9mm Striker-Fired Pistol

What he said. I’ve been mostly a Glock & Smith & Wesson shooter for well over 40 years (the first decade plus Glock wasn’t in the mix). I had really no intention of adding another maker to my stable, however a buddy picked up one of these and I had a chance to run some rounds through it at the range. Color me impressed. Enough so that I started reading some reviews on it, talking to different people, and generally getting more familiar with the pistol.

A combination of several things put me in a position financially where I could pick up a new gun with little or no personal financial outlay....it was a bit disconcerting to be at a loss of what to buy. I’d already gotten the Gen 5 Glocks I was interested in, had S&W’s I like, and my most recent purchase had been a Ruger Mark IV tactical for cheap range fun. it occurred to me this would be a great time to try out Masada ownership with very little to lose. If I didn’t like it, I could flop it easy enough, so I picked one up
A spare Vortex RDS was on the shelf, waiting for a host so it went on. I pulled it apart and polished what little there was TO polish, since finishing on machined internals was excellent. The trigger needed no work; one of the better out of the box triggers I’ve encountered. All that was left was to shoot it and look for a holster,
The holster turned out easier than I expected, with a Dara OWB rig, which is the nicest kydex holster I think I’ve ever bought. I then set out to shoot it, a lot. 1500 rds in a week, then 800 the second week, by the end of a month I was bumping against 4000 rds. Perfectly reliable, not one misfire or hiccup, and it’s stayed that way.
It’s a superb pistol. Very good accuracy, flat shooting. Great trigger gets better with every outing. It’s a full size gun, but comfortable to hold and shoot, even with fairly small hands. I’m shooting it more than my Glocks by choice. It’s a fantastic value, very well made, very dependable. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a high quality striker fired 9mm. You’ll be hard pressed finding a better value

AntekPL said:
I really should do a range report, to come to think of it, but I'll jot down some basic first impressions.

I had been eyeballing the Jericho for years. But the last 5 I've focused mainly on the likes of the Sig P250, M&P9, Walther PPX. Now, after glancing at those 3, most afficiados may scoff and and say, those are budget market pistols, this guy is an amateur, blah blah. Well, yes, I am an amateur. With a budget, looking for a reliable, versatile pistol and always wanting to delve into the famed world of IWI. Everyone has a preference. However, this is what I had to compare against, from performance, ergonomics, reliability and the big seller, price point.

Enter the Masada.
Please note these are personal observations, based on my hand size, body type, experience etc. Every shooter is different but...right out of the box the pistol felt like an extension of my arm.

Ergonomics: right out of the box, the pistol was as if fitted to my hand with the mounted backstraps. This isn't a fanboy rave, it just felt, right. The system comes with an additional 2 backstraps on top of the already mounted one for what seems a variety of hand size types. My father for example, has mitts like you took a hockey glove and sewed skin over it, and quick 5 minute backstrap switch out, he was comfortably chucking lead down range like it wasnt his first time running the Masada. As there is a large difference between mine and his mitts, i can comfortably say the selection in back straps is sufficient.

Functionality: When they say fully ambi, they really mean it minus the ejection port. I'm a left handed shooter through and through. What made me smile with the Masada, unlike my P250 where I had to switch the mag release to the other (which wasnt a big deal), the Masada comes with a fully ambi mag release, ready to go. Left hand or right hand. No switching or fiddling. Slide releases on both sides as well. Pass it over to Pops beside me for a run, and the only thing changed over is the shooting hand, nothing on the pistol. Serrated cuts on slide, a squared trigger guard, picatinny rail on bottom. I cant speak to the optic ready as of yet, as I just ordered it lol my current Masada is the non optic ready version.

Performance: Ran 6 different types of 9mm ammunition including Independence, Hornadys Critical Defense, Federal, Surplus, UMC and Maxxtech. 1200 rounds total. Not one failure to feed, eats everything like a fat kid on a birthday party marathon. Make sure your grip is on point everytime...tha slide bite is unforgiving! But that's on me. Mag changes flawless. I didnt have the slide stop problem that's been mentioned in some reviews online.

Accuracy: This really boils down to a shooters individual skills, but the rounds landed where I pointed. At the 3m, 5m, 10m and 25m mark, solid groups. (Will add pics with measurements later)

Sights: Simple 3 dot irons. Lines up well, nice and visible. Catches the eye quick.

Frame: Rugged, durable but aesthetically pleasing.

Trigger: The Masada advertises an average pull from 5.5 to 7 Lb. The break is clean, crisp and has a positive reset, together with a built-in trigger safety. Personally, I'm very happy with the trigger, but again, I ran a nightmare P250 trigger for a while before jumping onto the Masada train, hence my happiness which I'm sure is understandable.

Takedown: Easy peasy. Flip the lever, disassemble.

Price Point: Find a better price or better value for what your getting on an IWI class product, and I'll concede defeat. I'll wait.

Versatility: Potential to be your primary, back up, plinker, comp. pistol, all of the above? Check.

Final thoughts: When comparing to entry level EDC pistols, the IWI Masada takes the cake based on my personal experience. At the same time, ran it together side by side with my buddy's Glock 19. Comparable? Absolutely. My buddy was blown away.

Please note, from what I've read this is a combat pistol, or developed as such, as with the majority of IWI products. If you're looking to compare against high end CZ's or P320 Legions, well...you're missing the point behind this pistol. IWI has developed a fully ambi, budget friendly, aesthetically pleasing, solid, reliable, bring on the elements combat pistol that is a simple, no frills, no BS offering. This pistol is a TOOL, plain and simple.

Can you run it in competitions? I'm sure in right hands you definetly can. Would it make a hell of a backup pistol? Yup! Will IWI and other top accessory manufacturers capitalize on its versatility? They'd have to be crazy not to.

If your on the fence, I say go for it. You will not be disappointed.

Antek
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Great pistol for the money, however there seems to be a vacuum when it come to replacement sights? any offerings?
 
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The Masada is by far the smoothest, flattest shooting out of the box pistol I have seen.
The trigger is just absolutely beautiful, I've always been a Glock guy and still am but his sweetheart has earned her way to the front of my vault.

If you are looking for a 9mm pistol that will go above and beyond I highly recommend the Masada. Make sure you grab extra mags because it will quickly become your favorite pistol.

Not to mention Ambidextrous everything. Local Windsor Action pistol club member more than welcome to run some mags through mine if your there when I'm there :)
 
I’m getting close to a year of ownership, and just crossed the 8000 rd. Mark. The Masada has been brilliant; Extremely reliable, and it’s handled the significant round count much better than anyone could expect.I don’t know if it was ever determined what kind of finish treatment is on this gun, but it’s tough. No real signs of wear on the slide or frame. The holster I went with (Dara) is heavy kydex with very high. Friction retention, and it really hasn’t chewed off any finish. I have a leather holster on order,but only because I prefer leather to kydex. Certainly no need just to avoid holster marring.
Trigger continued to smooth and lighten up to about 6000rds. It’s now very smooth and quick.
I have sold my G17 and one of my G19’s that were just not getting used. This & my Glock 48 get all the range time. If IWI gets on. The modularity bandwagon, I’ll buy another one to turn it into a customized shooter, Come on, guys...get with the expansion of the models frame sizes,,,even a PCC would be very nice
 
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