It took the Masada more than two years to make it to the U.S. but it is here now and all signs point to it being worth the wait. (Photo: IWI)

SEE THE MASADA IN STOCK FROM $422

Pennsylvania-based IWI US long ago teased the Masada striker-fired 9mm handgun and it has finally made it to dealer’s shelves.

First mentioned originally back in 2017, the handgun was shown off at overseas trade shows but was notably absent from IWI’s booth here in the states. Featuring a low-profile barrel as well as fully ambidextrous controls and enhanced ergonomics, the Masada is intended for civilian, law enforcement, and military markets.

Then, in late July 2019, IWI announced the handgun was, in fact, inbound and had lots of features such as ambidextrous controls, multiple interchangeable back-straps, a low-bore axis for reduced felt recoil, and a built-in trigger safety set with a 6-pound pull. Further, the Masada is out-of-the-box optics ready and includes interchangeable mounting plates for the Trijicon RMR, Leupold Delta Point, Sig Sauer Romeo 01, and Vortex Venom.

When it comes to specs, the handgun with Israeli roots is equipped with a 4.1-inch cold-hammer-forged barrel with a 1-in-10-inch right-hand twist. With an overall length of 7.4 inches, it weighs in at 23-ounces with a 10- or 17-round magazine depending on state restrictions. Height and width, all-important for those seeking to conceal a handgun, is 5.6- and 1.34-inches, respectively.

The Masada’s specs put it in the full-size pistol category such as an S&W M&P9 or Glock G17 (Photo: IWI)

This puts the gun in the virtually the same region of ounces and inches as the duty-sized Glock G17. However, the Masada runs about $100 cheaper and is optics-ready, plus, it has a serialized chassis system such as the Steyr M9 or Sig P320 that can be swapped out into a different frame.

Note the front and rear slide serrations (Photo: IWI)

James Reeves, with The Firearm Blog, recently found a Masada in the wild and gave it a pretty extensive review, calling it a “Glock 17 for those who don’t want a Glock 17,” noting the similarity in specs between the two duty-sized handguns.

SEE THE MASADA IN STOCK FROM $422