First Impressions and Features
When I pulled the SA-9 out of the box, the first things that struck me were the attention to detail and craftsmanship put into this firearm. This is also reflected in the company Shield chooses to keep when building out the platform.
The gun comes with a Midwest Industries 6-inch Combat Series handguard. Everything I’ve encountered from Midwest Industries has been extremely high quality, so it’s great to see Shield Arms teaming up with such a reputable manufacturer.
Related – Walking the Walk: Shield Arms Factory Tour
The same could be said of the safety selector, charging handle, and trigger. After seeing Shield Arms’ manufacturing facilities, I know the company could have made these in house. Instead, Shield chose to surround the gun with winners already known in the industry. The Radian Raptor charging handle feels overbuilt for the platform but runs so smoothly.
You could echo that sentiment about the Radian Talon Ambi safety selector, which is set up for a 45-degree throw. It works naturally in this setting and is a cinch to manipulate. When it comes to the trigger, I dry-fired it once, and that was enough to know that the Hiperfire Enhanced Duty Designated Marksman Trigger was one of the best I’ve ever felt. Oddly enough, this isn't the same trigger that ships with the SA-9 today, but it does show the versatility of the platform to accept third-party triggers. Either way, it had me itching to get on the range.
Finally, each gun ships with two Glock mags with Shield Arms +5 basepads – some of the best in the business – and a Mountain Partisan sling from Shield’s sister company.
Proprietary Systems and Unique Differences
My other big note is the FLR, or folding lower receiver, part of this gun. This proprietary system treats the folder more like a traditional AR, with the buffer integrated into the SB Tactical pistol brace. I’ve been shooting a lot of roller-delayed PCCs lately, so I was eager to see and try something totally different. The Shield Arms design has pros and cons, but we’ll dissect that in the range section.
Besides the trigger, the only other difference between my model and Shield's current model is the muzzle device. The gun they shipped me has a Dead Air KeyMo muzzle device, while the guns they sell now ship with a more standard A2 birdcage. I think each has benefits and drawbacks, but again, we’ll get to those in a minute.
For transparancy, Shield Arms sent this gun for review and all testing and evaluation has been done on this one gun.
Specs
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 20+1 – Ships with two 20-round mags, but takes any Glock 19 mag
Length: 13 inches (folded), 23.5 inches (unfolded)
Barrel Length: 7.5 inches
Barrel Material: 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium steel with a QPQ Corrosion Resistant Finish
Weight: 5 pounds, 9 ounces
Initial Shots
The first shots confirmed that this gun isn’t just a pleasure to shoot, it's also among the most accurate PCCs I’ve shot. Much of that can be ascribed to the Hiperfire Enhanced Duty Designated Marksman Trigger. What a marksman trigger is doing in a PCC is beyond me, but you won’t find me complaining about it. This is one of the nicest triggers I’ve ever felt. There is zero take-up and a crisp, easy break with a short reset to get you back on target quickly.
The only downside to the initial firing came when I realized that, because of how the buffer system on the gun works, I can’t fire while the brace is folded. Sure, firing while folded is cool. But unless you’re working a security job where you’ll be in and out of a vehicle a lot, I don’t see a need to shoot folded. It’s fun on the range, but there is little practical use to it.
I paired the SA-9 with a U.S. Optics TSR-1, which seemed appropriate as the company’s HQ is in Kalispell, Montana. The optic added to the trigger for an incredibly accurate gun. I wish the TSR-1 were shake-awake, but it's a bit of an older design. As I ran up the round count, it never lost zero and functioned reliably to complement the SA-9 perfectly.
Running Up the Round Count
Since I got the SA-9 in October, I’ve put around 1,500 rounds through it without a single hiccup – until the last magazine I shot. I had a single malfunction, a failure to chamber a round, with Gold Dot Carbine ammo on the last round of the mag. Life goes that way sometimes, but I would say one malfunction for 1,500 rounds is pretty good. This includes lots of Federal ammo, ranging from Syntech to Hydra-shok and everything in between.
I also shot lots of PMC Bronze and Turkish surplus ammo through it. One brand in particular was causing quite a few primer strike issues with some handguns I had, but the SA-9 chewed through it all, including cycling it through multiple 50-round Magpul drummy mags. So, I’ll chalk that last malfunction up to dumb luck, as it never skipped a beat prior.
While you can adjust the buffer weights in this design, I never felt the need. It ran like such a champ out of the box that I wanted to keep it as is. It should be noted that Shield Arms sent this gun, and all testing has been done on this one gun without any breakdown for cleaning or maintenance.
I look forward to taking the SA-9 to the range every time, and I look forward to the day I get to run through some training classes with it. I appreciate that Shield Arms made this system run on Glock mags, since that opens a lot of aftermarket options for different mags.
The Mountain Partisan sling has come in handy and is comfortable to wear around the range. I appreciate the bungee functionality and look forward to training more with these slings.
My only other addition was a Magpul handstop. I like these on PCCs as a final safety precaution, and I feel like they add a bit more control as well. The SA-9 no longer ships with the KeyMo muzzle device, instead featuring a more standard A2-style birdcage. Some would say this is a detriment, because 9mm doesn’t need a birdcage the same way a rifle might. On the other hand, with the KeyMo muzzle device, you’re locked into Dead Air products. Either muzzle device can be removed to reveal a standard 1/2x28 thread pitch.
Pros and Cons
Conclusion
This feels like the start of a beautiful relationship with the SA-9. I’m looking forward to running some classes with it and adding a suppressor. I should probably break it down for a cleaning, but it doesn’t feel like it really needs it. I bet I could easily double my round count before that needs to happen, but I don’t clean my guns religiously.
If you’re looking for your next home defense PCC, truck gun, competition gun or any combo of the above, the SA-9 would perform well in any of those roles.
