New Israeli Pistol Achieves High Operational Safety

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A new line of pistols for military, law enforcement, and civilian markets has been launched by

Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), an SK Group member. The new Striker-based line places special emphasis on operational safety and simplicity of maintenance, as well as a high level of ergonomics and ease of use, according to the company’s announcement.

The first model is the full-size 9X19mm MASADA, which will be available from Q1/18. The MASADA has several advanced safety mechanisms including a firing pin block safety, a clean and crisp trigger reset with a built-in trigger safety, and a fast, easy and safe takedown – with no need to pull the trigger. The pistol can be provided with or without manual safety. The body has a glass-reinforced polymer frame as well as a polygonal cold hammer forged barrel with a 1:10RH twist rate.  

Additional features include fully ambidextrous operating controls and fixed 3-dot tritium illuminated Meprolight night sights. It offers 100% interchangeability with a compatible trigger mechanism housing, reducing maintenance and life-cycle costs.

The pistol has an overall length of 6.6″ (186.4mm) with a barrel length of 4.1″ (104mm), and a weight without the magazine of 22.9 ounces  (650 g).