Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), is the leader in firearms that meet the most rigorous standards and can be used in harsh environments. During the development of many of its weapon system, IWI collaborates closely with the Israel Defense Force. This ensures that the products it produces meet the needs and demands of combat men and women who require every advantage and edge. IWI brought its Masada Slim to this year’s Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. American shooter is another beneficiary of IWI’s small arms expertise. IWI US (a subsidiary), makes firearms available to the U.S. markets. One of the company’s latest products combines the IWI’s expertise and tough-as nails build quality into a micro-compact size that is perfect for concealed carry and EDC. Slim and sleek The full-sized Masada pistol from IWI was one of my favorites that I tried over the past few years. This was the company’s first venture into striker-fired pistols. It was rugged and extremely accurate. It was also a great value for money. IWI condensed all of these qualities into a lighter and smaller package called the Masada Slim. The Masada Slim is approximately the same size as a Sig Sauer P365 XL. It’s slightly larger than the P365 and Hellcat micro-compacts. The slightly larger size has the advantage of a longer grip and a higher capacity at 13+1 rounds. Although the Masada Slim may not be as thin as the P365 XL it is much thinner than the original Masada. With my calipers, I measured 1.14 inches after adjusting for the slide stop. This is enough to conceal carry comfortably. The Masada Slim is built on a fiberglass-reinforced polymer frame that serves as a receptacle for the removable steel trigger chassis. The Masada Slim’s modular trigger frame is similar to the P320 series pistols. It serves as the serialized firearm part. The component can be moved easily from one frame to the next. The end user can mount the chassis in different colored grip frames, or frames with different capacities, provided IWI or other companies offer replacement frame modules. Optics or Iron Sights The Masada Slim’s top side features a cold-hammer-forged barrel that is long-lasting. Recoil mitigation is also possible thanks to a dual-captive, recoil spring. The slide has serviceable cocking serrations at both the front and back for easy manipulation and pressing checking. The slide includes a direct mount optics cut that allows the user to attach a variety RDOs. This includes a Shield RMSc and Holosun EP. Direct-mount systems have the advantage of allowing factory sights to be used in conjunction with red-dot units using the Shield footprint. The Masada Slim is a K.I.S.S. model. Keep It Simple, Stupid. It has a blacked out and serrated rear sight, with a white dot sight up front. This provides better contrast and faster acquisition. I did some research and found conflicting information regarding the slide’s finish. However, a company representative told me that the finish information was not published. This is something I have never heard of before and it is important information for buyers. IWI’s reputation for quality and reliability is something I will give the benefit of the doubt. The finish should also be strong enough to withstand civilian abuse. The Masada Slim ships equipped with two magazines and a MSRP of $450. This is a good price considering the quality of IWI products and the cost of other micro-compacts available. We didn’t take anything for granted and decided to reserve final judgment until we had the chance to spend some time at the range with the Masada Slim. Shooting Impressions: I went to the range with a few of my friends, including some new shooters, in order to get a feel for it, especially when compared to other pistols I had. We were impressed by a few things right out of the gate. The grip is very comfortable and the pistol’s hand naturally holds it high for better control. One of our new shooters was a female and the Masada Slim was her favorite of all the pistols she tried. Emalene loved the size of the grip and the ease with which she could reach the trigger. She felt she could control the trigger better than most. She wasn’t alone. Several people commented on the ease with which the Masada slim was to hold and shoot during the session. The grip is very comfortable. However, I found the texturing a little too subtle for me. Although the grip was not slick, I felt that the texturing could be more aggressive. This is just my personal preference. The magazine locks in place with a positive locking action. Although it takes some extra effort to fully seat the magazine, it is more comforting than anything else. The magazine was ejected quickly and forcefully upon hitting the mag release. A portion of the magazine’s baseplate protrudes enough to form a nice lips. It’s easy to grasp so that the user can easily rip the magazine out if they have any issues. Pulling the trigger on the Masada slim The trigger pull is a little more than average. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible. There is a little bit of smooth pre-travel before you hit the wall. It then breaks at an average of 4.5 pounds. The reset happens quickly and there is minimal trigger travel so you can take quick follow-up shots. I was reminded a bit of the Ruger MAX-9’s trigger pulling by the feel of the pull-and-break. Everyone kept complimenting the Masada Slim when we finally settled down for serious shooting. Despite its small size, it was able to withstand recoil very well. It was easy to control and stayed on target for quick follow up shots. The accuracy of the offhand was also excellent. Despite the pistol’s short sight radius, I was still able to place a seven-round group in less than 1.5 inches at 15 meters. Although these shots were slower than normal, it’s still a very impressive performance for a micro-compact pistol. Following that, I shot five-round groups at 7 yards from the bench per our testing protocol. The Masada Slim was able to handle a wide range of ammunition types. The average group size for all loads was 1.01 inches. Hornady’s Critical Defense load 115-grain was used to create the best five-shot group measuring.63 inches. The Masada Slim is a highly accurate pistol that can meet all your defensive needs. Reliability is another key aspect of a defensive pistol’s performance. This was also no problem. The Masada Slim handled everything, no matter what it was: hollow points, ball ammunition, truncated rounds or even flex-tip loads. One of our new shooters had an issue with two pistols that were malfunctioning due to limp-wristing in recoil. The Masada Slim didn’t have this issue for her. That is due to her grip design and the ergos. Final Notes Overall, the Masada Slim was a competent pistol. It didn’t have all the features one would expect from a cutting-edge defensive pistol like an accessory rail or ambi slide stop. It’s hard to beat for a pistol this small when it comes down to the most important things, such as accuracy, reliability, ergonomics and recoil control. The Masada Slim is an excellent value at $450. It can mount your favorite red dot. The Masada Slim from IWI is a great choice if you are looking for a micro-compact. It has a strong pedigree and will deliver the goods. IWI.us has more information. IWI Masada Slim Specs Caliber: 9mm
Barrel: 3.4 inches
Overall Length: 5.88 Inches
Weight: 20.3 ounces (empty).
Grips: A glass-reinforced, polymer
Sights: Three dots adjustable
Action: Striker-fired
Finish: N/A
Capacity: 13+1
MSRP: $450. This article was originally published by Personal Defense World in the February/March 2023 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Or call 1-800-284-5668, or email [email protected]. Continue Reading Search The post Tested – The IWI Masada Slim 9mm Micro-Compact Carry Pistol appeared originally on Personal Defense World.
