Masada Slim 9mm — Concealed Carry Redefined

A few years ago, I reviewed the IWI Masada 9mm service pistol. I found it to be a reliable handgun with good accuracy and excellent hand fit. The newest modification of the Masada is the Masada Slim. I like the Masada Slim 9mm even better than the original pistol. In my estimation, this is a pistol that shoots as well as the larger gun and offers an outstanding handgun accuracy for concealed carry.

The pistol is a compact design with a 13-round magazine. This gives the Masada Slim the same capacity as the larger and heavier Browning Hi-Power. As a rule, compact pistols of the pre-Glock past have been less effective and reliable than full size pistols. In this case, there is little compromise when choosing the Masada Slim and a great deal of incentive for concealed carry.

Design and Features

The Masada Slim chambers the 9mm Luger cartridge. It is reliable and more accurate than expected. In common with most modern introductions, the Masada Slim is a polymer-frame striker-fired 9mm pistol.

The pistol’s design is slim and designed expressly for concealed carry. The pistol weighs but 1.27 pounds. The slide is well machined, and features high-profile sights and forward cocking serrations. The slim line grip is almost svelte.

The flat trigger is controllable with a remarkably clean break. Reset is clean and rapid. A rapid reset is more important than the break in a combat pistol according to many. The Masada Slim makes for a useful concealed carry piece that is light on the hip but comes out shooting like a big gun.

The Masada isn’t the cheapest gun, but neither is it as expensive as some in the class. I think the price — around $500 — is fair for the quality and performance of the reliable Masada Slim.

The front sight features a white dot. The snag-free rear sight allows racking the slide on the belt. The rear sight features a U-notch, sometimes called the Old Man’s sight, and is ideal for most defensive shooting. The sight picture is well designed for fast shooting but also allows precise fire to at least 25 yards.

The pistol is optics ready (an option I did not explore during the initial evaluation). The barrel is 3.4 inches long. While compact, the barrel length exhibits modest velocity loss compared to larger handguns. The only safety feature is a striker block along with a blade-type safety set in the trigger face. The pistol is safe when the trigger finger is off the trigger, and ready to fire when the trigger finger is in register. Not a lot to think about there.

The controls are not ambidextrous but easily manipulated. This is a modular design. The fire control group is easily removed in a manner similar to the SIG P320. The result is the pistol is easily field stripped and cleaned. There is little advantage, however, since IWI doesn’t presently offer other slides, grip modules, or barrel lengths.  

The pistol is between the SIG P365 and Glock 48 size. The grip fits most hands well. The pistol is compact enough for constant carry — the whole purpose of a compact design. The handle texture is proper for concealed carry. The front strap and rear strap are more aggressively treated than the side panels offering a good mix of adhesion and abrasion.

The pistol is relatively light at just over 20 ounces unloaded. Takedown requires you to clear the chamber and drop the magazine. Lock the slide to the rear. A takedown button is pressed forward exposing a takedown pin. The pin is removed allowing the slide to run forward on releasing the slide release. The recoil spring and guide and barrel are easily removed at this point.

The value of a service-grade pistol is that it will withstand severe abuse and neglect and still function. The pistol should give you a chance of winning the war if it comes. From a carjack assault to a Russian sword dance, the dangers of the world are many. The IWI Masada is designed to stand high training use with little access to maintenance.

Your expenditure on the handgun depends on your focus. The Masada Slim is a reliable handgun that allows the shooter to spend most of their budget on ammunition and training. The Masada Slim allows to you take control of a situation. The pistol is made in Israel, a country that represents emotional and intellectual focus for many of us. One thing for certain, they don’t make junk.

In Israel, an important distinction, between their training and ours, is that every adult has had military training and this training is heavy on safety. Sporting guns are rare, although it is common to see armed people in the street (including folks with slung rifles). It is a very prepared nation because of this training. I thank God we do not have to be on this type of alert. On the other hand, there are very dangerous places in America I don’t wish to visit.

Range Testing

The IWI Masada Slim 9mm is equally at home in either environment. During the firing test, I was able to fire 320 cartridges in the Masada Slim and allowed several interested shooters to fire the pistol. There were no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject. Recoil wasn’t a problem, somewhat more in the Glock 19 class than small pistol class. Then again, that is a virtue of the 9mm — modest recoil.

Most of the ammunition fired was Remington 115-grain FMJ. I also used a small quantity of steel-cased ammunition and 40 rounds of handloads using a hard cast RNL bullet. Function was good with good practical accuracy. Most of the firing was done at 7 and 10 yards.

The pistol comes on target quickly and center hits are easy enough with attention to the basics. Par for the course, you must slow down a bit to get center hits at 15 to 20 yards. Manage the trigger, confirm the sight picture, and you’ll have a hit. The pistol is controllable, stable in rapid fire, and handles well. A tapered magazine running into a generous magazine well makes for rapid reloading.

Firing for accuracy from a benchrest isn’t as important as practical accuracy, but we should confirm how the pistol is sighted and accuracy is interesting. The IWI Masada Slim is well regulated for 124-grain loads. The 147-grain loads fire slightly high.

Shot placement is the single most important component of wound potential. I generally prefer the 124-grain 9mm hollow point, but there are good choices in other weights. I fired the pistol from an MTM Case-Gard K Zone shooting rest and confirmed accuracy. A 4.5 pound trigger compression helped with managing the pistol.                

The pistol never failed to function with standard pressure or +P loads.

Concealed Carry

The pistol was carried concealed in a Crossbreed Taco Holster. This is a secure holster with a good balance of speed and retention. The Masada Slim 9mm disappears under light covering garments.

I find the IWI Masada Slim 9mm a good pistol, better than most, and well worth a hard look for anyone needing a reliable defensive pistol.

Not the name most go to when they think of a pistol for concealed carry, but it certainly seems to have all the right stuff. What’s your opinion or review of the IWI Masada Slim? Share your answer in the Comment section.