SAR9 X Platinum — 19 Rounds of Style and Function

In a market dominated by black, plastic pistols, the SAR9 X Platinum stands out. The platinum finish is dynamite, but there’s also its features, amenities, and price tag. Sarsilmaz (SAR) is a well-respected Turkish manufacturer who has been in business since 1880. The standard SAR9 was originally designed to fill a military contract, and it is used in military and police units around the world. I first saw one at an NRA Expo a few years back.

I was already familiar with SAR because its B6 pistol had been a big seller in my gun store, and we used one as a loaner in my training classes. So, I was a little bit anxious to see the new SAR, but upon seeing it I immediately dismissed it as “just another black gun.” The new SAR was black and just didn’t have any lure that set it apart for me. However, later when I saw the 9X Platinum, it was a different story. It was one of the most attractive guns I’ve seen. Not only does it pop, but it also sizzles.

Platinum Features

I opened the big red carrying case to reveal a striker-fired, 17+1 capacity, 9mm pistol with a striking platinum, silvery finish contrasted by black controls and three black interchangeable grip inserts to tailor the fit to a wide variety of hand sizes. The SAR9 X Platinum is what I would classify as a full-size pistol. It contains a 4.4-inch barrel, has an overall length of 7.6 inches, height is 5.5 inches, and the maximum width is 1.4 inches. The 9X Platinum weighs 27.5 ounces empty. You can absolutely carry this pistol either outside or inside the waistband.

The SAR ships with a 17-round magazine and an extended baseplate 19-round model. The SAR9X Platinum can ship with two 10-round magazines — if your state requires this. In addition to the pistol, magazines and extra grip inserts, the box contained a paddle mount retention holster, dual magazine carrier, cleaning rod and mop, magazine loading tool, and a tactical light. The light uses a push-button spring mechanism to snap on and off the forward rail without need for tools, so it’s simple to pop on in the evening for nightstand duty. The bright focused-beam light is powered by one CR123 battery. The switch is on the left side, so a simple flick of the left forefinger back towards you turns the light on or off. Flick it on, off, and back on, and the light goes into strobe mode.

The slide features cocking serrations front and back and an interesting set of cutouts toward the muzzle. The barrel isn’t ported, nor does it need to be. The cutouts are there to reduce slide weight and cycle time while adding to the sharp appearance of the 9X Platinum. Rather than using levers protruding from the slide for takedown, the SAR9 X has inset vertical sliding controls.

The front strap is textured and complemented by shallow finger grooves. There are scallops for the thumb and forefinger, and they work for right- or left-hand shooting. These extend just a little over the magazine release at the bottom to prevent an inadvertent magazine drop. The slide release has a little shelf under it, so your thumb won’t accidentally bump it into the path of the slide during recoil.

The takedown levers are flush fitting and have a textured surface doubling as a gripping area to initiate disassembly and giving a sure place to rest your forefinger when the gun is drawn and at the ready. Pull down to release the slide, barrel, and recoil spring off the muzzle end of the frame. This keeps the frame clean and reduces the number of ‘snag points’ on the gun. If you have short fingers, the frame has a little texturing behind the latches to do the same. The bottom of the frame has scallops on either side to help grasp the base of the magazine in case it doesn’t want to drop easily.

Trigger Tuning

To me, the trigger is a make-it-or-break feature of a gun, and the trigger on this one almost soured me on the whole pistol. I loved the gun. However, there was some roughness getting to the 5.5-pound trigger break that shouldn’t have been there. It was not only on my gun, but another writer I correspond with from time to time had also recently picked up a SAR9 X and his trigger was rough, too.

As I examined the gun internally, I noticed the trigger bar was in contact with the inner part of the frame. Just a slight bit of bending with a pair of needle-nose pliers straightened the trigger right up. I told my friend what I’d discovered, and he was able to clean his trigger up, too.

There’s about .25-inch of free take-up travel followed by another .25-inch of travel under pressure before the break. To reset, the trigger must move about ⅜-inch forward. You’ll have no trouble hearing and feeling this if you like to ride the trigger reset.

The SAR9 X implements the standard leaf safety in the trigger face — the trigger won’t move unless the leaf is depressed first. You’ll note a bright red cocking status indicator in the upper rear of the trigger body. This shows whether the trigger is fully forward which also indicates whether the striker is cocked. The SAR9 X also includes ambidextrous frame-mounted safety levers, in case you like an extra layer of protection when carrying the gun.

The sights are the standard three-dot variety. The front sight is screwed into place through the slide, so it has no lateral movement. The rear sight is dovetail mounted with a locking Allen screw. For windage adjustments, just loosen this screw and drift side to side as necessary. This arrangement makes it easy to replace the existing sights with aftermarket sights.

A Glock-style front sight works, while the rear sight is compatible with an M&P sight. I like tritium night sights, so I did that modification to my gun. That’s all moot now. I later mounted a Riton TACTIX MPRD 2 red dot sight. The 9 X’s slide was pre-drilled and threaded for a red dot sight, and the Riton fit those holes perfectly. The rear sights do not superimpose with the red dot as they are quite a bit lower.

SAR USA SAR9 X Semi-Auto Pistol

• Model: SAR9XPTBL
• Action: Striker fired
• Caliber: 9mm
• Barrel: 4.4 inches
• Frame: Platinum polymer
• Slide finish: Black
• Rail: Picatinny
• Sights: Adjustable three-dot
  • Dual white dot rear sight
• Thumb safety: Ambidextrous
• Slide serrations: Front and rear
• Slide: Lightening cuts

Includes:

• Two magazines: 19-round, 17-round
• Interchangeable back straps and side panels
• Lockable polymer case
• Kydex paddle-style holster
• Pistol flashlight
• Magazine loader

I’ve had zero malfunctions over the course of multiple range sessions. I’ve used a variety of both range and defensive ammo and have been very pleased with the accuracy as well as the trouble-free operation. The SAR9 X seems to like 147-grain ammo the best, often putting five or more shots into one ragged hole at ranges out to five yards. From the bench, SIG’s 147-grain JHP produced the best group at 25 yards at 2.5 inches.

Conclusion

It’s a very pleasant shooting gun due to the texture on the grip pad and overall balance of the gun. I like the SAR9 X so much that I carry it from time to time. I have two holsters for it: one is a Crossbreed Reckoning model, and the other is an N8Tactical IWB holster. This is a gun you can count on when the chips are down and can be proud of when it’s show-off time at the gun range. And it’s all available for less than $600.

The SAR9 needs little introduction, so it is of little wonder that the SAR9 X would be a hit. And the addition of the Platinum finish just goes that much further. Do you agree? Share your review in the Comment section.