Palmetto State Armory seems dedicated to slowly taking over the world, selling something for everyone. One of their latest ventures is the polymer-frame pistol market, specifically the micro compacts with the PSA Micro Dagger.
The Micro Dagger series isn’t a direct copy of the Glock 43X and Glock 48, but they are pretty close. It’s the same general Glock-style design, but PSA puts a spin on it.
The Micro Dagger and the Details
The Glock 43X and G48 have MOS models with rails and optics cuts, but the PSA Micro Daggers are all cut for optics and feature a rail for lights, lasers, and the like. The optics cut is fairly standard and uses the Shield RMSc footprint, and PSA even packages some of their Micro Daggers with Holosun optics.
PSA also makes a ton of different models. There are models with 3.41-inch barrels, models with longer 4.15-inch barrels, and models that blend longer slides with shorter barrels. Those models use a built-in compensator design with a 3.41-inch barrel and a two-slot comp.
Not to mention the various options from a threaded barrel, various finishes, and other details. PSA is a big fan of giving consumers what they want, and they do it by releasing new SKUs at a rapid rate.
One of the big changes is the PSA Micro Dagger magazine. The Glock guns are stuck using 10-round single-stack magazines. There are the famed Shield magazines, which are all metal and require a metal magazine release to function.
PSA created a hybrid design that would make Lancer a little jealous. The Micro Dagger magazines are a mix of polymer and metal, and this allows for a polymer magazine release and, to get straight to the point, they offer a capacity of 15 rounds.
That’s a big upgrade; 15 is a good bit more than 10, especially in such a small gun.
Dropping Strikers With the Micro Dagger
I’ve had hands-on time with three of the Micro Dagger models. I’ve shot the long one and the compensated one, but my favorite is the standard model with the 3.41-inch barrel.
The compensated gun and the bigger gun both have a bit less recoil, but a smaller gun is easier to carry, and that’s what attracts me to this model of the Micro Dagger. It’s such an easy-carrying and easy-shooting gun that when you judge it as a total package, it’s the one I’d pick.
Let’s talk about grips. They do a lot: helping you shoot accurately, control the gun, and giving you the main point of contact with the firearm. The real trick to the Micro Dagger is its full-length grip.
It fills your hand and gives you an excellent degree of control of the gun. Even with the short barrel, the full grip allows you to keep it low and on target. You can blast through a Bill Drill and never feel overwhelmed by the gun.
It’s not tame enough to keep the dot from rising out of the red dot with every shot, but it recovers quickly, and the dot drops right back where you want it—as long as you’re doing your part.
One of the “anti-Glock” features on the Micro Dagger is its more aggressive grip texture. That texture pairs perfectly with the long beavertail and trigger guard undercut, giving you a nice, high grip.
It’s comfortable and helps you maintain control when shooting. The gun has a noticeable snap—snappier than the longer Micro Dagger and, compared to the compensated model, definitely a bit more lively.
Beyond Shooting
Ergonomically, the gun is fairly solid. I have no complaints about slide bite or rough edges. The issues I had were fairly small.
The trigger isn’t bad, but it’s not impressive. You get this plastic-on-plastic feeling that rubs through every millimeter of trigger pull.
The magazines don’t always slide out freely and require a little encouragement. Not a big deal, but I do like my magazines to fly out of the gun when I press the button.
Punching Zeroes
The Micro Dagger’s great grip makes the gun easier to shoot accurately. A solid, stable grip makes it easy to hold on tight and put those little 9mm rounds right where you want them, most of the time.
Obviously, a dot makes a big difference. It makes engaging targets at longer distances much easier. You can reach out to 25 yards with ease and even out to 50 if you excel at the basics.
At 25 yards, I’m fast and can drill an IPSC-sized steel target repeatedly. I can drop six rounds in less than four seconds from the low ready. Things slow down a little at 50 yards.
At that distance, I can still engage targets, but it takes roughly a second per round. I have to take the time to ensure I have that good grip and repeatable recoil impulse that puts the dot right back where I want it.
At 15 yards, I’m punching paper with groups around 3 inches, and many groups come in well under that. It doesn’t meet the same standard as the Masada Slim Elite, but it’s more than workable.
If you’re shooting with a red dot, the accuracy differences between the smaller gun and the larger one are nil. If you go with iron sights, the longer sight radius can help, but who has time for irons?
Going All Out
The PSA Micro Dagger proved to be a reliable firearm. I didn’t have any major issues with any ammo type. I primarily used cheap steel-cased Monarch ammo.
One interesting problem I ran into involved mounting a red dot. The included screw was slightly too long and created ejection issues. As soon as I backed off that screw a hair, the gun started working.
I swapped for slightly shorter screws, and the problem disappeared. Keep an eye out for screw length, and you’ll have no problems.
The magazines are arguably one of the more interesting parts of this gun, and they worked without issues. I dropped them into sand while running reload drills, and the sand didn’t seem to disrupt their performance.
Overall, the PSA Micro Dagger impressed me. The low price point is just icing on the cake—the real win is the variety of options available for this platform.
