SAR USA has been importing striker-fired pistols for several years from Turkey. They started with full-size and compact models. I was able to find these models online around Christmas time for well under $300. This price point grabbed my attention, and I had to do some more digging.
I began scouring through the SAR USA website and noticed they had a new release.
SAR9sc Subcompact Features
The SAR9 subcompact 9mm has a host of features we want on a concealed carry pistol. It is compact with a thickness just over one inch and a length of 6.4 inches.
The sights on the subcompact are Meprolight tritium sights. It also comes optics-ready for RMRc and can be fitted with a plate to increase your options. The gun also ships with both a 13-round flush and a 15-round extended magazine.
Checking the street price online, I was able to locate a few under $400, with most averaging the mid $400 price range. That is a lot of features for the dollar value.
You normally see me reviewing and shooting guns that are ten times this cost. But I always have people ask me for firearms recommendations that fit their particular price range. With all those features at that price point, I had to check SAR out.
Hands On with the SAR9sc: First Impressions
I reached out to SAR USA, and in short order, I had a subcompact model on the way with an RMR optics plate. Upon unboxing, I found the pistol to be rather attractively constructed. It has lightning cuts in the slide that really class-up the looks of the pistol.
The tritium night sights would be more than adequate for self-defense shooting, should you elect to skip the reflex sight. With a reflex, they do not cowitness. Swapping out the sights for suppressor sights would allow for a nice lower ⅓ cowitness should you elect to do so.
Optics Ready
After some quick photos, I went straight to adding an optic. For the most part, I run optics on everything nowadays. It’s hard to deny the advantage of a small reflex sight. They sent along a Dawson optics plate, which fit very tight. Mounting the optic was quick and painless.
Within just a few minutes, I began loading the truck to head off to our local indoor range. I took along some Fiocchi FMJ range ammunition and Black Hills 124 +P XTP.
Zeroing
It took me one magazine to establish my zero, and then I dove right into testing. With this being a subcompact gun, I decided to do my testing from 10 to 12 yards. My hands are a little large to bench rest shoot a subcompact, so standing would have to do.
I started off warming up with the Fiocchi ammo and running some double-tap drills. Like all smaller pistols, the SAR subcompact is pretty snappy in recoil. With a good push-pull grip, it was easily mitigated, though.
While shooting the SAR, I did notice that the trigger is a bit gritty compared to other striker-fired pistols. Within 100 rounds, it began to noticeably smooth out. We will come back to this in a bit.
Reliability
For concealed carry, we need to be carrying expanding bullets. A pistol must feed hollow-point designed bullets reliably. The Black Hills 124 +p XTP ammunition was exactly what this gun needed to be tested with. Not only did the SAR sub compact run this ammo flawlessly, it shot pretty dang respectable accuracy-wise as well.
I found the 124 +P ammunition to also run the gun a little flatter as well. It appeared to drive the grip more straight back into my hand, which aided in faster shooting. Small guns tend to move more violently under recoil than larger ones, so I’ll take all the help I can get.
Tuning the SAR9sc Trigger
Now let’s dive back into that trigger. As stated, it was a little gritty but smoothed out with shooting. This isn’t uncommon with striker-fired pistols.
Everyone likes a nice smooth trigger, so let’s talk about how to fix this. There are two simple methods, and the first one is super simple. Just shoot it, shoot it a lot. You need to practice with your carry gun anyway. This will allow you to kill two birds with one stone.
The second method costs a little, via your gunsmith. This trigger system is very similar to a Glock. All of those same Glock trigger tuning methods will work here. In short, the trigger is not a deal breaker.
Final Thoughts: Is the SAR9sc Right for You?
The SAR9 subcompact is feature-packed for a price that is hard to beat. Right out of the box, you have tritium sights and two magazines that will serve you well. When you decide to go with a reflex sight, the SAR9sc is ready.
This pistol would be a great option for a concealed carry pistol. I know I plan to keep this one for when I get gun recommendation questions at the range.
