Arsenal Strike One - starting something new
PREFACE:
The company I work for is the Norwegian distributor for Arsenal Firearms in Norway. That said, I have purchased this pistol with my own money. It was not given to me by neither Arsenal or my work.
I have not shot the gun I am reviewing at the time of this post, my personal gun, but I have shot several hundred rounds though our demo guns.
I have been looking forward to this day for quite a while. I met with the Arsenal team at IWA in Nürnberg, back in March this year, after having read quite a bit about the pistol online. The new design features were what intrigued me the most. After handling the various models they had on display, as well as getting a detailed breakdown of the gun and it’s various features, I knew I wanted one.
We were set up as a distributor, and after a few long months, we finally received our first shipment of pistols this week. Arsenal Firearms is a small company, and the current demand for the gun has been slightly overwhelming for them, causing a slight delay in production times. That said, they are taking neccessary steps to expand their operation, in order to meet this demand. They are good people, and are truly working hard to bring this gun to the market in a good way.
Now, on to the pistol.
Overview:
The pistol comes in a carbon colored hard plastic carry case, the same one that comes with the Tanfoglio Stock III. Inside the box you receive:
- Strike One pistol w/ magazine inserted
- 1 spare magazine
- Maintenance kit
- Lube bottle
- Ambidextrous safety
- Safety and instruction manual
- Carry case pamphlet
- Key for locking case
The Strike One comes in the following colors:
Black frame
Tan frame
Green frame
Stainless Steel
There are a few other models, including an Ergal-frame version in different colors, an All Weather version, with Cerakoted slides to match the frame and a competition-focused model called the Strike One Speed. All guns will be available in 9x19 and .40 S&W.
The Strike Two, or Combat version, is also set for release.
Techincal Specs:
The pistol itself has a sturdy feel to it, and it does weigh a bit more than the Glock 17.
Glock 17: 736 grams
Strike One: 918 grams
Weight is for gun with empty magazine inserted.
The Strike One is also 2cm longer than the Glock 17. I had thought the gun to be a bit smaller, prior to seeing it the first time at IWA.
Magazine capacity is 17+1.
Frame:
The frame is constructed using fiberglass, carbon and a type of reinforced rubber fiber (composite polymer). The exact composition is a secret, and supposedly costs three times as much to produce as a Glock frame. It is said to have a significantly longer service life as well.
Inside the frame is a large steel insert, that houses all of the operating components, in a pretty sleek fashion.
- Ejector
- Trigger bar
- Sear
The insert also provides the rails that the slide rides on.
The insert can be removed by pusing out the rear and front frame pins.
The mag release comes set up for right handed shooters as standard from the factory. It can easily be switched over for left handed shooters, in less than 20 seconds when you know how to do it. You can also install the ambi-release, if so desired. Using this, however, can result in the mag unintentionally dropping from the gun during firing, depending on grip strength.
Both operations are done by depressing a flat spring inside the grip, and letting the mag release drop out.
The slide catch is not really remarkable in any way. Placement is good, at least for my hands, and it is easily manipulated.
The frame comes with a 1913 picatinny accessory rail.
Slide:
The slide comes with both front and rear cocking serrations.
The internals of the slide are the extractor assembly, firing pin assembly and the firing pin safety.
The internals are accessed by removing the back plate; you do this by depressing extractor spring plug visible on the back plate. After you depress this, slide the back plate up and remove. The back plates has a firing pin hole, where the rear of the firing pin will protrude when the pistol is cocked.
The front of the slide holds the barrel, locking block and recoil spring assembly in place. The recoil spring is a flat-wire spring design, captive on a plastic guide rod.
The locking block sits in a slot in the slide, and in between two ridges on the barrel itself. When assembled, the main take down pin slides through the track on the locking block, and holds the slide in place. During firing and unlocking, the barrel moves straight to the rear only a short distance, as the locking block is pushed down into the frame, as it rides along the main take down pin that runs through the locking block track.
Locked:
Unlocked:
This feature helps reduce movement in the barrel during firing, and should contribute to the overall accuracy of the pistol. It also allows for the bore line to sit closer to the top of the frame. Just roughly measured, from the estimated bore line, to the middle of my palm, the Strike One bore line is about 1cm lower than the Glock 17 (6,5 cm vs. 7,5 cm). While the height of the bore line is not a defining feature of handgun controllability, the lesser the distance is between the pivot point of the main contact point (hand) and the bore line, ie the higher up on the bore line you come, the more effect it will have on recoil characteristics.
The locking block only fits one way, so there is no risk of installing it incorrectly.
A comparison pic of a Strike One and a Sig P226:
Trigger:
I think the trigger is very nice, and miles better than a factory Glock trigger. There is a little bit of slack at first, as you press the trigger, in order to disengage the trigger safety. It then has a smooth pull all the way through, with a nice crisp break. Reset is a hair bit longer than the Glock trigger, but very definitve and crisp.
Sights:
The sights are a 3-dot type, using non-illuminating white dots.
The gun comes with a non-adjustable rear sight that is integrated with the back plate. In my opinion, this is not an ideal solution, and will limit the amount of aftermarket support. That said, it is not an impossible task to manufacture sights based on the same concept. The rear notch is a bit too narrow for my liking, but it should be ok after some dedicated training.
The front sight sits in a dove tail on the front of the slide, and will have to be drifted in order to make any adjustments.
I will hopefully get to the range this weekend, to check zero and accuracy.
The integrated rear sight will be the standard sight configuation, but Arsenal is releasing a more competition oriented gun called Strike One Speed, that comes with adjustable rear sights that sit in a dove tail on the slide, as well as a fiber optic front sight.
Barrel:
I do not have specs on the barrel at this time, as it is a different barrel than the one on the demo gun. We had Arsenal adjust the barrel length from 128mm to 127mm, in order to make it Production-legal. Will add details once I get the info.
I will hopefully get to the range this weekend, to check zero and accuracy.
Last edited by Arctic1; 10-31-14 at 12:35.
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