I went to the range with my daughter this weekend to celebrate and function test / work-in a new acquisition.  Palmetto State Armory has a Glock 19 clone called the Dagger.  Basically, because the patent has expired on Glock’s third generation of guns, there’s a decent “generic” contingent of manufacturers making handguns that copy this ubiquitous model.  The basic Compact Dagger is pretty much half the price of a basic Glock 19.  I had checked out what people have had to say on these handguns and based on positive reviews, figured that for $260, this has the potential to be an extremely affordable way to get a decent piece of self-protection.

The Daggers come in all shapes and sizes at this point.  Palmetto State Armory offers “full-size” versions (Glock 17), “micro” versions (Glock 43), multiple colors, slide cuts for optics, you name it.  You can go hog-wild for a generic Glock copy in 9mm and never feel like you paid too much for reliable self-defense.

I purchased my first Glock in 1989 because it offered parts simplicity, relatively light weight, and high capacity in comparison to the handguns of the day.  I’ve stuck with the platform in one way, shape, or form, for 35 years.  There may be equal or better handguns out there but I’ve got too much experience dealing with this platform, plus the tools, spare parts, and accessories to boot.

Long story short, I think PSA has a winner.  Both my daughter and I shot about 130 rounds yesterday with zero malfunctions.  It put everything where it was supposed to go with respectable accuracy.   At 7 yards, I could unload a 15 round magazine into the size of a large male fist, or otherwise, make head-shots with no problem given your standard silhouette target.

The trigger feels like the “Gen 5” version of the Glock 19.  Gone are the previous generation’s triggers where you could take up the slack on the striker and hit a wall before it broke.  Now the tigger has no wall, just some indiscernible “mush” before break.  At first, I thought the “Gen 5” trigger was going to suck given what I was used to.  For me anyway, it turns out to not be the case when you’re shooting the gun.  I honestly don’t notice the lost wall and the break is actually somewhat of a surprise, which is good from a standpoint of bad habits.  Sometimes you can anticipate recoil during the trigger pull and lower the point of aim because of that anticipation.  Inexperienced, and even experienced, shooters will subconsciously dip the handgun when your brain senses the trigger wall on the pull-through.  The Dagger’s trigger is pretty much the same as the newer Glocks.

Where I think Palmetto State Armory improved on the handgun is the frame texture and general grip feel.  Glock’s standard third generation and older frames didn’t have enough texture for me.  If your hands were sweating, the handgun was a bit slippery.  Some 20 years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for gunsmiths to “stipple” the frame and/or contour it for a decent sum.  That all went away with the “Gen 4″ frame designs.  The Dagger has found a happy medium here for grip texture, amount, and feel.  It’s not going to rip your skin up but it feels secure in the right places when you’re sweating.  On the flip side of the coin, you don’t get grip inserts with the Dagger to change the shape.  One size fits all.  My daughter is about 5′ 3” and she didn’t have an issue.  To me, again, it felt like a happy medium.  But I could see some people with extra large mitts thinking this may not be the handgun for them.

It’s not often when I’m honestly really impressed by something.  Both my daughter and I left the range thinking “wow!”  The Dagger really does feel like you got a real Glock 19 handgun for half-price.  Bravo Palmetto State Armory!

FYI, due to the amazing value these handguns present, they are very popular and frequently out of stock.  However, if you add yourself to the “back in stock” e-mail notification, you’ll most likely not have to wait very long to get the exact model you’re looking for.  Just don’t wait too long to pull the trigger 😛 once it’s available again.