Sarsilmaz — pronounced as it’s spelled — is not a name that rolls smoothly off the tongue for a native English speaker. For that reason, when the 145-year-old Turkish arms manufacturer tried to make a splash in the U.S. market about 10 years ago, it created SAR USA, based in Miami, Florida. SAR USA is the exclusive U.S. importer, distributor and partner for Sarsilmaz and it makes great guns. Figuring out how to market them in the U.S. was a struggle, but the company is experiencing success.
The SAR9 design was first introduced by Patrick Sweeney in Guns & Ammo’s February 2018 issue. It’s a proprietary design to SAR USA and, at this point, a proven one. That isn’t to suggest it hasn’t seen continous improvements and updates. SAR USA offers several models, and the latest for 2025 demonstrates how much they’ve learned about American firearms.
The SAR9 SOCOM Comp pairs the Gen 3 SAR9 SOCOM Compact with a compensator made by Dawson Precision. The SAR9 SOCOM Compact has been the company’s No. 1-selling pistol, and Dawson has made handgun accessories for the competition market for more than 25 years. Founder Dave Dawson has an enviable reputation.
The SAR9 SOCOM Comp isn’t so much a pistol as it is a package with all sorts of accessories and extras. It’s available in all black or OD green, as seen here.
Advertisement
The SOCOM Comp is a third-generation version of the SAR9. The SOCOM was originally designed for use by the Turkish military and police special forces, hence the name according to a member of SAR’s marketing team. After some incredibly extensive comparative testing — 90,000-rounds fired against Glock, SIG Sauer, FN, Walther and Smith & Wesson products — the SAR9 emerged as the winner, and was adopted by the Turkish military. The problem isn’t that the NATO-approved guns aren’t excellent, it’s that the SAR USA has struggled to get that news out.
The Details
This pistol is a polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm supplied with one flush 15-round and one extended 21-round magazine. The cold hammer-forged barrel is 4.7 inches long and threaded 1/2×28. The standard SOCOM model sports an extended threaded barrel, but the special Comp model comes with Dawson Precision’s ICE compensator installed at the factory. Let’s review that first.
I’m well aware of Dawson Precision. I think I first used one of its fiber-optic sights in the 1990s. Dawson has been designing compensators and produces various models of his patented ICE compensator. The comp seen on the SAR9 SOCOM Comp was specifically developed for this pistol, and it complements the slide profile. The compensator has a single port with an expansion chamber and serrations on both sides that match the forward cocking serrations on the slide.
Advertisement
The compensator is aluminum and doesn’t add much weight to the gun or barrel. That said, it’s effective at directing recoil forces up instead of to the rear. As such, the pistol comes equipped with a lighter dual recoil spring system. If you prefer to remove the compensator and mount a suppressor, perhaps, the pistol includes the original spring, which is a bit stiffer.
The slide has a flat top and aggressive slide serrations front and back. The slots in front cut partially through the slide to reveal the black barrel underneath.
I like the look of this gun. The frame and slide are OD green, but all the assorted parts and controls are black, which contrasts nicely.
There are a lot of markings, but they are subdued and seem to add to the look of the gun rather than detract. On the left side of the slide, you’ll see “SAR” in a square, with “MIAMI, FL” beside it. “Sarsilmaz” is marked on the frame nearby. On the right side of the slide is “SAR9C SOCOM”, underneath the ejection port. Above the frame rail on the right side of the frame is “MADE IN TURKIYE”. The Dawson Precision name is on the underside of the compensator.
This pistol comes standard with excellent day/night sights, and they are made of steel. The front sight has a tritium insert surrounded by a white ring for visibility in any light. The rear sight has a standard notch with tritium inserts to either side. The slide is optic-ready and comes supplied with a mounting plate for optics with the RMSc footprint. The sample shipped to G&A was a little special; not only did it come with several different optic mounting plates from Dawson Precision but already had the Chameleon SRS8 optic from Cyelee Optics. The Chameleon SRS8 has an aluminum body and an 8-MOA dot. It worked just fine during my tests. The SRS8 uses an RMR footprint, and SAR USA sells those adapter plates if you’d rather mount a Trijicon RMR or other optic to the SAR9.
The steel magazine release is thin and rectangular, having small raised squares for texturing. The magazine release is reversible, too.
The aluminum magazine well extends just a small distance from the bottom of the gun, and there are relief grooves on the side to assist with stripping out the flush magazine. The magazine well is removable, if desired. The base pads of both magazines are machined aluminum and anodized black.
The trigger on the SAR9 SOCOM Comp was upgraded. It has an aluminum body and a wide, flat, vertically serrated face. The safety lever is aluminum and thinly serrated as well, anodized red. The trigger pull isn’t especially short for a striker-fired pistol, but it is smooth, helping both speed and accuracy. The total pull weight was tested at 5 1/4 pounds.
One look inside the pistol — both frame and slide — and you’ll see a familiar layout if you’ve ever taken apart a striker-fired pistol such as a Glock 19 Gen 3. I like this similarity because it means the inside of the gun is simple. Simple doesn’t just mean fewer parts to break; it means a lighter gun. Light guns are more comfortable to carry, and because of the low bore, this one is enjoyable to shoot.
The serial number is etched into the side of the chassis and is visible on the right side of the gun through a cutout in the polymer frame. At the front of the frame is a one slot Picatinny-style rail for attaching a light. The triggerguard is somewhat large, with big serrations on the front. Following the modern trend, all the parts in the SAR9’s frame are set inside a stainless-steel chassis which also forms the four rails (tabs) on which the slide rides. The chassis can be removed from the frame if you pop out enough pins, but the manufacturer does not recommend it and it’s not part of the maintenance.
The slide-stop on this gun isn’t that large, but I found it easy to drop the slide with just a swipe of my thumb. There is an internal firing pin safety/trigger block inside the frame, in addition to the safety lever on the trigger. If you look at the frame behind the slide-stop, you’ll see a black pin. The original SAR9 had a manual bilateral thumb safety there. Turkey is a NATO member; given the modular interior and chassis, and the thumb safety, it’s clear to me that the design of the original was influenced by the U.S. military’s Modular Handgun System (MHS) specs that resulted in the adoption of SIG Sauer’s P320 as the M17/M18. The frame of the SAR9 is reminiscent of an HK pistol, though. It features both replaceable backstraps and palm swell inserts on the sides. It comes with a total of three backstraps (S, M and L) and three sets of grip panel inserts. All are marked for size, and the grip panels were marked “Right” and “Left”, as well. The panels and backstraps supplied with G&A’s test pistol were molded in a tan color, but standard pistols black (pictured) or green pieces. If you’ve never owned a pistol with a grip setup like this, it allows the user to mix sizes. For example, you can choose a medium backstrap and a large right panel and small left grip panel to best personalize the grip’s fit to fill your hand.
The texture on the grip isn’t as aggressive as some pistols, but the grip didn’t move in my hand during testing. Actually, the grip of the SAR9 SOCOM Comp fit my medium-size hands as if it was made for it. In a way, it was. In designing the grip, Sarsilmaz engineers scanned a thousand hands and designed a polymer grip and frame that best accommodated all of those surveyed. It’s what they call the “Thousand-Hand Grip.” No, every possible configuration won’t satisfy everyone, but they tried!
Where it’s Made & What You Get
Let’s talk a bit about Sarsilmaz, since I mentioned its engineers. In 2015, I had the privilege to visit Turkey and learn first-hand about the operations at Sarsilmaz. I toured the headquarters in Istanbul, as well as its then-new manufacturing facility in Düzce (pronounced “doos-jay”) near the Black Sea. At the time, the new factory included 400,000 square feet. I’ve been told that it’s expanded to 1 million square feet. It is a state-of-the-art facility containing row after row of CNC machines. The building features great lighting, small potted trees for a bit of green, and floors so clean one could eat off them.
It was at the Sarsilmaz factory that I saw my first seven-axis CNC machine. I’d never even heard of a seven-axis machine before, and none of the other gunwriters on that trip had seen one either. Sarsilmaz performs every manufacturing operation in-house — not just machining the steel used to make firearms. There was injection molding for frames (and gun cases), and walnut blanks shaped into beautiful shotgun stocks by four-spindle lathes and old-fashioned hand rubbing.
“Sarsilmaz” means “unshakable.” Considering it is a fifth-generation family business that’s been around since 1880, the name seems apt. Sarsilmaz is Turkey’s oldest weapons manufacturer.
As mentioned, the SAR9 SOCOM Comp is sold as a package. In addition to the gun and attached compensator, a second heavier recoil spring is included, as well as a cleaning kit, tools for removing the compensator, optic plate, two magazines, and three sets of grip panels and backstraps inside the lockable hard case.
This gun is technically a “compact,” but it’s still a big gun that you can get your entire hand around. I ran this comp’d 9mm hard and fast, and the gun was both controllable and perfectly reliable. I’ve shot SAR9 pistols at several venues now — including the 2025 OSG Editorial Roundtable where the SAR9 SOCOM Comp was revealed. They’ve all performed. The compensator doesn’t completely eliminate muzzle rise, but it definitely keeps it flatter.
I find it interesting that the SAR9 Compact is the company’s best-selling pistol. It’s a little big for most people to carry even before you add the compensator. I think the reasons for it are simple: It’s a good-looking pistol that’s priced competitively. It’s consistently fun to shoot, and is very reliable.
SAR9 SOCOM Comp
- Type: Recoil operated, striker fire, semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 15+1 rds, 21+1 rds.
- Barrel: 4.7 in., Dawson Precision compensator
- Length: 8.25 in.
- Height: 5.4 in. (with 15-rd. mag.)
- Width: 1.3 in.
- Weight: 1 lb., 12.5 oz.
- Finish: Cerakote, OD Green (steel)
- Frame: Polymer, OD Green, int. palmswells; mag. well
- Sights: 5 lbs., 4 oz. (tested)
- Trigger: 4 lbs., 10 oz. (SA), 10 lbs., 8 oz. (DA) (tested)
- Safety: Trigger lever, striker plunger
- MSRP: $800
- Accessories: One 15- and one 21-round magazine, three sets of backstraps/grip inserts, cleaning kit, Dawson full power recoil spring, optic plate, cable lock
- Manufacturer: Sarsilmaz, Turkey
- Importer: SAR USA, 833-727-4867, sarusa.com
Read the full article here
