The Schmeisser SLP-9 is a new German pistol that bears the name of famed German weapons designer Hugo Schmeisser. The pistol which is to be built in Germany will be distributed in North America by Texas Armament & Technology of Conroe, Texas. The pistol which was new for SHOT Show 2017 has yet to be released but the company along with Texas Armament & Technology has been getting the word out on this pistol and what makes it different than other polymer guns on the market.
The pistol features a new patented system the company refers to as the Double Action Rapid Engagement or D.A.R.E. system. This system allows the firing pin to reset after a three millimeter release of the trigger, allowing for quicker follow up shots. There are other features on this gun aside from the D.A.R.E that makes it rather different than the rest of the polymer world. Schmeisser has also designed their pistol as to allow the user to pull the trigger multiple times in the even of a hard primer strike and failure of the round to fire. I will be honest and say I am very curious about how Schmeisser has engineered this pistol to allow this second strike action.
The market for polymer pistols is as tight as it ever has been. Companies like Glock, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, and even Ruger have all made aggressive changes in design and marketing in order to capture even more of the market share. Will their be a place for Schmeisser at the already crowded table of polymer pistol manufacturers ? Will their pistol gain commercial appeal ? Only the future knows the answer to those questions, but until that is all figured out lets take a look at why the Schmeisser is so different than other pistols that it will be competing with for your hard earned dollars.
Specifications:
Name: SLP-9 Pistol
Manufacturer: Schmeisser
Country of Origin: Germany
Caliber: 9 x 19 mm
Capacity: 17+1
Weight: 1.65 Lbs
Overall Length: 7.3″
Height: 5″
Width: 1.2″
Barrel Length: 4.5″
Trigger System Specs:
- Trigger Travel for discharge : 0.47″
- Trigger Pull: 6.6 Lbs
- Trigger Reset: 0.23″
- Trigger Pull at Reset: 3.3 Lbs
Extras:
- Three different sized backstraps
- Two magazines
- One cleaning kit
Warranty: 50,000 round warranty
The new buzzword in pistol manufacturing is “Low Bore Axis” which is short terms means that a lower bore axis reduces the amount of felt or perceived recoil felt by the shooter. An easy way to see a great representation of a pistol with a low bore axis is look at a CZ75, a Sig P210 or a H&K P7M8. These pistols all have very low slides in relation to the rest of the pistol. Schmeisser reports that their pistol has a 0.87″ bore axis, which is reported to be near that of the Arsenal USA Stryk pistols that everyone at SHOT Show 2016 and 2017 was so excited to see. There are plenty of other items on the Schmeisser that are interesting aside from the bore axis
Schmeisser has gone through the added trouble and expense to mill their slides and barrels out of stainless steel. They have so much confidence in their materials and designs that the SLP-9 comes with a 50,000 round warranty, that something that to me is unique. I don’t think I could ever shoot 50,000 rounds out of one single pistol, that is a staggering amount of range time. The company also used stainless steel for the rail inserts and have treated all the friction surfaces with a proprietary anti friction process during the manufacturing process. The pistol appears to be typically well thought out German design that uses high quality materials and attention to detail during the entire production process, the only variable on this pistol is pricing. We were not able to confirm the suggested retail price or the exact date and when these pistols will be shipping to the market.
Schmeisser is wading into the deep end with the market for polymer pistols, there are plenty of fish in the sea and its an ultra competitive market that is actually slowing down with the recent election. The multi million dollar questions are how much will the pistol cost and how well will it shoot ? We know what it’s competitors cost and their durability is like, but can the Schmeisser SLP-9 offer a similar longevity at a lower price? We hope to get our hands on a Schmeisser SLP-9 for a thorough test and evaluation process in the spring. We are optimistic that this pistol could carve out its own niche in the market but it faces steep competition. What do you think about the Schmeisser SLP-9 ? Will it gain traction and take nibbles out of the sales of the big fish in the pistol market or will it fall into the shadows and only have marginalized success ? Let us know in the comments section, we want to hear what our readers think.
Feature Image: Schmeisserusa.com
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