Sometimes, I think there are too many options when it comes to concealed-carry handguns because how can you find the right one for you? There’s an endless sea of barrel lengths, sight options, capacity, and not to mention making sure there’s aftermarket support for a gun. The gun has to fit your hand size, have manageable recoil, be easily concealable in your everyday clothing, and be comfortable for you to wear for most of your day. And finally, you need to make sure you can find defensive ammunition for it (maybe go with a 9mm or 45 ACP to make it easy on yourself?).
I have carried multiple handguns over the years, and none I have liked as much as the IWI Masada Slim. As a female, it can be extra hard to find a gun that fits your hand size, is concealable on your body, and is comfortable to shoot. Plus, I’m over the small, 6-7 round capacity firearms, and you should be too! It has been a year since I started carrying the Masada Slim IWB, and I have thoughts and comparisons to other carry guns that are most similar in size to it. So here’s my year-one review of this gun.
Capacity
I have had a carry permit since I was 21, a little over a decade ago. At the time, there were low-capacity carry gun options that included the Glock 42 (and then the 43), the M&P Shield, the Springfield XDS, and I’m sure others I missed. All of these pistols had a capacity of six to seven rounds, which, in reality, isn’t much. The IWI Masada Slim has a capacity of 13+1 rounds. You’re talking about doubling the capacity while still keeping a slimline designed pistol that is comparable to all of these guns. I have been a little less religious about carrying a spare magazine than I used to be when I had half the capacity.
Slim Grip
I’m talking to women real quick, but this applies to men with smaller hands as well. In the last few years, major manufacturers have noticed an uptick in women gun buyers specifically and have begun catering to this market. Glock started designing their slimline 43X and 48 model pistols, Walther made the PDP-F for females, and Sig Sauer catered towards women with the P365 Rose edition. IWI did the same with the Masada Slim, which just fits women’s hands so much better than other wider concealed carry handguns. The capacity of the Glock pistols is what lost me on those models. The Walther PDP-F comes in two barrel length sizes (3.5 and 4in), but even the 3.5-inch size is a little too wide for me to conceal it properly in the position I carry in. The Sig is the closest in capacity and size to the Masada Slim, but I prefer the IWI triggers to the Sig Sauer ones.
Optic Ready
I often write about how pistols need to be optic-cut from the factory, but you’d be surprised at how many still don’t come optics-ready. Now, a red dot optic is going to do you zero good in a self-defense situation, and neither are your iron sights. Why? You won’t have time to line up your iron sights or find your red dot and put it on your intended target. I recently trained at WOFT (Where Our Families Train) and went through scenario-based training in low light and in simulated car-jacking. In both scenario rooms, I ended up deploying my concealed carry pistols, and with both defensive shootings, I used a natural point of aim to neutralize the threat and never had time to find my sights.
All of that said, a red dot optic is the best tool to use when live-firing to understand what mistakes you are making when shooting. If you anticipate recoil, you’ll see the dot move downward quickly when you pull the trigger. If you have too much or too little of your finger on the trigger, you’ll notice the dot move left or right when you fire the gun. Your iron sights are telling you the exact same thing, but it’s ten times harder to process that information, especially for a newer shooter.
I absolutely love the EPS Carry red dot from Holosun. It is specifically designed to fit narrower, subcompact handguns and has a battery life of up to 50,000 hours. It also uses Solar Failsafe and Shake Awake technology, so when the gun is not in use, it does not eat up battery life. It’s important to mount an optic that isn’t bulky or too wide, as this can cause printing when concealing a handgun.
Ease of Concealability
This is the biggest issue for anyone looking for the right gun to easily conceal, whether you carry Appendix or at 4 o’clock. The wider the gun, the harder it is for me personally to get the gun to conceal right in the clothing I wear. I also prefer setting my holster deeper in my waistline while still leaving the grip exposed and at an angle I can draw from. The IWI Masada Slim has been the best concealable pistol I’ve carried yet. The slim grip makes a big difference, and the EPS Carry dot doesn’t affect concealability either.
Reliability with Ammunition
On almost every trip to the range, I try to shoot a few magazines through my carry gun just to refresh my grip, trigger pull, and recoil management. I have an ammo bucket full of ammunition that I like to test any new pistol with, including full metal jackets, hollow points, subsonic ammunition, different types of coated bullets, and various bullet grain weights. If you have never shot the ammunition you carry with, stop what you’re doing and head to the closest range to do this immediately. You have no idea if your pistol of choice will reliably feed with whatever ammunition you use. The IWI Masada Slim runs really well with full metal jackets, and I’ve yet to have any issues with it feeding or ejecting. There were a few hollow points that ran well in the Masada Slim pistol where I could easily manage the recoil, the ammo fed and ejected properly, and the design of the hollow point didn’t get hung up feeding into the barrel. The ammo that worked best was Super Vel’s 9mm +P 115 grain SCHP.
Here’s to Another Year!
I’m very comfortable with the IWI Masada Slim, and it’s become a part of my everyday outfits. I like the pistol’s ergonomics, how easy it is to conceal, and its capacity. I haven’t treated it as well as I should, either, which is a testament to its performance. My holster hardware is even rusting from all the sweat it’s seen. I don’t oil it as often as I should, nor have I cleaned it deeply. Your carry gun of choice should be rugged and durable enough to keep up with EDC and run no matter its condition. I have finally found a gun that can keep up with me and I’m looking forward to the next year with it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kenzie Fitzpatrick is a professional competitive shooter and a published writer in the industry. Kenzie trains new shooters on basic firearm safety, brings new shooters to competitive shooting, and hosts some of the largest women-only events in the country. She has a passion for teaching people how to carry concealed and is a positive ambassador for the Second Amendment. Kenzie is also the host of the Reticle Up Podcast, where she interviews competitive shooters, hunters, anglers, archers, entrepreneurs, and outdoorsmen.
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