Guns Catching SARS: The Sarsilmaz SAR9 SOCOM [REVIEW] Dave Merrill January 12, 2026 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Read our affiliate policy. Find out more about how we test products. Turkey has been the highest volume firearms importer to the United States for many years now, and given that their global military exports have more than doubled in the last five years, that isn’t something likely to change anytime soon. Because so many of these foreign-made guns have been, eh, “inexpensive at best” in the past, it can be easy for some to shrug off any gun out of Turkey. But Sarsilmaz isn’t a company making craptastic plastic mag-fed shotguns like so many others. First founded to make flintlocks in 1880 back in the Ottoman Empire days, Sarsilmaz is reportedly now the largest small arms manufacturer in Turkey. Though flintlocks are out, they make machineguns, triple-barreled 20mm cannons, and SARBOT armed autonomous robodogs (the SARBOT). The SAR9 SOCOM avoids the entirely blocky profile with a nicely sculpted grip. Sarsilmaz also makes the primary issued pistol for Turkey, itself the second largest army in NATO. And their special forces? They’re issued a variation of the one this article is about, the SAR9 SOCOM. SARSILMAZ SAR9 SOCOM SPECS: Caliber: 9mm Capacity: 17, 51 Barrel Length: 5.2 inches Weight (unloaded): 29 ounces Width: 1.4 inches MSRP: $529 Accessories: SureFire XC3 $299, surefire.com SIG Sauer Romeo-X Compact Enclosed $500, sigsauer.com Price as configured: $1,328 Sportsmans Warehouse$550 SAR9 SOCOM Just with a quick glance you know what this one is all about. Plastic lower and blocky upper equates to a standard striker gun, and the threaded barrel over 5 inches long means duty. There are lightening cuts up front that double as serrations paired with serrations at the rear. The external extractor is pinned in place, simplifying slide disassembly compared to some other strikers. Atop you have night sights with a yellow photoluminescent front. The SAR9 SOCOM is optic-ready, but not for the larger RMR or Shield like you’d expect, but the smaller RMSc. The grip is contoured and feels great in the hand. Anyone who is cautious about this pistol should first pick one up — you can tell right away that this isn’t cheap plastic. The grip not only has interchangeable backstraps (it comes with three) but interchangeable side panels (also three sets). Inside that grip you can flush-fit a 17-round magazine, and it also ships with an extended magazine as well. The stock night sights are excellent, so far as irons go. There’s an aluminum magwell that can be removed if it bothers you too much. We didn’t find it too obtrusive to keep, but it’s nice to have the option. The straight trigger breaks at just beyond 90 degrees, and our scale measured it to be a bit under 4 pounds when pulled from the bottom. It has a short reset, but overall we’d call it Just OK. (Remember, this gun is called the “SOCOM” and not the “COMPETITION 3000.”) The controls are not ambidextrous but they are nicely nested. We suspect the slim rectangle mag release may be a love-it-or-hate-it feature, but we had no problems with it. The woodland two-tone of the olive and peanut are really a pleasing combination, especially with the red trigger blade — but for those afraid of style it can still be had in basic black. OUTFITTING Though there are more RMSc/Romeo-Zero options seemingly every day, it is still more limiting than a full-size footprint. Yes, you can use adapter plates (in fact, some are available on the Sarsilmaz website), but here we decided to go native. SIG’s sealed pistol optics are impressive, and the Romeo-X Enclosed Compact is one of our go-to’s in this footprint. It sits low enough that you can still see your irons through the bottom of the optic even with the standard sights. The controls are low-profile but still accessible. For a light, a duty-size like a SureFire X300U or Streamlight TLR-1 would look right at home here. But just like the smaller RMSc optic mount, we went with something slimmer. The SureFire XC3 spits out 550 lumens and 7,200 candela for an hour and a half with a single CR123A, and we love the form factor. LOOSE ROUNDS & ON THE RANGE The Sarsilmaz SAR9 SOCOM had no surprises in terms of functioning — it just worked like you expect a pistol of this price made in this era to work: without failure. This was unsurprising, having recent experience with some other Sarsilmaz pistols. The threaded barrel can be confidently put to use, too: no problems suppressed either (Sarsilmaz was at CANCON East and the SOCOM ate a ton of rounds from a myriad of silencers). Sarsilmaz is coming out with something new to prove, and they’re worthy of your attention. Speaking generally, Turkish small arms manufacturing overall reached a new threshold in quality and reliability a few years ago, and Sarsilmaz is major standout among them. Why you can trust RECOIL Since our founding in 2012, RECOIL remains the premier firearms lifestyle publication for the modern shooting enthusiast. We deliver cutting-edge coverage of guns, gear, accessories and technology. We go beyond basic reviews, providing no B.S. buyer’s guides, hands-on testing and expert analysis on everything from firearms and survival equipment to watches and vehicles. Our reviewers are the backbone of our operation and come from diverse shooting backgrounds: Former law enforcement, military veterans, competitive shooters, seasoned hunters and plain old firearms enthusiasts. Furthermore, we’re not just gun experts, but dedicated journalists who adhere to the strictest standards of our profession. 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