When the Arsenal Strike One was first announced in 2012–originally known as the Strizh, for “Swift”–it turned a lot of heads. The pistol has a sleek, futuristic look and an unconventional operation unlike the majority of handguns in production today.
While the Strike one is not going out of production, they are switching to a new importer and that means a gap in supply–and probably new variants if and when the guns return.
The Firearm Blog reports “[The] Prime Manufacturing Group is picking the design up and bringing it to market as the full-size Stryk A and the compact Stryk B. The latest news as to when we will see the new gun on the market is third quarter of 2016.”
Importation is being suspended due to an “unknown breach of…contract” between the manufacturer, Arsenal Firearms. and importer IFC. The pistols are still in production in Italy, with plans for a second production facility in Germany and possibly in the U.S. as well.
A joint Russian and Italian design for law enforcement, private gun owners and competitive shooters alike, the Strike One looked like it was going to be a must-buy for handgun collectors and shooters of all stripes.
Unfortunately, by the time it reached U.S. shores, the firearm landscape in America had dramatically changed.
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The Strike One hit the market at the very height of recent renewed calls for gun control. Gun enthusiasts were in a buying frenzy and the Strike One’s newness, marginal aftermarket and relatively high price were all working against it.
When the Strike One was released it was up there in the $800 to $900 range and up. Even though the gun is both interesting and innovative, a lot of shoppers were more concerned with buying in quantity. Ammunition, magazines, and receivers were stripped off shelves nationwide, and many consumers just weren’t interested in the high-dollar polymer pistol.
The Strike One also faced a lot of stiff competition from both up-and-coming manufacturers and big names in the industry alike. In the past few years, we’ve seen companies release a wide range of feature-rich polymer-framed striker-fired pistols priced very aggressively.
Still, the Strike One stands out. A large full-size pistol, the Strike One’s uncommon action–it uses the Bergmann System of operation–gives the pistol a very low bore axis for better control and recoil management even with over-pressure ammunition. The gun also has a longer 5-inch barrel and longer sight radius for precision shot placement.
We’re never happy to see the market shrink–even if it’s only for the short term–but for the time being, availability may be limited to the secondary market, like with us.
Buy Strike One pistols at GunsAmerica.com: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=strike%20one
If you act now, Sooner State Arsenal is having a blowout sale on their remaining Strike One pistols for $699. The sale ends today.
One of the biggest reasons they didn’t sell well is because the US distributor wouldn’t let you just buy the Strike 1s. You were REQUIRED to but those stupid double barrel 1911s in order to get the any strike 1s. Awhile later they did away with that requirement. But they had already rubbed the dealers the wrong way and the interest was lost.
Looks like a love child of a Glock and Kel Tec.
it looks like a diamond back nine.