PSA Dagger Micro Review

The Palmetto State Armory Dagger Micro. Let’s check it out.

 

Guys, today we’re going to take a look at the Palmetto State Armory Dagger Micro.

This is a Glock compatible handgun in the G43X style. In fact, the slides, the barrels, the recoil systems, they all interchange. But one thing about PSA is that they come in at an incredibly great price.

Now, we have done a review of the original Dagger, and this is just an excellent handgun. And to be honest, in a world of Glock clones, the Dagger really stands out. And mainly because of the price, but also of the quality.

And so now they’ve come out with their Micro, which it’s been out a little while. There’s a ton of different options. And we’re going to take a look at the Micro versus the Glock G43X, and really do a comparison between those two.

And if you really like the G43X, this gives you a more budget option, and honestly, with even more features. Now, I’m a big fan of the Glock, the Dagger is definitely a great contender. And I want to give a big thank you to Palmetto State Armory for sending the Dagger Micro for this review.

Well guys, we have the Palmetto State Armory Dagger, and this is the Micro. It’s a nine millimeter subcompact, more of the slim line, like with the Glock. In fact, this is really based on the G43X, but there are some differences.

Now, one of the big things about this handgun is that the slide and the barrel, the recoil assembly, all that will fit in your standard Glock. In fact, there’s a lot of Glock compatibility. This obviously is based on that.

One thing about Palmetto State Armory though, before we get into it, Palmetto State Armory is a full service gun manufacturer. In fact, for their AR-15s, their AKs, all the stuff they do under the Palmetto State Armory name is made around Columbia, South Carolina. And because of that, they can produce firearms and then they sell it pretty much direct to consumer.

That’s why the prices are as low as they are. And one of the things about the Dagger is that the original Dagger was coming in at $299. Now, sometimes you can get it for even less money, and that’s just hard to beat for a good quality firearm.

Now, first thing, let’s go ahead and drop our 15 round magazine, which comes with a 15 rounder. It does have a hybrid polymer at the front. And this allows for you to use your standard Glock style polymer mag release.

And so it just protects it. And then you have the stainless steel backing. So it doesn’t cover the whole thing, and yet they have a number of different mag styles.

And then we’ll check the chamber and the gun is empty. Now, this is, again, 15 plus one. One of the things about the G43X, which we have right here from Glock, is it comes with a 10 round magazine.

It’s that polymer magazine. It’s 10 rounds. Check the chamber.

It’s empty. And this has been a little bit of a bane for the 43X. And thus, we have Shield Arms coming in with their 15 round magazines.

So you do have a 15 round compatibility with the Glock. But what’s really cool is you can take your Commodore State Armory mags and they’ll work in that as well. Now, we haven’t tested them yet, and we’re going to when we get out to the range.

And then also with the Dagger Micro, we can take our standard Glock polymer magazine and it works. Now, one thing I like about the magazine is there is a lip and there’s a cutout in your grip. So as this comes down, if there’s any kind of malfunction, any kind of jam, it makes it a little easier to just pull this out.

And they do drop free. Now, here we have the compact dagger, and this is Glock 19 size. It does not have the optics plate, but they do make them with the cuts.

And a lot of different configurations, but you can see the similarities, even down to the texturing. This does have a little bit more of a squared off trigger guard, but it does have those cuts in the slide, which to me is a big deal. I really like that.

I like the more thinner profile for the slide instead of just the rounded off. And so Palmetto State Armory just continues to produce different handguns in the Dagger’s line. In fact, there’s so many different choices with different configurations.

And of course, with longer barrel, longer grip, more of your Glock 19 size, your G19X. And so it’s just nice to see some other options. But the big thing is, especially when this one came out, these were $300 or actually 299.

So it gives you a great option for a heck of a lot less money. Now, this uses the Magpul mags, or it comes with them. And then of course the gun is unloaded, but nice black nitride finish.

I like the cuts. I mean, it has a really good look to it. So while it is a budget-friendly gun, it definitely has a lot of quality.

But this is just based on that short slide with a full length grip. Now the slide on the G43X and on the Dagger Micro is smaller than your standard G19. The G48 has that same length slide.

This has a little bit of a longer grip with the shorter slide. So it’s one of the things that has brought this system around. One of the things that I really like about the short slide is it has a very short recoiling system.

And so it makes it really softer to shoot. But overall, I mean, there’s again, sight compatibility. This is the MOS version on the Glock, which the Palmistate Armory Dagger Micro already has slide cuts.

And this is for the Shield RMSC. You can get a few variations. I think the Vortex Defender and the Holosun 407K and 507K.

They even have certain models that come with the sights already mounted. And again, for very reasonable price. And we’ll get into that in a few minutes.

But let’s go ahead and look at just really some of the details of the Micro. You have that really smooth texturing, which is known for the Palmistate Armory. It’s not very aggressive, but once you just grip it, it just really holds well in your hand.

It’s got this kind of a softer feel to it, which is not going to be abrasive up to your skin or on your clothes. But yet, it kind of goes around the grip, even to the front strap. And it has this small little lip here at the end.

And it just kind of locks into your hand. We have a natural undercut, which is great. You don’t get the Glock knuckle.

That is honestly an advantage. And the trigger guard has been rounded off. With the Glock, we don’t quite have as much of an undercut here.

And we have that squared off trigger guard. This is pretty much signature for your Glock pistols. We do retain the one-slot Picatinny rail.

On the Glock, you have more of the pyramid shapes. But to me, it’s a little bit muted on the 43X. A little more aggressive on the Glock 19 Gen 5. And that’s what we have here.

The slide serrations, though, are just straight down. And with the dagger, I’ll have to say that because these are directional and they’re a little deeper, they’re a little easier to grab. It just seems to bite into your fingers as you’re pulling it back.

With the Glock, it works very well, but just not quite as much gripability. Now, guys, I’m a big fan of the Glock pistols, period. I’ve always said that if I only had one gun, it would be a Glock 19 because of the size.

It shoots like a full-size gun, yet it’s concealable. But yet, it’s really nice to see some competition. And competition always brings about change.

And typically, change in the right direction. Now, one big difference with the dagger is that it goes away from the little trigger safety blade. And so this has that pivot style that the Smith & Wesson had, or the M&P series.

So it’s got that pivot style trigger. And so you still have that same bar that’s going to block it if you don’t have that good fit onto the trigger. But really, the trigger pull itself, just take up to here, and not a bad break.

I mean, it’s still a polymer striker for our pistol, which most of them have that kind of a break. With the Glock 43X, you had that take up, and yet it’s a little more mushy. I would say that the dagger micro has a little better trigger to it.

They do have these pads on the front. So you have a memory pad for your shooting finger to get it out of the trigger guard, and for recoil management, being able to lock that in. With the Glock, it doesn’t even have it.

I mean, it actually just kind of feathers down. And so really, when you’re shooting it, you’re not really looking for that pad and resting it. And then we have, of course, our slide release, which is a little different shape, but pretty much the same function.

And of course, the takedown levers are the same as well. Nice beaver tail on both. I think that the dagger has a little more than the G43, but not by a whole lot, if at all.

But one thing that the dagger does is they’ve just cut these edges. And so it’s very friendly for concealed carry. Even the front has been beveled off a little bit more deep than the standard Glock.

A little bit more pinpoint here to give it just that ease in going into holsters and just functioning as a concealed carry piece. With the Glock, you can see it’s pretty much that rounded off right here. And then there has been some cuts at the front, but otherwise, I think that the dagger micro is a little bit of a better design.

I like a little bit less material on the slide. Now with the sights, you get three dots, and that is steel sights. I believe they are Glock compatible with your G43X.

And of course, with this plate system, you can actually attach your shield RMSC directly onto the slide. That’s huge. I don’t like adapter plates.

I don’t like all that. It just has more fail points. And it gets the sight lower onto the slide.

The barrel is 3.41 inches. It does have the DLC coating on it. And the slide is a black Cerakote over stainless steel.

And the barrel is stainless steel. And I believe with the Glock, it is a carbon steel. But again, Glock has really pretty much perfected their process.

And even though it’s changed a few times over the years, they really have a very durable finish on your Glock pistols. With the Glock, you have this little slight thumb rest or finger rest as you’re bringing it in. And with the dagger, it’s pretty much just done away with.

I really like the way this grip feels. I’m a big fan of the Glock, but this has a very ergonomic feel to it. It feels a little more rounded off than your Glock.

Now again, I’m a big Glock fan. I’m not here to criticize the Glock. This is definitely a top of class pistol.

And one of the things about Glock is they’ve been around for a long time. They have a major proven track record. I’ve called them the AK-47 of the handgun world for a long time.

And it’s rare that I have any issues with my Glock other than with the ejection pattern coming back and hitting me at the bill of my cap. And the dagger micro, 18.86 ounces. The Glock 43X, 18.74 ounces.

Pretty much the exact same weight. And as far as trigger pull action, again, we have some take up and it hits a definite wall. And not a bad break.

Not super crisp, but actually a little crisper than most of your Glocks. Reset right there. Tactile and audible.

With the 43X, take up to about right here. And not a bad break. I mean, Glock has done some work on their triggers.

This is not an enhanced trigger, but not as bad as some of the originals. Reset right about there. But still, I think that the dagger has a little bit of an advantage.

Not a huge advantage, but just a little bit. Trigger pull weight with our Lyman Trigger Gauge and Brownells, four pounds, 6.1 ounces. Four pounds, 15.5 ounces.

Trigger pull weight with our Glock 43X, five pounds, 12.3 ounces. Six pounds, two ounces. So a little more than the dagger.

Big thank you to Fiocchi for sponsoring our ammo. All made in the USA. One of the best suppliers of ammunition in the country.

Also, we love our Lula loaders, making our range day a little faster. Pemmett Estate Armory Dagger Micro. When the dagger came out, man, 300 bucks for a Glock 19 compatible pistol.

Just unheard of. Now we’ve seen quite a few different companies coming up with it, but Pemmett Estate Armory does everything in-house. And with the micro, it just gets it down to the 43X size.

I love the texturing. It’s somewhat muted, but yet it’s grippy. Very grippy.

It’s not going to snag on your clothes though. The undercut really allows you to get a little bit of a higher bore axis. Of course, it’s already optics ready, which is more of your MOS version for your Glock.

The grip itself, it’s fairly more rounded off, so it’s a little more ergonomic. But the slide serrations, very grippy, nice. They’re directional.

Sights, three dot sights. It’ll take any of your Glock sights. And one of the biggest things is the magazine.

A 15 round magazine has the polymer in the front, so you can still use your polymer mag release, but it gives you those extra rounds. We haven’t had any type malfunctions. I mean, it just shoots.

Small, compact, a nice recoil impulse, not too snappy, and it just gives you a really good feel. You have your one-slot picatinny rail like you do on the Glock. But overall, it’s a budget-friendly option.

There’s a ton of different choices, a ton of different configurations, and it’s really good to see Palmetto State Armory putting these out. But the way it shoots, I mean, it shoots very similar to your Glock 43X, but for a lot less money. That’s the first time we haven’t had the slide to hold open.

We did bring a Glock 43X 10 round mag. It’s functioned well. So overall, I think that the Dagger Micro is a great choice for concealed carry.

And while it doesn’t have the pedigree yet of the Glock, which the Glock is what I call the AK-47 of the handgun world, but the reason I call it that is because it’s a very simple design. And this is that same simple design that takes all your Glock parts. Did it hold open on the last round? Well, I see one in there.

You said 10, so I only thought it was 10, so I only shot 10. Go ahead and shoot that last round. Just make sure it’s… Yeah, it’s holding the slide open.

I just want to make sure after having that last one. Very good. All right, disassembly on the Dagger Micro.

Drop our magazine, check the chamber. It’s empty. Pull the trigger in a safe direction.

Pull back on your slide, pull down on your takedown tabs, and it should go forward. If it doesn’t, just pull the trigger again. You want to disable the striker.

Here we have our recoil spring and guide rod. It’s dual. It’s all metal.

And then we have our barrel, and again, 3.41 inches in length. And then of course we have our slide. One thing you’ll notice is we have our striker safety right here, and so that’s just one of the safeties also with the trigger, and that makes it drop safe.

But very well done inside. I looks really nice. And here with the Glock 43X, take our magazine out, check the chamber.

Same thing. Point in a safe direction and pull the trigger. Bring back your slide, bring back your takedown tabs, and just go forward.

And we’re just going to look at a little bit of a comparison between the two. Remove your barrel. There’s your slide.

Slide, very well done, which is typical for Glock. You see that same striker safety right there. Looking at the two together, they’re pretty much identical, and to be honest, they should be identical.

These will work on either handgun. Barrels, a little bit more of a sheen on the Glock barrel, but here we go. I mean, they’re pretty much the same, and again, they should be interchangeable.

Recoil spring assemblies, I think that the dagger has a little bit of extra weight to it than the original Glock 43X. This has a little bit more heft to it, but otherwise they look pretty much identical, and again, they should interchange. And then here with the slide, it’s pretty much the same.

The big difference between the dagger, honestly, is the trigger. I think that is the one thing that’s not going to be compatible, but everything else looks really close. So I think it’s going to be a 99% compatibility.

Now just for kicks, we’re going to go ahead and put our dagger micro, we’ll go ahead and put our barrel in, put your recoil spring and guide rod back in, and then we’re going to take our 43X frame and we’re going to test for function. So there we go, and that is what Palmetto State Armory states. With the Glock 43X, we’re going to return our barrel, recoil spring and guide rod, and we’re going to put it on the dagger frame.

It goes over very well, and again, those magazines will interchange. And when we’re at the range, we’re going to test all that out, and we’ll switch them out just to see, but overall, these are pretty much identical. And I’m not going to totally disassemble them because we just assembled them in the exact same way.

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They also have Shooter’s Choice, which makes excellent CLP and bore solvent and different cleaning materials. The Ripcord is one of their signatures, and there’s a whole system based around it. They are suppliers to the US military.

So check out Otis Technologies, highly recommended, and we want to thank Otis for being a sponsor of the channel. Now instead of the original box, Palmetto State has upgraded to more of a case, and this is a really nice case. It actually, the straps come all the way down.

It has dual zippers on either side, nice grab handle. Open it up, and here we have our handgun. We have two magazine pouches.

We have a pouch for a suppressor. These do come in threaded barrel versions and ported and a lot of other barrel lengths. So there’s a number of different options.

But I like this, that it mounts right here in this little Velcro field, and you can move these around. Here at the top, we have a big window, and typically you may have your owner’s manual. This has, you can scan for your owner’s manual, and it comes with a Palmetto State Armory sticker.

Also right here, we have the mounting screws for your optics. This is for the Shield RMSC, and then we have our federally mandated lock, and that goes right in there very well, but it goes better in your drawer. So great little case, definitely a plus.

When it comes to price, on the Palmetto State Armory website, the Dagger Micro is running $339.99, and at times, they do all kinds of deals. One thing about the Micro, though, is it has a number of different options, ported barrels, ported slides, G48 size slides, a lot of different variations, different colors. I mean, there is a ton of different options for the Dagger.

When it comes to the Glock 43X, these, on the Palmetto State Armory website, I thought that was a better place to compare, $448.99, so about $110 difference, and then there were some that were $485. So we’re looking at over $100 difference, and so price is definitely with the Dagger. I like the Glock trigger with this blade.

This may take a little bit of getting used to, but honestly, this is a really good trigger for that pivot-style trigger. I like the rounded trigger guard, unless you like to put your finger out at the end around your trigger guard, which some do, but the memory pad is nice. I think that the takedown levers are going to interfere a little bit with that.

Both have one-slot Picatinny rails. The grips are very similar, but yet this, to me, is a little more ergonomic. I think it’s just a little more softer.

I like the slide cuts. I like how these are thinned out. I like that it’s optics ready, and that you can direct mount your Shield RMS or other optics according to the model you get.

I think one of the things about price is the MOS version, I believe, is the $485.99, so it’s going to be a little bit more of a cost upgrade as well. The sights on the Glock, I think I’ve changed these out. I believe these are night vision sights, which I love, but a lot of times these come with just your standard plastic sights, which is an upgrade with the metal sights on your Dagger Micro.

I like the slide serrations better. I think they’re more aggressive, they’re a little deeper, and they’re angled directional just a touch, and so to me, it’s just a little easier to bring back. But overall, these are two very close handguns, and to be honest, we just went through most of the pros and cons, but the big pro for the Glock is just the longstanding tradition.

Now, the Glock 43X has only been around for a while, but the Dagger has some track record as well. With the Micro Dagger, not as much, but we’re seeing some really good results coming out of it. But I think overall, as far as the most confidence, I would give it to the Glock.

But for price, this is considerably less, and there are some upgraded features to it that I think you’re not going to get with the Glock. And let’s just face it guys, this is all about preference. It’s what you like.

I’m a little bit of a gun snob. I kind of like the higher end guns, and I don’t mean the really expensive ones, but just this mainstream guns. But I’ll tell you, with Palmetto State Armory, they have been coming in and they are really gaining a lot of traction in the firearms industry, and it’s been proven itself to be an excellent firearm.

I have a number of different Daggers, I really like them, but I also have a number of different Glocks, and they’re just excellent firearms. So again, I think it’s one of those things where there’s just a choice to be made according to your preference. And I think one big difference though, right out of the box, is the magazines.

And this is going to give you a 15 round mag capacity. Yes, you can get the Shield Arms mags. Yes, you can use the Palmetto State Armory mags, but this gives you a 10 round magazine right out of the box.

And of course, you get two the gun, you get two magazines with the Dagger. But the PSA Dagger magazines run about $32.99. They’re a little more expensive than your polymer Glock magazines, but a lot of guys are running that 15 plus one, because it just gives you a lot more round capacity. And let’s just be honest, we have this Glock 19, this is holding 15 plus one, and yet it’s a heck of a lot smaller firearm as far as thinness, and a little bit shorter as well.

And just the same with your Dagger Micro, is that it’s a little smaller than the standard Dagger. So again, pros and cons, give and take, but it’s all about preference. Guys, if you’re looking for a concealed carry option, and you really like the G43X, I would highly recommend checking out the Palmetto State Armory Dagger Micro.

Again, parts compatibility, magazine compatibility, and yet you’re getting 15 plus one over the standard 10 plus one with your Glock 43X. And honestly, a lot of other features for a much better price. And again, we want to give Palmetto State Armory a big thank you for sending the Dagger Micro for this review.

Be strong, be of good courage. God bless America, long live the Republic.

 

-Don