It looks cool as hell, and if Larry Vickers knows anything about guns (and the former Delta Force legend certainly does) it shoots like hell too. Ultra-low bore height? Check. Negligible recoil and muzzle rise? Check. Fixed-barrel accuracy? Check. Ready to call your FFL and order one? Belay that order, sailor . . .

We still don’t really know anything concrete about the Arsenal ‘First Strike’ pistol, because Arsenal still hasn’t started importing them for retail sale. The gun might very well be awesome, but this waiting game is just tiresome.

While Arsenal claims that the design has been approved for importation (which they said last year, too) they still have no importers or distributors actually signed up to bring the thing Stateside and into our warm and waiting gun safes. This means we’re probably looking at another year of Strike One vaporware.

Image courtesy IMDB

It’s not as good as Supercop (and it lacks the steadying influence of Michelle Yeoh) but you could always amuse yourself watching First Strike while you wait for the Strike One.

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36 COMMENTS

  1. This seems like a not-ready-for-prime-time SHOT show. They should have scheduled it for fall.

  2. Bummer. I saw the episode where he toured the factory, and had a hankering for one.
    Are they next to kel tec?
    Maybe a bad influence?

    • The same guy(Wilhelm Bubits) was the senior design engineer for the Glock 17, Steyr M9 and Caracal Pistol projects at various times in his career.

      I wonder if the Russians hired him as well or if they just “borrowed” the basic look and external ergo-geometry of his designs without giving him a nod.

    • Don’t get me started on the Pimp-Tastic colorized versions of this thing. They look absolutely hideous, and they do absolutely nothing to convince me that Arsenal will ever, ever actually import them in numbers. It’s time for Arsenal to show or GTFO.

  8. It looks like a very good design and it’s actually something “new” in the firearm world. The locking mechanism is like nothing before it. (at least that I am aware of) I’m willing to be patient for a little longer. There is a very good chance it will be worth the wait.

  9. If they can get that double-barreled 1911 monstrosity in, then I wonder why they can’t get the Strike One into the US. I doubt I’d replace my G17 with it, but I’d definitely like to shoot one and give it a chance.

  10. I like what I’ve seen, but I really thought we would be on a shelf this year, not pushed back AGAIN.

  17. Your information is outdated. EAA is ready to import and by end of show, more distributors will be ready. ATF says approval will come this month.

  18. Don’t care baut this I want a GSH-18 pistol imported that be a lot cool. And if you bring up badly made Asian movies forget the gun I woud prefer just Michelle Yeoh 🙂

  20. I was told 90 more days and guns should be in country. They are already being sold in Canada (the Canada rep was laughing that they beat the USA to the punch on something for once). The *only* thing these guns have in common with Glock is employment of plastic frame material and the 9mm cartridge. This is a whole different generation of self loading pistol. Retail should be about $800 for polymer and aluminum frame will be about $3000 (yes, many fun colors, but black is optional in Al too). If the Strizh is good enough for the Russian military, the Strike One is good enough for me. Guns shown at SHOT were mostly “Gen 0”, and a one “Gen 0.5”. The 1st Gen guns will have a separate dovetail rear site and a small triangular protrusion on the web area…and possibly the front slide serrations moved back a bit. I will be a “early adopter”… cheers to Streshinskiy, Bandini and Tangfoglio for stepping outside the box on this one.

      • The $3000 aluminum lower option I believe is machined billet like you said… they subtly suggested there was some crazy machining needed to make it…and I believe them. I don’t think they will sell many aluminum frame models…but it did feel much nicer to hold than the polymer ones, but I’d be really afraid to scratch/ding the anodized finish! I’ll be getting a polymer one 😉

  21. Tony’s Custom creations in Oklahoma City is Arsenal’s largest U.S. Dealer. You can even order them now with a deposit.

  23. Tony’s Custom Creations is the place! I have bought two double barrel 1911’s and pre-ordered 5 Strike One’s. They were the first to get Arsenal’s products. They are the largest dealer and they treated me great. They put customer service back in the gun industry. Very refreshing. Tony gave me his cell phone to call him personally. Their shop is 405-642-5183. Can’t wait to shoot the strike one!

  24. I’ll skip this one cowboys. John Wayne wouldn’t shoot any Soviet crap nor would Chuck Heston. Why would anyone want to buy a crudely made piece of junk from a country that despises us when you can buy American or from an allie that produces good quality firearms? I don’t get it.

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