Palmetto State Armory PS9 Dagger: $300 Glock Killer [UPDATED]

At the 2020 SHOT Show, Palmetto State Armory announced a new 9mm pistol called the PS9 Dagger.

With its combination of features and price, the new gun stands to make quite a splash in the industry.

Let’s dive in with all of the details including pricing, shipping times and holster compatibility.

General Information

The short story is the new PS9 Dagger is a Glock clone. I don’t mean that in a disparaging way, but instead as shorthand for a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol that takes 9mm Glock 19 magazines.

Palmetto State Armory (PSA) will make several variations of the gun, but the basic model is the one that will ship first. It has many parts that are compatible with the Gen3 Glock pistols including the magazine and trigger group. PSA ships the PS9 with Magpul P15 magazines, but you can use your existing G17, G19 and other 9mm magazines with the gun.

Obviously, the gun differs from the Glock pistol in a number of ways. One of the things that Glock is often criticized for is the use of plastic sights. Thankfully, PSA elected to use metal sights on the PS9 Dagger. The metal sights use a 3-dot arrangement and are far more durable than standard polymer sights.

Additional features include:

• forward cocking serrations on the slide
• slide made of 416 stainless steel with lithium-infused nitride finish
• an accessory rail for a weapon light or laser
• stainless steel guide rod
• a moderately aggressive texture that is not likely to damage clothing but still provides a positive grip
• frame cut-outs at magazine well to better grab magazines should you need to strip them from the gun because of a malfunction
• undercut trigger guard to allow a higher grip on the pistol
• a barrel with traditional rifling (unlike the Glock, lead bullets should be ok)

Palmetto State Armory states the PS9 Dagger will be backed by a full lifetime warranty.

Specifications

Here are the specifications for the base model PS9:

Caliber	9mm
Standard Magazine Capacity	15
Barrel Length	4.0″
Trigger	PSA hinged
Trigger Pull Weight	5.5 lbs
Sights	nitrided metal 3-dot
Grip Frame	glass-filled polymer
Finish	matte black
MSRP	$299

Variations

Customer demand will ultimately drive variations of the basic PS9 pistol. However, Palmetto State Armory does have a number of variations already in the works.

Future releases will offer suppressor-ready versions that include threaded barrels and suppressor-height sights. Also, there will be options for optics ready PS9 Dagger pistols.

Another version the company is working on is a G17 sized slide/barrel on the PS9 frame. This would increase the sight radius for improved accuracy and goose the bullet velocities.

PSA also suggested that custom pistols might be available also.

A final variation will be the grip assembly alone. It is completely compatible with Gen3 Glock parts, so you can build a completely custom 9mm or even a .40 S&W or .357 SIG gun.

Holster Compatibility

According to a PSA rep, the guns will be compatible with some Gen3 Glock 19 holsters.

I would urge caution with any hard fit options like Kydex as small dimension differences may impact how well it fits. I would expect that leather rigs would work without much problem.

PS9 Dagger Pricing

Even if you aren’t impressed by the features of this gun, the price might get your attention:

$299.99

Yes, that’s correct. A Glock 19 compatible pistol for less than $300. With shipping and transfer fees, I estimate the average person should be able to get one out the door for about $360-370.

Assuming that these guns run as reliably as a Glock pistol – and only time will tell us that – a $299.99 defensive pistol is a major value. The price alone will sell many of these pistols.

If you want a model with a slide cut for an RMR sight with suppressor height sights and a threaded barrel, the pricing remains unbelievable:

$349.00

According to PSA staff, the PS9 grip frame alone should sell for $100.

It also makes you wonder what Glock’s margins look like.

When Is the PS9 Shipping?

The PS9 Dagger is now shipping. Click this link to buy one.

What are your thoughts about the new Palmetto State Armory PS9 Dagger? I’m cautiously optimistic about them. A $300 Glock clone would be huge in the marketplace.

Special thanks to Paul Carlson of the Safety Solutions Academy for helping with the photos and additional details. Paul’s a good friend and one of the best trainers working today. You should check out his availability and try to book time with him.

Last update: June 4, 2021