The
Archon Type B striker-fired 9mm (9mm Parabellum/9x19mm NATO) combat/tactical pistol is the latest evolution/iteration of the
Arsenal Firearms Stryk B pistol, which itself was an evolution of the
Arsenal Firearms Strike One pistol, all of which DefenseReview (DR) has covered over the last few years, since the design has intrigued us (especially after
we first viewed the internals. Now, you might be wondering why the “Arsenal Stryk B” became the “Archon Type B”, since the former is kind of catchy. Well, if our memory serves us well from
SHOT Show 2018, and we could be wrong, it has something to do with intellectual property, and
Arsenal Inc.’s ownership of the name “Arsenal”. We’ll try to confirm this.
Anyway, the
Archon Type B looks and feels just as good in our hands as the
Stryk B did. While we haven’t yet run it at the range, DR likes the design, so we’re looking forward to doing so. Our primary question is: How does it stack up against the
Gen5 G17 and G19 (Glock 17 and Glock 19) and
CZ P-10 C pistols, which are also supposed to be pretty terrific. DR has no idea, but we’re eager to find out.
The
Archon Type B pistol’s main claims to ballistic fame, aside from it’s ultra-low bore axis of course, are it’s unique sliding, non-tilting barrel action (allowing the rounds to be fed almost directly into the chamber), AF Speek-Lock locking lug, short-reset semi-flat-face/straight trigger, reversible oversized magazine release button, forward and rear serations, Grip-Mapping-Technology textured grip with nubbed extended beavertail tang, flared magwell, Glock sight cuts, and black nitride coating. The nub leading into the tang at the rear of the grip is interesting, is it acts on the human hand’s physiology, engaging a tendon in the shooters hand, presumably making the shooter reflexively grip the gun even faster (kind of like when the doctor hits you right below your knee with that rubber hammer). The slide runs on long rails, unlike the Glock pistols. Based on our interview with Archon’s William Cox (see below), DR believes the Archon Type B’s barrel length is 4.29″.
The
Archon Type B pistol ships with four (4)
Mec-Gar 15-round mags (magazines), and comes with a nice-looking black soft case. Wow, Mec-Gar, that’s a name we haven’t heard in awhile. Anyway, the Archon Type B currently comes in at $849.95 USD MSRP.
