PSA Dagger Compact with RMR

[Moped]

I'm looking for owner opinions on this pistol. Is it as good as a Glock Gen 3 19?  Or just opinions from owners of the PSA Dagger in general. 

PSA Dagger Compact 9mm RMR Pistol With Threaded Barrel, Sniper Green | Palmetto State Armory

[gary_boom]

I have one without the break. It shoots just as good as my Glock 19. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. The only downside might be resale value but I guess you could sell about any decent pistol for $250.

[slickrick0999]

We have been messing around with one for a couple weeks now (actually shot it today).

I shot glocks for 15+ years and then switched to Sig 320 platform. I carried a g19 and had a g34 for idpa.

The dagger is a cool little ride but I would not equate it to a glock.   The trigger in the dagger we have been playing with was not good at all in the factory state (to the point of some failures).  We ended up with one of the timney triggers on sale now at psa and that made it much better.  The grip is another issue that may or may not bother you (individual preference).  We put a comp on the dagger and it honestly doesn't feel much different than a non-comped g19 but I think this may be the grip angle which is confusing due to the dagger "feeling " better just in hand but the glock "feeling " better under recoil. 

Just thought I would give my opinion since you asked for that and we have been playing with one recently.  YMMV.

The dagger shoots good but I would not carry it for self defense. 

 

[Smith]

Is it as good as a Gen3? I would say it is a Gen 3 with a slightly different grip. It has some of the mods people like to make to the Glock. Like mag pull cutouts, grip smoothing, slide melting, etc. It uses Gen 3 parts so you can mod it as much as a Glock.

If you were to blind test them side to side, I think you'd prefer the Dagger. Once your know what it is, the brand bias tends to kick in.

It's a reminder how cheap the Glock is to manufacturer and still make a good markup.

[tacops]

I have both and prefer the Dagger. The trigger is not as good as some but not so much as to bother me.  The grip feels much better to me than the Glock.  

[ken_mays]

I put an Apex trigger in one of these and test fired it afterward.  Due to the grip shape, it was one of the most uncomfortable pistols I've shot in a long time.   The flare at the bottom of the frontstrap plus the rather square edge of the trigger guard along with the unnecessary hump under the middle finger all combined to make several hot spots.  The slide serrations on this one are fine enough that they would be of little use were your hands slick or muddy.   The optic plate on it was plastic and I was not able to tighten it down sufficiently to keep it, and the Crimson Trace optic, from visibly moving, but this seems like something you could avoid with a different optic plate.

Reliability was OK as was accuracy, but nothing impressive.    On the plus side, they're cheap, I guess.

Edited December 24, 2023 by ken_mays

[kwe45919]

I'm a Glock guy first off. Secondly, I've modified them in almost every way. That being said, I've had Shadow Systems, Zevs and built P80s...all clones and all nothing but modified Glocks with different grips.

So I gave 2 different Daggers a try to see how they would stack up.

Like stock glocks, polish up the triggers and they're not bad or swap em out and they improve a bit. The grip is less than desirable to most. You either like it or hate it. I wasn't "happy" with the nub and sanded it off which helped.  Daggers need modifying but are a great base to start with. Daggers are cheap for a reason. I feel they would be a great truck gun, back up, toilet or shop gun etc in stock form. For those who can't afford much, they are good enough to start with and defend yourself until you can upgrade parts or to another pistol.

With Glockish lowers available every where, and a slew of parts available, I say build what you want when you find a lower you enjoy holding because the lower is usually what everyone has issues with. If you want or need an elchepo for whatever, Daggers fit that bill.

[Thursty]

I'm a reformed Glock apologist. Used to be all I would shoot, and I really bought into the "perfection" gimmick. I got away from Glocks primarily and moved into the 1911/2011 scene. But I still kept my Glocks. I've had Gen 3 and Gen 4 19s and I've owned 2 Daggers and shot 3 others that were owned by friends. Some say the trigger is not as good as a Glock, personally I think its better. Glock has long been regarded as one of the worst triggers in the industry. I used to get a blister on my trigger finger from my finger rubbing on the inside of the trigger guard, I don't get that with the hinged design of the PSA trigger. The Dagger also fixed some of the issues Glock had with the 17 and 19 locking blocks not being interchangeable, removed finger groves, added frame cuts for mag extraction (and did a better job of it than Glock did on Gen 5), undercut the frame, and put better texturing on the side. 

Ultimately, I sold my 19s and kept my Daggers. They offered better options at half the price of the Glock. I could literally sell one of my 19s and buy 2 Daggers, moreover, I could get Daggers with whatever sights I wanted, whatever slide cuts I wanted, and optics ready, I couldn't do that with a Glock.

I pieced both of my Daggers together when the various parts were on sale and I was able to put each together around $250.

[Thursty]

On 12/24/2023 at 12:51 PM, ken_mays said:

The optic plate on it was plastic and I was not able to tighten it down sufficiently to keep it, and the Crimson Trace optic, from visibly moving, but this seems like something you could avoid with a different optic plate.

 

I've used a lot of Daggers but never seen one with an optic plate before. All of them I have seen were direct mount to the slide for either an RMR cut or a Doctor cut. Was an optic plate necessary for your set up?

Edited December 29, 2023 by Thursty