ICS presents its new model, a replica with all the licenses of a real gun. It may not sound familiar to many, but “Sarsilmaz Firearms Corp.” is one of the largest small arms manufacturers in Turkey. In fact, they have been in the game since 1880 (when Turkey was still the Ottoman Empire) and nowadays they not only equip the Turkish armed and law enforcement forces, but export their products to more than 78 countries. But the novelty in this new ICS replica is not just in context, so we are going to break them down one by one in this review, pay attention!

Realism

This is a 1:1 replica of the real model that also has the licenses of the real manufacturer so we can enjoy its original markings. But that is not all! It is built in aluminium and nylon which is so similar that even the measures are similar (193 mm in length in the real and 195 mm in the replica), the weight (770 g in the real and 750 g the ICS replica) or even the magazine capacity (18 9mm bullets and 22 6mm BBs respectively).

Luminescent sights

The slide of the pistol has metal sights with a three-point targeting system, with the particularity that they are luminescent (which means that they will glow a little in the dark if they are first illuminated). The good thing about this system is that it helps us to aim in poor lighting conditions such as some CQBs scenarios or in a game in an open field when night falls. While the luminescent paint surface has just the necessary amount for the aiming system so that it will not give away our position.

External threaded barrel

The external barrel ends at the slide as any normal pistol, but its internal termination is threaded so you can attach the 14 CCW steel thread that comes in the box to be able to attach silencers or compensators to the pistol to fully set up your replica gun.

Fixed inner barrel

Here we find one of the main innovations by ICS: this replica has a fixed internal barrel which offers greater stability during recoil which translates as increased precision. And speaking of precision, this replica mounts a precision barrel of 6.03 and 104 mm in length, compatible with most of the guns on the market for easier maintenance and upgrade (although it is not necessary to change it at all  in our opinion).

M1913 Tactical Rail

MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail, are two more names for the classic Picatinny rail that we find under the slide and in which you can attach accessories such as grenade launchers, lasers or flashlights. In this case a three-tooth rail in the centre of which there is a metal plate with an engraving, and which, unlike other replicas, does not work as a part to activate the safety.

Interchangeable magazine release side

Not so the rest of the pistol controls, but at least if the magazine release is a part that you can disassemble and mount on the opposite side of the pistol depending on whether you are a left or right-handed shooter. This is the only element (the same cannot be done with the slide release) but it is more than what other pistols offer and it is appreciated

Magazine

The magazines of this replica come with the REVO valve system developed by ICS, which has two parts:

The Quantitative Injection Valve in the base of the magazine will help us load 30% more liquid gas in our magazines, thus maintaining greater control of the internal pressure of the magazine and improving the gun’s autonomy (that is, the time you can be firing before having to reload the gas).

The Performance Releasing Valve in the upper part has a new O-ring and spring with which you can regulate the amount of gas that comes out with each shot, adjusting the performance of the gun depending on the time of the year (it is very different to play 40ºC in summer than at 10ºC in winter).

Interchangeable panel grips

If you have been playing for a long time you will know that a 1911 and a Beretta do not take up the same space in the hand, and this makes many players choose the secondary model based on the size of their hand instead of the qualities of the pistol. To avoid this, the SAR9 includes interchangeable grip panels so that whether we have a big or small hand it will fit like a glove and the grip, thanks to the non-slip texture, is as comfortable as possible.

Innovative horizontal adjustment Hop-up

In the hop-up we found another change in the way ICs manufactures pistols so far and that is that they have implemented a horizontal adjustment system that offers greater precision. And the best thing is that despite everything, this system continues to use hop-up rubber for pistols, like most, so we can change it if necessary without any problems.

Trigger

‘Two stage’ trigger
Like the actual model, this pistol comes with either a two-stage trigger or "a trigger inside another trigger." This system prevents accidental firing by making the pistol not fire unless you press both of them, something that which is not an extra effort when shooting since one is inside the other, just a little more forward.
 
Trigger with marker
As the pistol lacks a visible external hammer, when you hammer the slide the trigger will be more forward, revealing a red triangle that alerts the user that the pistol has been loaded. Whereas, when firing, the trigger retracts, hiding the triangle so that the user knows that the pistol is not cocked.

Resized trigger guard
Another of the elements inherited from the real model is the oversized trigger guard. This is not merely aesthetic, but we notice it a lot when playing with gloves (especially with the thickest ones in winter) since the finger goes in and out without any difficulty, making the instinctive shot faster and more agile, something we always appreciate as players since you will almost always have to use the handgun when things go south during a game.

Modular firing set

If AEG ICS are characterized by the modular gearbox, for pistols it seems that it seeks to follow its own path with a modular firing set that not only achieves a more fluid operation of its components but allows us to extract it for maintenance with much greater ease and comfort.

Conclusion

Remember this name: SARSILMAZ SAR 9. Because we know that there are many players tired of the same classic models that we find in the fields, many veterans looking for a brand to finally launch significant novelties in the form of a secondary, and many airsofters in general that just by seeing it have already fallen in love with this ICS model. Well, we have a message for those guys; stop looking at our pistol, get one for yourselves!