All Steel, Hammer Fired And Affordable: Sarsilmaz SAR 2000

Move over other CZ-75 clones, the SAR 2000 is ready to give all comers a run for their money.

How Does The SAR 2000 Stand Up To Other Clones:

• All steel construction for a hefty and durable pistol.
• Respectible trigger, with a very crisp single-action break.
• Priced competitively relative to nearly any other CZ-75 clone.

An echo of an echo, it’s difficult to tell where the CZ-75 starts and its clones end. By all rights, it’s among the most copied handguns to ever come down the pike, perhaps only overshadowed by the throngs of Single Action Army and 1911 riffs swelling the market. There’s a whole story about CZ-75 clones and how they multiplied like fleas on a feral dog. Sufficed to say, its proliferation is a testament to the original Combloc design genius. Imitation, flattery and all that.

Like so many European gunmakers, Sarsilmaz succumbed to the CZ-75 siren song and has introduced its crack at the old 75 to U.S. gun buyers. Well, the SAR 2000 is a reintroduction of sorts. Yanks have fawned over the Turkish concern’s double-action/single-action (DA/SA) pistols previously under the banner of Armalite, the unfortunately somewhat forgotten AR-24. Though this latest iteration is more closely related to the original Sarsilmaz DA/SA—the Sarsılmaz Kılınç 2000. Pretty much a dead ringer.

Following the original’s lead, the SAR 2000 isn’t a true-to-form CZ-75 clone. The 9mm has an Italian accent, taking a cue of another prolific 75 clone-maker, Tanfoglio—best known stateside nowadays for the EAA Witness. This is mainly seen in the fire control, which at times some shooters have contended was better than what came out of CZ. (That’s a barbershop debate point, not set-in-stone gospel.) The single-action especially won praise, with a short take up, crisp trip and bearable reset. What more could you ask from a pistol whose first trigger pull hovers around 14-pounds?

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As to the SAR 2000’s tale of the tape, it features a 4.5-inch hammer-forged barrel, recessed match crown and forged stainless steel slide—tri-top, with plenty of material shaved away. Forged steel frame too, which should strike a chord among traditionalists.

While dimensionally, the pistol comes in compact enough to conceal, it’s got the stuff to test waistbands. Unloaded, the SAR 2000 tips the scales at a robust 35 ounces, considerable more with both its 10- and 17-round magazines. On the flip side, the pistol is a smooth shooter, with much of its heft devouring the already polite 9mm’s recoil. This gives it the chops as a budget competition gun.

The pistol’s ergonomics are solid as well. Grip rake is nearly identical to the CZ-75, and it boasts an ample beavertail facilitating a fundamental high grip without fear of the SAR 2000’s bite. The front and back straps are lightly textured, but rubberized panels do the lion’s share of keeping the gun in hand. No decocker either, just a relatively streamlined thumb safety, so it’s possible to run the pistol cocked and locked. As to the sights, no frills here—steel three-dot. But front and rear are dovetailed and upgradable.

The part to get very excited about with the SAR 2000 is its price, which in a word is low. The company’s black-finished pistol has an MSRP of $477 and the stainless-steel model an MSRP of $500. Given its assets, if it proves a shooter, the DA/SA qualifies as a value.

SAR 2000 Specs
Caliber: 9 mm
Height: 5.5 inches
Capacity: 17+1 or 10+1 rounds
Width: 1.4 inches
Overall length: 8.0 inches
Barrel Length: 4.5 inches
Weight: 35.2 ounces
MSRP: $477.77 black finish; $499.99 stainless steel

For more information on the SAR 2000, please visit sarusa.com.

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