The Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Masada is a sneaky-good duty sized pistol that doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I bought mine in the spring of 2020 and it’s been nothing but solid. The Masada is comfortable, ergonomic, ambidextrous, and, most importantly, goes “bang” every time I pull the trigger. And I mean every time. A big reason for that reliability is the IWI Masada magazines.
Quality Construction
The IWI Masada magazines are made of heat-treated steel with a polymer base plate. A gray polymer anti-tilt follower tops the high-tensile steel spring. A push button on the base plate allows easy disassembly and cleaning.
These factory OEM mags are IWI branded but they are made in Italy. Nothing wrong with that. I called IWI US and confirmed that they are manufactured by Mec-Gar, which is a good thing. Mec-Gar built mags are among the best in the world. These mags hold 17 rounds, but IWI offers 10 rounders for those who live in states with unfortunate capacity limits.
One thing I like about the Masada design, coupled with the magazine, is the small cutout at the base of the grip. It provides some real estate to grasp the mag’s base plate and pull it out if necessary. The base plate even has a small cut of its own for that purpose. I’ve never had to do that, but the cutout makes it easier than if the mag was flush with the grip’s base.
IWI Masada Magazine Specs
- Caliber: 9mm Luger
- Capacity: 17 rounds
- Double Stack
- Rear Witness Holes
- Steel construction with polymer base plate and follower
- Mec-Gar OEM manufactured
High Performance
I’ve been running my Masada for a little over three years now. I don’t carry it, but it serves as my nightstand gun, meaning it’s a primary part of my system. As such, the gun gets regular range time, complete with mag change drills. I also run dry fire exercises at home, again with mag changes.
I currently have six IWI Masada mags in my rotation. Not nearly enough, I know, but that’s where I’m at right now. I’m happy to report that I cannot recall a single malfunction during those three years. The Masada, and the mags, have handled a variety of 115 and 124-grain full metal jacket rounds, both good stuff and cheap. I’ve even thrown in some steel-cased Wolf rounds. I don’t often shoot hollow points, but they’ve had no problems with 124-grain Hornady Custom XTP and 124-grain Sierra Outdoor Master JHPs.
The mags themselves have been dropped in the dirt, mud, snow, and water. I’ve purposely run dirty rounds through them. As always, I’m not trying to induce failures by pouring dirt or mud into the mags, but I don’t baby them either. The mags insert and eject smoothly, as you’d expect, and there’s no rattle.
High Value
The Masada pistol is a high-quality handgun with an unbelievable price point. The gun is just a fantastic value. That value carries over to the magazines. Mec-Gar manufactured steel mags for other pistols in this class sometimes sell for over $40 apiece. But these 17-round IWI Masada magazines, which are every bit as nice, go for around $30.00. Not as inexpensive as some polymer mags, but for steel mags with all the features? That’s a good deal these days.
IWI makes quality products, many of which are very affordable. The Masada pistol is one of those. If you don’t have one, you might consider giving it a good look. And magazines are often a determining factor as to whether a gun is viable in your system. The gun can be fantastic, but if the mags are not reliable, it won’t run when you need it to. These IWI Masada magazines are built to run. They will be there when you want them, whether on the range or when you hear the bump in the night.
