For comparison, while this target shot with the Glock 19 afterward at the same distance won’t win me any awards, keeping the hits consistent was clearly much easier. At this point in the shooting session, I had fired several magazines through the Uzi Pro.

In slow fire, the Uzi did a little better than it did in rapid fire. The hole at the top left is from a .45 caliber round from another handgun.

Having said all this, the Uzi Pro UPP9S was at least reliable throughout the shooting session.

To get a second perspective, I asked my SO what she thought of the Uzi Pro UPP9S:

Uzi Pro Pistol

Weight

The Uzi Pro was too heavy for me to hold in a typical pistol stance, with my arms out straight.  Keeping the gun steady on target for even five rounds in that position is beyond my strength.  I adapted by pulling my arms in, with my elbows tucked into my sides.  I managed to get a reasonable group in that position, (~6 in?), and I was able to hold it for 10 rounds without problem.  I probably would not have been able to hold it for more than twenty at a time, however.

Trigger

The trigger is ridiculously heavy.  So much so that had I not known it was a lever, I wouldn’t have considered it a moving part at all.  In spite of that, there are no parts of the trigger that feel jerky or grinding.  A good thing, because otherwise it’d be nigh unshootable.

Charging handle

I found the charging handle very hard to pull back the one time I attempted to do so.  In fact, the one malfunction of the day occurred immediately after my attempt, suggesting that I was not able to bring it back either completely or securely.

Accuracy

I was able to get a recognizable group with the pistol, though it was not at the same level of accuracy I can get with the Glock.

Grip Safety

I found the grip safety to be uncomfortable and distracting.  It forces the shooter to widen their grip, making it harder to support this very heavy gun.  Instead of supporting this weight across the ball of the hand, most of it rests on the bones of the fingers.  By the time I finished shooting 10 rounds, I could feel the strain in my right index finger and fatigue in my forearm.  It’s apparent to me that prolonged shooting (recreational shooting over several years) would eventually cause stress injuries in that hand, at least in the position I was forced to shoot from.

I was warned ahead of time that the grip safety could pinch if I wasn’t careful, so I was able to avoid that, at least.

Front Sight

The sights are large, easy to see and line up.  Or they would be if there weren’t bars on either side of the front sight have almost the exact same shape and profile!  Shooting in the shaded portion of the range meant that I couldn’t easily see the white dot that indicated which black bar I was supposed to line up.  This is a problem easily ameliorated by familiarity and practice, but for the first few minutes I needed a second or two each shot to make sure I was lining up the sight correctly.  Irritating to say the least.

All in all, this gun feels like I’m shooting a cinder block.  Rough, uncomfortable and heavy in a very blocky, clunky sort of way.

Overall, the UPP9S is not a firearm I could recommend anyone to buy but collectors of Israeli firearms. Were it lighter, maybe it could compete with the glut of semi-automatic handguns already on the market. Were the trigger better, or the grip safety spring weaker, or the grip safety groove reduced or at least sanded down, or a combination of these things, then maybe it would be at least a fun range toy. Were it a rifle, instead of a handgun, maybe I could forgive a few of these problems more easily. Were it cheaper, maybe I could more readily recommend it to those who just think it’s neat. At least the firearm was reliable, but what good is a reliable 9mm handgun that is twice the weight and price of the Glock, and far less shootable?

The Final Score

The Good:

1. It has a built-in optics rail.
2. It comes with two high capacity magazines.

The Bad:

1. The grip safety.
2. The weight.
3. The sights.
4. Magazine insertion.
5. The heavy action spring.
6. The grip safety channel.

The Ugly:

1. The 20 pound trigger.
2. The price tag is higher than two Glocks.

There may be many good products in the IWI product line, but I am going to have to recommend that readers stay away from the Uzi Pro UPP9S.