TFB HANDS ON: The B&T USW-P Striker Fired Pistol
TFB had a chance to shoot the first B&T USW-P striker-fired pistol during a recent visit to the B&T headquarters in Switzerland. Military-inspired, this new striker-fired 9mm pistol is designed specifically for the civilian market. I had a chance to shoot this pre-production pistol and talk with B&T AG staff about the pistol during our recent visit. Here’s what I learned.
B&T @ TFB:
TFB HANDS ON: The B&T USW-P Striker-Fired Pistol
While this is the first time we’re seeing it, work on the USW-P started two years ago. Unlike military contract-born handguns, this pistol is designed as a high-end striker-fired pistol for the civilian market. With that said, the design had to meet the German guidelines for a service pistol. This means the gun cannot be taken apart without removing the magazine, and you do not have to pull the trigger to remove the slide from the frame.
The slide release sits just above the grip on both sides of the USW-P, and the push button safety is reversible for left handed shooters. To remove the slide, remove the magazine and push down on the takedown lever on the left-hand side.
Shown here with an RMSc red dot, the USW-P will be optics-ready from the factory, and all models will feature suppressor height sights. The other optic pattern officially announced was for the Aimpoint ACRO.
In addition, owners will be able to swap out the grip panels on the USW-P. The pistol will ship with three different sized grip panels that users will able to easily swap based on hand size.
The USW-P carries over features from the USW like the use of existing CZ75/EAA (Tanfoglio) magazines. The slide on the new pistol is first hardened and then QPQ coated in Switzerland by B&T.
The front of the pistol features a Picatinny rail for a light or laser. Cuts on the frame are guides for use with a USW pattern holster. Barrel blanks for this pistol are manufactured by Merkel in Germany. They’re then machined, heat treated, and coated in house by B&T. While shown without a threaded barrel, B&T confirmed all USW-P pistols shipped to the U.S. will come from the factory with a threaded barrel.
The USW-P will ship with this wide flat-faced trigger. B&T expects these pistols to be coming to market middle of 2023, and gave us a speculative price of ~$1,400 during our visit. What we can say is that there’s also a compact version of the USW-P on the way, and stock options for the USW-P are already in the works.
For more information and details on the B&T USW-P check out the TFBtv video below. Thank you again to B&T AG staff as well as B&T USA employees for coordinating this event. Stay tuned for yet another new product announcement from B&T in the coming weeks, and thanks for reading.
Iniital Product Specs*
- Overall Length: 8.61″
- Height: 5.66″
- Barrel Length: 4.96″
- Weight: 906gram (1.997lbs)
*Product specs are from a USW-P threaded barrel that’s not pictured in this article
Read the full article here
