PSA Micro Dagger

If you haven’t been living under a rock lately you have surely heard of the PSA Micro Dagger, officially named the PSA Dagger Micro. It’s Palmetto State Armory’s take on the Glock 43x platform.

It’s one of the most sought-after models in the Dagger lineup, and people all over the web agree that it’s a must-have if you want to carry a Dagger concealed.

Now that I’ve had some time to shoot, use, and customize the Micro Dagger, how does it stack up? Well, jump to the overview if you want the short version; otherwise, keep reading.

Features

PSA is a company that is making quick and rapid changes to its Dagger design. They have most recently completely abandoned non-optic cut slides in favor of optic cut slides.

This is a smart call that reduces the number of low-selling items and also is best for the customer. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve bought something saying, “I’ll never do that,” only to later want to do “that” and have to buy something else which I could have already had the functionality from go.

I’ll cover each of the major controls and features of the gun in some detail to better help you get an idea if this gun is a fit for you.

Grip and Ergonomics

The entire Dagger series is based on the Glock Gen 3 design with its own modifications to the overall design.

Dagger Micro’s ergonomics feel very much like a Glock 43x in your hand; however, the grip texture is much different than Glocks.

The grip texture is very muted and soft with very little abrasion which is easier on the hand but could sacrifice a little bit of extra grip.

If you are used to Glocks, this grip frame will feel very familiar. However, if you dislike Glock grip frames, that’s not a good sign for you liking the Micro Dagger.

PSA Dagger Micro

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15 Rounds
Weight: 15.9oz

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Magazine & Magazine Well

While there isn’t much to say about this magazine well I do want to talk about it briefly as well as discuss the magazine design.

The mag well doesn’t have much of a flare or funnel to it at all, so aim your magazine reloads correctly.

Now, let me talk about the more interesting piece of this puzzle, the magazine.

One of the biggest complaints about Glock 43,43x, and 48 stock magazines is their lack of ammo capacity.

The Glock 48 OEM magazine holds a measly 10 rounds of 9mm. The Sig P365 holds that with a much, much smaller footprint.

You might be saying, why and how. It’s simple: Glocks magazine design is a metal core with a polymer overshell. That polymer overshell that they insist on having takes up a lot of room in the magazine well and massively reduces the ammo carrying capacity.

Shield Arms makes an all-metal magazine that increases the capacity to 15 rounds.

Great, problem solved! Well, hold on.

There’s one issue with an all-metal design, and that’s the magazine release is polymer. Metal on polymer repeatedly has been shown to cause premature wear issues on the magazine release which could lead to your magazine no longer seating and being held in the gun.

Shield Arms did create a solution, which is a metal magazine catch, but that comes at an additional cost and firearm modification.

In true PSA fashion, they found a compromise that would allow them to reach a 15-round capacity without changing the magazine catch.

They created a magazine that has a polymer casting around the front of the magazine where the magazine and the magazine release interact and plain metal exposing the back of the magazine.

While this design looks a little funny it works perfectly in both the Micro Dagger and the Glock 48.

Magazine Release

If you made it through that last section you’ll know why the magazine release design better be good because the magazine design means there’s one less modification you need to make to the gun.

The slightly elongated square of a magazine release is very similar to the Glock design. It functions well and even with small hands you don’t have to break your master grip to use the release button.

It has some mild texturing in the form of a few vertical lines that are similar to Glocks design.

Slide Lock

I’ve never loved Glocks slide lock/release on these sub-compact guns, and while there’s not much you can do to make them better, I just wish they stuck out slightly more so they are easier to use.

The slide locks are very similar in design and lay flat against the grip frame. It does function as intended but I would love to see some aftermarket options that add a slight knob to the lever to give you a bit more surface area to push up and down on.

Sights

So, as I mentioned earlier, PSA has cut down on product offerings that don’t make sense, and in 2024, handguns without optics cut slides don’t make sense.

That being said maybe you hate red dots on pistols or are saving up for an optic on your pistol but want to go ahead and get the gun.

No worries, PSA is still putting sights on the guns, ha!

The sights tend to be a bit underwhelming and are not my preferred style of pistol iron sights. They typically are the three-white dot configuration and not night sights.

None of that is surprising, considering the fantastic price of these guns. The good news is these accept any Glock pattern sights.

Optics Cut

If you look around PSA’s Micro Dagger offerings, you won’t find any non-optics cut slides, which is good to see.

I always plan to add an optic to my pistol purchases at some point, and thankfully, the Micro Dagger quickly took the HE407K.

You can even purchase them with the 407K installed and it is a much better deal than buying them separately, unless you already have a 407K.

These slides are cut to not need a plate for any optic with a Shield RMSc footprint.

PSA Dagger Micro

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15 Rounds
Weight: 15.9oz

Check Price

Trigger

I’ve been pretty critical of the PSA Dagger series triggers in the past, and while they haven’t changed much, I think I should elaborate a bit more and explain more about why I take issue with them.

I don’t have a huge issue with the trigger bar or the overall function of the trigger itself, but I really dislike the trigger shoe.

Trigger Shoe

I want to preface this by saying I don’t love the stock Glock trigger either. I’m somewhat of a trigger snob and I admit that.

The trigger shoe on the Dagger series took the worst part of the S&W M&P line and added it to a Glock platform.

The breaking action in the middle of the trigger is my least favorite kind of trigger. This is a simple fix and learn from my mistake you don’t have to replace the entire trigger mechanism (and you really can’t right now because the trigger mechanism is different than the Glocks).

You just need a new trigger shoe, and while these are a bit pricey, they change everything about the trigger feel and pull; they are great.

Aesthetics

With these guns, the world is your oyster in terms of getting the aesthetic look you want. Palmetto offers a ton of different-colored slides and is slowly starting to offer different-colored frames.

The milling has not changed much, but with the introduction of the SABRE Dagger line before long, there may be so many options you might get paralysis analysis when trying to pick.

I like the look of the milling and the attention to detail that is starting to go into the PSA guns.

The logo in the grip frame is tastefully done and even the required ATF marketings aren’t oddly placed and overbearing.

I’m interested to see what PSA does with the SABRE line of Micro Daggers in the future.

Shooting

Well, it all boils down to the shooting, doesn’t it?

At the end of the day, this is a tool, and it must work because if you are required to use it, that means it’s life or death.

Some people have reported having issues with their Micro Dagger.

I’ll be fully transparent about this. I do have a close affiliate relationship with Palmetto State Armory, but I purchased my Micro Dagger, just as any of you reading this would, directly from their website at full price.

I have a relatively low round count through this gun at about 300 rounds. My buddy Brad and I were shooting the other day and we came to the conclusion that we don’t trust any gun out of the box just because it’s made by XYZ manufacturer (yes, even Glocks).

I want to run the gun to ensure it runs. But the question was purposed at how many rounds do you deem a gun “trustworthy” to carry and protect your life?

We both agreed that 500 rounds was the sweet spot. 1,000 seemed excessive from a realistic standpoint but 500 rounds was a reasonable, obtainable round count that gave you confidence in the weapon.

Remember, every gun is a different gun, even if it’s made on the same assembly line, press, or tooling.

So, I’m a little over halfway to the point where I deem my Micro Dagger trustworthy as a carry firearm.

The gun so far shot great. Zero malfunctions and pretty accurate with 115-Grain PMC ammo.

Recoil is snappy, much like other subcompacts but extremely manageable.

Overview

This gun is a contender in my carry lineup. Once I hit that 500 rounds at the range I’ll give it my personal stamp of approval here and in my lineup.

In my opinion, if you want a range gun for plinking get the Compact Dagger or the Full Size Dagger. They handle a bit better and have a higher ammo capacity so you spend less time loading.

If you are looking for a concealed carry pistol, then this should definitely be a consideration.

If you read this entire review, thank you. It was longer than usual because I really like this gun, and due to its surging popularity, I wanted to make sure I covered all its important features and nuances.

If there are any questions you have, please leave them in the comments below (not our contact form, please), and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.

If you are here just to bash PSA, please click the back button; I’ll take the bounce over the same tired ad hominem about affordable firearms.

PSA Dagger Micro

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15 Rounds
Weight: 15.9oz

Check Price

I’m going to try something new and explain the ratings at the very top of this article.

Ratings Explained

Design Features: The overall design features are not revolutionary, but they are logical and fit the need rather than just being “different.” The magazine is a prime example of why this gun gets a high rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars for design features.

Build Quality: The gun’s components and plastics all feel quality and durable. I have confidence that the polymers and metals are top-tier, which is why I give the build quality a 4.5 out of 5-star rating.

Recoil: The recoil is pretty snappy but that is the nature of sub-compact pistols. There is nothing worse or better about the recoil of this gun compared to other similarly sized 9mm sub-compacts which is why it gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Fun Factor: I don’t love shooting sub-compact pistols excessively. I like to train with them and be proficient with the guns I carry, but overall, the larger, more recoil-absorbing handguns are more fun to me. The higher round magazine gave it a slight bump in the rating. That’s why I gave this gun 3.9 out of 5.