Bulgarian Arcus 98DA 9mm 4.66" 15+1 Two-Tone HG1014T-N

Customer Reviews

Good buy for the money
Review by Matt on 3/31/2016

So I purchased an ARCUS 98DA from classic here when I just randomly surfed the site as I do periodically and just like that I stumbled onto a 98DA in stock I would have preferred to get one in all blue finish originally but after hearing it was actually more like parkerized I was glad I got 2 tone I got mine for 5 bucks off cause the box looked like it had been stepped on so no complaints there now on to the gun the finish while not great is evenly applied and the gun is a natural pointer take down is a breeze ( not as easy as modern polymer combat autos but still easier then WW2 reproduction 1911A-1s ) I did have to clean out the shipping lube in the deep passages but it was smooth and cycled quickly when I checked it prior to accepting it the barrel it well made and has the distinctive locking lugs one thing to point out this thing is all metal and it's 1 ton pickup rugged it's not going to break ( unless you seriously abuse it) the mags are not world class but they drop clear when empty and pop in quickly and feed nicely the rubber grip for me took some getting used to but it's definitely going to make the ARCUS hard to accidentally loose your grip on now the gun is not perfect there are some gripes I have the machining could be better in a few places but it's not going to scrape you up if you choose to carry it the mag catch is actually quite sharp and was leaving a small indent in the mags where it was holding them ( a few minutes with a file fixed the mags) now that the catch is wearing in its not doing it as bad so besides some minor complaints in feel this gun was an excellent buy it's a shame they are so unknown the 98DA is also eligible to compete in IDPA and USPSA under the stock service pistol category my gun was supposed to have glow sights but for some reason one if the inserts was gone again not a big issue in the future I'm probably going to redo the finish in duracoating using the polished blue color finding parts is not hard either a company called browning hi power spring solutions has a complete kit for the ARCUS 98DA featuring a 17 pound recoil spring and a spare 15 pound unit plus all the others you might need I advise fitting the 17 pounder if you want to use it for carry and run the hotter plus p and plus p plus loads popular today ( personally I prefer 124g standard psi ammo) all told if you see a 98 DA buy it

Awesome Quality
Review by Marc on 9/28/2015

I originally purchased an Arcus 98DA for my girlfriend and was absolutely surprised at how solid the pistol felt when I got it. For under $300 it is an awesome gun to have and fun to shoot, so I went and bought one for me. Love this pistol.

Awesome Pistol
Review by Charlie on 9/28/2015

One of the best pistols that I've purchased in recent time. I'm from the 'old school' and always liked the Browning Hi Power 9mm for legal concealed carry. But I always wanted a similar gun in 'Double Action', with the same almost identical looks. That was 40 years ago, and the moment and my wish, has finally arrived. The gun shoots flawlessly, and I'm proud to be its owner. A definite '5 Star Rating'.

Update Review
Review by Joe on 8/30/2015

After shooting the Arcus much much more, still stand by it...
Just want to note to potential buyers that it runs hot...

awesome pistol for the price
Review by rodriguez on 5/27/2015

great pistol for the price. durable, dependable. awesome in general. the transaction with Classic Firearms went smooth. outstanding customer service. thanks!

awesome buy
Review by wmettlen on 5/19/2015

This is an amazingly well made firearm for the price and it very accurate if u dont own one then I highly recommend purchasing one

Great Pistol
Review by Larry Boy on 5/18/2015

I was really happy with this pistol. After purchase price, shipping and transfer costs I'm in to this pistol for a whole $312. $312 for a full size reliable 9mm handgun. I took it to the range the first weekend I received it. Fired off 200 rounds. I experienced no problems whatsoever. This gun functioned as it should. I love this gun. Debating on getting the compact model. Buy this you won't be sorry.

I like it!
Review by slile on 5/4/2015

Out of the box it shot about 2" Right; adjusted the rear sight with a few taps and fixed the L/R issue - easy. Now it punches out the center of the target at 25m, even shot at 100m and was consistently on the (6x8) paper. No jams, not much grease like the other comments may say, it's a bit heavy but the all metal frame gives good stability. Feels perfect in the hand, so much so that shooting from the hip has rather good results owing from the feel and balance. About 300 rounds shot and I'm rather pleased.

well worth the money spent
Review by Joe on 5/2/2015

After firing my friends Beretta M9A1 and falling in love with it, I read up on this Arcus 98DA. For half the money I decided to give it a try.... purchased an extra mag as well. Picked it up and it came with a lot of cosmoline all over it and everywhere. So after a real good cleaning n lube, we sent about 175 rounds down range. All 3 mags functioned flawlessly. Not 1 failure to feed or eject... not 1 problem whatsoever! Except for 1 shot, all rounds that I fired were in single action mode. Crisp, light trigger and
Pretty good accuracy as well. It didn't look as good as my friends M9A1 but it doesn't look that bad at all. The 1 round fired double action had a lot of kick with a a heavy trigger pull, but that was expected and you don't have to worry about that anyhow.... just fire single action only. Afterwards, my wife had no problem racking the gun and when she fires it on the next outing, I don't believe she will have any problem whatsoever shooting it. Single action mode had very little kick and it is dead on. The weight of the gun is evenly distributed. Also, it is thin for a double stack. And it breaks down very simply without any tools. This is a COMBAT WEAPON! You will not be disappointed! Highly recommended!!!

Nice!
Review by Robert on 3/18/2015

Got mine a week ago. Haven't been to the range yet but I give it a 5 on feel. The slide is snug, trigger is crisp and If all goes well at the range I might pick up the compact. Looks like a decent pistol for the price and Classic has always done me right. Interesting grips. They aren't tacky but they stick to your hand if that makes sense. Look forward to updating this review.

Best $279 I've ever spent
Review by George on 3/2/2015

So far I've put about 100 rds through it between Wolf 115gr hardball and 124gr Federal Nyclad HP's without a single hickup.Slow fire,double taps,rapid fire drills,no problems.Grouped well with both rds.

Update previous review
Review by Douglas on 2/19/2015

I posted a review previously cocncerning putting slide back on after cleaning. The ejector pin was about 1/16 of an inch too high and was hiting slise, could not put slide all the way on. I looked at some youtube videos and there was one with this problem. All I did was carefully , with a dremel tool file a 1 1/16" off the pin. Slide works fine and gun fires fine also. I originally posted that the gun fired excellent, went through 150 rds of different ammo, including Hornady hollow points, no FTF or FTI. I cleaned the gun after this , that is when I found the problem with pin. The accuracy of this gun is fantastic, the longer barrell also helps.
I reccommend buying this gun, plus it is now on sale for $279.00 and they have extra magazines for $19.99, 13 rd and 15 rd mags. I am ordering two more mags today.

Nice secondary gun
Review by Southern Boy on 2/12/2015

I gave this gun a 4, largely because a 5 to me is a "A+". It shoots nicely, I really like the grips, but it's a little rough around the edges.

Best deal for money.
Review by Richard on 12/11/2014

I got one this Arcus 98DA 9mm two-tone handgun as birthday gift. I can say reviews on handgun below are spot on what you get which great handgun for the value. I have had all same good luck with same good results ever one else has own review this handgun below. Make one recommendation if want more than 15 round mags come Arcus 98DA than look in buying 20 round hi power magzines come from Mec-Gar. The 13 round magzines for Hi power are to short fit in Arcus 98DA take 15 round mags however 13 round Hi power mags fit short 98DAC use same 13 round mag 15 round mags from Arcus 98DA work in short Arcus 98DAC they stick out bottom that gun. I have two 20 round Hi Power magzines from Mec-Gar work function in Arcus 98DA just fine with out any issues. The 20 round Mec-GAr Hi power magzines gone stick litte bit from bottom Arcus 98DA but not buy much. Like ever one below I use my Arcus 98DA two tone defend my life with. My family who got me my two tone Arcus 98 DA for my birthday was very please with Classic Firearms with speed customer service they got from them.

Solid Pistol, Great Value, Excellent Dealer
Review by FxdBlade on 9/6/2014

First experience with Classic Firearms, and the Arcus DA was at my FFL and awaiting pick-up within four days. Excellent service and communication. Weapon in perfect condition. It is a solid, all steel pistol with a very tight, good feel and excellent balance. It shot straight and fired every time I pulled the trigger, regardless of the casing or grain of the ammo. The finish isn't quite a Kimber-level polish, but the gun was just under that $1400.00 figure of the Kimber at $299.00! I love the gun and look forward to using it as a fun range gun and to help my spouse get her CCL. I do not expect this to be a good carry gun due to weight, but it performs well enough to make that cut if you wish. I would put it up against any sub-$300 pistol. Classic was a great experience.

Another good buy from Classic tight gun and shoots great evev with Wolf ammo
Review by Don on 8/12/2014

Good shooter 1 to 2 inch groups at 25 yds

Great value.
Review by Bruno on 8/5/2014

I own a lot of guns mostly high end. For the price this is a great value. Functions as a double action Browning Hi-Power. May buy another. Very high quality.

Bargain shooter
Review by cs on 7/29/2014

This is a good shooter even if it's not the prettiest thing on the market. Very solid pistol; once cleaned (it came packed in heavy grease) fired 100 rounds without a single malfunction. Accuracy was acceptable at tin can distances but didn't have a chance to do any benchwork, the single action trigger is adequate. I've seen better but also seen many worse triggers.
Finish is rough on both the slide and frame with many machine marks inside both. Fit appears to be OK, but the slide does jiggle a bit on the frame.
Two things that really impressed me- not much muzzle flip, allowing for quick target re-acquistion, and both magazines took all 15 rounds very easily without having to struggle with the last five or so rounds. I have never experienced magazines like this with any pistol I have ever bought (cheap through Sig 226) with the exception of my Ruger MK II.
All in all a very good shooter at a bargain price. Will probably buy the compact in all blue soon.

One of my favorite handguns
Review by john1791 on 7/25/2014

I love my Arcus 98DA. I have several guns that are much more expensive, but this is one of my favorites. Great range gun. Great single action trigger. Double action is heavy, so I would choose to carry in a cocked and locked configuration. Nice three dot dovetail sights. Very accurate. Can't miss an 8" plate at 30 feet. I like the grip. Fits my hand like a glove. Wouldn't be my first choice for daily carry because of the size, but it's a great fun gun. The mags don’t slip into the mag wells as easily as I feel it should, so I dremmeled the edge of the mag well a little bit and now it is much better. I can't recommend it highly enough. I’m thinking of getting a second one. It's a great value gun.

Excellent gun for the money
Review by DMITRY on 5/15/2014

Purchased this gun because I heard how good it is. Indeed it is good. Almost as good as my CZ75B. Almost. For half the price. The ONLY problem with this gun is that it only has 15 round magazines. However. I fired 150 rounds of TULA Ammo 9mm. NO FAILURES OF ANY KIND. That says a lot. buy with confidence.

great gun, problem with ejector
Review by Douglas on 5/2/2014

I received the gun put rounds through it as I reviewed previously. I went to clean the gun today,. it came apart perfect, cleaned and oiled. The slide will not go all the way in. IT hits the ejector on the right side. I can not get the injector pin or ejector to move. It is sticking up a 1/16 of an inch and hitting the slide. Maybe SOMEONE CAN HELP? i SHOULD OF CLEANED THE GUN AFTER USING, i WOULD OF FOUND PROBLEM?

High Quality Pistol
Review by Michael on 4/19/2014

Received this pistol last week and I had the first opportunity to shoot it yesterday. I ran about 50 hand loaded rounds through it with no issues. It is very accurate and hardly no discernible "muzzle flip" because of the all steel construction. I love the "hogue" type rubber grip which is very comfortable for my large hands. This firearm is an excellent value for the shooter on a budget..........quality at an affordable price!

Very Nice Gun
Review by Douglas on 4/17/2014

I ordered on 4/11 which was a Friday and had it in my hands 4/16 Wed. The gun is all steel but is not heavy. I have a 9mm, Beretta, Ruger, Sig and a Taurus. The accuracy of this gun is better than 3 of them and equal to the other. I immediately went and fired 150 rds, before cleaning with cheap ammo, also fired 10 rds of Hornady hollow points. No FTF or FTI. Very liitle recoil and sites are dead on. This gun is made well and is a fantastic bargain.

Not Cheap
Review by Ronald on 4/14/2014

Not a chaep gun, inexpensive well worth the price. And free shipping. Two days and 1500 rounds later, one missfire (my faulty reload). Just breaking in and getting smooth. Hit a 8x10 piece of paper with all but one shot ( my reload) @ 10 yards. Main purpose of purchase was home defense. Non reflective surfaces a plus, three dot white sights will have to prove themselves in low light. Over all, very happy. Service at Classic is #1

Best Shooter I've got
Review by der Fritz on 4/4/2014

This pistol is an unsung hero at the range. It has minimal recoil, feels great in the hand and is the best shooter of my meager collection. And the hi cap mag is a plus!!! Did I mention it never malfunctions? Everyone who shoots it is impressed. I love this pistol.

Excellent Value, excellent gun
Review by TheBeef on 2/15/2014

At this price point, with all the positive reviews, i took the chance. Wanted a full sized 9mm but not Beretta or Browning prices. Packaging is cheap, but adequate.Chrome finish is more like nickel or stainless, but smooth and consistent appearance. Wear? time will tell. Black finish on slide is more like anodizing than bluing, slightly rough surface that catches lint from cleaning patches and doesn't take a surface oil coat very well.Silicone cloth works better.
The pistol comes dirty and oily. Field strip and remove firing pin to clean up the gunk and excessive lubricant before shooting, dry lube the firing pin if you can clean out the channel well enough. Try pipe cleaners.

As for action, the gun cycled everything - 250 rds of cruddy old blazer ammo to 4 different reloads to win whitebox. No FTE or FTF. Ejects consistently to about 10 feet away in a surprisingly small pattern. made clean up for reloading extra easy. However the trigger is pretty rough. It has a shelf about halfway back where the pull eases until it breaks, and DA is stiff. Hopefully a few hundred more rounds will smooth it out.

Small stuff: The safety only works with hammer cocked, disassembly is simple, rubber overgrip is excellent, recoil is very mild, sights are dead nuts on, groups were tight and a better shooter could reduce them further. Rapid fire made for easy recovery and maintained tight groups. The gun points very naturally and feels like an extension of the index finger. Good ole JM Browning design with a pronounced beavertail means no hammer bite.

All things considered, the crummy trigger is only a problem in a target gun. For it's intended M&P use, this pistol is a serious bargain and you shouldn't hesitate to pick one up. The HighPower has a long history, and this is a darn good copy.

Big quality, little money
Review by Surfcityred on 2/15/2014

This pistol is well made, accurate and does just what it is supposed to do. It shoots accurately to point of aim and has been 100% reliable with reloads and factory fodder. Thanks Classic.

Great pistol at a great price.
Review by surfcityred on 1/26/2014

I read the other reviews and took a chance. I have to say that I am very, very pleased with this firearm. It has proven to be very, very accurate (outshoots my buddy's M&P every time) and 100% reliable. I easily shot the center bull out of the target today. It is also built like a truck and it should last forever. Don't hesitate on this one. Thanks Classic.

good gun
Review by gan on 12/5/2013

i really like this gun have put 150 plus rounds through it no problems.pretty decent finish only reason i gave a 4 star is because it is not compatible with browning hi power magazines. plan on getting the compact version since it does . great gun great price

Best $300 you'll ever spend
Review by RICK on 10/23/2013

Took my arcus da out yesterday to shoot for the first time. Highly accurate gun. My friends were jealous. I'm sure at this price point they will be ordering theirs soon.

Great Buy
Review by Shooty McGee on 10/5/2013

I got this pistol in within a week of placing the order. Nothing but good things to say about Classic Firearms. Finally got the arcus out to the range today after cleaning it beforehand. 100 rounds of Tula steel case, 100 rounds of Federal FMJ, 50 of Winchester white box, and 20 Federal HST without any issues at all. Love the action and trigger. Actually shot better with this than my glock 35. For the money this pistol cannot be beat. Highly recommended.

Dark Horse Fantastic Pistol
Review by Ole Folky on 9/21/2013

Wow! What a pleasant surprise this 9mm is! From first grab, it felt perfect in my hand and I really like the easy take-down and simplicity of the action. The manual safety suits me as well. Accuracy is excellent and the 15 rnd clips are great. While the finish is not superb, it is far from unattractive. Gee, I feel like an honorary Bulgarian owning this superb pistol.

Sweet Surprise
Review by LTennyson on 9/11/2013

Of the 9mm pistols that I own the Arcus 98DA is the only full size one. This action is a smooth as butter and the breakdown and maintenance is even easier. The finish is not as flashy as with some of the bigger, better known players but the performance is nothing to balk at. A friend of mine who's a nuclear engineer told me that traditionally some of the best machine work has come out of Bulgaria. A solid full size 9mm pistol for just under $350 for everything is good deal.

Great value
Review by WILLIAM on 9/3/2013

Flawless right out of the box.
Exellent value.

Enjoying this pistol purchase from Classic Firearms
Review by ALLEN on 8/11/2013

Have fired 75 rounds through my 98DA. 45 before cleaning it. It was well packed in shipping grease. I did not clean it before firing it because I wanted to see how well it fired dirty. To that end I first ran 30 rounds of really dirty low power reloads lots of unspent powder and flash. I was happy to be rid of these. My first shot from 15yds was nearly dead center DA trigger. Very surprised. I had one failure to feed. Then 15 rounds of Hornady ammo without any failures and 3 to 4 inch accuracy for 5 shot groups at 15 yards. Which is good for me. Then cleaned and oiled it and ran 30 rounds of Federal 115 gr FMJ RN as quickly as I could no failures. Recoil is completely controllable even for a small shooter. I love the grip. There were two people hanging out at the dealer where I picked up my pistol. They both liked the look and feel of it and one wanted to know where he could get one too.

I couldn't be happier with my decision to purchase this Arcus 98DA from Classic Firearms. I ordered late in the day and they didn't have my FFL dealer on file. So I called on 8/5 and spoke a very helpful woman that took my order quickly and confirmed that my FFL dealer had faxed their license. I received 5 emails. 8/5 1. confirming my order and CC charges. 2. Order was picked and ready to ship. 8/6 3. order was shipped and tracking number 8/9 4. order was out for delivery 5. Delivery receipt

Looking good so far pt 2
Review by BIGMAC on 8/7/2013

i just got back from the range with my pistol i put 75 rds through it and it worked flawlessly.

great gun
Review by Mike on 8/1/2013

I have owned an Arcus 98 for three years with no problems . Nice all steel gun, real bargin. One of my 20 pistols that can hold its own with any of them.

looking good so far
Review by BIGMAC on 7/25/2013

i ordered this fire arm on fri, on mon i got an email saying it was shipped and on wed it arrived so far everything seems to be working (i have not fired it yet due to lack of ammo) but everything seems to work just fine. this was my first purchase through classic and i will definitely come back with my future firearm purchases.

Looks better in pictures.
Review by trek988 on 7/23/2013

I wasn't sure what to expect for $300. I read several different reviews and I was satisfied that the gun should be of reasonable quality. First impression was that the gun definitely looks better in pictures online than it does in person. My second impression was wow is this thing packed in a lot of oil. Makes me wonder if there is more of a rust concern with this than other guns.
I took it out to the gun range and I got to say I was mostly impressed. Firing the gun in single action its great. At 15 yards I was right on target. The double action trigger pull is rather rough and feels extremely long.
I ordered the gun because the idea of a non 1911 style gun that is designed to be carried cocked and locked intrigued me.
Bottom line for the price the gun preforms well, the fit and finish is what is to be expected at this price point. I do feel that there are better guns to be had by the time you factor in shipping and the FFL transfer.

Bought 2, should have bought more!
Review by Saigafan on 3/11/2013

Bought 2 of these. Used one to qualify during a CHL Class. Awesome gun. Clean the extra oil off before shooting but other than that definitely worth the money.

Wow - Great shooter!!
Review by Will.I.Am on 3/7/2013

I bought this from Classic Firearms and they were great to work with - Very easy transaction and great shipping. I got this home and broke it down to clean it up before I went to the range. Very hefty pistol, but feels very nice in the hand. Breaks down and cleans up easy. The recoil spring has some sharp edges to it and is shaped to fit to one side. Trigger is about a 7lb pull and has a 'medium' pull/travel to it. 3 dot sights are fine and line up accurately.
I've put about 300 rounds thru this and really like it a lot. For $300 - I fricken love it!
My brother shot it as well and was not really sure what to expect for a '$300 gun'. He was shocked and wants one for himself.
I would (and am) recommending this to friends and family.
Classic Arms - thank you very much!

Accurate, Good Looking, Solid Pistol
Review by Husker on 3/6/2013

First, I am very happy that Classic made this pistol available. They are great to work with! The ARCUS 98DA is a very solid and accurate pistol. This is one of many pistols I own and I really enjoyed shooting it. It was accurate out of the box, cycled smoothly, and so far(200 rounds) I have had no performance issues of any kind. nice looking, heavy, durable pistol.

Thank you Classic Firearms!

best bang for buck
Review by rob on 2/14/2013

This is an all over good gun. When I recieved the gun I stripped it down and cleaned it well. Then I took it out for a spin. Out of the box this gun had dead on accuracy and flawless function, feels great in my hand. This is a great gun, plan to buy the ARCUS 98dac when avalible.

Top-notch duty pistol!
Review by Issa Akhbar! on 10/25/2012

I have two of these, the 98DA and 98DAC, and absolutely love them both. They eat anything I stuff in the mags, and are surprisingly accurate. Solid as a rock, all steel, feels just right in the hand.The price is no indicator of the quality here...inexpensive, but definitely NOT "cheap". Great pistols.

This is a great pistol
Review by Stevo on 7/23/2012

I own a Cz75b, and couple Glocks,a new Caracal and I have to say that if i had to grab a gun to fight in a battle i would grab my Arcus 98 da ..it is that good.. and out of all my pistols It is the most accurate. I bought mine cleaned it and got some 600 grit sand paper and polished the slide and all the moving parts..it did not need it I just did it since the gun comes so tight..now it is a deadly weapon and my favorite pistol
Steven G