HUNTIN-N-SHOOTIN: IWI UZI Pro SB–THE 21st Century UZI

Odds are you have heard of the UZI. The UZI was (and for some, still is) the epitome of the submachine gun. It has been the gun chosen by the elite and used by the masses. It started as a heavy weight submachine gun designed for military use.

The arm brace is a great addition to the Pro and is a welcome step between the naked pistol and the full on SBR.

The original UZI weighed in at nearly 8 pounds and measured 19 inches in length. As time progressed the UZI became smaller, lighter, and ultimately more efficient. With the following generations the UZI progressed into the Mini, then later the Micro and now the UZI Pro. Ultimately IWI has sold more than 2,000,000 UZIs and has exported them to over 90 countries. In short these guns have been used by more military, law enforcement and security companies than any other submachine gun in history.
The history of the UZI may be impressive, but what good does that do for the US firearms market? We can’t own machine guns manufactured after 1986, so what does IWI have for us?
IWI is now importing a new version of the latest and greatest UZI just for the US civilian market. The UZI Pro is more or less a neutered version of the current service model being employed around the globe, and it is being imported into the US as a pistol.

Features

Caliber 9mm Luger (9x19mm)
Operating System Blowback
Magazine Capacity Included: 1-20 round and 1-25 round. Optional: 32 round magazine
Barrel Type Cold hammer forged, CrMoV
Barrel Length 4.5″
Overall Length 10″ w/brace folded, 18” extended
Weight 4.5 lbs.
Rifling Right Hand, 1:10 inch twist
Sights Adjustable Target Sights
MSRP – $1,299

Design

The UZI Pro is a pistol built around the traditional UZI telescopic bolt / blow back design. The compact pistol has traditional UZI features such as the grip safety, the slide safety, steel stick magazines and ratcheting barrel nuts. From that point forward the gun departs from the old formula.

Broken down.

For fans of the wide wide world of optics lights and lasers, 1913 rails have been added to both the frame and top cover of the gun. Because this is an incredibly compact design, the frame’s rail sticks out a bit. The charging handle has been moved to the side of the gun. The lower portion of the pistol is now made form polymer and the magazine release has been moved under the trigger guard. Most importantly IWI has incorporated a side folding arm brace into the gun. The arm brace is manufactured by SB Tactical and it truly does a great job of taming the already mild recoil of the UZI pro.

The brace, when folded, can get in the way. But it makes the gun much shorter.

With such a compact frame, the rail section had to be extended out in front.

The UZI Pro has what some would consider a heavy trigger pull. I’m not sure if Israelis just like heavy triggers, or what–but the trigger on the UZI Pro is stout. Breaking at 9lbs, it is very similar to a double action revolver’s trigger. Heavy with a lot of travel. However, it is manageable and still capable of delivering accurate shots, but it will take you a few rounds to acclimate to it.
Now let’s talk about safeties. The UZI Pro is what I’d call a very safe gun to carry. It incorporates two manual safeties and one passive safety. With a thumb safety and a grip safety, there is little chance of this thing going bang when you don t want it to. However, in the chance that it gets dropped, it also incorporates a firing pin block that will prevent accidental discharge.

Oversized controls are easy to find, even with gloved hands.

Ergonomics

Military firearms don’t always focus on ergonomics. Functionality doesn’t generally breed comfort. The UZI Pro seems to get 99% of it right. From the light weight of the polymer lower to the left side charging handle, the Uzi Pro just does it better than its predecessors. The oversized magazine release is easy to use. The lower is molded to accommodate large hands and it provides just enough traction that recoil doesn’t unseat your grip. Magazine changes have also been simplified by the bevel on the mag-well, which works as a funnel.
The SB Tactical side-folding brace brings an extra point of contact to the firearm, making it even more controllable. Using the brace as specified by the manufacturer (and the fine folks at the ATF), I found the shooting experience to be vastly improved. Recoil was tamed and muzzle rise was alleviated. With the Pro strapped to your wrist, you may feel a bit like Robocop. But strapping this one down works better than a lot of the larger pistols I’ve shot that had braces. Some are simply too heavy. You strap them on and lose most of the dexterity required to manipulate a large firearm. But the UZI Pro is light enough to be more maneuverable.

The mag-well on the Pro is beveled and easy to find with the stick mags.

Braced on the arm. At just 4.5 pounds, this is one of the easiest guns to brace like this.

Bracing off the cheek, though, allows for more accurate shot placement.

Using the brace off of my cheek, I found improved accuracy. As functional as this is as a pistol, I think it is a solid candidate for SBR status. With a simple form 1, this could be a great rifle for concealment. With the brace folded up, it is a chunk of gun, but it would still fit neatly in a pack or bag.
When not in use you can easily fold the Brace to the side. When its folded up it makes shooting the gun a bit difficult. However, you can slide the brace an inch or too forward and it stays out of your way while shooting the gun like a traditional pistol.

How does it shoot?

Shooting the UZI Pro is like any other Handgun or pistol caliber carbine. Recoil is negligible. The sights are adequate and the controls are right where they need to be. With the brace removed, I found the gun to be controllable but a bit wild. The gun just wants to do the wave. Add a single point sling, though, or the SB Tactical brace and it levels out. The extra weight is useful for controlling the muzzle rise.
Reliability and UZI have always been synonymous. The UZI Pro does not stray form that reputation. During the review, I put the gun through the paces. Feeding it a steady diet of of over 500 rounds of IMI 115gr EX-STAR 9mm and remanufactured Freedom Munitions 9mm, I had no malfunctions. Though this review wasn’t designed as a torture test, I suspect the the Pro would do exceptionally well in adverse conditions.
With every pull of the trigger it is clear that this is an UZI. Everything about it screams UZI and for me and allot of gun nuts this is the exact reason to buy this gun. Its been many years since legitimate Israeli UZI’s have been imported into the country. For me and many others fans of the UZI it has just been to long.

Accuracy of the Uzi Pro SB

The UZI isn’t known for accuracy. This is a compact package meant to get lead on-target fast. What some sub-guns do with accuracy, the old UZIs did with volume and rate of fire. With the UZI Pro, though, this is all changing–as well it should. This is a semi-auto. It should shoot as good as any pistol with a 4.5″ barrel–or even better, thanks to the extra mass.

From 7 meters, without the brace.

Same distance, braced.

I shot the pistol from 7 meters for the accuracy testing portion of this review. With the brace folded, I was able to consistently put down 2.5-inch groups. With the arm brace extended, I shot tighter 5 shot groups. No surprise. Clean 1-inch groups are easy. Moving out to 15 and then 30 meters, I was still able to make clean and fast hits on target. At the end of the day, the UZI Pro SB is not a precision rifle, but it functions as good as many pistol caliber carbines.

Front sight, adjustable for height.

Rear sight with extra white dots to help line up the front sight. Just kidding–those white dots between the sights are glares.

In the end

The UZI Pro SB is a welcome addition to the US firearms market. For many of us, it has been a long time coming. The UZI Pro (which has no folding brace) and Pro SB (with the SB Tactical brace) are now available and can be brought home today. $1,099 for the standard model and $1,299 for the SB version tested here, they aren’t exactly bargain bin guns–but an old IMI UZI carbine sells for $2000 and the pistols sell for $2500 or so.
Read more about the Uzi Pro SB: http://www.iwi.us/UZI/UZI-Pro-Pistol-UPP9SB.aspx
Buy s Uzi Pro from GunsAmerica: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=uzi%20pro
IMI ammo: http://zqiammo.com/