Over the last few months, I've put somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 rounds through the Archon Type B, and honestly, this pistol has impressed me more than I expected.
When I first got it, I planned on doing a simple review. A few thousand rounds later, it's become my primary competition pistol.
What Makes the Archon Different?
The big selling point of the Archon Type B is its AF-Speedlock system.
Unlike a Glock or most striker-fired pistols that use a tilting barrel, the Archon's barrel moves straight back during the recoil cycle. The idea is simple: recoil comes straight into your hand instead of directing energy upward and creating additional muzzle rise.
Whether the claimed recoil reduction numbers are accurate or not, one thing is obvious when shooting it: this gun shoots incredibly flat.
First Impressions
The Type B is available with multiple magazine configurations, including:
- 13-round
- 15-round
- 17-round
The pistol is also highly modular, allowing shooters to tailor the setup to their preferences.
Right away, I noticed how fast the gun returned to target. During Bill Drills and other speed-focused drills, it was easy to stay on target and keep splits tight.
Trigger
Let's get this out of the way.
Yes, the trigger is better than a Glock.
Granted, that's not exactly a high bar, but the Archon trigger is genuinely good. It breaks around 4 to 4.5 pounds with a clean wall and a positive reset.
For a factory striker-fired pistol, I really don't have any complaints.
Optics and Accessories
One thing I like is the variety of optic options available. The slide can be configured for:
- RMR footprint optics
- RMSc footprint optics
- Acro footprint optics
Like most of my pistols, I threw a Gideon optic on mine and called it a day.
The only real annoyance I've found is holster availability. Since the Archon isn't nearly as common as Glock, Sig, or Canik pistols, holster choices can be limited. That's one reason I ended up running an X300 weapon light and using a more universal holster setup.
Reliability
This is where the gun really won me over.
I've barely cleaned it throughout testing. A little lubrication here and there and it just keeps running.
After thousands of rounds, reliability has been excellent. The more I shot the pistol, the more confident I became in it.
That's ultimately why it ended up replacing other pistols as my competition gun.
Final Thoughts
The Archon Type B might be one of the most overlooked striker-fired pistols on the market.
It shoots flat, has a great trigger, excellent ergonomics, and has proven reliable through several thousand rounds of use.
Is it perfect?
No. Finding holsters can be a pain, and it's not as widely supported as platforms like Glock or Sig.
But if you're willing to step outside the mainstream options, the Archon Type B is absolutely worth a look.
The more rounds I put through it, the more I like it. And honestly, that's about the highest compliment I can give a firearm.