Selected Handgun Detail

Manufacturer
	Arcus Co. More Info

About the Gun

The Arcus 98DA is a full-size, hammer-fired DA/SA pistol on a steel Hi-Power-style frame. It keeps the squared, partially serrated trigger guard, wide slide serrations, angular slide-top cuts, flat dust-cover surfaces, and a lanyard loop at the heel, and it was offered with or without a tang. Finish is blued or duo-tone, with wrapped rubber, plastic, or walnut grips. The magazine is a double-column 15-round service magazine, two rounds more than the earlier single-action 94.

Production

Production ran from 1998 through 2015.

Market value

MSRP at production was around $450. Current used market value for examples in good to very good condition ranges $265–$400.

Cartridge Specifications
Cartridge:	9 mm Luger
Alias:	9 mm Parabellum
More Info

Analysis

Arcus introduced the 98DA in 1998 as a service follow-on to the single-action 94. The main changes were a conventional double-action/single-action trigger, an automatic firing-pin safety, and a lengthened frame and magazine for 15 rounds. Bulgarian military and police adopted it as a sidearm, though issued numbers stayed modest. Internally the gun drops the Hi-Power’s see-saw sear trip for a stirrup linkage more like later DA service pistols, while the exterior still reads as a P-35 with simpler machining. Century Arms imported the model into the United States from 2002 through 2015. It was sold as a low-cost all-steel duty pistol rather than a refined target gun, and U.S. parts and aftermarket support remain limited compared with FN or current Hi-Power clones.