...and an Alien follows me home.


The thick, robust case it comes in.


The full kit, in its threaded barrel guise. More on that later.


Its rather svelte profile, even if the details are rather choppy and angular.


The slide in its locked open position. Very 22LR target pistol-like.


The low, LOW barrel bore axis. Kind of Chiappa Rhino or Kriss Vector, only not quite so fugly.

My "stratosphere" of course being the rather rarified air price of admission for this heavenly bodied pistol. Not an arena that I'm used to playing in. I'm no bac1023 or lifesizepotato; this is uncharted space for me. Never have I spent so much for a new gun. It's an experience that I'm not likely to forget...or repeat.

Anyway, I fixated on this pistol when I first came across the early images that were posted on the web, say a couple of years ago. Then last year or so I read a review on the gun on RECOIL's website, and I was definitely hooked. Later on came the YouTube vids and I knew I was a goner. I almost ordered the standard full kit before last Christmas but instead hesitated; some of the reviews coming out were not kind regarding the abilities of and user experience regarding the supplied optic, an option that adds a hard and fast grand to the price of the gun. The the 'he who hesitates' rule went into effect and the guns in all guises went into 'out of stock' status. Great...now I have to be patient and wait. January was indeed a hard month to endure.

But lo and behold February rolls in and a new batch of Aliens are available from the solitary dealer here in the States, Lancer Systems (yes, THAT Lancer, the maker of fine and excellent AR magazines). Better yet, this one is the threaded barrel version. Not so great is the $199 surcharge. But what is a can good for if it can't used on a new soon-to-be-mine "hyperpistol"? Oh well, what's another two hundred if I'm already going to be spending five big ones? What I didn't anticipate however was the mandatory next-day-air shipping (ouch). Another 'oh well' moment...but it's feeling like these are starting to add up. Lancer didn't collect sales tax so I still have that 10% add to look forward to. So 5k is getting to be more like 6k. Even though I intellectually KNEW that going in, there's nothing like reality hitting full facial to bring it home. Yeah, another ouch moment.

BUt upon its arrival the unboxing really didn't disappoint; 'giddy' doesn't even begin to describe the feeling. I'd already held the Alien via a couple of prior customer transfers so I knew how great the gun felt in my hands, but this time the experience was different. This one was MY Alien, and that's what made it so special this time around and not experiencing things vicariously through others' possessions. All the difference in the world, baby!

The gun feels great nestled in my hand. The balance with a full magazine of 115gr is darn near spot-on. The trigger is sublime. I can hardly wait until next Tuesday when I'll have my first chance to take it for spin. But now it's time to call it a night and hit the hay. Another busy day at the shop, selling "high capacity" mags before the Iron Curtain drops on this state.

Which means I've got to suck it up and buy more Alien mags...at $90 a pop. Yeah, yet another eyewatering ouch. Superguns are more like supercars than I ever would've imagined...

Oh and I have to figure out how this threaded barrel with its RECESSED threads REALLY works with a suppressor. Details, details.

Good looking pistol.
I was somewhat interested when they 1st came out but I can't justify the price personally.
Some might say I could buy X amount of Glocks for that price but I get it. It's an expensive pistol and more work probably goes into it than a Glock.
Looking forward to a range report.

Cool!

I like the Alien as well, but am hoping they release a basic version.

I have a few guns that I wish I could get magazines for as cheap as $90.

Let us know how much you love this pistol at the range.

Nice.
If you can afford it, why not? I can buy a bunch of Big Macs for what I pay for a steak dinner at my usual restaurant and they will fill my belly just as well, but filling my belly isn’t the point.

It is a radical piece if there ever was one. What are the two clear things which look like shot gun shells? By golly, for the cost of that gun, it better perform.

Definitely deserves that name. Congratulations!

That is awesome! I'm excited to hear your thoughts from the range. IMO this is one of the few truly innovative designs that has come out in the last few years...not that others haven't innovated, but it's all been incremental. The Alien looked at the problem and went completely outside the box for the solution.

I'm not sure if the gas delayed blowback system is the way of the future, as it does have some limitations, but I think the non-reciprocating top rail has some huge benefits in a world of handgun mounted optics. I'm hoping we see some other designs emerge with similar features, as I can't (and short of winning the lottery never will) afford an Alien, but I'm glad it exists and on paper at least it seems to address a lot of the issues with current designs. I'm really looking forward to hearing your take on how that plays out in practice.

Congratulations! That’s a beautiful firearm and well photographed at that.

One of the super cool things about this pistol is that the faster you shoot it, the flatter it stays.

The pistol looks good along with the other doodads but I'm impressed that they included a holster. I've had to buy 4 holsters lately and it was chore to find one for my not so esoteric guns. I had to send one back. And then I'm having to file two supposedly custom made holsters.

Looks interesting, and yes, a full range report is requested!
Heck of a price tag, but would be nice to know if it’s justified. Congrats on the new toy!

Awesome pistols

I’ve got a couple of them, including the black model.

Oh man. Can’t wait for the range review. Congrats!!

Yes, I suppose it is a nice pistol...

Just remember to keep your Caddy clean and those bitches in line......

sorry, could not help myself

Re: “The slide in its locked open position. Very 22LR target pistol-like.”

Sure is! So much like my Beretta 87 Target.

And thanks to 92fstech for mentioning the gas delayed blowback system. I was wondering.

quote:

What are the two clear things which look like shot gun shells?

They're bottles of CLP and cleaning fluid by BoreTech, a company I'm not familiar with.

I'm definitely looking forward to putting this one through its paces. I'm hoping for this coming Tuesday, but it'll all depend upon the weather. We're supposed to be getting some heavy rain Monday and I heard the dreaded words "possible lowland flooding" in the weather forecast tonight.

I see that Lancer now has a "Retro" package on their website...and it comes with a more universal optic mount(!), one that I probably would've preferred for the RMR that I'd rather have onboard. Hopefully the mount or a variant of it is available for sale if I wind up disliking the factory RDS.

Here's hoping that Tuesday isn't a literal washout...

quote:

We're supposed to be getting some heavy rain Monday and I heard the dreaded words "possible lowland flooding" in the weather forecast tonight.

And you're letting that stop you? I'd wade through water up to my neck to shoot that thing !

Very cool, first one I have seen, thanks for the introduction.

HK Ag

It’s been awhile. We want a range report!

They are super slick dressed in black