Need a concealed carry pistol, but don’t want to break the bank?  You might want to take a look at the USA-made pistols from SCCY Industries.

I recently headed out to the range with Randall of the Thin Blue Florida.  In his range bag was a SCCY CPX-2.  “Do you want to shoot it,” he asked.

“Well, I didn’t come here to watch,” I replied.

SCCY Pistols

If you are not already familiar with the SCCY pistols, they are affordably priced, double action pistols designed for concealed carry.  The guns are manufactured in Florida, and carry a lifetime warranty.

How affordable are the SCCY pistols?  The model I shot, the CPX-2, carries a suggested retail price of only $314.  For that price, the buyer gets two magazines with both flat bases and finger extension bases for each.  The magazine is the most frequent point of failure in a pistol, so having a second is a necessity.  SCCY including a second magazine, especially at such an inexpensive price, is a nice touch.

The SCCY pistols are available in 9mm, and the magazines hold ten rounds.  The barrels are 3.1” long.  The frames are polymer, and the guns weigh only 15 ounces (unloaded.)

The CPX-2 is hammer fired, with the hammer being surrounded by the slide.  It is double-action-only.  Although longer than the pull of a Glock or M&P, the trigger pull is very consistent from start to finish without any perceptible staging toward the end of the pull.  SCCY lists the trigger pull weight at nine pounds, which seemed about right when I was shooting it.

There are two pistol models made by SCCY: the CPX-1 and the CPX-2.  The primary difference between the two is that the CPX-1 has a frame-mounted safety, while the CPX-2 does not.  The currently produced guns are called Gen 2 (second generation) pistols.

Shooting Evaluation

I ran several different loads through the SCCY and found that all of them ran without a problem.  As a long-time SWAT cop, Randall takes his firearms seriously.  He said he had put hundreds of rounds through the gun without any problems or malfunctions.

Recoil was mild with even the self-defense loads I had on hand: the Hornady Critical Duty 135 gr +P and the Winchester PDX1 147 gr JHP.  The backstrap of the SCCY pistol is designed to flex under recoil to cushion the hand.  What affect, if any, this had to reduce the felt recoil, I cannot say.  But even with +P ammo, the gun was easy to shoot.

While at the range, I shot the two self-defense loads over a chronograph.  On five shots, the Hornady load averaged 952 fps (feet per second) for a little more than 270 foot-pounds of energy.  The Winchester load averaged 870 fps for 247 foot-pounds of energy.

Accuracy was reasonable, and the three-dot sights are very visible.  I don’t much care for pistols without decent sights, and fortunately the SCCY handguns are outfitted with useable ones.

Final Thoughts

The SCCY CPX-2 seems to be a competent gun for self-defense, and is aggressively priced.  If I did not already have several other concealed carry handguns, I would definitely consider buying the CPX-2 for my own safety.  9mm is solid choice for personal protection, and 10+1 rounds is more ammo than some alternative guns offer.

The lifetime warranty covers the gun even if ownership changes, suggesting the company is solidly standing behind their guns.

If you own a SCCY pistol, let us know what you think in the comments section below.  Likewise, if you have dealt with the company for warranty work or in some other capacity, let everyone know how you were treated.