SCCY Firearms
In all industries, every now and again, a newcomer enters the scene and is a disrupter. Famous disrupters in the firearms industry would be Gaston Glock, John Browning and his numerous designs, Samual Colt, and of course, Eugene Stoner. Sometimes there is not so much an individual but an idea. In the 2000s, more specifically after 2004, advanced polymer technology became widespread, magazine capacities from the Brady Bill were permanently sunsetted. The people wanted small, high capacity pistols for the ever-increasing demand for concealed-carry handguns.
Enter SCCY
The exciting thing about following the firearm market is picking apart what each major player adds to the market. Ruger makes basically everything except for shotguns. Glock just makes Glocks. Smith & Wesson makes perfect tactical pistols, but they make great double-action revolvers. H&K sticks to the tactical market. So you have a few jacks of all trades and a few niche marketeers.
SCCY is a very young company, having come into existence in 1998. It would take a further 12 years of designing and refining before birth their inaugural product, the CPX-1. On an exciting and noteworthy aside, SCCY was originally named Skyy Industries, but it was correctly identified that this would lead to potential trademarking issues with SKYY Vodka.
The thing about SCCY that makes them so noteworthy is that the company has a clear, highly defined focus. In 2010, they rolled out a double-stack, ultra-compact 9mm pistol with a 10+1 magazine capacity. In the subsequent decade, their product lineup has deviated from this gameplan almost none whatsoever. Oh yeah, and one more defining feature about the SCCY product line: they are very affordable. They were released to put the Big Boys on notice by releasing a reliable, high-capacity pistol that everyone can afford. It is more aesthetically appealing than, say, a particular company that begins with an 'H' (you know who you are).
The CPX-1
The CPX-1 is a pretty traditional pistol design, using a locked-breech with an aluminum receiver set in a polymer frame. The slide and barrel are made from stainless steel, and it is equipped with the typical slide locks you would expect in a modern pistol. The CPX-1 is fitted with a traditional external safety, operated by the thumb. Weighing in at a scant 15.1oz., it is as light as an alloy Chief's Special revolver with over double the firepower and an MSRP of $284.00-$299.00, significantly cheaper.
In following their success of championing one single, simple design, SCCY has deviated very little; the CPX-2 is identical to the original sans manual safety. The -3 and -4 are identical to the -1 and -2, except they are offered in .380ACP.
Now for a moment of absolute clarity: in the early days of the CPX-1, there were some problems. These were the typical FTF/FTE problems typically associated with budget semi-automatics. Look, there are only so many ways to build a budget pistol and keep it a budget pistol. Something has to give. Manufacturing tolerances are typically reduced a little bit to account for machining burrs and marks which are not found in high-end pistols.
The slop found in loser tolerances helps reliability. Still, it significantly reduces accuracy, but in a subcompact pistol where the reasonable distances are usually at arm's length, this doesn't pose much of a problem.
SCCY made up for their anticipated deficiency in manufacturing by offering a tremendous warranty that they seem to back up vigorously.
Parting Shot
Be realistic about the SCCY series of firearms. You may get a lemon, but they will pay to ship both ways and fix it. You are not buying a Glock 43 or an S&W Shield here. You are purchasing a budget firearm that packs a lot of firepower in a tiny package. Throw a few boxes through it first, and don't skimp! Feed it a box of whatever defensive ammunition you will carry in it, and make sure you can get through a full box of full-power ammunition. Clean it thoroughly. You know, the basics.
