SCCY 9mm Pistol Review: Sub $350 Red Dot Equipped

SCCY CPX-2 RD

This week, I got my hands on what may very well be the best deal in firearms today. If I told you a new, all American made, red dot sight INCLUDED pistol was $339, would you assume I meant only out of my trunk, behind the 7-11? Limited time, some scuffs from falling off the truck, and please don’t send it in for warranty? Yeah, me too. But such a thing actually does exist, thanks to our friends over at SCCY.

SCCY has been around since 2003, but this was my first time reviewing one of their pistols. I’m reasonably confident I at least held one once at SHOT Show, but I wouldn’t swear to it. That is due to the insane amount of guns I do hold at SHOT, not the after-parties. Lush. But the point is, I had no idea what I was getting into when this pistol shipped my way.

Now SCCY doesn’t make luxury guns. You aren’t going to find gold plated or Italian hand engraving anywhere on the website. In fact, one of the company’s tag lines is “when it comes to value- the SCCY’s the limit.” And cost-effective is exactly what they do. The gun is packaged in a plain cardboard box. If you are accustomed to velvet-lined cases, this probably isn’t for you.

At $339 for the red dot equipped version and $269 without it, the CPX-2 is in very nearly everyone’s price range. But as at least a semi gun snob, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. And while all the news on this model isn’t amazing, I will tell you I was pleasantly surprised.

Let’s start with the fun stuff. Despite the price, the red dot isn’t some Chinese garbage. It’s the new CTS-1500, from Crimson Trace. This is a relatively new space for them, the electronic sights. But, given the magic they have done over the years with lasers, I absolutely give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. The CTS-1500 has no external buttons, it is a motion on sight only. Elevation and windage are adjusted with an included Allen wrench, which makes this a pretty simple affair.

The red dot is 3.5 MOA, which is a nice size for a CCW piece. That is small enough to make a precision shot but big enough to rapidly acquire under stress. While it has no brightness settings, I found it functional for both day and night use. It also has a rather ingenious backup. Instead of requiring extra tall irons, it has a notch cut right through the center of the optic. This gives you a rear sight built into the optic, allowing for a normal height front. While it doesn’t make for a bullseye grade sight picture, it does work.

The pistol itself is a bit on the chunky side while being small enough for concealed carry. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I love the grip, I don’t. Why? I can’t exactly put it into words. It just doesn’t feel super comfy in my hand, like a ratio of length to width is off or something. But, it does fill your hand nicely, which is a bonus in CCW class. While many guns in this class are so small you can’t get a two-handed grip, it isn’t a problem with the CPX-2. The frame/ slide design also gives you a low bore axis, which helps keep the gun controllable.

This model has a 10 round capacity and ships with 2 magazines. The magazines are all steel, and something unique, are also actually made by SCCY. When they say completely made in America, they aren’t kidding. While the followers do feel a bit gritty, they load easily, and I had no problems with functionality. Both have an extension on the bottom for your pinky and give the gun a more complete grip.

The trigger in the CPX-2 is both long and heavy. This is a deliberate design and not the first time we have seen it in carry guns. The school of thought is that in lieu of a manual safety, a long and heavy trigger will suffice. (Though in SCCY’s case, they make a manual safety model as well. That would be the CPX-1.) It isn’t my preference, but I don’t hate it either. I have carried guns set up like this before, and it is something you can get use to. While I will generally argue that lighter triggers make it easier to hit your target, the CPX-2 made me eat some crow on that one. After a tiny bit of red dot adjustment and 10 training rounds, I was able to crush a B/C zone target at 20 meters shot after shot.

The reset point of the CPX-2 trigger is almost all the way forward, which did slow it down a bit. Even as someone that fully releases the trigger as soon as the shot breaks, it felt a little like I was reaching out to hit it again. I was able to get shots off relatively quickly at close range, but still noticeably slower than other pistols in my collection. I’m not sure it is enough to really matter to most people, and not a deal killer for me. But something to be aware of.

Part of the reason for the long trigger pull is that the CPX-2 is double action only. While the hammer is hidden for all but the last ¼ inch of travel, it is a true DAO system. SCCY says it is 9 pounds, my gauge said 8 and some change, either of which is heavy. But, again surprising for the price point, it is remarkably smooth.

The long and short of it is, I actually came away impressed. Can I nitpick some details? Sure. But it wasn’t meant to replace your Wilson EDC-9 either. In fact, it is literally 1/10^th the price. The gun went bang every time I pulled the trigger, and hit things at a further distance than I would have bet. At under $350 for a red dot equipped pistol, this package is going to be pretty hard to beat. If you have always wanted to try a carry optic, but your budget is tight, this is your chance. But get it while the getting is good, I don’t think they will be able to keep these on the shelves.

For more information visit SCCY Firearms website.

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