SCCY (pronounced “sky”) in Daytona Beach, Florida, produces a safe, simple-to-use and affordable line of pocket pistols. Joe Roebuck founded SCCY back in 2003 and in such a short time has produced over 100,000 firearms. The CPX double-action-only (DAO) series of pistols was designed to be both cost-effective and precisely manufactured without compromising reliability or functioning. These guns are also chambered in a real defensive chambering, 9mm.

Light And Elegant
Less than 40 parts are used in the CPX’s assembly. The second-generation CPXs have a slightly more refined mechanism than do the first-generation guns. Of note is the CPX-2 Two-Tone. It is not often that the words “inexpensive” and “elegant” are used in the same sentence to describe a pistol, but SCCY has been able to manufacture a very cost-effective pistol in a two-tone finish that possesses both of those traits. If you prefer the all-business, all-black look, then try the CPX-2 Carbon Black, which costs less than the Two-Tone and offers a potentially less visible carry gun through its matte, low-key finish.

The frame is molded from Zytel polymer with finger grooves in the frontstrap and a unique ventilated recoil cushion on the backstrap. The cushion is composed of five oblong slots along the backstrap that look similar to the ventilated butt on certain shotguns, and these slots are said to help absorb recoil from the 9mm round. The grip area is slender and textured in a pebble-like finish, and between the finger grooves and the textured grip areas you can get a secure purchase even with sweaty hands. The CPX-2 sports a full dustcover that’s flush with the muzzle. The only two controls on the gun consist of a magazine-release button and a slide-hold lever.

Two double-stack magazines are included with each CPX with a choice of baseplates. The flat baseplate allows the magazine to be seated flush into the frame’s butt. The finger-rest magazine baseplate adds a lip for your little finger and a bit of bulk to the pistol, but it’s hardly noticeable. SCCY’s mags have a black oxidized finish, are heat-treated and give the CPX a formidable degree of firepower for its size.

The receiver, which is encased in Zytel polymer, is made from aircraft-grade, heat-treated 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. The slide rides on the rails of the receiver, is CNC-machined from stainless steel bar stock and is slightly tapered toward the muzzle. The white three-dot sights consist of a fixed-ramp front and a rear sight that is adjustable for windage. A setscrew holds the rear sight to the slide.

SCCY chose to machine the barrel of the CPX-2 from bar stock and give it a 1-in-16-inch twist rate with seven lands and grooves. The manual states the CPX-2, and all SCCY pistols for that matter, should only be fired with 9mm ammunition—the
use of +P cartridges should be avoided. The DAO trigger requires a long pull, with a pull weight that averages 9 pounds. Though the pull is long, it is quite suitable for concealed carry.

At 15 ounces empty, the CPX-2 is light. When firing 9mm ammo, that can equate to felt recoil. The ventilated backstrap seems to help tame recoil, but overall the pistol is very shootable. It is reliable and can end a confrontation as soon as it starts.

To fieldstrip the CPX series of pistols, make sure the pistol is unloaded, and remove the magazine. Lock the slide back using the slide-hold lever, then gently pry the disassembly pin from the left side of the pistol using a small, flat-blade screwdriver. With the disassembly pin removed, hold the slide rearward while depressing the slide-hold lever. Allow the slide to move forward, and pull it free from the frame. With the slide top-side down, slightly compress the recoil spring and recoil guide rod, and remove them from the slide. Then, pull the breechblock of the barrel up and out of the slide. The pistol breaks down into six pieces: frame, slide, recoil spring/guide rod, barrel, disassembly pin and magazine. That is all that is required to fieldstrip the CPX-2 and other SCCY pistols for normal maintenance and cleaning.

More Safety
With concealed carry, as with any work with a firearm, safety is a high concern. With a small, compact pistol tucked into an IWB holster or stuffed into a cargo or pants pocket, reaching for the weapon under high stress causes in some shooters anxiety. They want to be extra safe, and the CPX-1 Two-Tone and Carbon Black add that extra layer of safety. The CPX-1 was actually the first pistol SCCY produced. The CPX-1 series is identical to the CPX-2 series except the CPX-1 series has a manual thumb safety. The safety is ambidextrous and can be easily flipped up or down with the shooter’s thumb. Up is the safe position, in which the pistol cannot be fired. Down is the fire position, in which the pistol can be discharged. Since the pistol is designed for concealed carry and may be dropped into a pocket, the safety has a small ridge molded into the frame so, when a shooter flicks it downward to ready the pistol, the ridge stops the safety and tells the shooter the pistol is ready to discharge.

What the CPX series of pistol do, and do well, is prove that low cost does not equate to low quality. The design of the pistols is well thought out and purpose-built for personal protection and defense. And it should not take an arm and a leg to protect life and limb. You can rest assured you’ll be well equipped with a CPX-1 or CPX-2 in your pocket. For more information, visit sccy.com or call 866-729-7599.

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