# sccy cpx-2



## gunner69 (Jan 24, 2014)

Has anyone out there spent any significant time with the 9mm from sccy(500 rounds or better). Would you use it for CCW? If so, any one brand of jhp better than the rest? Would really appreciate some input. Thanks.


----------



## mikemc53 (Feb 11, 2013)

I owned one for about seven months and put over 500 rounds through it. Nice gun but I had to send it back twice (different issues) so I just never felt comfortable with it as an EDC and sold it. They have great customer service and really stand behind the product but I couldn't get to a point where I really trusted the gun. Who knows...maybe I reacted to quickly/rashly and should have stuck with it, but I didn't.


----------



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Always go with your gut feeling.


----------



## RK3369 (Aug 12, 2013)

I own two of them. The first one right out of the box was flawless. Hardly a problem with it at all, which is what made me purchase the second one when it came up at a reasonable price. the second one, I had several problems with that eventually ended up with replacing the original barrel due to what I believe were machining problems that were causing extraction failures. Once they sent me the new barrel, that one has been good also however, one issue I have had with both of them which could be a concern is that the ejector has broken in each gun. The first one has around 800 rounds through it and that was really the only real problem I had with it. The second one I think I now have around 400 rounds through it, the first 100 or so were fine, then I started having the extraction problems which led to replacing two extractors, and finally the original barrel. SCCY stood behind it all and sent along the parts without question. I will say their warranty and customer service is excellent. You call, they will either send you the parts or have you send it back to them for repair if you can't do it yourself. The ejector is an issue of concern though, because the original one in each gun has broken with a few hundred rounds through it, They are not difficult to change either if you can take the gun down, but the problem for carry is if it happens to break when you need it, you may be stuck with a weapon that won't cycle. You'll get one shot off, but that might be all. Hopefully, they will start using ejectors that are made from a little better quality steel. That would be my biggest reason to not be fully confident in one for carry at this time. They need to use better quality steel in the ejector assembly so it won't shear off. I have never run hollow points through either one so I can't comment on those. The other issue is that even SCCY will tell you not to use ammo with so called "hard" primers. I have had problems with Remington ammo in them. Primarily light strikes. Since they are DA, you can pull the trigger a second time and the round will usually go off. At least that has been my experience. Remington is the only ammo brand that I have had that problem with, and I have shot Remington, Federal, Blazer, Magtech, PMC. The rest don't seem to produce light strikes but Remington will occasionally do so. At this point, I would carry mine for backup or it would be in my car as a console weapon, but not sure I could fully rely on it for edc. If they fix the issue with the soft steel in the ejectors, I think I could have more confidence in one for edc.


----------



## gunner69 (Jan 24, 2014)

RK, if I may ask when was yours made? The one I'm looking at was August of 2013. Wondering if perhaps the extractor problem you had has been rectified.


----------



## RK3369 (Aug 12, 2013)

Not the extractor, it was the ejector. Two different parts. I bought the first one in April of 2013, the second one in September as I recall. I've had no problems with the extractor assembly, despite that being what I thought was the problem with the second one. what happened with the second one was that after about the first 100 rounds, it started extracting the spent case about half way out of the chamber, then it was dropping the case off the breech face and the round underneath was coming up trying to feed and jamming the gun. I initially thought it was a problem with the extractor so I called SCCY and they sent two new ones and the pins for them. I replaced the first one, went to the range and ran another 50 rounds through it and about half of the rounds didn't extract. Changed that extractor for the second one and had the same issue at the range next trip. What solved it was I finally hit on changing out the barrel from the first gun, which had been fine, to the second frame. After that, the second gun was perfect, no extraction failures. SCCY sent along a new barrel for that once I told Jason what was happening. Since then, both have been fine. Turns out the extractors were never the problem, I believe the chamber was machined improperly and what was happening was that there was just enough deviation in the machining such that when the round was fired the case was expanding and kind of wedging itself into the chamber walls such that the extractor could not completely pull it from the chamber, and it was being ripped from the extractor by the rearwards motion of the slide before it got to the ejector pin. What I think happens with the ejector pins is that they are soft enough so that if there is a small variation in the side to side movement of the slide when it cycles, it can hit the front edge of the ejector pin and actually catch it and bend it over 90 degrees and snap it in half, and also there seems to be some degree of movement possible in the frame pocket the ejector assembly sits in. Both of the ejector pins broke off at the rear of the pin section where the metal tapers out to the full size of the ejector assembly. (the most likely weak point in the assembly). I think that could be remedied with a better quality steel being used in the ejector and a better assembly process to make sure that there wasn't any available side to side movement in the ejector assembly when it is assembled to the frame. One thing you might notice is that if you shake the gun you can often hear a rattling sound. That seems to be coming from the ejector assembly because it sits in a pocket in the frame along side the hammer, and it is somewhat loose in that pocket and held in by a single drift pin. It's secure enough in the pocket so it won't come out but it can move side to side a very little bit and I believe that is why occasionally the slide catches the front edge of the ejector pin when it is moving rearwards, and bends it over and snaps it off. When mine failed, it seems that the gun would still cycle but didn't eject very well. I think the reason it was still ejecting is that the round coming up from underneath in the mag trying to load was pushing the spent casing out of the way and it would kind of clear the ejection port, but only a very little. At any rate, the metal and the tightness of the pocket it sits in in the frame could be improved to make this less of a problem. 

For the money, I don't think they are a bad range gun, but again, not sure if I would rely on it for edc because of that issue. If you look at the SCCY forum website I think I recall seeing others that have had the same problem. It's easy to fix if you can work on your guns, but it does raise a question about the reliability for carry.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

The SCCY CPX is much more reliable than the impression you get in a forum. It's easy to report on what's wrong with any gun, so you see more of those. 

I ran 300+ rounds thru mine without problems which earned it the position as a carry gun. I have been carrying it since.

By the way, any SCCY built before 2011 (the 1st generation) were guns with design and performance flaws that SCCY will correct even if you are not the original owner. However, I would suggest just buying a newer model and avoid that.


----------



## gunner69 (Jan 24, 2014)

I agree qwikdraw. And that seems to be true on many not just gun forums. Unhappy people are just plain noisier than happy people. Thanks RK for your input also. What ammo performed best for you guys>


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

gunner69 said:


> ... What ammo performed best for you guys>


It didn't seem to matter, as I didn't bother to check the brand of ammo used and my CPX also fired JHP ammo and even some steel cased ammo. This would indicate that the CPX may not be picky with ammo.


----------



## RK3369 (Aug 12, 2013)

Considering the price point that the guns sells for, I would expect that there will be some problems with them from time to time. Maybe not every one, but there may be common issues with the brand that crop up. I was happy with the first one, which is why I bought the second one. Now out of two guns, I had virtually no problems with one, and significant problems with the second, so that's a 50% reliability rate, correct? All I'm saying is that you should expect that there may be issues with any gun until you shoot it enough to be confident in it as a carry weapon. When you get to that point, fine, carry it. I'd also avoid Remington ammo, as those have been the brand that I've experienced light strikes with so far. Anything else I"ve shot has been fine. 

You asked for other owner's experience with them, and I gave you mine. You make the decision as to whether or not you want to carry it. That's your call.


----------



## gunner69 (Jan 24, 2014)

Thanks guys.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

RK3369 said:


> ... Now out of two guns, I had virtually no problems with one, and significant problems with the second, so that's a 50% reliability rate, correct? ...


Only if 2 guns made a random sampling. To get a more accurate prediction, you would have to learn the failure rate of about 500 - 700 guns selected at random.

Better yet, it is normal that a manufacturer will predict a failure rate of a product in order to budget the cost for warranty work. Typically, this percentage is no more than 2-3%. If failure rates go much higher than that the company is at risk for serious loss of profits and and will adversely affect the future of that company. SCCY reports on their website that they have manufactured over 70,000 handguns, So out of that number, the predicted failure rate would have us discussing about 1,400 - 2,100 handguns. Fortunately for SCCY those guns won't be failing at the same time, and most are returned only one time.

The incentive if for the company to make a reliable product if they intend to make a profit. The lifetime warranty demonstrates that SCCY doesn't expect to be repairing a gun over and over for the next many years. In the ideal situation the best guns don't need a life time warranty because the gun maker knows they will never need to repair the gun. A life time warranty basically puts their money where their mouth is.

Since it appears that SCCY is a growing company, it would be safe to conclude their failure rate is probably lower than what they have predicted. And for their warranty, they seem to put their money their their corporate mouth is too.


----------



## RK3369 (Aug 12, 2013)

Not saying they don't put their money where their mouth is. I agree, they have an excellent warranty and fantastic customer service. I only conveyed my experience with two guns. I also understand that 2 guns does not make a statistically valid random sample. If you are of the opinion that they are the greatest thing ever made, that's fine, it's your opinion. Carry it in good health. I'm done with this thread.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

Gee, I didn't mean to run him off. 




I thought we were having a discussion.


----------



## mamaxwell (May 7, 2014)

I have had mine for two years over 1500 rounds down range and not one issue. I carry it every day unless i am at school teaching.


----------



## capt (Sep 3, 2014)

I have 2 of these guns also. I have put over 2000 rounds through them over two years (not sure how even the usage is). I like carrying it, and find I'm more prone to carry it, and I do, because of it's comfortable size. I have had a similar experience to rk3369's in that I have broken 2 ejectors. They sent me a new ejector when I broke the first one, and I have to agree that they have a first rate warranty/service department. I called them up when I got the part, and, I think it was Jason, walked me through the fairly simple replacement. 

About a month ago I took a two day defensive handgun course, shooting about 900 rounds (that probably gets me up to around 3000). About half way through the second day I broke the second ejector, so I finished with the other. I'd like to say it was the same gun that the first ejector broke in, but I'm not sure. They sent me 2 ejectors, and I haven't replaced it yet (I plan to tomorrow).

I really like these guns, and for the price I paid if I use them for nothing more than backups or stash guns I feel like I got a great value. Over the time I've had them I have had my share of ftes and stove pipes. I can attribute most or all of them to ammo (too weak a load, as I'm working up a new load) or a limp wrist or several. When I replaced the first ejector, I was underwelmed with it's apparent strength also.
That being said, I'm not too concerned that in the case I ever have to use it in self defense that the ejector will choose that exact time to break. My only concern is that I'm just not as accurate with it as I'd like. I think that it is probably as accurate as any gun of that size, and that the short coming is probably mine. I have probably averaged 200 rounds a month through these guns over the last year. I feel pretty comfortable to about 10 yards, but I'm going to get a glock 19 and see if my comfort level improves. Then my only fear will be that when I need a gun, I might not have worn it because it wasn't a good carry.

A dependable, accurate gun is only of service if you have it with you.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

> but I'm going to get a glock 19 and see if my comfort level improves


I have a Glock 19 but found it uncomfortable to carry, which was a big disappointment to me after reading so many reviews saying easy to carry it is. It's serves as home defense now and for range use. I like it too much to get rid of it.

The CPX2 became my next carry gun and is doing what I was looking for in a carry gun.


----------



## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

qwiksdraw said:


> I have a Glock 19 but found it uncomfortable to carry, which was a big disappointment to me after reading so many reviews saying easy to carry it is. It's serves as home defense now and for range use. I like it too much to get rid of it.
> 
> The CPX2 became my next carry gun and is doing what I was looking for in a carry gun.


I have the Glock 19 for EDC, and I love it; however, the "easy to carry" is always going to be subjective. I've carried everything from a Beretta .22 to a Colt 1911 at one point or another, and I ended up on the Glock 19 b/c it is a good carry gun for me. But it will vary for folks depending on each individual's likes/dislikes, etc. I really can't speak to the SCCY line, but from what I've seen and read, these pistols are produced to compete in the "2nd tier" market, if you will. What I call the 2nd tier market are guns like the Kel Tec, Ruger, Taurus (bottom of that tier), etc. These guns are often reliable "for the money" with varying degree of quality. Ruger is probably the best 2nd tier gun on the market, with the Taurus being the bottom wrt quality. I call them 2nd tier b/c you will never see professionals using any of these pistols as their sidearm in the line of duty. You will never see the military using any of these guns simply b/c these are not professional grade weaponry. I made a decision years ago to never trust my life with a gun that is not used by professionals, so I do not carry anything that is not top shelf for my EDC weapon. I realize not everyone will agree with me on this as most just don't want to spend $500-$1500 on a pistol, but for me it was a personal choice. What is my life worth not only to me, but to my wife/kids as well.

In today's world, there are plenty of nice offerings in the top tier range that are very affordable, such as Glock, Springfield, S&W, Beretta and Kahr. Even Sig and HK have stepped up to compete in this market. I actually just bought the HK VP9, with factory night sights and three mags, for $699. Considering most HK and Sig offerings run $850-$1200, that's a steal. My personal advice, as I give it gently, is to find you something in these ranks to use for EDC. Nothing wrong with these guns for range plinking, but I want the peace of mind that when I pull my weapon, it is going to work. Period. I'm not a big fan of the XD series, but my stepson, who is a cop, carries the XDM off duty and for a back up. I shot it and it was really smooth. I've also carried the G26/G27, and they too are nice weapons. The M&P Shield that I have now for my wife is an excellent EDC pistol, and there are rumors that Glock is working on a single stack 9mm, which I'm sure will be wildly popular if/when they do. Of course, to each their own, but I just thought I'd through my penny in the pot for consideration.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

> You will never see the military using any of these guns simply b/c these are not professional grade weaponry. I made a decision years ago to never trust my life with a gun that is not used by professionals, so I do not carry anything that is not top shelf for my EDC weapon.


Those "professional" guns you address are service pistols and not designed nor intended to be a concealed carry weapon. There are lots of quality guns made for the "civilian" gun owner who is an every day conceal carrier. Most people would find it very impractical to conceal carry a service pistol. Fortunately they do not have to settle for second best to be equally protected.

Somehow I fet the feeling you thought my reply was a Glock put down. I only put down Glocks when comparing them to my 1911s. (That was joke)

If the SCCY CPX2, or any other model, that has proven to be robust, reliable and accurate and costs only $250, then it's seems the only thing you can do is buy a more expensive gun, not a better gun.


----------



## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

qwiksdraw said:


> Those "professional" guns you address are service pistols and not designed nor intended to be a concealed carry weapon. There are lots of quality guns made for the "civilian" gun owner who is an every day conceal carrier. Most people would find it very impractical to conceal carry a service pistol. Fortunately they do not have to settle for second best to be equally protected.
> 
> Somehow I fet the feeling you thought my reply was a Glock put down. I only put down Glocks when comparing them to my 1911s. (That was joke)
> 
> If the SCCY CPX2, or any other model, that has proven to be robust, reliable and accurate and costs only $250, then it's seems the only thing you can do is buy a more expensive gun, not a better gun.


I wasn't even thinking about you when I made my comment. I saw your reference to a Glock 19, and was thinking about the original poster's question, which is really what I was replying to. But, I guarantee you no Kel Tec, SCCY, Ruger is as robust as a Glock, Sig, HK, Beretta. Just like the SMART car is no Mercedes. I'm not sure what you mean when you say professional guns are not designed or intended to be conceal carry guns when these manufacturers clearly state on their websites one of the purpouses for these professional guns is "defense". There is a reason most of them make compact and subcompact versions of their service pistols, and that is so that they can be used for back up and EDC personal defense weapons. Personally, as I said, I don't care what anyone else chooses to carry. To each their own, but as for me, I will carry professional grade weapons. Once you have handled both you know the difference. And if you can't tell the difference, perhaps you should not be carrying a gun. If you aren't willing to admit there is a starck contrast, then you're just being ridiculous.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

I disagreed with _some_ of the points you made and didn't say you or your opinions are ridiculous, either.


----------



## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

I have no problem with you or anyone else disagreeing with me. I'm certainly not the authority. And for the record, I didn't call any of your opinions ridiculous either. I said if you're unwilling to admit the differences btwn the professional rank pistols to the non-professional pistols, then you're just being ridiculous. That would be true, if you were to refute the differences.


----------



## MitchellB (Aug 14, 2010)

I like my SCCY and I'm considering getting another one for the wife as she seems to enjoy shooting it almost as much as my little .22 auto-loader and more than my 1911 or 999 revolver.


----------



## qwiksdraw (May 11, 2012)

GCBHM said:


> I have no problem with you or anyone else disagreeing with me. I'm certainly not the authority. And for the record, I didn't call any of your opinions ridiculous either. I said if you're unwilling to admit the differences btwn the professional rank pistols to the non-professional pistols, then you're just being ridiculous. That would be true, if you were to refute the differences.


Maybe, you should read my response again. Anyway. it you would, let me explain further: I attempted to emphasize the difference between service pistols (professional) and commercial pistols (what you call 2nd tier) are different in both design and purpose (albeit both are designed for defense) Military and Police typically wear their sidearms outside the waist and open carry, whereas commercial pistols are typically designed for uses such as target shooting, hunting and for conceal carry. My point was that the commercial pistols made by reputable gun makers are not a compromise to personal protection.

I believe I understand now that your "Tier" levels are a measure of purpose and not of quality. As far as that goes, we might even be in agreement.

I had hoped the difference in opinion would be helpful to the OP.


----------



## GCBHM (Mar 24, 2014)

Yeah, that's pretty much what my tier system is. I know there are a ton of folks who want personal protection, but do not see the value in spending $500-$1000 for a gun when you can get a reliable weapon for $250-$350. I get that. These guns are not guns that should be shot as much as the professional grade guns (hundreds of rounds monthly), but are reliable defense weapons. Compare it to electric tools. I bought a 18v Crasftsman drill/saw/light set for $200 b/c I do not need or see the value in spending $250 for a commercial grade DeWalt drill. If I were going to get into the contruction/contracting business, I would spend that extra money for the commercial grade equipment. 

However, when it comes to my personal defense, I want professional grade on me. That doesn't mean that I believe anyone who does not choose this avenue is silly or ignorant. It doesn't mean I think they are less than serious about it. I'm sorry if I came across that way. I was just giving my opinion for others to consider, and it is perfectly ok with me if you or anyone else chooses not to take it. 

I have owned a couple Kel Tec pistols over the years. I got ride of both, but for different reasons. My first Kel Tec was the .40 version of what is now the P-11. It jammed about every five shots when I took it out for the first time, so I carried it back and traded it for something else. A Sig I think. It was years later when I bought the last, which was the .380 offering. A buddy of mine swore by his, so I bought one for myself. I love the size, but it hurt to shoot. So I traded it. To my knowledge, there was nothing wrong with that little gun other than that it hurt me to shoot it. I have a personal aversion to owning and using pistols that hurt me when I shoot them.  

Now I have the Glock 42, which really doesn't cost that much more, but is a LOT smoother. It is a little larger, but the difference in overall quality is astounding for the price. Anyway, yeah, we agree. I just choose to go the professional grade route in this arena. Sorry for the misunderstanding!


----------

