The following content was originally created on AmericanRifleman.org

Concealed-carry pistol trends of the past have not changed good deal, much like men’s necktie styles. They get smaller, then bigger, then smaller again, ad nauseam. But the latest get-smaller pistol trend, namely, the “micro nine” sub-compact 9 mm pistols, look like they are here to stay.

The Florida-based gun manufacturing company SCCY Industries was in the micro nine business back in 2003, well before they were hip with the ‘in’ crowd. The company’s bread-and-butter models for many of those years have been the Gen 2 CPX series of hammer-fired, double-action only pistols. In 2020, we finally saw the long promised arrival of the CPX-3 and CPX-4, sporting frames compressed to better fit the .380 ACP cartridges they’re chambered to fire. That same year marked the arrival of optics-ready slides and the company’s very first striker-fired pistol, the DVG-1.

In the process of developing these more recent models, it became clear that the nearly two-decade old CPX line-up was in need of a facelift if it was going to remain competitive in the quickly growing micro nine category. At SHOT Show 2022, SCCY was ready to launch the refreshed Gen3 version of its CPX options. Here’s a closer look at what these pistols have to offer.

Classic CPX Features

The CPX-1 and CPX-2 are hammer-fired, double-action-only semi-automatics chambered in 9 mm that employ a short recoil-operated action. They borrow much of their design from certain KelTec handguns, including the P32 and the discontinued PF9. The primary difference between these two models is that the CPX-1 version features an ambidextrous thumb safety lever, which is omitted from the CPX-2. Otherwise, the CPX pistol features are alike.

In moving up to the Gen3 versions, SCCY kept several features that have contributed to the popularity of the gun. The three-dot sight system is metallic instead of polymer, with a drift-adjustable rear sight. The slide is made of stainless steel, with a choice of a matte natural silver finish or a flat black nitride finish applied over the stainless steel.

The 3.1″ stainless-steel barrel features seven grooves of traditional land-and-groove rifling, which is compatible with unjacketed lead bullets. The dual captured recoil springs wrap around a steel guide rod. At the heart of the pistol is a one-piece, heat-treated 7075-T6 aerospace aluminum receiver block. This block is the serial-numbered component, which is milled from bar stock and provides 3.35″ worth of continuous rail on each side to support the slide.

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