The other .380 ACP pistol in our field of test pistols was the new SCCY CPX-3. Like the RM380 Executive, the CPX-3 is a hammer-fired DAO pistol. Each trigger pull was relatively heavy but consistent. SCCY makes no bones about the fact that its pistols are value priced, and with an MSRP of $305, it was the least expensive pistol in our test group.
The CPX-3 is a polymer-framed pistol, and the slide is available in either natural stainless or with a black nitride finish. We received an all-black sample, but SCCY offers the CPX-3 in a variety of frame colors, from crimson to orange and even purple.
Advertisement — Continue Reading Below
The CPX-3 looks identical to the CPX-2 in 9mm, but the devil’s in the details. The CPX-3 is a hair smaller with regard to length and height. Also, the big news for the CPX-3 is SCCY’s Roebuck Quad Lock system. According to SCCY, this system locks the barrel to the slide in four areas to prevent any barrel movement and provide more consistent and accurate shots than before.
With its three-dot sights, the CPX-3 was pretty accurate for any compact pistol, much less one at its price point. The trigger was quite heavy at 9 pounds, but not unexpected. A definite advantage was the ability to easily rack the slide. This may have been a function of a lighter recoil spring in conjunction with the Quad Lock system.
With its substantial size for a .380, the CPX-3 was a very soft shooter and a breeze to control. The not-so-fun part was the CPX-3’s habit of ejecting shells directly into our faces during the range testing. Also, Terrill felt the trigger shoe was a little short for his comfort, and that the reset was too long, but he liked the compact profile and sights.
A big value for the buyer is that the CPX-3 ships with three double-stack 10-round magazines, and one has an extended pinky rest. They were a little clunky and stiff, making reloading a bit strenuous, but they were extremely reliable, and the pistol suffered no malfunctions during the testing.
No, the CPX-3 didn’t have some of the bells and whistles of the higher-priced alternatives. That’s just not a reasonable expectation, and it’s also why the CPX-3 didn’t score as well in some categories. However, it’s an attractive pistol, and it’s also the only pistol in our test that shipped with three magazines. More importantly, it was accurate and performed as reliably as any other pistol in the test, and that’s what matters most.
