Caracal 9mm pistol from the UAE (review)

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sturmgewehr

sturmgewehr

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnpprZgirKs

When I first learned of these pistols, I was a bit skeptical of them thinking they were just a Glock clone. To a degree, they are just that. The resemblance both externally and internally is striking. However, after spending the last month or so with the pistols they've grown on me.

Questions and comments are welcome.
 
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So the trigger is better than the glock, but not quite as nice as the ppq. How is the reset? How much do the magazines cost?

Nice range report!
 
I've seen spare mags selling for $26 each.

I love the trigger on the PPQ for range work. It makes it a great target pistol. It's too light for my personal tastes for a personal defense weapon. The Caracal is a nice in-between. It is a little heavier but just as crisp as the Walthers trigger thus making it better suited for personal defense, at least for me. I'm not a fan of super light triggers on carry guns.
 
had a Walther P99AS in 40 cal. It was real accurate and had a great trigger in SA mode but was severely snappy. My times running a steel plate rack were always much quicker with a Glock 22 or 23 and especially the Steyr M40 (felt like a 9mm) Looking forward to the Caracal in 40 cal if it ever is built and imported
 
Can I ask if you were paid by the manufacturer or distributor for making this video or is your opinion totally unbiased???
 
I guess you did not watch the video. At 7:51 he says he purchased the pistol for $449 and gives a link where you could go to check it out.
 
Interesting pistol and a great review. I do have four qualms about the gun:

1) The rear sight being part of the slide cover plate makes aftermarket sights harder and more expensive to get.

2) Unless the price is much less expensive than the Glock, M&P, Xd, etc., making inroads into the market is going to be tough. That means dealer and aftermarket support will be limited. Now if someone gets Todd Green to torture test one and it passes, more sets of eyes will be on the product. It is promising that the gun does have a NATO stock/approval number.

3) While it is nice to have more choices, I fail to see why a prospective buyer would choose the Caracal over one of the other polymer offerings. The biggest distinction I see is the slightly lower bore axis. It is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. That is offset by the advantages of the other brands, especially Glock, with parts (mostly sights, magazines, and holsters) available at most any dealer.

4) US distributor and/or factory service support. Glock, S&W, and SA all support their pistols in an outstanding manner. I am not sure that infrastructure for the Caracal exists. This could be another Steyr M in the making.

I am going to take a "wait and see" attitude.

BTW, is there a forum for the Caracal similar to GlockTalk or HK Pro? I am interested to learn from the experiences of others. [ETA]/ One forum is http://www.caracalforum.com/ .[/ETA]
 
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Can I ask if you were paid by the manufacturer or distributor for making this video or is your opinion totally unbiased???
Click to expand...
I never take money from anyone, either manufacturers or distributors. The pistols you see are my own personal property that I purchased from a local dealer (named in the video).
 
Being a big fan of the Steyr M9, i can't wait to get my hands on at least 1 Caracal 9mm... They look great and appear to ahve a very low bore to grip ratio.

JOe
 
When I first learned of these pistols, I was a bit skeptical of them thinking they were just a Glock clone. To a degree, they are just that. The resemblance both externally and internally is striking. However, after spending the last month or so with the pistols they've grown on me.
Click to expand...

As I recall, it's made by the same guy that designed or helped design the Glock and the Steyr polymer pistol series.
 
Really trying to decide on this gun...there's a lot to like and not much to dislike. Worse, the more that I look at the Caracal the more that I think it's as good or better than any of the polymer, striker-fired guns out there.
 
sturmgewehr, i can't tell from your vids but what size glove do you wear and which of the two models did you find more to your liking?

if i do jump on a Caracal, i then need to decide on an F or a C. my XL hands would probably feel less-cramped on the F but if I ever wanted to carry the gun, I know from experience that a Glock 17-sized gun is a little too husky. that said, the F model sure looks smaller than a G17
 
ExMachina,

I wear an XL glove.

I found both the F and C to be very comfortable. I can easily hold the C without my pinky dropping off the grip. I try to show this in the review video. For daily carry, the C would work great.

Please check out the blog link I posted in the above post. I'm more impressed with the Caracal as time goes on. I've even carried it a few times the last few weeks instead of the G19 I usually carry. I never expected it to impress me as much as it has.
 
Thanks sturmgewehr.

I'm leaning toward the C and youre XL hands are only pushing me further that way...so would you agree that the F is essentially the exact same size as the G17, at least in terms of grip dimension? (the G17 is simply unconcealable for me in that regard)

Thanks again
 
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Bubits worked for glock too before he went to work for Steyr. I like my M9, but I don't think I'll be jumping on a Caracal unless I get a great deal on one.
 
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