Click the READ MORE below to read our article on the Caracal pistol

 

Caracal Pistols

by Jessie Indracusin

Pistols from UAE?

The Caracal pistols were developed by members of the team that made the Steyr pistol.  This gun is designed as a competitor to the Glock 19.  When you take a look at the gun in detail, it appears to be made very well, to be totally honest, better than I thought it was going to be. We tested both the Compact and Full Size models of these guns.  The most noticable thing that comes to mind when you first hold these guns is the sights.  The rear sight on the full size is a non-adjustable sight and part of what you would find on a Glock that is called a “Slide Cover Plate”.  This means if you need to adjust the sights, you really just adjust the front sight to compensate for windage.  This same rule covers the compact edition too.  The rear sight on the compact is part of the slide itself and front of the ejector port (see detailed photo on this page).  This very short sight picture between the front and rear sight works incredibly well for short range shooting and quick target acquistion.

However, at longer ranges, this can be an inhibiting and a longer sight picture is preferred.  Keep in mind, a compact pistol is really designed for 15 yards and less shooting, so this is not really an issue.  Trigger pull is smooth out of the box. From a performance standpoint, the gun operates with various types of ammunition.  Mechanical failures were not encountered during our testings.  Overall, for a 1.0 gun from a new manufacturer, I was impressed.

That all being said, the full size handgun was not as well performing as the smaller compact model.  The logic of this statement dumb founded the four shooters we had using this gun.  We all experienced superior shooting with the compact over the full size.  The trigger differences on the compact over the full size was one issue.  The compact has a very predictable trigger preset, so follow up shots were easily gauged and planned. You knew exactly how much to let the trigger go to properly prep the trigger for the next shot.

The full size, however, was not as predictable.  When you would let up on the trigger and pull it again, it would sometimes not go bang.  We would have to let the trigger completely reset all the way out for the gun to operate again.  Also, the bottom of the trigger would tend to pinch the shooting finger.  All of these trigger issues were only experienced on the full size model.  The compact had none of these issues.

Final Thoughts

For a 1.0 gun, this is an incredible gun.  Much better than the original Springfield XD models from Croatia.  However, time will tell on the gun to what this gun will morph into in the future.

My big concern is the issue of the company being very new, not much knowledge of the gun, part supplies and aftermarket accessories.  Personally I am waiting to see a larger commitment from the manufacturer as far as a expanding awareness, training and readily available parts.  The key issue with this gun is the price points.  They are priced pretty much at the same level as a competing Glock19 handgun.  I am not convinced that if I had to pick between a Glock 19 and this gun, I would go with this gun.  However, as an additional gun to add to your collection, I would seriously consider this firearm as one of those exotic add on guns to your collection.  Time will tell if these Caracal pistols become more common on the streets in the US.  If that is the case and third party manufacturers start making custom parts, holsters, etc. I would feel better about giving this a higher recommendation.

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