Shot a Sphinx SDP

[Worc]

I finally got a chance to test fire a Sphinx SPD Compact. I've really been trying to like this model as I've considering getting one. The first one I held felt like the grip was a little to short with the medium grip installed. The one I test fired, I had them install the large grip and did feel better than the medium.

I bought a white box of Federal 115 gr FMJ's, so I only put fifty rounds through the gun. The gun being a range gun was filthy and they thought it had around 600 rounds through it. It was lubed well along the slides though. The gun functioned perfectly for the fifty rounds I fired.




I shot five groups of ten shots. I went TL, BL, BR, TR, and then center. While shooting, I started out paying more attention to how the gun recoiled, the trigger pull, and the trigger reset. I will say that the sights took a little getting used to since the back sight is solid black and the front has a dot. I prefer the three dot system on pistols. The gun had decent recoil and muzzle rise. I would compare it to my HK P-30. The trigger shoe had a good feel to it. The DA pull was smooth and long, but broke clean. The SA was nice with little take up and had a light feel to it and also broke clean. Reset was pretty decent and I would guess to be in between a Sig and a Sig SRT.
Even though my main objective was not to shoot as little of groups as possible. I would say it's a fairly accurate gun. I don't think this particular model would be as accurate as my Sig 226 or Walther PPQ M1, but good non the less.

I think I'll shoot another one that is at a range closer to home this winter when I do more pistol shooting. If it goes as well and feels as good as this one did, I'll pick one up and post on it after I have a few hundred rounds through it.

All the groups below were shot at a distance of ten yards.

[RX-79G]

10 yards! Gun is broken!

[Jagr68]

Thank you for the review

[Worc]

RX-79G wrote:
10 yards! Gun is broken!

Why is that?

[RX-79G]

I was jokingly referring to how large the groups are.

[ritepath]

Looks like a CZ p-07

[Walt Sherrill]

Originally Posted by RX-79G

I was jokingly referring to how large the groups are.

I have a Sphinx SDP, and the groups shown are not typical of the gun, or indicative of the gun's potential. (My SDP is on loan to me from the distributor, KRISS; apparently my earlier comments on Sphinx guns on various gun forums caught their attention. They asked if I wanted to try a new one out.)

The Sphinx SDP is a super gun, made with the same attention to detail and refinement as the older Sphinx guns -- which are legends in that respect. (I've owned several of the 2000 series Sphinx guns.)

The SDP is a bit more expensive than a P-07, but the price puts it in the same ballpark as most SIGs and H&Ks. The SDP can shoot much smaller groups than those shown in the photo, but in the OP's defense, shooting a new gun can be a challenge, particularly if the trigger is heavy. And the SDP trigger (at least in DA mode) is heavy.

While heavy, the DA is smooth, and the SA trigger breaks cleanly; the DA trigger feels much lighter than the 5+ pound shown on a trigger pull scale.

After complaining to the distributor about the heavy trigger pull, and following their advice, I installed a lighter set of compact CZ hammer springs. The CZ compact 17 lb. springs made a great difference, and lowered the trigger pull substantially.

A friend nearby also has an SDP; he has also installed lighter hammer springs. He is also a better shot than I am and has no trouble shooting small groups.

Originally Posted by ritepath

Looks like a CZ p-07.

The Sphinx SDP does look like a P-07, but looks can be deceiving. Internally, they are quire different.

The CZ P-07 has a new internal design with a polymer frame; its inner works are somewhat different from the traditional CZ-75. The Sphinx SDP is very similar to the traditional 75 internally, and uses steel or alloy in the upper part of the frame where the mechanism resides.

The frame of the SDP has two parts, an upper (in steel or alloy) and a lower (the bulk of the grip area) which is available in steel, alloy, or polymer. Mine, which looks like the one in the photo, has the standard steel slide, alloy upper, and polymer lower. You can't mix and match the components; they come in predefined sets, based on the model.

I had hoped to get a safety-equipped model, but they weren't available when the loaner program started. I'm not a big fan of decocker guns or a DA pull if I can start from cocked and locked, but this gun has almost changed my mind. It's a very nice, very accurate gun.

A full-size model will soon be available, and both the compact and full-size will be available with decockers or safeties. Sphinx also builds competition models, which are very impressive. Here's a link to the Sphinx website: http://www.sphinxarms.com/#

[TunnelRat]

Unless people ask for input as to how good others think their groups are, I generally avoid making comments in an effort to be polite. I think the OP was just excited about the gun and perhaps for him/her those are good groups (I wouldn't call them terrible). I've been to ranges and seen the bottoms and tops of target stands shot up so anyone that can actually get distinguishable groups is at least on the right track in my mind. We're all of different skill levels and unless you're in the 1% there is always a better shooter. I'm sure there are folks that could get 2" or less groups with the SPHINX at 25 yds. The fit is impressive.

A few gun stores near me have the SDP compacts in stock. They can't sell them. Originally they were starting at prices of $1300 (which was too high imo). Now even with prices down to ~$900 they still sit there collecting dust. To be fair there seems to be little to no effort by the shops to promote the pistols, and the salesmen/women don't seem to know a lot about them. It seemed Sphinx, or I guess KRISS, made an effort to advertise their pistols by distributing them to different personalities in the shooting community. I imagine the idea was that word of mouth and the magic of YouTube would sell the pistols. Problem is every video I see online there are always a strong percentage asking why you would pay so much more when you could just get a CZ. That is an attitude that has to be overcome. As Walt showed they are different, but someone has to explain that.

I think the SPHINX pistols are nice, certainly nicer than your standard CZ, but the price still gives me pause. Where I am I can get a SIG for less and a CZ for somewhere between 1/2-2/3 the price. Even buying a CZ and sending it to CZ custom or Cajun gun works and getting a nice trigger package and it would still be less money than buying the SPHINX. My other cause for pause is frankly the trigger isn't that great to me. Better than a rack CZ? No doubt. But for $1000 or so I would want what I would consider a very nice trigger. It feels to me like a SIG that has a reset slightly better than stock but not a SRT. And again, the SIG is less money where I am.

I'm not sure, nor does it seem to be made well known, how great the warranty support is or parts and accessories. The SPHINX US website doesn't seem to have a store where you could buy magazines and the like. Maybe they can be bought from KRISS? Even Century Arms knows from bringing firearms into the US that support can be key. Meanwhile CZ has a decent webstore and having been in the country for so long there are a number of sources for holsters and the like.

[RX-79G]

A Sphinx isn't a Sig or a CZ. This Sphinx doesn't even bear much of a resemblance to its CZ roots. Why are these two a reasonable comparison?

There is no implicit value on any firearm. The Sphinx line has always had a following as a premium product. Why buy a Nighthawk instead of an Armscor? Why buy an HK over Bersa? They all make the bullets go bye-bye.

[TunnelRat]

A Sphinx isn't a Sig or a CZ. This Sphinx doesn't even bear much of a resemblance to its CZ roots. Why are these two a reasonable comparison?

There is no implicit value on any firearm. The Sphinx line has always had a following as a premium product. Why buy a Nighthawk instead of an Armscor? Why buy an HK over Bersa? They all make the bullets go bye-bye.

It was all just my opinion.

[RX-79G]

Mine, too.

[TunnelRat]

Niice!

[Walt Sherrill]

Originally Posted by RX-79G

A Sphinx isn't a Sig or a CZ. This Sphinx doesn't even bear much of a resemblance to its CZ roots. Why are these two a reasonable comparison?

I'll agree that the Sphinx SDP isn't similar to the CZ P-07, but the CZ P-07 isn't based on the original CZ-75 design. The fact that a P-07 and SDP look alike is interesting, but meaningless. The CZ-P07 is NOT a CZ pattern gun if you use that term the way it's normally used.. The SDP, on the other hand, is internally very similar to the basic 75 pattern, with many shared design features. You can see this if you download the Sphinx manual (and parts diagram) from the Sphinx website, and compare them to the CZ manuals for both the CZ 75B and P-07. The two-part SDP frame does add extra flexibility to the SDP design but that doesn't change that basic similarity to the CZ-75 pattern upon which it is based. The SDP looks different, but it's a difference that's only skin deep.

Full-size CZ mags work well in the SDP; I no longer have any CZ compact mags to see if they will work in the SDP-- but I suspect they might be too short. While the SDP trigger out of the box is heavy, it's very smooth and crisp; changing the hammer springs makes a world of difference, and is cheaply and easily done. The three different SDP interchangeable grips is a nice addition, as well. The already-great CZ ergononmics can be tuned to the shooter's hand.

Is the SDP worth the higher price? I don't know. That said, the prices seem to be coming down a bit, and everyone I know who has shot one came away impressed. The price is the most obvious difference between the SDP and most CZs, along with some very Sphinx-like refinement. The refinement is obvious when you shoot the gun or work on it. Little things like changing out hammer springs are much simpler on the SDP than with other CZ-pattern guns. I think it's interesting that the SDP [a compact] uses the same hammer springs as the CZ compact. That isn't the case with the newer Tanfoglio or Witness guns. Further, the SDP doesn't seem to need to be broken in or have action work; it feels like it's already been there and done that.

Many people ARE willing to pay MORE than the seemingly high SDP price for refined CZs from the Custom Shop or Cajun Gun Works; that being the case I suspect the SDP will find a larger market as it makes itself known. That's because the SDP doesn't really don't need much in the way of extra work (like that offered by CZ Custom or CGW), except perhaps to change out hammer springs, which can be done by the owner quickly and for about $7.

Like you, I don't see much design commonality with the SIG, and I mentioned SIGs and H&Ks in my response only because all three (Sphinx, SIG, and H&K) are held in high regard by their owners and all three tend to be priced at the higher end of the middle price range ($600 - $1200.)

[Worc]

RX-79G Wrote:
I was jokingly referring to how large the groups are.

I see, you meant. "10 yards! Gun is broken! "

In regards to the group sizes, I stated I was paying attention to how the gun felt while shooting and was not trying to achieve small groups from slow fire. I also stated that I thought the gun was pretty accurate considering my focus on the gun it's self. The gun is also a range gun and hard telling how much barrel fouling at the time of shooting. If you follow the group progression, you can see how they moved around as I was adjusting my finger on the trigger.

I'd get a Sphinx over a CZ with some work by just how they feel in my hand. The P-07 and P-09 don't feel that great to me. Pretty good guns, just not my top choices. The Sphinx does not have the best trigger in the business, but it's far better than my HK P-30's trigger in every way. The Sphinx is based of the CZ design and share the rail design, and the controls are laid out similar.

[Worc]

RX-79G Wrote:
I was jokingly referring to how large the groups are.

I see, you meant. "10 yards! Gun is broken! "

In regards to the group sizes, I stated I was paying attention to how the gun felt while shooting and was not trying to achieve small groups from slow fire. I also stated that I thought the gun was pretty accurate considering my focus on the gun it's self. The gun is also a range gun and hard telling how much barrel fouling at the time of shooting. If you follow the group progression, you can see how they moved around as I was adjusting my finger on the trigger.

I'd get a Sphinx over a CZ with some work by just how they feel in my hand. The P-07 and P-09 don't feel that great to me. Pretty good guns, just not my top choices. The Sphinx does not have the best trigger in the business, but it's far better than my HK P-30's trigger in every way. The Sphinx is based of the CZ design and share the rail design, and the controls are laid out similar.

[TunnelRat]

Like you, I don't see much design commonality with the SIG

I mention SIG and CZ because they are metal framed, DA/SA guns with a degree of popularity and often of similar prices, depending on models. It's a comparison of what you get for the money. I know SIGs are internally different, but the firing mechanism and the materials are the same (yes I know the frame of the SPHINX is a combination, they do have all metal models as well and the SDP currently seen has at least part of the frame that is aluminum). As for CZ, as Walt pointed out there are a number of functional similarities. This I knew going in and is also one of the reasons they often get compared to CZs in reviews.

Is the SDP worth the higher price? I don't know... That said, the prices seem to be coming down a bit. And everyone I know who has shot them has come away very impressed. The price is the biggest differenceb between the SDP and CZs, as is the refinement of the SDP.

Agreed. At $900 I had a hard time walking away and will likely go back at some point to pick it up. The price for me isn't so much of an issue as I know, in comments from reviews, that it is for others. The trick for SPHINX, in my mind, is to demonstrate that refinement to the market (not all that easy without hands on experience). There are already those that know, but in order to get more buyers it's a point I feel needs to be emphasized.

The Sphinx does not have the best trigger in the business, but it's far better than my HK P-30's trigger in every way.

Two quick things to change on the P30: hammer spring and firing pin block spring. There are lighter factory versions (assuming DA/SA) that can make a world of difference. That said the P series HKs do not have great DA triggers. The SA is okay. USP is noticeably better in both modes. Again IMO.

[Darker Loaf]

Bashing the group size of someone standing at 10 yards with a pistol is lame. He obviously has good groups. The OP was able to pick out portions of a target at that distance and put the rounds where he wanted to. That is just snobbery operating here.

Yes, it's possible to get better groups, but that's a good target and certainly better than the average shooter.

Thank you for the review. If I had the opportunity to push 50 rounds through a Sphinx SDP, I'd certainly be excited to do so.

[Dirty_Harry]

:insert popcorn smiley here: