SCCY CPX-2 pistol

SCCY CPX 2 Problems (Solved!)

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The Sccy CPX-2 is one of a very select few firearms produced by Sccy Firearms. They don’t specialize in much, but they do specialize in polymer-framed subcompact .380 and 9mm pistols. Every model they produce has a 10+1 capacity, and while they are considered to be very well-made guns, they are known to have some issues here and there for the uninitiated. The Sccy CPX-2 is no exception, and while it is incredibly reliable, there have been some problems reported in the past that we want to cover before you put down your hard-earned cabbage for one.

Failure To Feed & Random Ejection Path (BTF)

On rare occasions, there have been reports of the CPX-2 having a failure to feed, both when dealing with new and used firearms. This is sometimes encountered with a seemingly random spent shell ejection path. There are several reasons that these can happen, particularly when the two issues happen in conjunction with one another.

The most common cause of the failure to feed is the shooter’s grip on the frame. Many people aren’t used to shooting a subcompact pistol and tend to ham-hand it, which causes the slide to contact the webbing or back of the hand. If the slide rubs on the grip for even a fraction of a second, it can slow the firing cycle enough to cause a feed issue. 

The lighter gun also plays a significant role in how it feeds and ejects the spent brass since it requires a more steady, robust grip. The recoil can be more difficult to manage with heavier loads or looser grips. This slight lack of control can contribute to the unpredictable feed failures and the sometimes rowdy ejection path since the gun’s movement will be more exaggerated.

Solution

The solution to both of these issues seems to be simply making sure your hands are completely clear of the slide, and keeping a firm grip on the gun to manage the inertial forces of the recoil. This allows the gun to fully transfer the energy that it needs for the firing cycle to the slide, and provided it’s not dragging across the back of your hand, the feed should complete normally. Keeping better control of the gun’s recoil will also help maintain and more consistent and predictable casing ejection path.

Random Jams

Another problem that has been mentioned on occasion is the tendency of the CPX-2 to jam if not held correctly. This is another problem that often stems from an unfamiliarity with gripping the CPX-2 and being ready for the reload. Even with new guns and brass casings, not steel, not having your grip dialed in can result in a jam. While the jam is easily cleared by pulling the slide again, this isn’t something you want to happen from a gun that is designed to be a concealed carry weapon or EDC pistol.

The jams most notably happen when utilizing the teacup grip, where the dominant hand grips the handle, while the non-dominant hand rests underneath for support instead of additional grip purchase. This can offer a steadier grip for shooting, but with a polymer-framed subcompact, it can deprive the shooter of desperately needed recoil control.

Solution

Ideally, shooters of the CPX-2 will want to use a thumbs-forward grip to eliminate the potential of reduced recoil control. While this may take some getting used to, since it makes slide rub slightly more likely, once the positioning is practiced a few times it should become more comfortable.

Another cause of random jams, albeit a far less common one, is using non-factory ammo. While using reloads can be a far more cost-effective way to spend brass at the range, it can also produce inconsistent results. One of the most common inconsistencies is that the round will be just slightly more or less powerful than is ideal, and will cause a variance in the firing cycle. Any time you’re testing your gun for anomalies, be sure you’re using factory ammunition to eliminate one common variable and cause for failures.

No Lock-Back On Empty

This is a rare problem and one that is encountered almost exclusively when purchasing a used CPX-2. If you happen to be at a gun shop and they have a used one, chances are they’ve tested it relatively sufficiently and have likely eliminated this issue, but if you’re shopping at a gun show you may want to pay close attention to the cause of this before committing. 

Sometimes, the previous owner will dismantle the magazines for cleaning or service and will reassemble them just wrong enough to work when full, while causing a failure of the slide lock to engage when empty. 

Solution

This is the result of putting the magazine springs in backward during assembly. Luckily that means it’s an easy fix. Simply break down the magazine and flip the spring around, and when you send that final round you should find that the slide locks just as intended. While Sccy’s quality assurance of the line has been known to be impeccable, there are also rare instances of it happening with a new gun and factory-fresh mag. Just something to be aware of.

Our Analysis

The CPX-2 remains one of the best budget subcompacts out there, and with the right amount of range time and practice it can function flawlessly as an EDC, concealer, or even a truck gun. Make sure you’re sticking to factory ammo since reloads can be an unnecessary variable, and be sure you’ve got a solid grip on this tiny wonder. 

While it isn’t unruly to handle, many people are surprised at the level of recoil it has for a subcompact, often forgetting that it’s polymer and the steel isn’t there to soak up that inertia. Also make sure that if you are having issues, you’re using factory ammo to eliminate one potential cause. Keeping these things in mind can help you make the right decision if you happen to come across one, or set out to buy one specifically. Provided you’re ready for it, the Sccy CPX-2 is a great subcompact to own.

6 thoughts on “SCCY CPX 2 Problems (Solved!)”

  1. I have just bought a sccy cpx2 9mm and I got it to fire 1 time now I can’t it at all the when I pull the trigger the hammer doesn’t come back far enough to release just wondering what the problem could be

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  3. our 9mm Sccy pistols have 2 concerns for us sustets- one is the strength it takes to ratch it and l the strength it takes to pull the trigger . zthird would be controlling thr recoil.
    Got any suggestions before I trade them in ?

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  4. My sccy felt great. It only fired one time nd badly jammed. If factory knows this and the spring problem, why aint it getting fixed ?????????????? I sent it back twice. It came back the same crappy way. I sold it cheap. Why did I get f’ed over ????????

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    • same thing happened to me. I sent it back and had it back in 3 days at my door. turned out it comes new ( NOT LUBRICATED ). it would hang up after a couple of shots.
      I got it back with a new slide and trigger pull was much better. haven’t had a single issue since in 15 yrs.

      Reply

  5. wondering what is wrong with my sccy 9mm it shoots 1 shot then you have to move the slide about a 1mm back to fire the next round then again for every round any suggestions

    Reply

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SCCY CPX-2 Problems

SCCY CPX 2 Problems [& Solutions]

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Today, we’re going to be talking about the SCCY CPX 2. This affordable, striker-fired pistol is an appealing option to a lot of people who want to be able to carry a firearm but are on a relatively low budget. To help decide if that’s a good option for you, we’ll start with a little bit about the company as well as the firearm itself.

From there, we’ll go through three of the major issues that we’ve heard about, and offer solutions to each. Once that’s done, we’ll end things with our overall take on the SCCY CPX2 in terms of whether or not we would consider carrying one.

All firearms have their own issues people typically run into. This list is not meant to necessarily be an indictment against the CPX-2 but instead an informational article to help gun owners know how to fix anything they may encounter in normal usage.

About the Company and the Gun

SCCY is a Florida-based firearms manufacturer aimed at making affordable handguns in the USA: all of their parts, labor, and assembly are from the US as well. The CPX series comes with a lifetime warranty. For most folks, this means that you’ll be shipping the gun back in for service, but if you happen to be within driving distance, you can also simply walk in.

SCCY Firearms Logo

The SCCY does not reinvent the wheel: it’s a compact, hammer-fired pistol that’s meant for concealed carry. It has a heavy double-action trigger that acts as the safety, holds a total of 11 rounds, and comes with a polymer frame. In a word, it’s a basic gun design that’s meant to work well for a wide variety of people who want a concealed carry firearm.

We always support Made in USA products, and this is especially true of affordable firearms. The fact that there is customer service based right here in the US, as opposed to dealing with importers and a string of other problems is something worth considering heavily when considering using a firearm over the long term as a concealed carry weapon.

SCCY CPX-2 9mm Pistol

1. Failure to Extract

A failure to extract is when the gun fires and cycles, but the spent casing does not eject, making the gun incapable of firing until the gun is cleared. These can come from a variety of causes, including dud ammunition, low-powered rounds such as subsonic, or some kind of metallurgy or geometry error in the extractor claw and spring of the firearm.

In the case of the SCCY, based on what we’ve read, we think that the main issue here is with the extractor being tuned poorly or installed out of specification.

CPX-2 Failure to extract

Solution

Fixing this will require that you send the firearm back to SCCY. This will mean that you’ll be without your firearm for several weeks, but, luckily, everything we’ve read about SCCY’s customer service has been positive, so they’ll likely do everything they can to make sure that you’re taken care of.

To see if it is an issue with the extractor and not ammunition, we do recommend testing your CPX 2 with several brands and types of ammunition to see if the issue is with ammo rather than with the firearm itself. Hopefully, that is the case, and you’ll be back up and running in no time.

2. Magazine-Induced Slide Issues

Some CPX 2 shooters have reported that their guns either fail to lock open when the last round is fired or stay open when the slide lock is used. Others have the opposite problem and find the gun has been locked tightly shut after a magazine is inserted.

Both of these seem to share a common cause: the springs in the factory magazines are sometimes put in backward. This leads to the feed lips on the magazine being spread too wide and thus making it nearly impossible for the gun to function normally.

Solution

To remedy this issue, some people have simply taken apart the magazines themselves and reversed the springs, which resolved the issue for them. We might take a different approach if we were planning on using those magazines to concealed carry, and might instead insist that SCCY send us replacement magazines, which we would then test with several hundred rounds before deeming them safe for use. Magazines are often a failure point for handguns generally, so it’s concerning that it’s an assembly flaw that might be relatively common among CPX 2 magazines from the factory. 

3. Failure to Feed

Some people also experience failures to feed with their CPX 2. This is when the rounds from the magazine do not, for whatever reason, feed into the chamber. A failure to feed can come from several sources, including ammunition that does not work well with the feed ramp, bad feed ramp geometry, or weak magazine springs.

CPX-2 Failure to feed

Solution

Check your grip and ensure your hand does not contact the slide when it comes back.

If your CPX is already having slide issues, we would suspect the magazines to be the general issue with the gun, and some replacements are in order. Before you do that, however, it might be a good idea to try ball ammunition first. Some firearms do not feed well with hollow-point ammunition because the edge of the round catches on the feed ramp.

No matter if this is an issue or not, the general advice here is to test a lot of the ammunition that you plan to carry, with the magazines that you plan on carrying. A backup magazine is also a good idea in case your first magazine has an issue that you can’t predict. Overall, this issue is a common enough one with many handguns that it’s not surprising to see here, though it is still a concern.

Conclusion

The three issues that we outline here, if we’re being very frank with you, make us deeply concerned about using the SCCY CPX 2 as a daily carry firearm. The price on these is affordable, but if the firearms have a tendency to have failures at several points in the firing cycle, and all of them are well documented, we might well look elsewhere.

If you’re looking for a relatively affordable concealed carry option, we would suggest looking for a used, especially police trade-in Glock. They often have some finish wear, but have very few rounds through them, meaning that you can get a great gun for less money.

0 thoughts on “SCCY CPX 2 Problems [& Solutions]”

  1. I had a failure to feed issue. The round would not completely go to battery. Took slide off and noticed the sharp edge on the bottom of extractor was keeping the round from smoothly feeding the rim into the extractor claw. I beveled the bottom edge of the claw lip with a file at about a 30* angle. Works like a champ now.

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