The Keefe Report: When Caracal Comes to Town

by
posted on September 7, 2017

I have been following the Caracal pistol since it was just a rumor of a handgun being produced in the United Arab Emirates. The gun, designed by Austrian William Bubits, who had a long affiliation with Glock and then was a designer for hire—think the Steyr M pistol as well as the Walther PPSwas really onto something.

The gun was ergonomically excellent, with a very high tang and a low bore axis. Add that the magazine in its polymer frame held 18 rounds and it had a good trigger, and you ended up with a gun that became very popular very quickly.

And that was despite difficulties with importers and importation. The efforts to get the guns onto the U.S. commercial market were amateurish and botched badly. Once importation was finally going well, sadly, there was a full recall issued by the company, likely prematurely, and the guns have been absent from dealers shelves. 

For Caracal USA, there's a new sheriff in town. His name is Jeff Spalding, and he is the company’s general manager. He was in our offices, and we had a chance to take the Caracal pistols and carbines to the range. In the accompanying video, we shoot a version of Caracal Enhanced F, a gun that is made in Newington, N.H. 

Interestingly, it has the Quick Sight system, which allows for a very fast flash sight picture. Although the gun is offered with conventional sights, the Quick Site has cuts in the top of the slide forward of the action port that make for what is akin to a scout configuration on a pistol. Your sight radius is only about 3 inches, but after going to the range with it, I can assure you it is indeed fast. While I was never a fan of the trapezoid sights of the Bubits-designed Steyr M, I think they are onto something here. We are looking forward to further testing of the U.S.-made Caracal pistols and rifles.

Additional Reading:
SHOT Show 2017: Caracal USA Enhanced F 9 mm Pistol  

Latest

Davidsons Glock G43x The Rose
Davidsons Glock G43x The Rose

Gun Of The Week: Davidson’s Exclusive Glock G43X “The Rose”

Join us to learn about a Davidson’s Exclusive, "The Rose," a Glock 43X 9 mm pistol tailor-made by Apollo Custom.

The Armed Citizen® April 19, 2024

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Range Tested: EAA Girsan Untouchable MC1911

Among EAA Corp's. product line, the Girsan Untouchable MC1911 stands out as being an incredibly competitive offering within the M1911 world, as it offers a finish level and a feature set that's unheard of at the gun's price point.

Review: Benelli ETHOS Cordoba BE.S.T.

The Benelli ETHOS Cordoba BE.S.T. is proof that Benelli has taken an already-great shotgun and made it even better.

Remington Supports Hospitals, Disease Research With Gun Club Cure Ammo

Big Green's Gun Club Cure ammunition sales, combined with Remington's annual Shoot to Cure charity fundraiser, have raised more than $35,000 for children's hospitals and disease research.

North-South Skirmish Association Revolver Match

The North-South Skirmish Association is a competitive shooting organization dedicated to the active use of Civil War-period arms. "American Rifleman Television" had an opportunity to get a closer look at the group's revolver matches at its Fall National Skirmish.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.