Updated Range Report on Sphinx SDP

W

WVsig

New member
Time for an updated range report on the Sphinx SDP because I have about 450 rounds down the pipe now. It has been to the range now 3 times and I ran 150 rounds each session. The gun continues to impress me. I am still running the small grip and believe it will the one that remains on the gun.
The pistol continues to smooth out nicely. The slide lock releases with reasonable effort not hard to get the slide to go with strong or weak hand. The trigger is smooth and IMHO has not really changed much. It was nice from the start just a bit heavy.

The gun has been in and out of the free Safariland holster it came with and the finish is holding up great. No real wear. I think the TIAIN coating is going to hold up well. This will become a carry hard working gun so I am hoping that the finish will hold up. Don’t know a lot about it but seems to be in the Melonite, IonBond and Tennifer categories.

The gun is still shooting lights out when I can do my part. I took a 2 day training course the a few weeks ago and took my W. German P228 and shot it extensively. It is the platform I cut my teeth on. The Sig has seen thousands of rounds in my hands and was a German Police gun before it was mine. It is as smooth as any Sig I own. One of the instructors who works with Bruce Gray said it was slick. He said “Oh I could shoot this gun….” grinning while he said it.

In comparison to the P228 is Sphinx with less than 500 rounds is almost as smooth. The action needs to be worked out a bit but it is right there with a gun which is considered one of the best DA/SA guns in this class of compact pistols. I feel like the Sphinx may even end up better than the P228 in the long run. I used to own a Gray Guns P226 and this gun has more potential IMHO for less $$ than I had in that Sig.

Now for the down side… I picked up a few Wolff springs compact CZ springs. I picked up the 17Lb and 16lbs on the recommendation of Walt Sherrill. The DA dropped below 8lbs and the SA was around 4.5lbs but I got a few light strikes on the SA. They all fired when I hit them with the DA. I was shooting RWS, Tula and some of my reloads with CCI primers. Both the CCI primers and the Tula are known to have hard primers. I keep some Tula on hand to test hammers if I am getting light strikes.

So I consulted Walt and he recommended to keep shooting it and see it smoothes itself out. His buddy has one and has been able to run a 16lb Wolff spring after a fair amount of rounds through it. He did not mention the exact number of rounds but his lower round count Sphinx had light strikes with the 16lb but not the 17lb. I am also considering the Cajun Gun Works spring kit.
The gun runs 100% with the factory hammer spring so worse case scenario I will go back to that but I think with a little more tweaking I am going to be able to get this thing to run 100% with a 8lb DA and a 4.5lb SA. That is the goal. If I can’t get it there I will send it off to David at CGW. LOL
 
It is not that the action needs to be smoothed out by firing it is that by firing a slight amount of bedding/wear will allow it to avoid the light strikes. The gun has been dry fired a lot. I have been working on my DA trigger prep from the draw and prepping the SA trigger as well. I would estimate the trigger has been pulled in dry fire over 1000 times.

In the end I think I am going to go to a Wolff 18lb or the CGW because it also changes the firing pin spring and the firing pin block plunger spring.

Will update no matter which way I go.
 
In the end I think I am going to go to a Wolff 18lb or the CGW because it also changes the firing pin spring and the firing pin block plunger spring.
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Seems like a safe bet. No matter what DA/SA pistol I've owned, when I replace the hammer spring to the point where the DA goes below 8 lbs. light strikes start appearing. To me 8.5 lbs. is pretty ideal.
 
Seems like a safe bet. No matter what DA/SA pistol I've owned, when I replace the hammer spring to the point where the DA goes below 8 lbs. light strikes start appearing. To me 8.5 lbs. is pretty ideal.
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It is a bit of trial and error because the SDP is a newer design and it is not like a Sig where you know 19lbs or 20lbs depending on the pistol will ignite everything and still lighten the pull.

With other CZ designs lots of people run as low as 13lbs in the 75Bs. I personally run 16lbs in those guns.

The positive part is that the hammer spring takes 2 seconds to swap out. You drive out a pin take the grip cover off and then use the screw driver to turn a screw to remove the spring. I was able to do it at the range as I shot. ;)
 
The positive part is that the hammer spring takes 2 seconds to swap out. You drive out a pin take the grip cover off and then use the screw driver to turn a screw to remove the spring. I was able to do it at the range as I shot.
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Wow, that's a nice change from a lot of the DA/SA pistols I've owned.
 
WVsig said:
With other CZ designs lots of people run as low as 13lbs in the 75Bs. I personally run 16lbs in those guns.
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On competition CZ's they go even lower on the hammer spring. I run an 11.5 lb CGW hammer spring in a SP-01 and a pre B converted to SAO. Both have an extended length firing pin to help with reliable ignition, and both have been perfectly reliable with any factory ammo I have tried. There is even an 8.5 lb hammer spring, but that is for the hand loaders using Federal primers only.

On a defensive/carry gun I would use a 13lb hammer spring as that would give a reasonable 8lb/4lb DA/SA trigger pulls.
 
sounds like the SDP is working out nicely for you. The slide stop/release was the most noticeable aspect that smoothed out on my gun. I hope it loosens up a little more. The trigger and action smoothed out a little too.

How is the SDP grouping for you at the range WVsig.
 
The groups are nice. I them within 2" off hand at 7 yards when I am taking my time. I don't shoot off a rest much at all. Only to test reloads for accuracy but have not done that with the Sphinx.

I have been doing a lot of DA from the draw with follow up SA shots prepping the trigger so at times it is wider than that. It is me not the gun.

I am easily hitting 2/3 IDPA steel plate at 25 yards. Those shots are more about positive hits then groups.

I am very please with it and cannot wait to see the fullsized Alpha which I heard should be out sometimes after June.
 
Sounds like you're having phun with your Sphinx.

It is not that the action needs to be smoothed out by firing it is that by firing a slight amount of bedding/wear will allow it to avoid the light strikes.
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I do not understand how firing results in bedding/wear, or what bedding means and what is being worn. Can you please clarify?

I thought the way to avoid light strikes was increasing the strength of the hammer spring or using an extended firing pin.
 
I do not understand how firing results in bedding/wear, or what bedding means and what is being worn. Can you please clarify?

I thought the way to avoid light strikes was increasing the strength of the hammer spring or using an extended firing pin.
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As you shoot some parts will wear naturally. One of them might be the firing pin. In the end it is just a guess that it might smooth out. It is retained by a pin which is rides on. After I took it out you could see where the pin shows some wear as does the retaining pin. I am not a gunsmith but I believe that small amounts of wear happen to new guns as the parts mate. They wear to a point and then stop. Sig slide rails are a perfect example. They wear to a point and then stop. The slide action smooths out once that wear point is achieved. IMHO

In the end you are correct that the proper hammer spring is the correct way to correct the light strikes. I am not carrying this gun so at this point I have time to work with it. I believe that an 18lb spring or the CGW kit will work. It is just a matter of deciding which way to go.

I want to reiterate that the Sphinx was and is 100% with the factory hammer spring. The light strikes I am referring to have nothing to do with quality of the product.
 
dpadams6 said:
And why, for self defense. KEEP EVERYTHING STOCK. The manufacturers know what their doing.
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They know what they're doing -- but it may not always be done for YOUR benefit.

I have a Sphinx SDP. I talked with Kriss about the heavy double-action trigger, and they said the gun had originally been sold with a lighter hammer spring, but there were some complaints about inadvertent double-pulls. (In other words, it was too easy to pull a second shot after the first.) They went to a heavier hammer spring. THAT was arguably a shooter issue not a gun issue; Sphinx fixed the problem by raising the hammer spring weight. The manufacturers KNEW what they were doing when they first introduced the gun. And when that gun caused some complaints, they took an economically expedient step to resolve the complaints. They didn't tell folks to practice -- which was most likely the real issue.

(I had the same experience with a marvelous ASAI One Pro (.45); the trigger was so light, it scared me. I later sold it. Looking back, I now realize that was dumb -- as heavier hammer springs would have solved the problem.)

What is the most common complaint about the new, manufacturer-improved Sphinx SDP? The heavy DA/SA trigger.

The stock hammer spring, which is probably 20+ lbs, makes the DA to SA transition more difficult. When I talked with my Kriss rep, he suggested using a slightly lighter CZ compact hammer spring. I did, and the DA trigger dropped from 14+ lbs to about 8 lbs., and SA to 4.5 or so, instead of 7+ lbs. It makes a BIG difference. Other spring kits are available that lighten the trigger more, but still consistently ignites all primers -- and keeping the trigger pull heavy enough to not allow truly inadvertent trigger pulls.

If I have to use a gun in a self-defense situation, I want it to behave in a way that doesn't require a lot of EXTRA attention on my part to get the first and second shots where they need to be. The stock version of the gun (with the heavier hammer spring) seemed to require a LOT of EXTRA attention -- and that was at the range, where there was nothing else competing for my attention.

I run lighter springs. I don't need any distractions if I have to use the gun.
 
Walt Sherrill said:
They know what they're doing -- but it may not always be done for YOUR benefit.

I have a Sphinx SDP. I talked with Kriss about the heavy double-action trigger, and they said the gun had originally been sold with a lighter hammer spring, but there were some complaints about inadvertent double-pulls. (In other words, it was too easy to pull a second shot after the first.) They went to a heavier hammer spring. THAT was arguably a shooter issue not a gun issue; Sphinx fixed the problem by raising the hammer spring weight. The manufacturers KNEW what they were doing when they first introduced the gun. And when that gun caused some complaints, they took an economically expedient step to resolve the complaints. They didn't tell folks to practice -- which was most likely the real issue.

(I had the same experience with a marvelous ASAI One Pro (.45); the trigger was so light, it scared me. I later sold it. Looking back, I now realize that was dumb -- as heavier hammer springs would have solved the problem.)

What is the most common complaint about the new, manufacturer-improved Sphinx SDP? The heavy DA/SA trigger.

The stock hammer spring, which is probably 20+ lbs, makes the DA to SA transition more difficult. When I talked with my Kriss rep, he suggested using a slightly lighter CZ compact hammer spring. I did, and the DA trigger dropped from 14+ lbs to about 8 lbs., and SA to 4.5 or so, instead of 7+ lbs. It makes a BIG difference. Other spring kits are available that lighten the trigger more, but still consistently ignites all primers -- and keeping the trigger pull heavy enough to not allow truly inadvertent trigger pulls.

If I have to use a gun in a self-defense situation, I want it to behave in a way that doesn't require a lot of EXTRA attention on my part to get the first and second shots where they need to be. The stock version of the gun (with the heavier hammer spring) seemed to require a LOT of EXTRA attention -- and that was at the range, where there was nothing else competing for my attention.

I run lighter springs. I don't need any distractions if I have to use the gun.
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+1

Many manufacturers built in heavy trigger pulls for liability and so that they will ignite every primer on the planet. This does not necessarily translate into the best pistol conducive to good shooting.

As far as using a gun with an 8lb DA trigger pull in a self defense situation I think you should be ok considering what the DAO pull of most striker fired guns is these days. YMMV
 
As far as using a gun with an 8lb DA trigger pull in a self defense situation I think you should be ok considering what the DAO pull of most striker fired guns is these days. YMMV
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I've wrestled with this myself. Is it a set weight that we don't want to go below, or is it simply the act of modification itself? If I have no problem with a 8 lb. DA, is it logical to have a problem with a 3.5 lb. safe-action type pistol? I think the key is you want to be able to say that every shot you fired was deliberate and not an "accidental" that resulted from too light of a trigger. As long as you can say that, my opinion is you should be okay. But that's outside the scope of this thread.
 
tunnelrat said:
I've wrestled with this myself. Is it a set weight that we don't want to go below, or is it simply the act of modification itself? If I have no problem with a 8 lb. DA, is it logical to have a problem with a 3.5 lb. safe-action type pistol? I think the key is you want to be able to say that every shot you fired was deliberate and not an "accidental" that resulted from too light of a trigger. As long as you can say that, my opinion is you should be okay. But that's outside the scope of this thread.
__________________
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I agree and in the end 99.999999% of the shooting done with this pistol will not be in self defense. I broke down and ordered the CGW spring kit. I will report back how it works.

PS. Anyone want to buy some like new CZ compact 16lb and 17lb hammer springs... just kidding. LOL
 
As you shoot some parts will wear naturally. One of them might be the firing pin.
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Would not firing pin wear tend to promote light strikes, especially if combined with a weaker hammer spring? Would an extended firing pin for a CZ phit the Sphinx?

They know what they're doing -- but it may not always be done for YOUR benefit.
Click to expand...

Interesting story. Trigger pull weight is a balancing act:

- A gun with a light trigger is more hazardous to handle.
- A gun with a heavy trigger is more hazardous to shoot -- not at the range, where everyone is behind the firing line, but in the real world, where innocent folks can be near a bad guy and a heavy trigger under stress can degrade accuracy and precision sufficiently to jeopardize them.
- A gun with a trigger so light that ignition reliability is degraded puts the shooter at risk in a defensive gun use.
- The degradation in accuracy and precision by a heavy trigger also jeopardizes the shooter in a defensive gun use, because the likelihood of neutralizing the threat is reduced.

At some point there is likely an optimal sweet spot.
 
I have the Sphinx SDP compact and it is a great gun for the $850 I paid . I found the triggers too heavy and I put the Compact CZ 17lb mainspring in it and it is just great now. No light strikes either and real smooth too. Hank
 
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