Thoughts on Sphinx SDP Subcompact?

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Cosmodragoon

New member
Since we still don't seem to have competitively small and light single-stacks in DA/SA (on par with the Glock 43, Shield, or PPS), I've been thinking about the next closest options. That's stuff like the CZ Rami and the Sphinx SDP Subcompact. I prefer the looks and overall form of the latter, though I'm not sure about the three-material construction.

The good looks great and some reviewers are in love with this gun. However, there have been reports of problems and at least a few legitimate lemons. I'm not sure how much this is a bad overall product and how much is just a few out-of-spec guns with very vocal recipients. I also hear that Kriss doesn't offer much in the way of customer service.

Does anyone here have experience with the Sphinx Subcompact? (I know people love the regular compact. I'm specifically interested in the subcompact.)
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
Every one who has one or who has tried one seems to love the Subcompact model.

The only problem is that KRISS isn't making any right now because of a big demand for some of their long guns. (And as a business, they've really GOT to go where the demand leads them.)

Unless you can find one for sale, you'll just have to wait.
 
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BigMikey76

New member
I'd go for the Rami. My shooting buddy carries one, and I really like the way it shoots. The Sphinx is an extra $200, and I have never seen anything to convince me that they are any better than the CZs they are based on.
 
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Cosmodragoon

New member
BigMikey76, I've only had two afternoons with a Rami but it was enough to see that its excellent reputation is well deserved. Just looking at YouTube and web reviews, the Sphinx looks sleeker and is arguably prettier. It's a little lighter, a tiny bit thinner, and holds a few more rounds. Yes, it costs more than a base Rami. The trouble is that if I got a Rami, I'd probably go all in with the upgrades and end up spending more.

I appreciate the feedback so far. I'll be keeping an eye on this as we get into the new year.
 
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hemiram

New member
A friend of mine bought an SDP "Alpha Wolf" a few months back. I shot it, and I want one. I almost pulled the trigger on one, but I went with one that I've wanted for years, the SigP226SSE. But the SDP is at the top of my list now, along with a CZ P01, an S&W 28-2 4", and an S&W 629/29. And with those, there won't be many more guns I want to add to my collection.
 
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BigMikey76

New member
if I got a Rami, I'd probably go all in with the upgrades and end up spending more.
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That does make a difference, I suppose, when deciding which way to go. I never really think beyond the initial purchase price - I'm just not an "upgrade guy."
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
If you compare various CZs to various Sphinx models, including the SDP, the differences seem minor. But when you own and shoot a Sphinx, you see that it's more than a superficial difference.

A CZ that has gone through CZ Custom or CGW upgrades will compete favorably with most Sphinx models, but those upgrades will get the prices much closer to (and sometimes more than) the cost of the SDP. And it won't fit your hand as well.

I have had other Sphinx (2000) models over the years, and I now have both a Sphinx SDP and a P-07 Duty. What's impressive about the P-07 is that it has had NO UPGRADES. There's no question that the P-07 is the best DEAL of the two, but while very good, it's not the best gun of the two.

That said, I'll keep them both, thank you..
 
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WVsig

New member
I own a pro package CZ 75B, Pro Package all steel P01 and a customized CZ Shadow 2 all done at CGW. With a spring change the Sphinx SDP was within factions of these custom guns with better overall machining.

I spoke with David of CGW extensively back when the SDPs first hit the market. They worked on a few but had to stop because of wear in tools and KRISS at th3 time wanting to open their own custom shop. I asked David at the time should I buy a P01 and have you do your thing or buy the Sphinx SDP? He said buy the SDP.

They are inspired by the CZ75 design but they are improved in every way IMHO.
 
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TunnelRat

New member
I had a Sphinx SDP Alpha for a time. It was in no small terms a better machined and constructed pistol than a CZ. That said, I had loads of failures to eject with the pistol, even with hotter 124 gr ammo. It had next to no recoil, but it seemed oversprung to me. It may have been that after hundreds of rounds it would have broken in, but I didn't get beyond 400 or so. I found the trigger very mediocre for the price, and even doing the CGW spring swap on mine didn't help a lot. At the time I had mine Kriss was still importing them, and there was practically speaking no support for them. Replacement grips, replacement magazines, etc. were all pretty much vaporware. I'm not sure if this has been remedied.

After I sold it I bought a P-01 and did my own CGW package. I enjoyed that result better than the SDP, even if the quality wasn't as high.
 
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cslinger

New member
I had a Sphinx SDP Alpha for a time. It was in no small terms a better machined and constructed pistol than a CZ. That said, I had loads of failures to eject with the pistol, even with hotter 124 gr ammo.
Click to expand...

it's funny. I own a few CZ's and every time I get a new one and take it apart I find myself cringing at some of the internal.....ahem..."finishing". Every time I worry this this is gonna be jam machine. Every time they shoot lights out and are reliable as the day is long. Rinse repeat. Point is every CZ I have experience with isn't the best finished firearm but they have ALWAYS worked for me.
 
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Worc

New member
I have a compact SDP and not the Sub compact so, this may not help you much.

These gun have excellent quality and very tight fitting parts. Mine took a while to be able to release the slide from the slide lock with out applying a ton of pressure. Even though it's a tight gun, I never have had any failures of any kind. That's even with my own reloads that I mostly shoot. I have around 8K rounds through mine. I like the overall design of the gun with it's unique two piece lower half. I also like the interchangeable grip panels. I'm not wild about the blacked out read sight and would have preferred a three dot set up. I bought three additional magazines right after I bought mine for $37.00 each. I also like the ambi decockers.

I've shot 6 others besides mine and all had some level of a flat spot in the DA mode. Mine is the worst that I've come across. I too installed the CGW kit and saw little improvement. Reset is decent and the SA mode is pretty good. All of the examples that I shot were very accurate.

The grip length could be a little taller for me. The trigger guard is undercut to a lesser extent than say a Glock. It causes some finger pinch for me. I would take it over any CZ and a few other SA/DA models.

If you want a high quality model that has some unique features, a Sphinx might be for you.
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
Cslinger said:
it's funny. I own a few CZ's and every time I get a new one and take it apart I find myself cringing at some of the internal.....ahem..."finishing". Every time I worry this this is gonna be jam machine. Every time they shoot lights out and are reliable as the day is long. Rinse repeat. Point is every CZ I have experience with isn't the best finished firearm but they have ALWAYS worked for me.
Click to expand...

It seems to be a modern CZ production philosophy: if it matters (i.e., if the lack of finishing affects function) polish it or finish it well; if it doesn't matter, don't bother.

In some of the newer models (like the P-07 and P-09), they seem to be doing some extra bead blasting in the areas that generally get overlooked (to a measure of criticism), and they now look a little better, and the criticism has died down a bit.
 
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FairWarning

New member
Due to the fact that CZs exist in this world, I find it hard to justify the cost difference for most Sphinx models. Yes, they are extremely well machined objects of lusts, but CZ has mondo cool points and delivers where it counts for me.

That said, me being me, both are on my radar for this year. :D
 
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Sequins

New member
The SDP is no doubt a premium piece but I prefer mainstream pistols with parts, magazines, gunsmiths with experience, etc. available to me. The SDP has absolutely no support whatsoever, and unfortunately that reduces it to a gimmick in my eyes. Definitely attractive and well made by all accounts, but what if you need help fixing it (or wind up with a $1000 lemon and no one to answer your calls)
 
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Cosmodragoon

New member
The SDP is no doubt a premium piece but I prefer mainstream pistols with parts, magazines, gunsmiths with experience, etc...
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I could be wrong but I thought the Sphinx could use CZ magazines. Does anyone know more about this, or if there are any other interchangeable parts?
 
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Uncle Malice

New member
I had the SDP Compact for a while. Really, really liked it. Definitely better fit and finish than any of the CZ's I've had, including my Shadow 2 - which I love.

My only complaint with the gun was that the trigger on my example was not that great. Single action was quite good, but double action was quite notchy and stagey. The rubberized grip is comfy, but slippery when wet. I did a light hand stipple job to the medium insert which helped a good bit. It was still soft and rubbery but had a bit more 'grab' to it. Reminded me of a gecko foot - if that's something anyone else is familiar with.

I never had a single failure in the gun while shooting with all types of ammo and it was very accurate. I did end up snapping the trigger spring during dry fire practice, as is extremely common with all CZ 75 style guns. KRISS offered to give me a label to have it repaired under warranty, but being familiar with the type, I asked if they could just send a few spares and I can replace it myself. They had no problem with that and sent me a half dozen of them at no cost. I replaced the spring and the gun was back to running, but I still wasn't happy with the double-action trigger. I even installed the MWS trigger upgrade kit which was better, but still 'meh'. I even contacted KRISS to ask them about it, because the few others I felt that were in-stock at a local shop had buttery smooth triggers... but mine just did not. They sent me a label to send it in and did an inspection. They claimed to polish the hammer and sear surfaces, but it came back virtually exactly the same as when I sent it.

In the end, I ended up trading it for something else. I think I would like to have one again, if I could feel the trigger before getting it. If it was as good as the triggers I felt on those at my local shop, I think I would be happy with it. The gun was very fast and accurate coming out of the holster for me and the large serrations were excellent for getting a good purchase on the slide.

Sight options are pretty limited. You can basically get red fiber optic front and black rear which is what I recommend or if you want tritium, you're pretty much limited to XS Big Dots, which are junk for accuracy (in my opinion). The stock sights are actually pretty decent and I would have dealt with them if the rear had a ledge for manipulations. That's become a requirement for me, so any sloped sights have to go.

Anyways, I've heard good things about the subcompact version and it's not much different than the compact. So if you can find one and the trigger is good... then it's probably a home run. KRISS customer service was outstanding to me. It's a quality gun for sure.
 
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TunnelRat

New member
In all the dry firing I've done with CZs I've never snapped a trigger return spring. It's weird as at the same time I've encountered issues with other pistols that are generally pretty rare. It's the one pistol type where my luck beats the norm.

My SDP also had that "flat" spot on the trigger mentioned above. For me the examples I tried at the store had the same issue. Assuming that was fixed the reset was good and the pistol certainly mechanically accurate.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 
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Sequins

New member
CZ magazines may fit but the follower design is different and they won't lock the slide open, they're not interchangeable in the sense that there's no difference. It's also possible for it to "fit", but ride a few mm too high and cause wear on the extractor.

TL;DR: If you're springing for the SDP, don't blink and start saving money on CZ magazines.
 
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