Caracal F 9mm Review

[Syntax360]

Following up on my initial review, I had a chance to shoot the Caracal some more this weekend and did get to run some more JHP through it. The weird slide lock issue with the Winchester Ranger had me worried, so I picked up some Federal Hi-Shok JHP and Remington Golden Saber +P JHP at a gunshow before heading out to the range.

I also brought along 50 rounds of Silver Bear to function test - I have 950 more rounds of this at home, so I was really betting on this stuff working. I'm happy to report that the gun didn't miss a beat.

Next up, I fired 30 rounds of the 115 gr. Federal Hi-Shok JHP - again, no problems.

Next, I moved on to the box of 124gr. +P Remington Golden Saber JHP. It's been awhile since I've shot this stuff - I forgot how cool and distinct the muzzle flash is (almost a bright silver/white). Again, the Caracal chugged through the box with no issues. One thing I realized after I was done shooting the Remington is that they were +P - I had completely forgotten about the higher pressure rating until well after I was done shooting. Seriously, perceived recoil on this gun is comically soft.

So, back to the "problem" ammo - I loaded up a magazine of Winchester Ranger 147gr. JHP and all was well until about round #10 - the slide locked back even though there were still rounds waiting to feed. I finished up the magazine and decided not to waste any more Winchester Ranger RA9T - the gun just doesn't seem to be able to make it through a magazine of this stuff.

So, Winchester Ranger aside, this gun has been running like a top. We're at a measly 415 rounds total, but we're slowly-but-surely getting more lead down-range through the Emirati shooter. I have no intention of cleaning or lubricating this gun until it starts to choke, or I have 1000 rounds through the pipe (I'm not counting the Winchester Rangers - we know that's a problem load for this gun, so I'll have to adjust-out those 37 rounds for the final tally).

[Syntax360]

Another issue came up on another forum, and I thought it was important enough to repost here. The Caracal magazine design is... unique. The magazine catch uses a single tab on the top-front face of the magazine, and a few guys commented that it looks like a finger-slicer:





I could see it if you're running high-speed and touching the tip of your bullet before speed-feeding a new magazine. Personally, I do not anticipate that being a problem for me because I'm not in the habit of indexing like that, but if you are, it's something to keep in mind.

I did test the Caracal magazines in a couple super-cheap nylon mag-pouches I have, as well as a Blade-Tech kydex version, and the design was not a problem on either setup. The kydex rig doesn't contact that part of the magazine at all, and the nylon didn't snag. I'm not sure the nylon would hold up with thousands of repetitions, but I would personally use kydex for any heavy-use gear.

[Syntax360]

One big problem with this weapon system is the absence of holster availability. Caracal USA tells me that Blackhawk makes a Serpa for it, but I haven't been able to turn up a part number (or for that matter, any other evidence that such a rig exists); they also sent Blade-Tech a couple demos to work up holsters. Well, I decided to beat them to it...

I sold a pistol a few months back (actually, my very first pistol) - a SigARMS Mauser M2 .40S&W. I had a Blade-Tech UCH for it, but since I shoot south paw, I didn't think it worth giving up a decent slab of kydex to a buyer that probably would have no use for it. I sold the gun without the holster, and it's been collecting dust ever since.



I remembered that holster last night and decided to use a truly excellent tutorial to modify my existing UCH to work with the Caracal F. I fired up the toaster oven and stripped the hardware from the holster and popped it in. After about 2 minutes @ 350 degrees, the holster was a pretty malleable sheet of burning hot kydex; I wrapped the Caracal between the hot kydex and placed the whole thing between a few pillows with some weight on top. After a few minutes, I had a pretty decent form, but it needed some tweaking.

I used a heat gun today to reshape a few parts of the rig, and after about 5 minutes I had a nearly perfect holster:

Caracal F on top with modified UCH, Steyr M9A1 on bottom with factory UCH:

[Syntax360]

The jury is still out on this gun, but if it makes it through the 1,000+ round challenge I'm putting together in 2 weeks, I just might retire my Steyr M9A1 from its position as my dedicated CCW. Anyway, here's some more shots:

[Syntax360]

OK, gentlemen - I'm overdue for an update. I had intended to blow through a case of ammo the first week of January, but things didn't pan out quite the way I wanted. The good news is I have a stockpile of ammo waiting to be run through the Caracal; the bad news is I haven't hit the 1,000 round marker yet. At last count we were at 415 rounds...

The Caracal got to see some range time during the first week of January. Rather than breakdown exactly what we shot, I'm going to update the original round count totals:

(350) 115gr. Silver Bear FMJ (steel case)
(48) Monarch 115gr. FMJ (steel case)
(10) Wolf 115gr. FMJ (steel case)
(20) Remington ShurShot 115gr. FMJ
(50) Remington UMC 115gr. FMJ
(50) PMC 115gr. FMJ
(50) 124gr. Winchester NATO FMJ
(50) 115gr. Federal Hi-Shok JHP (9BP)
(20) 124gr. +P Remington Golden Saber JHP
(100) 115gr. Winchester "White Box" FMJ

Total: 748 rounds

So far, no cleaning, oiling, or malfunctions with any ammunition - except Winchester Ranger (tested Ranger has been removed from round counts). I am quite pleased with this pistol thus far.

And since no update is complete without some gun porn...







The next update will be after 1k, probably when I tear it down to clean it.

[Beiruty]

I am proud owner of Caracal F. I did not shoot it yet.