Regular readers will know my long, sad tale of falling in love with the how-low-can-you-go bore axis polymer pistol. And the painful divorce occasioned by the drop-safe-related recall. And the promise of the Caracal F’s return. And the long, long, long wait for that to be realized. Well, they’re baaaack!
Caracal’s kicking off their reanimation with a Limited-Edition pistol commemorating “Caracal’s commitment to supporting the U.S. market.” A statement which is bound to inspire Ralph to new heights/depths of sarcasm. Anyway . . .
The Enhanced F – Limited Edition pistol is a striker-fired, polymer-framed 9mm pistol comprised of a Caracal International frame with a Caracal USA slide, and is assembled in the United States. The pistol features a crisp, short double-action trigger, an 18-round magazine and is available with 3 dot sights, or the highly acclaimed “Quick Sight System,” which places both the front and rear sights on a single focal plane allowing the shooter to acquire a clear flash sight picture on target extremely fast.
The Enhanced F pistol is shipped in a Caracal® branded hard case with 2 magazines, an Otis cleaning kit, cable lock, and a user manual. MSRP for the Enhanced F pistol is $599, and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty for the original owner.
True dat. But as I’m still heart broken from a failed romantic entanglement (i.e. she dumped me), I’m not rushing into any more relationships, human or ballistic. Caracal says they’ve put TTAG on the T&E list so watch this space.
Meanwhile, Caracal promises that “the Enhanced F pistol will evolve to a U.S. manufactured product.” And their website is working! So the signs are good that I’ll be reunited with what was once my favorite pistol on the planet. Did I just say that?
Considering you’re just about the only person still talking about Caracal, you should probably get serial #00001 for free, Robert.
THE RETURN OF THE GUTTERSNIPE SIGHTS (With a front blade).
It isn’t like guttersnipe. It’s a totally standard sight layout with a rear notch and a front blade, it’s just that both are on the front of the slide. The long angled parts on the side are just to allow easy holstering without snags and such. Here’s a better view: http://truthaboutguns-zippykid.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Quick-Sights-e1335130733110.jpg
BTW, I happen to LOVE the quick sights. My right eye is fairly weak and I do have a very hard time focusing on the front sight of a pistol and seeing much of anything of the rear and the target. Putting the two of them close together (while, yes, reducing sight radius) allows them to both be in focus at the same time and helps me see the target more clearly as well. It’s really quite effective and it is, indeed, super fast.
The Quick Sights are fantastic.
Hell yea they are, and so is the low hire axis and ergonomics and trigger and everything.
Except the safe bits; those suck. And so does the customer service. And the worthless warranty.
I too loved the Caracal C with Quick Sights, but now I’m with RF. Once bitten, twice shy.
As a Styer owner, I was sad to not get to experience more of Herr Bubitz’s workmanship. I’m glad there’s hope again… but we’ll see how it plays out.
Taurus licensed the BB6 which was also designed by Wilhem Bubits, it will be released as the new T series… eventually.
That makes two of us. The Steyr S, M and L are excellent offerings and Caracal has potential. We shall see…
Interesting sight….
They should include a proper holster for that funky thing. I’m thinking it’ll be awhile before the aftermarket steps up. Unless they have some from before…
Holsters are currently available for the Caracal Enhanced F Quick Sight System and Standard sights (same holster) from Bladetech, 5.11, SafariLand, Alien Gear, and many others. The holster retention is based on the trigger guard and this Model utilizes the same frame dimensions as the original Model F offered by Caracal International.
And I thought the sight radius on my Detonics CombatMaster was bad….
It’s a target pistol compared to this one…
Yeah, but I bet the Detonic don’t snag on everything when you draw the gun. On the bright side, you can use the Caracal gimmick sight to scrape the ice off your windshield. Maybe they woulda’ been better off with a shotgun bead sight.
“Caracal’s commitment to supporting the U.S. market” was amply demonstrated when the company went to Mars for over three years after the recall of the defective guns.
The recall of the Caracal C was announced in September, 2013. In October, 2016, Caracal announced that it would replace the recalled pistols with a Model F.
To translate from the original Arabic: “No C for you! Go F yourselves!”
Too funny, Ralph. Another gem right there…
And no A-rab vaporware for me?I never see anything about these anywhere but here…
So the guy who went off on Springfield and constantly references his father’s holocaust experience just loves a pistol from UAE, a State the funds terrorists who kills Jews. “Physician heal thyself.”
Do you think the sh!theads in ISIS spit on any M4 they see laying around and favor their AKs instead? No. They pick it up and use it because it works – and works well. If an arab country comes up with a good idea (rare, I know) we’d be fools not to adopt it for our own ends. Utility trumps culture.
There’s a difference between adopting an idea and giving your money directly to bad people.
In any case, given the dismal history of Caracal’s previous pistol efforts and the baggage associated with their UAE home office, I’d say a better name would be “Enhanced F – Limited Appeal Pistol”.
No, the beauty is that since the Jewish owner of the largest firearms website endorses it, we can’t be accused of anti-semtism because he’s into it.
It’s sorta like the left took the concept of Kosher, except for oppressed groups.
Too bad Robert isn’t a disabled trans multi-racial pan-sapiosexual immigrant.
Then he might be able to give us the ability to murder and have it chalked up to multicultural disconnect.
Low bore axis = p7m8
Yeah, but funky delayed-lock action, lotsa tiny levers and stuff under the grips, and quite heavy for the size/capacity/caliber.
You haven’t lived until you’ve cleaned glacial silt (from an Alaskan river) out of an unexpectedly-submerged-with-the-owner HK P7. Gritty silt completely jammed the mechanism.
Yawn. The UAE openly allows Christian churches and even Christmas displays in their shopping malls. I think that’s the only Arab nation on teh peninsula so inclined. But, I digress. The F is(was) a fantastic pistol, of which I suffered through purchase, recall, and recall again. Considering all of the hiccups that Steyr’s had, including a re-design, I think Caracal can make a go of it this time.
yet again we see a company claiming innovation by taking steps backwards. i guess next we will see New modular primer revolvers on the market ( aka percussion cap revolvers) and told how innovative they are.
there is just no arguing with: longer sight radius = better.
Eh, the way my vision is declining with advanced-middle-age-disease, I figure I could just hang some sort of new-fangled laser or light/laser on the front, treat the irons like emergency back-up sights, and call it a day.
Glad to see they’re keeping the quick sights!
Reducing the sight radius doesn’t make it one focal plane. And even if it would, you’d still have to focus on the front sight and couldn’t focus on the target like with a red dot. If they would’ve gone completely crazy and put on something like a single cross true one focal plane ww1 anti aircraft machinegun it would’ve at least been innovative. And equally useless…
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