Sphinx Alpha, made in Switzerland
9mm compact pistols are all-too common. While the US military dickers about the relevance of the M9 platform (mainly because of the poor performance of 9mm ball ammo), most handgun innovation seems centered on larger calibers in smaller packages. So it is somewhat of a surprise to me that anyone would be investing in perfecting a high-end 9mm. Thankfully companies do, and Sphinx, a Swiss firm that’s still new to the American handgun market, knows there’s more to the 9mm than the M9 arguments would suggest. These guns are being imported by Kriss USA, and the Sphinx’s Compact Alpha makes the 9mm look really good.
Sphinx
The Sphinx Alpha compact is much heavier than it looks, which adds to the guns stability.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ALPHA COMPACT
Caliber 9×19 mm
Overall Length 7.4 in / 188 mm
Overall Height 5.35 in / 136 mm
Overall Width 1.37 in / 35 mm
Weight 28.18 oz / 799 g
Barrel Length 3.7 in / 95 mm
Sight Radius 5.7 in / 148 mm
Front Sight Iron blade with white dot
Rear SIght Serrated fixed sight
Action DA/SA
Single Action 4.0+ lb / 1.8+ kg
Double Action 10.0+ lb / 4.5+ kg
Slide material Steel
Slide finish Black with TIAIN coating
Upper frame Hard anodized aluminum
Lower Frame Polymer
Grip Polymer with rubber inserts
Magazine catch left / right – reversible
Magazine 15+1
Sphinx
Slide drop and decocker. No external safety.
If you take a look at this list, there are a couple of things missing. There isn’t’ any mention of a safety. This pistol doesn’t have a built in trigger lever safety. There is no grip safety. There isn’t even a thumb safety on the slide. Instead, the Sphinx is equipped with an ambidextrous decocking lever that allows you to drop the hammer to a half-cock position, much as you would on a Sig P226 or a Beretta 92 G.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it. Guns meant for self defense shouldn’t have external, manual safety mechanisms. They stand in the way of immediate use, and can be a fatal obstacle. If you ever have to draw you gun from concealment, acquire your target, and fire, response time will be your greatest obstacle. In many defensive gun uses, the bad guy already has a gun drawn, which means you have to have an even faster response. A gun like the Sphinx isn’t going to add one more step in the equation. You draw and (assuming you’ve chambered a round) it will fire.
sphinx
When decocked, the hammer falls to a half-cock position that allows the thumb to catch it again, if needed.
Read the rest:
www.gunsamerica.com/blog/best-new-9mm-riddle-sphinx/
Go to Sphinx website:
sphinxarms.com/index.php/sdp-compact-lin...pact-alpha-9mm-da-sa
