I picked up my new CA Off Duty at Range USA this afternoon. As usual, the in-store experience was pretty good. I did pick up 2 boxes of FMJFP, also. One MagTech and one S&B. They were a bit salty, but I expect that in the store. I'll get some 148/158gr WCs after I shoot this up. I did not fire it today. That appears to be a good thing. On to my impressions...
TLDR version. It is a cheap gun. I got what I paid for, mostly. I hope it works as intended.
The good:
It is a reasonably attractive gun. It is very light. It comes in a plastic case, with a lock, and all sorts of papers nobody ever reads. It shipped with a large(r) 3-finger grip, which is OK. EVERY SINGLE AD or REVIEW I'VE EVER SEEN, this gun wears a boot grip. I can live with it. I'll pay $20 for a boot grip; I never would have paid for this grip. Finish seems about right for cheap gun, but nothing to write home about. Lockup is solid. It is made in the USA.
The bad:
Fit leaves a bit to be desired. The side plates are not machined to blend smoothly with the frame (top of the trigger guard). The ejector rod is two-piece, and both pieces are gritty/catchy, and the entire ejector system seems under-engineered. The same word, under-engineered applies to the crane, also. The entire The top of the grip, at the top of the backstrap hangs over the backstrap more than a bit. Maybe because it was made for the boot grip? I'll let you know when I put the boot grip on. The trigger is unbelievably gritty. Ditto the cylinder release. After 250 dry fires, and about 100 open/close the cylinder ops, it seems much better. There is no stacking, but can certainly feel the internals engaging. There is a noticeably tick in the trigger that I assume where it engages the transfer bar. Actual hammer release is clean and crisp, so that is something.
The Indifferent:
I really don't care about having to buy a boot grip for this gun. At least I'll also have this one for range time, if I want to use it. I ordered the black version online, and got the flat finish bare metal version. That is the store, though, not the MFR or the gun itself. Again, I don't care. The lock is a cheap plactic POS. A six-year-old could get it off with hammer, quickly.
Just a bit of perspective, if you don't mind. I've had many revolvers in the past. S&W, Taurus 85CH, Taurus 441 (.44 spl), Rossi 720 (.44 spl), and a Rossi 518 (.22LR). None of them were anything special, or much to make a fuss over. But, each and every one of them was smoother (trigger, ejector, cylinder release) and had much better fit and finish than my new CA Off Duty. (EDIT: I also have Kahr CM9, and Keltec P32. Both were better out of the box than this gun.) In defense of my new hardware, I bought for use as a pocket carry EDC. Its main test? Reliability: does it go off when I pull the trigger? Secondary test is accuracy: I'll be happy if I can put an entire cylinder into a 6" circle, in a hurry, at 7 yards. If it proves reliable, and accurate to my meager standards, I will be satisfied with my purchase.
I'll get to the range next week. It needs more dry-fire and open/close/eject action before I try to run it with live ammo. More to come.
TLDR version. It is a cheap gun. I got what I paid for, mostly. I hope it works as intended.
The good:
It is a reasonably attractive gun. It is very light. It comes in a plastic case, with a lock, and all sorts of papers nobody ever reads. It shipped with a large(r) 3-finger grip, which is OK. EVERY SINGLE AD or REVIEW I'VE EVER SEEN, this gun wears a boot grip. I can live with it. I'll pay $20 for a boot grip; I never would have paid for this grip. Finish seems about right for cheap gun, but nothing to write home about. Lockup is solid. It is made in the USA.
The bad:
Fit leaves a bit to be desired. The side plates are not machined to blend smoothly with the frame (top of the trigger guard). The ejector rod is two-piece, and both pieces are gritty/catchy, and the entire ejector system seems under-engineered. The same word, under-engineered applies to the crane, also. The entire The top of the grip, at the top of the backstrap hangs over the backstrap more than a bit. Maybe because it was made for the boot grip? I'll let you know when I put the boot grip on. The trigger is unbelievably gritty. Ditto the cylinder release. After 250 dry fires, and about 100 open/close the cylinder ops, it seems much better. There is no stacking, but can certainly feel the internals engaging. There is a noticeably tick in the trigger that I assume where it engages the transfer bar. Actual hammer release is clean and crisp, so that is something.
The Indifferent:
I really don't care about having to buy a boot grip for this gun. At least I'll also have this one for range time, if I want to use it. I ordered the black version online, and got the flat finish bare metal version. That is the store, though, not the MFR or the gun itself. Again, I don't care. The lock is a cheap plactic POS. A six-year-old could get it off with hammer, quickly.
Just a bit of perspective, if you don't mind. I've had many revolvers in the past. S&W, Taurus 85CH, Taurus 441 (.44 spl), Rossi 720 (.44 spl), and a Rossi 518 (.22LR). None of them were anything special, or much to make a fuss over. But, each and every one of them was smoother (trigger, ejector, cylinder release) and had much better fit and finish than my new CA Off Duty. (EDIT: I also have Kahr CM9, and Keltec P32. Both were better out of the box than this gun.) In defense of my new hardware, I bought for use as a pocket carry EDC. Its main test? Reliability: does it go off when I pull the trigger? Secondary test is accuracy: I'll be happy if I can put an entire cylinder into a 6" circle, in a hurry, at 7 yards. If it proves reliable, and accurate to my meager standards, I will be satisfied with my purchase.
I'll get to the range next week. It needs more dry-fire and open/close/eject action before I try to run it with live ammo. More to come.