#Sphinx

From Switzerland to Las Vegas and back, B&T seem to have had an excellent SHOT Show with a booth flooded by visitors.

Manufacturer of the Vector submachine gun, and parent company to Sphinx System AG, makers of high-end CZ 75 handgun derivative, may be in financial trouble. At the end of 2015, Sphinx System AG was declared bankrupt; now its parent company may be in danger as well due to court-ordered restructuring. From DWJ.de:

The Sphinx pistols made and imported by Kriss USA are a series of hot-rodded handguns sharing some key features with the much loved CZ75. Having reviewed the SDP Compact and Subcompact already, in this episode of TFBTV we take a look at the new “Standard” model as well as the Compact Duty.

I stopped at the Kriss booth to see if they were going to share when we might see the Sphinx Standard starting to ship when I noticed a beat to hell Vector in a glass case. I stopped my friend Mytchel mid sentence to ask what the deal was with the Vector. Mytchel informed me that I was looking at Vector number 1, the prototype, serial number 1. I am not the biggest fan boy of the Vector even though the new Gen 2 9mm is amazing to shoot, but I can truly appreciate something special like Vector number 1.

The news from KRISS USA this year at SHOT was five new calibers for the KRISS Vector Gen II: .40 S&W, .357 SIG, 9×21 (for European countries that do not allow use of “military” calibers) 22lr, and my personal favorite, 10mm.  I am glad to see more 10mm and .357 SIG carbines coming out, and I’m very curious to see what velocities I can get going with something like a Vector.  Hopefully, they can end up handling +P+ loads.  I have been following the development of the Vector for a long time, since the days of the TDI Super-V, so it is nice to see some new happenings in that department.  (Coincidentally, the 1st super-v, serial #TDI-000-01 was on display)  I also availed myself of the opportunity to shoot a full-auto Gen II Vector in 9mm for the first time, and it was very easy to control, though the cyclic rate was very high at 1050rpm.

The Spinx pistols imported from Switzerland have been on the market for a while now, but this new model has been put on a diet for the concealed carry market. Does this Swiss wonder-pistol bring anything remarkable to the table? Well, in this episode of TFBTV we find out!

The KRISS Group posted up a new video recapping SHOT Show 2014.

Sphinx’s latest addition to their SDP compact line is the Sphinx SDP Kryptonight Edition which features a Flat Dark Earth / Black finish and Defiance H.A.L.O Tactical night sights. The name is a pun on Superman’s  Kryptonite.

For several years now we’ve been told the Swiss made Sphinx would be imported into the USA. It’s finally happened after a long wait. Was it worth the wait? I think it was.

Over the weekend a concerned Swiss man emailed Rob Curtis ( Gear Scout) and I about a story being run on TV and online by the Swiss National Television. The story said that Sphinx Arms (part of KRISS Arms) had developed a novel gun tracking technology that could be embedded inside guns and which would allow individual weapons to be tracked from the air. The technology seems to be some type of RFID technology, possibly used in conjunction with some type of microstamping.

Perhaps the most impressive booths at IWA came from Switzerland – KRISS Group and RWS went all-out with details such as live music, waitresses serving free alcohol, and Swiss chocolate being handed out like, well, candy. While I didn’t spend much time at RWS, I was definitely taken in by the variety of products on display at the KRISS/Sphinx booth, such as the Sphinx pistols. They’re an interesting departure from standard pistol design and manufacture, as the frame is manufactured in upper and lower segments and then joined together.

The Sphinx pistols look great and feel great. They shoot with a guaranteed accuracy of 2″ at 25 yards. More on them tomorrow. I have been up since 6am and my laptop battery is about to die on me. Lots more photos tomorrow.