After Michelle’s article, I wanted to make my own decision regarding this design. Had a chance to shoot it at the range today.
- Felt recoil isn’t bad. It’s there but not painful and doesn’t interfere with retention of the gun. Muzzle flip is minimal.
- The trigger is not made for people with large hands. The pull itself if average for a DAO, but the length of travel and the degree to which the finger has to curl inward to reach the break point is excessive and not conducive to accuracy.
- The laser shut off by itself at least once during the 25 round test fire. With no iron sights, that’s very unhelpful.
- I fired indoors. I have no idea how this gun can be aimed outdoors where the red laser is not visible. It doesn’t point naturally.
- With OATH Halo, the gun functioned reliably and shot about 2″ groups — medium fast or slow fire, same approximate accuracy. Truly rapid fire is not possible due to the trigger design.
- With 100gr FMJ, the gun would lock open every 1 or 2 shots, with ammo still in the magazine.
- The magazine release is a part of the baseplate. It’s not made for people with large hands either, a big thumb simply doesn’t fit into the recess to release the mag. The release paddle seems flimsy and I would be concerned that the spare magazine would get damaged.
I have no idea what that gun does that a Sig P238 with laser grips wouldn’t do far better. Or, for the same price as Curve, what Ruger LCP or Keltec P3At wouldn’t do for with less bulk and far better ergonomics. Or, if we go with Taurus offerings, PT738.
Well, like the curved samsung phone, it fits better in a curved female’s back pocket, particularly with tight jeans.
I’m pretty sure that was the design goal for the phone, and might have been for this gun. (Mostly) Male reviewers didn’t get the phone design either, but you only have to go to the mall or a store to see that normal phones don’t fit in a girl’s back pockets.
In the review you linked, she seemed to mostly be saying it wasn’t like other guns, and condemning it for that. I can see the comparing it part, after all, we (gun blog readers) mostly have experience with other guns. But not the condemning part. How many hats do you have? How many pairs of shoes? Are they all the exact same for comfort? Durability? Color? Style? Would a review complain that dress up pumps didn’t provide the same stability that cross trainers do, or that the brown slip ons don’t feel the same as her black ones?
I see this as a special purpose gun. I don’t care that it doesn’t give sub 1″ groups, since it isn’t a target pistol. It doesn’t even have sights! How does it perform at assailant distances? Can you draw it from concealment and hit a torso? How does it compare to other concealable pistols meant for the same use ie, derringers or sub-compacts? And for this particular gun, what makes it unique is its SHAPE, so how does the SHAPE affect the gun? Is it actually more concealable? Is it more comfortable? Does the shape interfere with operating the gun? Does it help? Can you draw it from a back pocket? What does a complete newbie think of operating and carrying it (someone without any preconceptions of how a gun should look and operate)? Does the lack of mag release or external safety affect the comfort when you are sitting on the thing, or the drawability from concealment? I know the safety on my Ruger LC9 stabbed my kidneys like a knife when I sat down. The front sight snags the lining of my cheap pocket holster too. Does the mag design overcome the problem of mags that don’t eject properly after sitting on the gun for a year, or if the mag swells because it’s been loaded for a year? I know my Glock mags don’t exactly fly out when I hit the release. And my Shield will occasionally eject a mag when the release is squeezed by a soft holster in a particular way.
So I guess the point of this overly long comment is that I have yet to see a review that really explores the very things that make this gun different and why those choices might have been made, and if they are effective. I like your comments about how the trigger fits your fingers and hand. That is useful to me. A comparison to how your hand fits some common models would make it more useful. Ditto for “It doesnât point naturally.” Which models DO point naturally for you? They are probably different than the ones that work for me. Or is it something to do with the shape itself? And might that just be because of a lifetime of habits with other form factors? Would a revolver shooter have the same issues?
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts, and for the link,
nick