Longtime readers know I had a passionate, ill-fated love affair with Caracal. I greeted the Caracal C as the GLOCK refined and reinvented (even though it was designed by the father of the Steyr M, Austrian Wilhelm Bubits), The C’s how-low-can-you-go bore axis, iceberg-crisp trigger and revolutionary QuickSights made it my everyday carry gun. And then things went seriously pear-shaped. Caracal had a drop-safe issue. First they recalled the C’s, then all their handguns. The company refunded customers’ money and promised to return. Many times. They didn’t. In fact, they stopped answering the phone. And now they’re back! Promising to produce a full-sized F (and a couple of rifles). Once bitten, twice shy, four times…what? Press release after the jump . . .
CARACAL: REDEFINED
SHOT SHOW 2016
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Caracal will be showcasing its latest cutting-edge products at SHOT Show 2016 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada January 19th through the 22nd. For members of the Media and Industry buyers, Caracal will have live fire demonstrations of select product at Industry Day at The Range located in Boulder City, Nevada on January 18th.
This includes the international debut of the highly anticipated, Enhanced F pistol, a product of extensive collaboration among Caracal’s world-class engineers and designers.
“By redefining our weapons’ equilibrium, Caracal has differentiated itself from the competition,” said Hamad Al Ameri, CEO of Caracal when speaking about Caracal and the development process for the Enhanced F. Al Ameri explained that, “This approach underpinned the redesign process of the Caracal F pistol, and we look forward to showcasing this exceptional product at SHOT Show.”
The Enhanced F maintains many of the fundamental design qualities of the original Model F such as; extremely low bore axis and low profile slide which work together to provide extremely low felt recoil and greatly reduce muzzle rise as well as the same, smooth, crisp trigger press. The Enhance F pistol will also bring back the much anticipated, proprietary Quick Sight system along with the standard sights.
Also on display at SHOT Show are the CAR family of Caracal rifles. The CAR 814 and 816 are direct impingement and gas piston operated rifles respectively. This line of rifles carry with them a special meaning for Caracal, as they have elevated the company to the premier level of firearm manufacturing with emerging capabilities to service the defence market with International sales and high volume manufacturing currently in process.
On Caracal’s future plans, Hamad Al Ameri commented, “This is an exciting time at Caracal. We have sought and recruited a diverse, world-class executive team with extensive experience in the small arms industry in order to take our business to the next level. The EF and the CAR family of rifles are just the first of a new generation of innovative products to come.”
Caracal is the only OEM small arms company in the Middle East, and it is now backed by a strong industrial parent company, the Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC). This unique arrangement allows for Caracal to receive maximum resources and support in order to drive the next phase of growth for the company.
Caracal is represented in the United States by the newly reorganized Caracal USA. The US subsidiary has been established to meet the needs of the local firearms market and demonstrates the commitment of Caracal to become a major contributor of firearms to both the defence industry and retail markets.