SCCY DVG-1 Striker-Fired Compact Pistol

Note the flat trigger design on the DVG-1.

When SCCY announced their new DVG-1 pistol more than a year ago, I put my name on the list to get one. The gun-buying frenzy associated with the pandemic had the company’s production lines running at max capacity to fill orders for their existing CPX-1 and CPX-2 products, so it took a while before they were able to ship evaluation copies to writers. But when my sample finally arrived at my local gun shop and I opened the box, I immediately felt I was looking at something special.

The DVG-1’s machining is flawless. Its fit is tight and smooth. Everything about it says quality, yet it’s a gun that retails below $300. That’s with two magazines and a trigger lock. Also, with each of the magazines, you have the choice of a flat base plate or one that is extended with a slight pinky-finger curve. You might find the flat base plate better for carrying, but believe me, when you shoot the gun, you’re going to want the extended base plate.

The hot thing in defensive pistols these days are handguns in a class that’s being called “micro pistols.” SCCY was building micro pistols long before the current crop of micros. Micro pistols are typically an inch or less wide, have a 3″ barrel and a double-stack magazine with 10–12 rounds. Most of those guns are selling for $500 or $600, yet SCCY’s contender is selling for half the price of many of the others. It’s a gun that will comfortably fit in your pocket while carrying enough rounds to get you out of a defensive encounter.

The DVG-1 is SCCY’s newest addition to the Micro pistol market.

What’s Different?

If you’re familiar at all with the SCCY hammer-fired CPX Series pistols, know the DVG-1 is striker-fired. While the DVG-1 has an advertised 5.5-lb. trigger pull, the CPX guns have a 9- to 10-lb. trigger. The trigger on the DVG-1 is straight and the CPX trigger is curved. The DVG-1 has front and rear slide serrations. The CPX slides only have rear serrations. Also, the DVG-1 has a reduced grip circumference compared to the CPX grip. It measures 5.5″ at its widest point compared to 6″. The recoil spring on the DVG-1 is a compound spring, one inside the other. The CPX-1 and CPX-2 utilize a single recoil spring.

The DVG-1 features the Roebuck Quad-Lock operating system first made available in the CPX-3 .380. This system provides a more stabilized barrel and therefore improved accuracy. I compared the DVG-1 barrel design to that of my CPX-1. The difference is visibly evident, but it took a little study for me to understand how it works. The front half of the barrel lug is angled and then turns flat. At the rear, there is a tang with a curved edge that marries up to the slide when the gun is fully locked. The barrel’s cam system is radiused to rotate around the disassembly pin to push the back of the barrel upward. This forces the tang to engage the front section of the slide, producing two of the four lock-up points in the design. The second part begins with the muzzle of the barrel being pushed downward. This is where the Quad-Lock system differs from most semi-auto pistols whose barrels are loose around the muzzle opening of the slide. Where the opening for the muzzle on most slides is perfectly round, the opening on the DVG-1 is oval shaped. Since the barrel is already locked at the rear of the lug, the Quad-Lock recoil system forces the front of the barrel downward. It is this feature that uniquely defines the Quad-Lock.

Looking at the DVG-1’s slide from the front, it has a crescent-shaped gap just above the barrel while the bottom of the barrel is sitting almost flush against the muzzle opening. It looks off center, but it’s not because the muzzle opening in the DVG-1’s slide is not round. The barrel won’t move from side to side if you push it — it’s locked in place. This “V” comprises the other two lock-up points. When the gun is fired, the barrel is forced further into the “V” where it is locked up even tighter at the moment of discharge.

The sights on the DVG-1 are solid, white three-dot sights, easy to see. But if you want to change them out, any aftermarket sight for a GLOCK will fit the DVG-1. More and more manufacturers are adopting the GLOCK pattern sights, and it was a smart move on the part of SCCY to follow this trend.

The front slide serrations are helpful as the slide is small and the recoil spring stiff. The slide lock mechanism is the same as on the CPX models and is plenty big to do the job.

Top view of the DVG-1 barrel (left) versus the CPX barrel (right)
shows how the barrel lug is flat on top.

The new DVG-1 (front) uses a new Quad-Lock system with four lockup points.

The muzzle opening on the DVG-1 is oval shaped with the barrel forced into
the bottom during lockup. Right: Note the flat trigger design on the DVG-1.

Breaking It Down

Takedown on this gun is done by locking the slide back and removing the disassembly pin which will require a little prying with a small screwdriver. You then ease the slide forward until it comes to rest. Then, after ensuring the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction, pull the slide back slightly and pull the trigger. The slide will move forward off the rails. Depress and remove the recoil spring and the gun is ready to clean and oil. Reassembly is done by putting the barrel and recoil spring back in the slide and sliding the slide back on its frame rails until it clicks into position.

The DVG-1 comes packaged with an extra magazine, two flat
magazine baseplates and a trigger lock with keys.

Range Time

I shot three types of FMJ ammo and two types of JHP in the DVG-1. With one of the magazines, I was getting nosedives while attempting to feed Sierra 115-grain JHP cartridges. Those are new cartridges to me, so I wasn’t sure if it was the ammo, but when I tried it in the other magazine, it fed fine. Other than an occasional failure for the slide to lock back after the last round was fired, there were no other issues with any of the ammo. At 10 yards I could put 10 rounds into a 4" target consistently. This is definitely a gun that can benefit from a little break-in period, say 200 to 300 hundred rounds. Although the trigger pull is advertised at 5.5 lbs., my Lyman trigger pull gauge measured the one on my test gun at a consistent 7 lbs. plus an ounce or two. It was a little grungy at first, but after dry firing the gun maybe 20 to 30 times before taking the gun to the range and shooting 350 rounds through it, the DVG-1 still had a 7-lb. trigger pull, but it was smooth. I consider it a major improvement over the 10- to 11-lb. trigger on my CPX-1 and CPX-2.

The front and rear serrations plus the straight trigger
set the DVG-1 apart from the previous CPX models.

Final Observations

I would have no trouble trusting this pistol as my EDC gun. It will carry easy in a pocket or in an IWB holster such as one I have from ComfortTac for small guns. The cost is compelling, so you can stash one in your console or glove compartment, put one in various cubby holes around the house (providing you don’t have young, curious kids) and carry one as a primary or backup pistol whenever you go out. The SCCY’s the limit!

For more info: SCCY.com

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