Caracal recall

[Hmac]

CARACAL F AND C PISTOL SAFETY WARNING AND RECALL NOTICE

Caracal USA has determined a potential condition of the trigger unit in a very limited number of Caracal F and C pistols that could possibly allow the pistol to fire when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber. Although Caracal USA has not received any reports of injuries, it is initiating this voluntary recall to protect the safety of its customers because of the remote possibility of an unintentional discharge occurring.

The affected Caracal pistols have serial numbers that begin with B, C, F, L, or M. If your pistol's serial number begins with one of these letters, please follow the following steps.

Only the Caracal F and C pistols with the serial numbers identified above are affected by this recall. If your pistol has a different serial number, it is not subject to the recall.

If you own a Caracal F or C pistol with a serial number identified as being affected by this recall, please do not load or fire your Caracal F or C pistol and contact us immediately to arrange to have the trigger unit replaced, completely free of charge, using the following steps:

Step 1 - Contact us at 205-655-7050 (Monday-Friday 8-5 Central Standard Time), or at info@caracal-usa.com and provide the model and serial number of your pistol.

Step 2 - After contacting us, we will send you a prepaid overnight shipping box with instructions so that you can return your pistol to us, free of charge.

Step 3 - Your firearm will be returned as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause, and to thank you for your patience and cooperation, we will send you a free magazine when we return your pistol to you.

For more information, you may visit http://www.caracal-usa.com or call Caracal USA at 205-655-7050[/QUOTE]

[Seismic Sam]

Arab-German pistol? Yup. And from the Wikipedia article on the company and gun, we get this little gem:

"Newly arrived on a competitive market, the Caracal pistol series are the first pistols made in the United Arab Emirates."

And an article that's a little over the top even for Kiss-A journalism found in gun magazines.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/04/chris-dumm/gun-review-caracal-9c-9mm-wquick-sights/

With a German design, apparently the workmanship and QA in the UAE isn't quite what it should be...

If a mistake occurs, it's not the fault of the worker, but rather because Allah willed it. That's the attitude over there towards pretty much everything, and I got that direct from the 3M Medical Sales Rep that handled the Middle East, and ANY mistake in a hospital was treated with that attitude.

[tizzo]

Caracal International LLC has been informed about an incident in which the slide of a Caracal Model C pistol malfunctioned and broke during firing causing personal injury. We are thoroughly investigating this incident to determine the cause(s) and are initiating this voluntary recall to protect the safety of our customers.

Uh oh.

http://www.caracal-usa.com/press/Recall ... -C-Pistol/

[Inazone]

Caracal can't seem to catch a break. The interesting thing about the drop-fire issue is that it was reported on guns produced in Germany as well as the UAE. Sounds to me like something was out of spec in the entire manufacturing process. I'm disappointed, because I was hoping to get a "QS" version of the Caracal F.

The 9mm carbine they announced at SHOT looks interesting, but they're going to have quite the uphill battle to repair the damage done to their reputation after back-to-back recalls.

[Hmac]

http://www.caracal.ae/new/Caracal%20C%2 ... p%2013.pdf

BREAKING: ALL Caracal “C” Pistols Permanently Recalled – No Fix Available.

This is the third recall of a major line of pistols in less than a month’s period.

Both Smith and Wesson’s M&P Shield and Springfield’s XDS pistols were recalled in recent weeks.

Now Caracal has announced a FULL recall of all Caracal “C” model pistols.

According to the company, there is no fix available for this issue and all pistols are to be returned for a full refund.

Here is a copy of the press release from the company. You can click here to read the PDF issued by the company.

UPDATE
Caracal Model C Pistol Product Safety Warning and Recall Notice

Caracal International LLC previously instituted a recall of Caracal Model C pistols on March 28, 2013 for batchnumbers from SC188- to SC222.

Caracal is now issuing this recall of all Model C pistols in all markets, following the completion of a full investigation. Caracal is initiating this voluntary recall of Model C pistols because the safety of its customers is paramount.

This recall affects all Model C pistols, including but not limited to those with serial numbers which start with the following letters: HM, AA, AD, AG, CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CI, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CP, CR and CS.

If you own or have access to a Caracal Model C pistol, PLEASE DO NOT LOAD OR FIRE YOUR PISTOL. Please contact Caracal customer care immediately to arrange to have your Model C pistol returned. Caracal will provide you with a full refund of the purchase price of your Caracal Model C pistol or vouchers for other Caracal products.

Unfortunately, the potential safety issues cannot be addressed through a repair of the Model C pistol and all Model C pistols must be returned for refund.

[Inazone]

I wonder if this was determined before or after they started shipping out the repaired/replacement "C" models to owners who returned them under the previous recall. What a mess.

[Seismic Sam]

This recall affects all Model C pistols, including but not limited to those with serial numbers which start with the following letters: HM, AA, AD, AG, CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CI, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CP, CR and CS

That sounds an EFFEN lot of pistols to me.......

[Ironbear]

This recall affects all Model C pistols, including but not limited to those with serial numbers which start with the following letters: HM, AA, AD, AG, CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CI, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CP, CR and CS

That sounds an EFFEN lot of pistols to me.......

We don't make no out of spec guns! We just change the drawings as needed, issue new part numbers, ... and market a new series!!!!

[Seismic Sam]

Why does it smell like old tuna cans from the siege of Stalingrad in here??

[Snowgun]

Caracal USA has determined a potential condition of the trigger unit in a very limited number of Caracal F and C pistols that could possibly allow the pistol to fire when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber.

And in other news, all series 70 type 1911's are recalled.

[jspace]

Caracal USA has determined a potential condition of the trigger unit in a very limited number of Caracal F and C pistols that could possibly allow the pistol to fire when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber.

And in other news, all series 70 type 1911's are recalled.

I'm also wondering why that warrants a recall. Don't drop the effen thing.

[Snowgun]

There was some 1911 drop testing done by some gunsmith and posted on the 10-8 forums (They are defunct now and I can't find it).

I looked over the data, and while it was interesting, it had some serious methodology issues. The general trend was that a titanium .38 firing pin will significant change the likelyhood of a discharge during dropping (Remember, its the inertia of the firing pin when a gun hits the ground that fires the round, not the hammer dropping).

That being the case however, even Dan (the gunsmith) had to rig the testing to drop the gun exactly square on the muzzle to get it to fire. Even then it had to be from 6 feet onto concrete to fire 15% of the time. All the other factors such as drop angle, horizontal velocity, etc are not taking into account, so the likelyhood of actual discharge is considered to be very small after dropping.