I’ve been waiting for this pistol since just before the pandemic started and now I’m currently the only person in the United States who owns one (with others shipping out in a few days). I’ve made it no secret how high in regard I hold Phoenix products. They are all precision machined out of the finest materials and then fitted by hand in Interlaken, Switzerland. The Drake is the company’s new Limited spec competition pistol. While its similar to the smaller Redback in many ways, there are some big differences as well.
The Drake is a larger gun and has a full 5” barrel, which is a half inch longer than the Redback. The magazines are longer, holding 20 rounds of 9mm instead of 17. However, the Drake was initially developed for the 40S&W, which is also available and I’m told the gun will be available in 10mm at some point, with conversion kits available. The magazine is not compatible with the Redback and therefore the Drake will also not take CZ magazines, like the Redback does. The Drake will also not take the larger CZ Tactical Sport magazines. They are actually large frame Tanfoglio magazines, so should be easily available. The gun does ship with four magazines from the factory as well.
Additionally, the Drake has an accurizing internal bushing, very similar to the Briley bushing that S&W used to use on their Performance Center pistols. The Drake weighs in at a whopping 51.6oz with an empty magazine inserted, making it one of my heaviest semi autos. That heavy weight is there despite having a slide lightened for speed with a large cut on top.
My excitement and expectation of this pistol is solely based on what I know about the company and my experience with the Redback and even the Fusion. Both models are outstanding shooters and my two all steel Redbacks are honestly two of the best shooting pistols I own. I have some that can match them, but none that outperform them, especially my SAO Redback. The trigger on that model is as good as it gets. The Drake’s trigger has the same feel and is about a quarter pound lighter than the Redback’s trigger on average, with a pull weight under 2lbs. Other than the weight, the feel of the trigger is second to none, including all my top 2011’s. There is simply no creep whatsoever.
The reason I feel it could be the most accurate pistol is because Phoenix went to great lengths to develop the spherical bushing to enhance accuracy. They initially used a Briley bushing during Drake development, but through extensive testing, realized they only last about 15,000 rounds. If this bushing works like its supposed to, the gun should be more inherently accurate than the Redback, which has no bushing. I’ve known the Redback to be as accurate as any pistol I own and I’m quite confident in knowing I have example(s) of all the world’s most accurate semi autos. Its pure theory at this point and will never be easy to prove, but the Drake could very well be my most inherently accurate pistol. Its incredible trigger, awesome ergonomics and adjustable gas pedal will help shooters get the most out of that inherent accuracy too.
The grips are very tacky and should be great for shooting. However, I will switch them out to something a little more fancy and colorful like I did with my Redbacks. I need to wait for Lok to develop some bogie grips for it. They are not compatible with Redback grips, unfortunately.
From a pricing standpoint, Drake comes in at $5650 from The Attic in Minot, ND. They are the only importer of Phoenix firearms. As a really good repeat customer, I was able to get a few hundred off the price, but certainly a very expensive handgun t say the least. While that price will deter 99% of “gun people” when a CZ TSO will get you similar performance for less than a third of the price, I love high quality. To me, its worth the price and I’ve always sort of marched to my own drummer when it came to handguns. I believe The Attic got 35 Drakes in on this initial shipment. Many are already sold. I’m told more may be in next spring or summer. This is the epitome of a boutique firearms builder and they aren’t trying to sell the most. I believe the entire company is made up of less than 15 people.
So there you have it. I wanted to give my initial thoughts that I’ll post across a few boards. This is the finest pistol I have bought all year, without a doubt, and also its instantly one of the finest pistols I own without question.
Does anyone have experience with any of the Swiss Phoenix pistols?
Please enjoy the pics and share your thoughts.
Here it is with my two Redbacks...
