Shadow Systems CR920: A Women’s Perspective

Shadow Systems CR920 Review

When it comes to self-defense, what are we willing to sacrifice to make sure we are as safe as possible without giving up our freedoms? Gun reliability and conceal ability should never be a sacrifice we make. I have been a Glock girl for many years for a plethora of reasons but in large part because of their unparalleled reputation in reliability (especially when I was a new shooter and didn’t clean my firearms as often as I should.) And then one day, my husband suggested I give his Shadow Systems a try for one of our local IDPA competitions – I became hooked.

The Shadow Systems CR920 became my favorite way to everyday conceal carry and quickly replaced my Glock 43. This 9mm, striker-fire firearm is worth investigating further. The CR920 fits a Glock 43x holster, has a 13+1 or 10+1 capability depending on the magazine (I have both magazines and keep the 10+1 loaded with the 13+1 as my back up). The grip is aggressively stippled for easy control and is just long enough that my whole hand fits comfortably around it. As a lady, I have average sized hands and, due to some health reasons, less than average grip strength and have no problems getting the proper hold – which is important if I ever have to use it in an emergency defensive situation.

When I had first purchased my Glock, I upgraded my sights and trigger; however, with the CR920, blacked out rear sights with the bright green tritium sights comes standard. I can see my front sight quickly and easily in all types of lighting or lack thereof. The trigger pull is smooth and has a quick reset. Originally they offered two variants, one with their patented optic cut and one without, however the model without the optic cut was only slightly cheaper and was discontinued and a compensated model was added to the lineup.

But perhaps what takes the cake is the match grade , spiral-fluted 3.41 inch barrel. Whether I have the opportunity to shoot freestyle or will have to make it one handed, this gun is right on the target and true to aim. The smaller size makes it comfortable to conceal carry even in Barre and Pilates classes. (Yes, I have gone through multiple Barre and Pilates classes checking the comfort and conceal ability of this gun and it’s a keeper! What’s perhaps even more interesting is that no one has noticed in class – we need to be more situationally aware but I digress.) 

The finer tuning of the gun all around helps with accuracy. Keep in mind there is no substitute to practicing on the range and dry fire at home, but with the Shadow Systems CR920, I know it has the reliability of a Glock but all the upgrades I wished my Glock had had. 

The CR920 has similar recoil (maybe slightly less but I’m not sure if I’m being biased or not) to the Glock 43X but with all of the upgrades and the aggressive grip, I’m more accurate and when every shot matters, I’ll take any extra edge I can get. There’s a recoil control ledge that is perfectly placed – this grip ledge is placed for my thumb to help with the recoil and is a great check for proper hand placement. 

 If I wanted to upgrade my Glock 43X to have these same quality additions, it would cost a lot more than the current retail price of $679 (Bass Pro Shop online pricing) for the Shadow Systems CR920. The Glock 43X base price without any modifications is $448 (Bass Pro Shop online pricing). The extra $200 and change is well worth all the upgrades without any sacrificing reliability or conceal ability while increasing accuracy and I don’t even have to buy a new holster! The two gun holsters are perfectly compatible which definitely helps cover the slight increase in price for the firearm.

Adding an optic cut is always a hassle since the cut needs to be tailored to the optic, or you could purchase an MOS variant of a firearm that accepts a plate raising the optic. In my opinion this is less than desirable because the optic no longer co-witnesses with standard height sights and it makes the slides feel top heavy (not to mention ugly… I know I shouldn’t care). But, in walks Shadow Systems with their patented optic cut that uses spacers to install a large plethora of optics from all the common manufacturers.  And it sure looks good!

Do I still think Glock makes a good firearm? Absolutely and there’s a time and place for it – it was my first every day carry (EDC) pistol. As I’ve grown and matured in my firearm skills, I’ve also grown to appreciate a better grip, sights I can see quickly, a smoother trigger pull and the match grade barrel. The Shadow Systems CR920 shoots like a larger gun but is easier to conceal. The modest price increase is well worth it and this is the firearm I’ll be using to train with our children and students. No matter what your every day carry choice is, I hope to see you at the range practicing and stay safe! Check out the Shadow Systems CR920.

Amandalyn Barr