Shadow Systems CR920XP & CR920XL: Carry Gun Excellence [REVIEW]

Two new pistols from Shadow Systems that share a lot of DNA, but shoot very differently. What is better, more barrel or less muzzle flip? The choice is personal, but with the CR920XL and CR920XP you’re getting a lot of gun in a small package.

SHADOW SYSTEMS CR920XL/XP SPECS

• Action: Semi-Auto
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 15
• Barrel Length: 4.18″ (XL), 3.65” (XP)
• Barrel Description: Match Grade, Spiral Fluted
• Barrel Finish: Burnt Bronze
• Optic Ready: Yes – multi-footprint mounting
• Sights: Green Tritium Front, Black Rear
• Frame Description: Textured polymer, slim/compact
• Overall Length: 7.45″
• Weight(Unloaded): 19.5oz

JUST THE FACTS

Most people look at Shadow Systems and just see another Glock clone, and that’s not entirely wrong, but it’s not the whole picture either. While nominally based on the G43/X, the CR920 series is its own animal with substantial improvements. 

First, for the CR920X/XL/XP, the magazine is 15-rounds to Glock’s 10. Downside: these mags are proprietary. $30 a mag isn’t prohibitive, but it’s not cheap either. Good news is that these mags are very high quality. They load easy, hold the number of rounds they claim, steel body, drop-free, and have given me zero issues.

Second, Shadow Systems has a patented optics mounting system that separates the optic screws from the firing system, making both a lot more robust. Because of this redesign, Shadow System is able to use HUGE beefy screws to mount optics with. This makes the optic more reliable, more durable, and makes mounting just a lot easier.

Testing a lot of optics and a lot of guns every year, I’ve become infuriated with the low-quality mounting screws many manufacturers use. Even using torque drivers and staying under the recommended torque settings, I have a pile of broken bits and broken screws from just this year.

Shadow Systems is one mounting system that I’ve never broken. Never stripped a screw, never snapped one in half, never had an issue. To me, that’s a huge deal.

ON THE RANGE

Shadow Systems recommends a break-in process of about 200 rounds due to the tight-fitting barrel. The claim is that this tight fitment improves precision, and the trade-off is reduced reliability for the first ~200 rounds. Personally, that first range trip is nothing special in my book. Using the same 124gr MagTech or S&B ammo I always use (big thanks to AmmunitionToGo.com for providing it!), my break-in period is just another range session. 

Whatever malfunctions occur during that is just good practice. For both the CR920XL and XP, both guns ran flawlessly after about the 3rd magazine. Since then, the XP has about 800 rounds through it with zero stoppages, and the XL has about 300 with no issues as well.

Both pistols are on the large end of micro-compact or the small side for sub-compact, depending on how you look at it. Both are thin, easy to conceal, comfortable to carry, and with 15-rounds in the mag give you a good amount of capacity.

For EDC, my XP was outfitted with a Streamlight TLR-7 HL-X SUB, Vortex Enclosed Defender CCW red dot, and kept in a Tulster ARC IWB holster. All three accessories have performed perfectly. The TLR-7 HL-X SUB boasts 1k Lumens and 10k Candela out of an extremely small light. Vortex Enclosed Defender CCW has become my favorite enclosed red dot for EDC. And the Tulster holster has proven to be very comfortable, secure, and easy to carry.

Micro-compact pistols have taken over the CCW market, and the options that sit on the larger end of that, like the CR920X/XL/XP, are some of the best due to the combination of being large enough for most shooters to shoot well, but still small enough to carry comfortable for just about anyone, any body type, and most clothing choices. 

That said, if you make a gun smaller, you’re going to have more snap, more muzzle rise, and more recoil. This is just physics. A small gun with less mass is going to have more movement than a large gun with more mass, shooting the same cartridge. Add to this the fact that most defensive ammo is on the spicy side, and for good reason, and these small EDC guns can quickly become not super fun to shoot.

To combat that, compensators are finally being embraced by a number of manufacturers and shooters. Shadow System’s CR920XP compensator is one of the best I’ve tested. It has clearly been designed and optimized specifically for this pistol since the CR920XP comp is larger than the XR920XP comp. This is how it should be, as the CR920XP is smaller and needs more gas moving to counteract the recoil. The result is a shockingly comfortable pistol to shoot. It’s not 2011, but for a small gun, this has basically zero snap to it, and keeping a red dot in the window, even a smaller window like the enclosed Defender CCW, is a lot easier.

The XL is a close second to the XP. While it doesn’t have a compensator to do work for it, the extra slide length adds mass and recoil stroke to help smooth things out. More snap than the XP, and harder to keep a good sight picture, but a major improvement over the even smaller CR920X.

Having been a huge proponent of pistol compensators for many years, my recommendation is to embrace the XP. But if you’re not ready for that yet, the XL is a good choice.

Downside for all three pistols is that all three of the CR920X/XP/XL bite the hell out of my hand. I’m talking after 100 rounds, a chunk of skin is missing, kind of bite. Even three months after that first range session, my hand has a scar from the bite. This is entirely a combination of hand size, gun size, and grip technique. Changing my grip solves the bite, but to me, that isn’t ideal since it is a significant grip change.

Looking around on the internet, I’m not the only person to have this problem. Thankfully, there are options. Rapid Engineering Inc. offers beavertail backstraps for the CR920 series that fit perfectly. I got the pack that has all three sizes, and the Chopped was ideal for me. No more bite, still my normal grip.

Ideally, the CR920 series should have a slightly larger beavertail from the factory. High on the frame grips are the standard, and people with large hands aren’t uncommon. But as this is a personal problem, it’s nice that there is an easy solution like the Rapid Engineering extension.

CR920X vs. XL vs. XP

Just to clarify, the X is a 3.41” barrel and 15-round grip, the XL is a 4.18” barrel and 15-round grip, and the XP is a 3.65” barrel, 0.5” compensator, and 15-round grip.

The XL and XP are the same length slides, where the X is about .75” shorter.

Shootability and overall comfort, the XP wins by a long shot. The comp is extremely well-made for the size and does a huge amount of work, especially on such a small gun. 

The XL, for only being a little longer than the X, is a surprisingly different shooter. Much less snap, much easier to follow up with. The extra mass and slide travel make a pronounced difference over the X.

The X is my least favorite, and frankly, I don’t see a reason to recommend it when the XL and XP exist. Reliable and accurate, but it doesn’t conceal any better than the XL or XP, and doesn’t shoot nearly as comfortably as the larger two.

2025 ARIZONA IDPA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Getting out and using your equipment is the only way to really see what works. Since the CR920XP is more than just a review piece to me, it’s what I actually want to EDC, taking it to some IDPA matches and the IDPA State Championship felt like a good idea.

Shooting in Carry Optics against people using high-end 2011-style pistols with large window red dots and fancy IDPA vests, the CR920XP is not the ideal choice on paper. But as it turns out, the CR920XP can hang.

For details on the match, take a look at Road To The 2025 Arizona State IDPA Championship. Short version: the match was a ton of fun, and the CR920XP did extremely well. Zero stoppages of any kind, no bite with the extended beavertail, solid performance enabling me to finish 29th out of 110 shooters overall and get my bump to Master IDPA shooter.

LOOSE ROUNDS

The micro-compact space is getting crowded quickly, but that’s a good thing. With more options comes more innovation. Shadow Systems has repeatedly proven to be reliable, durable, and great shooting across every pistol tested. The optics mounting system is second to none, and the overall aesthetic really works for me. 

Shadow Systems isn’t on the budget end of the price scale, but they’re also not sitting off in crazy-land either. For what you get, the price is reasonable. The CR920XP is going to be my EDC of choice for the foreseeable future.