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Shadow 2 vs Rival-S vs x5 legion

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9.1K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  dajogejr  
#1 · (Edited)
Took these bad boys to the range today. These represent some of the more popular mid range competition pistols and I thought I’d give my take.

Shadow 2 OR:

Pros:
  • Very nice 3 lb trigger out of the box. Very short reset
  • Out of the three this one had the least Felt recoil and was very easy to be accurate with
  • Grips can be changed out. The stock aluminum are high quality and grippy but I swapped them out for some palm swell LOK veloce and it’s just about perfect.
Cons:
  • Difficult to rack the slide. For the OR version they removed all rear serrations. You can use the optic to rack the slide but Caniks solution of including an OR plate with serrations is ideal
  • Have to buy a seperate plate for your optic. This is not included and can cost $50-100
Canik Rival S

Pros:
  • This is a great deal for the money. Comes with every plate you need and comes in a very nice foam lined plastic case that is on par with some of the nicer pelican boxes I’ve seen. The optic plates have serrations on them for grip as well
  • The additional weight of the steel frame makes a difference. I had the original rival and shot well with it. This version really moves the rival into the contender category right up there with other well known names.
  • Grips can be changed out. I have a set of LOK veloce grips that are great.
  • Very sharp looking.
  • The best out of the box striker fired trigger out there. Nothing else comes close except the PDP.
Cons:
  • Not as flat shooting as the x5 legion, which was surprising to me. It’s close but I think the legion comes out ahead. This may be because the legion grip is longer and provides more control.
  • I like cheese grater grips and wish the front strap checkering was more aggressive like the Shadow 2.
X5 Legion:

Pros:
  • This was my favorite grip out of the three. It just fits my hand like a glove. I did put on some talon pros to give it some extra grip but man is thing a pleasure to hold.
  • I don’t know what magic sig does for recoil but I felt this was only slightly behind the shadow 2 and was ahead of the Canik. Very easy to shoot and make follow up shots. It as almost as fast with iron sights since I haven’t put an optic on it.
  • Very accurate and flat shooting.
Cons:
  • Though the new x5 legions do come with screw holes for the romeo1pro, DPP and RMR, they are only fitted for the Sig optic. You’ll need to buy a plate to make your RMR or DPP fit for $80-100. Canik comes with all plates. Just saying sig.
  • Magazines. Why sig? Why include a Magwell with a magazine that doesn’t stick out a bit. Just include 21 round magazines and make us all happy. That’s another $100 for a couple 21 round magazines.
  • Though the trigger is not as good as the other two, it is noticeably better than the first gen triggers. I found it very fast and easy to shoot.

    Wrap up
Overall if I could only have one it would be the x5 legion. Though the Canik has a better trigger and the shadow 2 shoots flatter I just shot more quickly and better with the x5 legion. I found this odd as well. All are great pistols and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them.
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#2 ·
Great insight from you in this thread.

Super nice guns, too.





I dusted off my P320 X-Five Legion last week as the test gat for a new load I wanted to evaluate.

As soon as I started shooting, however, the fun factor took over and the trigger started stroking at full throttle.
Can't help myself when shooting this gun and the big clear Leupold atop makes for some grin inducing range time.

The Align Tactical gas pedal was a righteous upgrade, too.

Going to try again this week....maybe I'll slow down this time. :giggle:


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#5 ·
320 with magwell removed and the 17 round mags that fit flush was originally designed for uspsa production/carry optics division when it was limited to 10 rounds. Now its 140mm limit so everyone uses the 21 rounders. The 17 rd with legion floorplate is only useful in idpa SSP AND uspsa production which doesn't allow magwells either.

BTW, I sold my X5 Legion stuff when I got my Rival-S because for me I shot it better. Choice is wonderful :)
 
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#14 ·
Picked one up recently. It’s back at Canik for some reliability issues. I don’t think the factory springs are set right. They’ll likely be be replacing the recoil spring and striker. That being said, it’s a great shooter and runs great when it runs. I like the grip better than the rival-s but feel like recoil is about the same, which isn’t that odd when considering the weight difference. I hope they come out with a metal frame TTI. Of the two I enjoy shooting the TTI more. Just fits my hand better.
 
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#11 ·
huggytree said:
I own all 3. S2 wins

Also since you’re comparing $800/1000 guns vs $1900 p226 x5. Why not swap the S2 for the TSO. Tso blows most guns double its price out of the water.

If it’s got a for why do serrations matter? I slingshot the dot on mine

The dot is a big handle you can’t miss or slip off of
Click to expand...
And the current generation of Shadow 2s have rear cocking serrations. I know, I have one!
 
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#12 ·
The rival s may seem like it has more recoil on lift but it's return to zero Is amazingly quick. A test I love to do is take a timer and a target out to 30yds and put all 3 pistols on the clock for the follow up shot as soon as the dot comes back to center. Go for alphas only, but using like a confirmation 2. Dot in center but not perfectly settled. With my rival s I can put a mag full of alphas on paper at 30 with about most splits in the low to mid .30's. I couldn't match that using a 4k master piece arms limited optics competition pistol. So I sold it and went back to the rival s. No gun I have shot to date returns as well as the s does. Try it out and see what ya get. Thanks!
 
#19 ·
I know this is a bit older thread… but all pistols are still relevant today. OP, if you haven’t already, and are confident in your own abilities, throw a Sig Armorer’s Competition kit in that X5 Legion.
It will give you a nice, 2lb ish trigger, and out of all the striker fired I own or have owned, it’s the closest to a good 1911/2011 triggers as I’ve found. Well worth the price tag. For target/range, the X5 is only bested by my Staccato P.
I don’t own the Shadow, but I have shot a friends. I’ve owned the Rival S, and with trigger/spring work, it’s a damn good trigger. The weight, ergos and grip of the X5, espeically with Talon sandpaper on there, is very impressive.
I also put a Tungsten guide rod in mine, and I think a 13lb spring but it’s been a while. It just runs and eats everything I throw at it.
 
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