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CZ 75 handguns, most underrated handgun

7K views 33 replies 16 participants last post by  MrChem 
#1 ·
Okay, I have not bought any fire arm in 8 years, long story, I just bought a CZ 75 Shadow from custom shop ,I will post some pics when I shoot the thing.Let me say just from holding it cleaning it, without question it is clear that it is a incredibility well made handgun. It feels better in my hand than even my first love my Kimber 1911, one that was made the first or second year Kimber started making them, flawless in operation.Now I 'vie have been shooting handguns all my life, yes not a rifle guy but love my handguns. I am now shooting rifles much more as I live in Alaska, just got a 50 Alaskan lever and been shooting the crap out of it, another long story.I am just trying to make it clear that the CZ 75 are from what I have seen one of the finest handguns around and I would not hesitate to use it for anything. I will say more about it, but must put it through more use. I did shoot a few rounds through it but not enough to say it is the best thing going, but it is incredible none the less. I like Glocks, 1911 and now may go just with CZ time will tell. If anyone out there looking for a great handgun look at CZ it is really great. I never fully commit until i am fully convince it goes bang every time, this is just me, but I am more impress with it so far than any handgun so far and I have shot them all mostly . One more thing not a 9mm guy never have been but the platform is what I really love in this CZ, cut my teeth on a 1911 and with the CZ can carry it single OR double action it is great, this is my opinion
 
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#2 ·
I handled a CZ P-07 (polymer frame).....seemed like a VERY well made gun and VERY reasonably priced. (I think the one I looked at was like $439 new).

Mags were expensive though....like $45/mag.

Worth a look for sure.

Sean

 
#3 ·
I got a CZ P01 about a year ago and all I can say is that it is the most accurate handgun I have ever owned and I have SIGS, Berrettas, Colts and Glocks. I have never had a malfunction of any type, and that is with all types of ammo. It is rugged and reliable. It is my main carry gun. My only complaints are the rear sight's dots were small for my old eyes and the out of the box trigger is a little rough at first. However, I put a set of meprolights on it and the trigger really smooths out with use. They are awesome firearms.
 
#4 ·
One of the few handguns I regret trading years ago. I had a pre-CZ USA CZ-75, (rounded trigger guard) and it was a shooter. Very reliable pistol.
 
#5 ·
The CZ P01 is my primary concealed carry gun. I put some thin Chocobolo grips on it and nothing I've found fits my hands better.

In my opinion the CZs are the best SA/DAs on the market. Excellent reliablity, ergos, and accuracy without paying a ton extra for the name *coughSig&HKcough* They look damn sexy too.

I have a CZ 75B .40 with the satin frame and some ebonwood grips that I carry in the very very few instances I open carry.
 
#7 ·
Found one locally....thinking of going and buying it. Not sure if I should.

Keep thinking I doubt I'd shoot it better than my G19C. Does look to be a lot of gun for the money.

Sean
 
#8 ·
This model is Little different in that I got it right from the custom shop it is a CZ75 Shadow, it has a half dust cover, by doing this it cuts the weight down to about 36oz instead of 41oz.I also had a trigger job done and had Heine night sights put on, which they milled the slide and placed them on at the custom shop grade A work.Just need to shoot it some more to much rain here in the Se Alaska, but will get to it. It cost me 1,325 but I am getting everything I want in a carry /range gun it can do it all,I can see if it shoots as Good as it feels and looks I will be buying more of these and they may be just the guns I go with I'll have to see first,Kev
 
#9 ·
I own an EAA Witness in .40S&W, and have fired CZ75's, Springfield P9's, Tanfoglio TZs and the Witness, and I've loved all of them. I don't know exactly how much internal difference there is between the CZs and the clones, but externally, I found them to be the most comfortable, best pointing handgun I've ever handled.

That said, my .40 Witness simply would not run on factory ammunition. I got constant feed jams, where the round came off the feed lips too early and nosed up into the top of the chamber. Switching magazines made no difference, nor did throating and polishing. The only thing that finally cleared it up was loading my ammunition to about .050" over recommended length (IIRC). I've heard this wasn't an uncommon problem in early .40's (bought mine in 1994, not sure of exact production date) and even applied to some other manufacturers (ParaOrdnance)

Speaking of CZs: if I had a couple (thousand) extra bucks, I'd jump on one of these in a heartbeat:
 
#10 ·
With all the CZ knowledge on this forum, maybe someone can answer a few questions...

When shooting IDPA (and IPSC/USPSA), people who shoot CZs in Stock Service Pistol (Production in USPSA) de-cock their CZ by hand. They literally grasp the hammer with their support hand and lower it.

I think the rules state that if your gun can be shot DA, than you must start with it on DA.

Is there no decocking lever? Is the only way to put it into DA to pull the trigger and lower the hammer?

Sadly, I think that I've asked someone before and just don't remember the answer.
 
#12 ·
The P-07s can be set up as either manual safety OR decocker....not both. Maybe that's it....the ones you're seeing are manual safety?? Just a guess though.

Sean
 
#11 ·
Well, went and finger banged one tonight. Too small for my hands. Nice gun though....wouldn't mind having one, but I'd rather spend another $100 and get another Gen 3 G19C.....but hey, I'm really biased. I love my Glocks.
 
#13 ·
So even the ones that are manual safety are DA/SA?
 
#14 ·
Another question: Is there a firing pin safety?
 
#17 ·
I picked up a CZ 85 (pimped out 75) at a pawn shop about 15 years ago. I traded an old Beretta for it. Best trade I ever made. It shoots wonderfully and it fits me better than any gun I own. It even has the painted finish and the big hammer. Mine is a bit of an odd duck though. I have to get my mags from Canada because they are different than the commercial guns out there. According to a guy at a gun show, it was supposed to be issued to some dept in Canada. It was never intended to end up in the states. I'm glad it did though. It is one of my favorite pistols...
 
#18 ·
Hi,

Weather they have a firring pin block is dependent on the model of the gun. All of the "B" models have the pin block. I have a 75TS that is single action and does not have a firing pin block. As far as SP01 is concerned, the shadow version has no pin block, the tactical does. If a pin block safety is important to you just make sure that the model you are interested in has one.
 
#19 ·
It's not important to me. It's just a feature that is often found on DA/SA pistols (in some form or another). The 1911, which was designed to be carried without a round in the chamber or cocked and locked did not originally possess a firing pin safety.

I'm familiar with the SAO, DAO, and DA/SA w/ and w/o safety (i.e. 1911, 642, HK USP V1, Sig 226R, respectively). However, most pistols that fire DA/SA have an external decocking mechanism. Some pistols have a combined safety/decocker (i.e. Beretta M9) and some have separate (i.e. HK Mark 23).

It's just interesting that CZ would keep the (same?) DA/SA trigger in a setup that only has a safety and no decocker. It is also interesting that they would make hammer down on a full chamber with no firing pin block/safety.

I know that it's very unlikely to have an accidental discharge (and I mean accidental, not negligent) due to something hitting the hammer while it's down on a loaded chamber, but it does seem possible. Isn't that why cowboys used to carry their SAO revolvers hammer down on an empty chamber?
 
#21 ·
Someone may have already covered this:

The CZ decocker is more akin to the Sig than the M9 decocker. The CZ decocker drops the hammer to within hairs breadth of being fully dropped. There is a second...ummm...."ledge" on the hammer that the decocker connects with to prevent the hammer fully dropping.

As for being underrated I totally agree. I've owned three CZ pistols, currently still own 2: SP-01 and 97BD. Both are the most accurate pistols in their caliber/size I have ever owned.

The magazines are indeed expensive and somewhat hard to find. The slide/frame fitting and low bore lend to a pretty decent reduction in muzzle flip, however the "shorter" slide height takes some adjustment when racking the slide.

I can't recommend these pistols enough.
 
#24 ·
I bought mine in West Germany (yeah that long ago) for $200.00 NIB. Still have and still love it. Great thread for a great weapon.
 
#25 ·
I love CZ handguns, and I own a few, including a pre-b 75 with the spur hammer and curved trigger guard, but unfortunately its not the shorter rail model that came out first. But my carry gun is always a CZ, either a RAMI or a SP-01 if I open carry.

Funny story, a friend I had had an XD tactical for a few years (9mm long barrel) and shot it a lot, but when he shot my P-01 for the first time, he shot it better than he ever did with the XD, long story short he sold the XD to buy a CZ!
 
#26 ·
I have had a similar experience. Several of my co-workers and friends have shot my P01 and and are so impressed, they go out and buy one. Most of them have never heard of CZ before. Truly one of the industry's best kept secrets.
 
#29 ·
CZ makes great pistols. Jeff Cooper, back in the late 80's, was calling the CZ75 the best of the 9mm pistols. Even better than the BHP. I had to get one.

I ran them for a long time. Now I'm down to two - an original 75 brought home from Germany (no import marks) and a 75B.

Many years ago, Charlie Prest was the gunsmith for Team Springfield, and the guy that did all my Python retiming and such. Some of the Springfield guys were racing the P9 back then - he figured out that the CZ couldn't withstand a steady diet of IPSC "major" power factor ammo. Obviously this was well before the IPSC rule that you couldn't shoot "major 9". He'd quit building raceguns on the CZ frames for all but the team guys when I hit him up to do mine. I sold my first one, because I thought they were too fragile, before I found out that Charlie's definition of "a steady diet" is somewhere around 50K.

To counter that though, one of my good friends put me in touch with a Brit SBS operator that he'd worked with. Seems that the SBS issues the CZ75. I was amazed at what kind of durability he had seen. It's all in the ammo. With standard or +P ammo, these things last a LONG time. My early pistol has some slop to it now, but I don't even want to think about how many rounds have gone down the tube.

Now for the down-sides.

The B model has the firing pin block, which is a crock in my opinion. The firing pin block is done right (unlike the Colt series 80), but they messed up the firing pin design to accomodate the firing pin block. On the early 75's, you could take the firing pin out just like you do on a 1911 - on the B model you have to use a hammer and punch to take out a roll pin. After drifting the rear sight out, you can remove the firing pin block through the hole under the sight. So on the B models, slide disassembly isn't realistic.

Which leads to the next thing: on both the early and the B models, the extractor is pinned into the slide. Cleaning under the extractor is a PITA - just like with the later the BHP's. Not a deal breaker (like the firing pin is IMHO), but a serious set-back. As well, the trigger reset on these is somewhat long. Generally, these reasons are why I prefer Glocks and 1911's.

But when factoring in all these things, I still consider the CZ75 (not the 75B though) one of the top 4 designs currently available.
 
#31 ·
That would be the Browning Hi-Power.

If I had more time on the Sig 210, I might throw that in there too...... It was hefty, but very nice. Unfortunately, the owner didn't like the idea of me detail stripping it (GRIN).

But keep in mind, those are the top 4 designs FOR ME. That's not to say that there aren't some really great designs that would work for someone else, just not me.

The HK pistols come to mind as an example. They're extremely reliable (my experience is that they're a TOUCH more reliable than the Glock or XD/XDm) but don't fit my hand worth anything. Then there's the whole part about not being able to strip them without a hammer and a punch, and the fact that HK says the warranty is invalidated when you strip the lower. Uh, yeah. Therefore they aren't on my list. In short, YMMV.
 
#32 ·
Thanks for your opinion....as usual, I enjoy your experienced perspective. :)

I liked my HKs as well....but sold them off when I found I shot Glocks much better at speed. Guns are very much a personal preference thing.....have to go with what works best for you.

Sean
 
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