SP-01 Shadow

Canuck44

Canuck44

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I just picked up a new SP-01 Shadow from Gunnar at Armco.

Here she is:

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Here are some of the first targets shot with the gun. Cartridges are my reloads. 124 Gr Saeco truncated cast bullets from WW over 4.1 gr of Win 231.

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I would estimate trigger pull to be around 8lbs. I intend to put approx. 1,000 rounds through the gun before having a trigger job done it, if at that time it is necessary. Gun is extremely tight. In the first 100 rounds I had two FTF in the first 20 rounds and after that things settled down and the gun ran perfectly. The finish on the gun is something less than S&W deep bluing but for a production pistol certainly acceptable. It is equal to my Tanfoglio Model "L".

I purchased the gun to compete in IDPA SSP as gun, with the plastic grips taken from a CZ 85 I used to have makes weight of 39 oz. (Yet to weigh gun but expect it to be under 39oz.) My Tanfoglio has and is a great gun but to heavy for IDPA SSP. I like it with a 40cal top end shooting in SSP.

Jury is out as to which gun I will use for IPSC Production. The Tanfoglio has the advantage of being a tad heavier which does effect recoil to some extent. Both guns are excellent for playing the games and I suspect overtime I wil not be disappointed with the Shadows performance. Clearly it will outshoot me now. It always is the archer not the arrow.:D

I am waiting for a Blade Tec holster to arrive to do some serious holster work. I have a friend picking me up some CZ 10 rd mags Stateside. The Tanfoglio mags won't work in the Shadow.

Gong out later today to bang away at some IDPA targets. I will see how she does coming out of a cheap Uncle Mikes nylon rig.

I should add I was holding with the front sight level with the back sight. I later set the F/O front at the bottom of the rear notch and rounds then hit center of target.

Take Care

Bob
 
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When I started shooting with the front sight lined up where I thought it was supposed to be my groups were consistently high too. Things are starting to line up now that I know it better.
 
Congratulations--they're great pistols! I picked mine up last month and I'm really impressed with it. The out-of-the-box trigger pull has to be tried to be believed. I've tried a bunch of 115, 124 and 147 grain ammo (all factory) in mine and I found the 147 worked best for me. Fired the PPC 1500 in my club's annual championship last weekend and shot my best score ever.
 
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CeeZer

Thank you for your advice. Unfortunately I intend to use this gun in IDPA and replacing the FLGR with a stainless version would I think be a no no in our sport. Page 20 of the rule book "Guide rods made of a material different from the factory part it replaces" falls under the excluded modifications list for SSP.

I intend to replace the recoil spring and will look closely at the feed ramp.

I do need a trigger job done to it to get the D/A trigger pull down to 5.5lbs. I will use the gun in IPSC I suspect and Production Division has a minimum trigger pull.

I cast my own 124 gr truncated cone bullets from WW, water dropped.

Take Care

Bob
 
Well now for the bad news. The gun and mag weighs in at 39.6 oz with the plastic grips. The plastic grips weigh .7 oz which means buying thin wooden grips weighing 1 oz will not help. Will post the solution to the guns weight problem after some research.

Take Care

Bob
 
Dragonslayer

I don't think so. If you place the F/O front sight so the red ball sits on the bottom of rear sight it shoots POA. It really is only counter intuitive when you are shooting from a rest as you want to level everything out. When drawing from a holster and shooting quickly it reall makes no difference.

Take Care

Bob
 
Canuck44 said:
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The Tanfoglio mags won't work in the Shadow.
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Bob
Click to expand...

Hello Bob, I will sell very shortly my Tanfoglio TA-90 (a CZ-75 clone) to fund a Shadow. I had the intention of keeping my six aftermarket mags (Pro-Mags "Witness & TZ-75" 10 rds) with the intent of using them in the Shadow. Sometime ago at my club, i tested them in a new Shadow that was on sale with snap-caps and then fed & ejected correctly. But i couldn't test fire (gun was for sale). So could you please elaborate on your statement ? Was it a fit or function issue ?
 
I tried them in my Shadow. They were very tight and while I could rack the slide to load a round in the chamber the slide would not pick up a round after the shot. My advice is to just get new mags. I should also add the mags are shaped slightly different so it is no surpise the Tans are tight in the Shadow.

Now having said all of that. I have both the Tanfoglio Model "L" which is a 5" gun and the Shadow. Out of the box both guns weigh the same 1180 grams or about 41.6oz.

Finish goes to the Tanfoglio. The Shadow interior looks somewhat like and improved Norinco with machine marks evident. Both guns are dead nuts accurate. The CZ offers more option as far as legal tuning is concerned. The Trigger pull on my shadow was around 8lbs out of the box, not unlike the Tanfoglio. Legally you can change out the main spring on the CZ , the Tanfoglio offers no factory lighter springs. That said as more than one IPSC shooter has said to me, "Who can tell?"

I love both guns. I can get the Shadow down in weight to make SSP in IDPA legally. I can't with the Tanfoglio and that is why I bought the Shadow. The Tanfoglio works really well in ESP division of IDPA so certainly the gun has a place to play. Works in IPSC Production as well. I also have a .40 top end for the Tan so I could shoot major in IPSC if I chose to.

If I get sometime over the week-end I will write up a report on both guns with pics.

I would not hesitate to recommend either gun to play the games with.

Take Care

Bob
 
Hey guys..:)

I bought a new Shadow a few months ago. The first day out on the range with American Eagle 115 grain FMJ I put 300 round through it....18 FTE. When she was ejecting she was hitting me in the face 8 out of 10 rounds. Took a break and completely cleaned the gun. Put another 250 through her and had 12 FTE. Packed it up and went home...got on the net and did some research. Seems that on some of these the extractor spring can be weak...it's a hit or miss thing. Ordered a extractor spring from Wolf...18lb....plus other stuff...you have to have a $20.00 dollar order before they will ship to Canada btw....installed it....runs like a charm. So...if any of you do have this problem FYI that spring is the culprit...oh...and the guy at wolf recommend a 12 lb recoil spring too. I didn't get the recoil spring and the gun seems to work fine without it.

Cheers

http://www.gunsprings.com/
 
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Hi John

I have the Shadow so my comments relate to that pistol only. Without grips the pistol weigh 39oz. I ordered grips from Dennis Marshall out of Hungry they weight .4oz. bring the guns total weight to 39.4oz.

To date I have ordered a LHS safety to install. This will reduce the weight by .2oz. I have also ordered an Aluminum strip designed for the 75B that protects the mainspring. This will be fitted to the Shadow. The steel strip now in the gun weighs a hair over .2oz while the aluminum strip did not register in Ghost's scale. I think that will do it.

You and I are concerned about making weight for IDPA SSP. One rule we have to be aware of is the removal of safety devices on a gun. The Shadow does not come with a firing pin block while the SP-01 gun does and the firing pin block cannot be removed to reduce weight, a common practice Stateside to improve the trigger pull on the SP-01's that are imported by CZUSA. the removal would help to reduce weight BUT such removal would make the gun illegal for use in IDPA as you know.

I will post the results of my efforts once all the parts arrive. The last option that is available to me is to replace the slide stop with a slide stop meant for the 75B and also the mag release with one designed for the SP-01. The latter part in the Shadow is extended and is presently legal but likely will not be with the next revision of the rule book expected out next spring. Both of these parts weigh marginally less than what comes with the gun and I suspect would give me another .1oz of weight reduction. Time will tell.

CeeZer - As you know those suggestions involve the removal of the firing pin block which cannot be done "legally" for the gun to compete in IDPA. This issue has been brought up in the Area Coordinators Forum and will be addressed with HQ over the next month. All of this is primarly a US problem as CZUSA doesn't bring in, or at least brings in few, Shadow versions. What they do is have their "Custom" shop take a regular SP-01,and produce a SP-01 Custom model which is not listed in the CZUB list of products. They remove and replace a number of parts with catalogue parts, remove the firing pin block and call the gun a SP-01 Custom. I will post HQ decision on the IDPA Canada web site once received.

Take Care

Bob
 
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Canuck44

When you say "mag safety" do you mean the Firing Pin Block? I am not aware of any mag safeties on the CZ 75 like the Browning HP or many models of S&W autos which prevent the gun from firing without a mag inserted.
 
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