CZ Pistols

I shoot a regular CZ75B in IPSC, 3-gun, CQB and any other shooting sport where I have to use a semi-automatic handgun instead of a revolver. It's the only semiautomatic that I own, so obviously I like it but I'm not blind to the faults.

If you're just planning to use this as a line-shooting pistol, all the CZ options are great but I don't think they match the pure value of the Grand Power or Jericho pistols anymore (the Girsan pistols seem superb economically too but I'm not a fan of the 92FS design) as their prices have climbed in the last few years. If you're not entirely value-oriented and you like the CZ design better than the GP or Jericho then it's certainly worth the money to get the CZ, but I'd try to check both those out as well.

In actual use the 75B's trigger is nothing to write home about. I like it over the striker-fired guns but it's not especially good (DA is long and has a catch at the end, SA has tons of slack). The Shadows are much better but I don't care for the full-length dust cover and at the time there was no Shadow Line. If you like the classic looks of the regular CZ75 then look for an 85 Combat or Shadow Line, they're both awesome handguns.

The finishes seem to hold up pretty well to me. I have a two-tone and the black slide. There's some wear at the edges and contact points on the black finish and the silver stuff has a scratch here and there. All considered, given it's been holstered/drawn perhaps thousands of times and banged around, dropped, and so on, I think it's looking pretty good still.

Overall, they're great pistols, but there's still competition for similarly-style handguns out there now. Be sure to look at the alternatives with an open mind.
 
Another vote for the Shadow. I bought one recently to mess around in Production division (IPSC) after shooting mostly Open for the last 15 years. It's functioned flawlessly since I've had it, is more accurate than I am and if you ever decide you want to try IPSC, it's a fast shooting, natural pointing handgun. Ergonomics are awesome and with minor polishing to smooth out tooling marks, the triggers are very good. In fact, the trigger on the one I have is as good as any I've shot. D/A first shot is no issue if you practice a bit. Get the Tanfoglio mags. They're better than the stock CZ mags.
 
I disagree with the comments regarding poor finish. The SP-01 Shadow I had was probably the best looking and best performing handgun I've had so far. The only two problems I had with it was the cost to maintain it, and it was a little difficult to manipulate because I have smaller hands. Great handgun. Not so great price.
 
awndray said:
I disagree with the comments regarding poor finish. The SP-01 Shadow I had was probably the best looking and best performing handgun I've had so far. The only two problems I had with it was the cost to maintain it, and it was a little difficult to manipulate because I have smaller hands. Great handgun. Not so great price.
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Agree totally the finish is one of the best I have.. shoots great..
 
I like the looks of the Grand Power pistol. But it is priced at $580 in Lloydminster, the CZ 75 P07 duty is around $625. Not too big a savings but since I am just plinking amaybe I should just pop the difference into ammo? Buying firearms is so frustrating because I'd but em all if my wife would let me lol.

DrSpaceJam said:
I shoot a regular CZ75B in IPSC, 3-gun, CQB and any other shooting sport where I have to use a semi-automatic handgun instead of a revolver. It's the only semiautomatic that I own, so obviously I like it but I'm not blind to the faults.

If you're just planning to use this as a line-shooting pistol, all the CZ options are great but I don't think they match the pure value of the Grand Power or Jericho pistols anymore (the Girsan pistols seem superb economically too but I'm not a fan of the 92FS design) as their prices have climbed in the last few years. If you're not entirely value-oriented and you like the CZ design better than the GP or Jericho then it's certainly worth the money to get the CZ, but I'd try to check both those out as well.

In actual use the 75B's trigger is nothing to write home about. I like it over the striker-fired guns but it's not especially good (DA is long and has a catch at the end, SA has tons of slack). The Shadows are much better but I don't care for the full-length dust cover and at the time there was no Shadow Line. If you like the classic looks of the regular CZ75 then look for an 85 Combat or Shadow Line, they're both awesome handguns.

The finishes seem to hold up pretty well to me. I have a two-tone and the black slide. There's some wear at the edges and contact points on the black finish and the silver stuff has a scratch here and there. All considered, given it's been holstered/drawn perhaps thousands of times and banged around, dropped, and so on, I think it's looking pretty good still.

Overall, they're great pistols, but there's still competition for similarly-style handguns out there now. Be sure to look at the alternatives with an open mind.
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My cz85 combat is my main hand gun for shooting in TRI-GUN events. It gets used alot. Its so accurate a newbie could hit the Bullseye. I did find out that when reloading "you must use a bit shorter OAL' . Never had any issues, the finish is very durable. You will be happy with it.
Another PLUS for CZ!!
 
I had a CZ75B, at the time I was a relatively inexperienced shooter. I found it to be very accurate, natural pointing and easy to shoot in single action. I had issues with the first shot out of the holster in double action but again, I was inexperienced so I am sure much of that was my skill level at the time.

My finish was not very good either, when it was brand new a chunk of the finish came off and there was rust underneath.

My biggest issues with it were double feed malfunctions. I put about 4000 rounds through it and had countless double feeds. Since I was inexperienced, I could not be sure what was causing the double feeds but it was a constant problem.

Since then I have run into other CZ owners, some who have told me about pretty serious reliability problems and others which have said theirs have been perfectly reliable. If everyone is telling the truth then possibly the design in good and reliable but maybe their quality control is not very good?
 
If by double-feed you mean it left an empty in the chamber and then tried to feed another one in after it, it's an extractor issue. It's either:
Crudded up to the point where it can't function (most people never clean them).
Broken or worn
Or the spring needs to be replaced.

Either way it's a simple fix.
 
relliott said:
If by double-feed you mean it left an empty in the chamber and then tried to feed another one in after it, it's an extractor issue. It's either:
Crudded up to the point where it can't function (most people never clean them).
Broken or worn
Or the spring needs to be replaced.

Either way it's a simple fix.
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Yes, it could have very well been an extractor issue, that is often the case with double feeds.

It was not due to it being "crudded up", the gun was cleaned after every time I shot it and properly lubricated. The extractor was also not broken or worn out and the spring was not worn out unless they are putting broken or worn out parts in new guns they sell. The gun was brand new, and was having this problem from the beginning.

What ever the case may have been, and as "simple" as it may have been to fix. The gun came from the factory that way and was continuously having double feeds from the very first time I took it out. To me that is a quality control issue and an owner of a firearm should not have to deal with those issues when they purchase a brand new gun.
 
I love my stainless 75B the finish is beautiful but your regular black paint finish is nothing to write home about. I used to have a sp-01 tactical as well, at 42oz its a bit heavy for a 9mm. Regular model has a much better balance. What some new shooters may not know but before the tactical and the shadow models CZ pistols were quite cheap compared to Beretta and Sig, now it seems like they got lucky with IPSC croud and slowly jacked up the prices across the board. If you look at quality of slide serrations and checkering CZ is way behind the guns it runs with.
 
I can shoot my shadow orange in groups about 3 times smaller than my sig p226
Could be just me, could be the gun, could be both, but its undeniable that I'm better on the cz.
 
Gurkha said:
To me that is a quality control issue and an owner of a firearm should not have to deal with those issues when they purchase a brand new gun.
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No disagreement from me on that.
It occurs to me there's one other possibility I didn't mention; Shadows tend to have rather short chambers and a lot of normal-length loads are actually too long in those guns. The bullet ends up resting against, or pushed into the rifling, which will spike pressure massively when the gun is fired. With the pressure spike the extractor claw can't pull the case out of the chamber so it pulls over the rim and just leaves it there. Double feed results.

I've seen this happen a few times. Reference for anyone else having problems with this.
 
My favourite gun and it seems to be the favourite of everyone I take to the range. As others have said it's very accurate, I certainly can't shoot anything else I've tried as accurately as my shadow. I've put 1000+ rounds through mine with no issues other than the fibre sight rod breaking (this is a cheap and easy fix). The finish on mine is as good as new.

I don't think you'd regret buying a CZ.
 
relliott said:
No disagreement from me on that.
It occurs to me there's one other possibility I didn't mention; Shadows tend to have rather short chambers and a lot of normal-length loads are actually too long in those guns. The bullet ends up resting against, or pushed into the rifling, which will spike pressure massively when the gun is fired. With the pressure spike the extractor claw can't pull the case out of the chamber so it pulls over the rim and just leaves it there. Double feed results.

I've seen this happen a few times. Reference for anyone else having problems with this.
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Very interesting, I did not know the Shadows had a rather short chamber. What about the the standard SP-01 and SP-01 tactical, do they also have the shorter chambers?
 
Does anyone know if a CZ 75 SP01 tactical is ok to use for IPSC production? If so, I am thinking of getting one. I find the decocker much more usefull than the safety for IPSC. I currently use a Barreta 92 FS the trigger pull is pretty bad for double action.
 
Beretta 92 with a D mainspring will have as good of a trigger as the shadow if not better.

And yes all CZ 75's have a short chamber. After I got one I had to change my reload specs because it was the only gun that would choke on my ammo. But once I made the change I haven't had any issues.
 
Big k said:
Does anyone know if a CZ 75 SP01 tactical is ok to use for IPSC production? If so, I am thinking of getting one. I find the decocker much more usefull than the safety for IPSC. I currently use a Barreta 92 FS the trigger pull is pretty bad for double action.
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SP-01 Tactical would have much thicker front sight and you won't be able to get high grip on it due to decocking lever placement.. It also has Firing Pin Block that further worsens trigger pull and reset.
 
IM_Lugger said:
Beretta 92 with a D mainspring will have as good of a trigger as the shadow if not better.

And yes all CZ 75's have a short chamber. After I got one I had to change my reload specs because it was the only gun that would choke on my ammo. But once I made the change I haven't had any issues.
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What OEM are you using ? Used 1.12 and never had a problem (with 75B and SP01)
 
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My CZ SP-01 9mm is my first and only pistol, I casually shoot it, and its seen about 1000 rounds.

Ive had no problems with it to date

Finish is still good (not that I beat it up)

and I think the fit of the grip is great

I don't think CZ makes the best pistols but if it's your first or second gun you wont notice its short comings

I love CZ by the way *SP-01 9mm, 858 7.62x39, 513 standard 22lr, 512 22winmag*
 
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