This post is for RDevigne who asked me, in the thread "Norinco 1911A1 Testing", to do a range report on the NZ85B when it came in. First, an apology: I have no pictures. However both Pepe308 and Terry have some nice pictures in "CZ85 vs NZ85".
I picked up the NZ at Lovett's in Kitchener this afternoon, only six days after first seeing it. Miramichi and Ontario's CFO were really on the ball this week! When seen alongside a real CZ, the NZ's finish is crude, with rough edges and metal so coarse-appearing I'm afraid of getting splinters.
A good clean-up at home did ameliorate this to some slight extent.
The trigger is extremely heavy in double action. This is due to a very heavy hammer spring, so heavy that sometimes I had to #### the gun before I could rack the slide. Single action is quite reasonable. There is only one magazine and it is, of course, restricted to ten rounds. Sliding the bottom plate off reveals a piece of sheet metal spot-welded inside the magazine and bent at the approprate height. This weld may be the weakest spot in the entire gun. The fitted case also includes a bristle brush which should be less likely to scratch the barrel than a copper brush. (I'm a newbie. If that comment is dead wrong, please correct me.)
At the range, I used Sellier & Bellot 124 grain 9x19. I began by firing freehand at only 5 metres, quickly moving to 10 as most of my shots were in the black. At 10 metres I was still able to get most shots in the black so I moved the target back to 15 metres. Knowing that my own poor marksmanship does not need to be reviewed here, I then fired from the benchrest. Ten shots, nine in the black, were sufficient to get the target moved back to 20 metres, the range's maximum. Even here, most of my shots were in the black and those few outside I attribute to my inexperience, not to the gun.
In all, I fired 120 rounds tonight with no misfires, jams, stovepipes, or failures to feed. On three occasions, however, the slide failed to remain back after the last round was fired. I also found, at the beginning, that I had to slam the magazine into place in order for it to catch the magazine release; otherwise it just fell out.
Conclusions: I like the look of this gun, a direct descendant of Browning's finest design, the High Power. I like the heft in my hand compared to my tupperware Steyr and BUL although that extra weight may soon pall. I may shoot better with the NZ than with anything else except the .22 Browning although that, too, may change with time. I am really tempted now to buy a real CZ and try a direct comparison.
I picked up the NZ at Lovett's in Kitchener this afternoon, only six days after first seeing it. Miramichi and Ontario's CFO were really on the ball this week! When seen alongside a real CZ, the NZ's finish is crude, with rough edges and metal so coarse-appearing I'm afraid of getting splinters.
A good clean-up at home did ameliorate this to some slight extent.The trigger is extremely heavy in double action. This is due to a very heavy hammer spring, so heavy that sometimes I had to #### the gun before I could rack the slide.
Single action is quite reasonable. There is only one magazine and it is, of course, restricted to ten rounds. Sliding the bottom plate off reveals a piece of sheet metal spot-welded inside the magazine and bent at the approprate height. This weld may be the weakest spot in the entire gun. The fitted case also includes a bristle brush which should be less likely to scratch the barrel than a copper brush. (I'm a newbie. If that comment is dead wrong, please correct me.)At the range, I used Sellier & Bellot 124 grain 9x19. I began by firing freehand at only 5 metres, quickly moving to 10 as most of my shots were in the black. At 10 metres I was still able to get most shots in the black so I moved the target back to 15 metres. Knowing that my own poor marksmanship does not need to be reviewed here, I then fired from the benchrest. Ten shots, nine in the black, were sufficient to get the target moved back to 20 metres, the range's maximum. Even here, most of my shots were in the black and those few outside I attribute to my inexperience, not to the gun.
In all, I fired 120 rounds tonight with no misfires, jams, stovepipes, or failures to feed. On three occasions, however, the slide failed to remain back after the last round was fired. I also found, at the beginning, that I had to slam the magazine into place in order for it to catch the magazine release; otherwise it just fell out.
Conclusions: I like the look of this gun, a direct descendant of Browning's finest design, the High Power. I like the heft in my hand compared to my tupperware Steyr and BUL although that extra weight may soon pall. I may shoot better with the NZ than with anything else except the .22 Browning although that, too, may change with time. I am really tempted now to buy a real CZ and try a direct comparison.
