Unregistered
Regular
- Location
- South Ontario
My CZ-85 Combat in 9mm arrived last week and I took it out shooting on the weekend. Here is my review:
Shipping:
My CZ-85 Combat arrived in a nice little plastic blue carrying case together with a bore jag and a brush cleaning rod. Two factory 10-round magazines came in the case, and what appeared to be a magazine loading tool, and two dummy 9mm rounds were included inside the magazine base. I could not find a test target. The very clear and illustrated instruction manual explained basic procedures.
First impressions:
The CZ-85 is fairly large for a 9mm handgun. It is definitely a "full-sized" handgun. The grips are plastic, but designed with integral thumb rests for enhanced grip. I think the chequering on the grip is unnecessary, though it does help your hand remain in the same place. I have ordered smooth wood grips to test them out.
My CZ-85 came with satin nickel finish, which provides uniform protection and looks as if it will stand up to the elements.
Chambering a round with the slide is a bit more difficult than with a 1911 or SIG 228, for example, because there is only half the serrated slide surface to grasp, since much of the slide or rails ride the frame internally for better accuracy. It is also very tight from the factory.
Ergnomics, or placement of controls, resembles a 1911. However, I found that the slide release was just out of reach, and less convenient than on the 1911. The safety was also "sticky," which may be even worse on the ambidextrous CZ-85 design because you have to be able to manipulate the safety on both sides of the pistol at once.
Magazine release is very positive, and magazines seat very well and easily into the grip. However, I found that the extended magazine release extends too far - my finger often contacted it after pulling the trigger.
The trigger pull leaves a bit to be desired. Double action is about what you would expect, it is like a double action revolver, just a little heavier than my S&W Model 28. There is a lot of take-up in both SA and DA. Single-action does not break as cleanly as I would like. There is a bit of a "gummy" feeling when I pull the trigger.
I noticed the trigger smooth up with cleaning, and then use. After 100 rounds, it was a little better. Hopefully it will continue to improve. Out of the box, the single-action trigger pull is nicer than a stock Norinco 1911, but not as nice as a Norinco P228 copy. The DA trigger pull REALLY smooths out after shooting, however, and is far better than the Norinco P228 DA trigger.
Sights are standard 3-dot setup. They are very low, which would be good for carry, but at 25 yards, you have to squint a little to get you sight picture. They strongly resemble the sights that come on a Norinco 1911 or NP-34, but are cut and finished a little nicer, and coloured in more carefully. They also glow in the dark, which is neat.
Pointability of this firearm is very nice, and would be aided by sights that can be acquired more quickly.
I stripped the pistol for pre-fire inspection and let me say that the field strip is very easy and only requires one tool: a pen or magazine base to punch the slide release for disassembly. Stripping was much easier than I thought it would be, and is closer to the Sig 228 than the 1911. Cleaning it is a dream.
Firing at the Range:
I fired from the 25 yard range to start with. The first thing I noticed when firing was the recoil. The size and bulk of the CZ-85 should have reduced the recoil considerably. What I found was that muzzle flip was considerable, greater than a SIG 228 and almost as much as a 1911 in my hands.
The recoil impulse was gentle, and by no means did it hurt, but the muzzle flip made it slower to get back on target than my Norinco NP-34. I suspect that if I improved my handgrip, muzzle flip would be reduced.
It was actually very pleasant to fire, despite the higher-than-anticipated muzzle flip. Some of the ergonomic issues I had worried about were not as severe as I had thought. In single-action fire, my finger impacted the extended slide release much less. I am still considering removing the extended slide release, but currently the magazine release is so easy and positive that it is a difficult decision.
Accuracy was very good. The following images show the 25-yard groups I shot in my first time shooting a CZ. They were the best groups I had ever acheived with a semi-automatic centrefire pistol. The groups below do not necessarily indicate the mechanical accuracy potential of the pistol, but my ability to shoot it better than others. At 10-12 yards, the pistol bullseyed easily and consistently every time.
Reliability was 100%. I fired 100 rounds without any feeding or extraction problems.
The only negative I discovered while firing at this time was that the edges of the trigger sometimes bit my finger. Maybe I should smooth or round them a bit more.
In conclusion, the pistol so far has been accurate, reliable, and easy to clean. Out of the box it appears to require no work whatsoever. To improve the pistol, I might switch to a regular magazine release, add high-visibility high-profile front and rear sights, get a trigger job, and maybe an extended magazine release. And nicer grips. This pistol is the way that Norincos should be out of the box - rugged, reliable, and not needing any modifications, but accepting of any should they be necessary. It is a cheap date at $12.95 a box of 9mm, and shooting it accurately, will accompany me on future range trips. So the next question is, where is a good place to buy magazines for it?
Shipping:
My CZ-85 Combat arrived in a nice little plastic blue carrying case together with a bore jag and a brush cleaning rod. Two factory 10-round magazines came in the case, and what appeared to be a magazine loading tool, and two dummy 9mm rounds were included inside the magazine base. I could not find a test target. The very clear and illustrated instruction manual explained basic procedures.
First impressions:
The CZ-85 is fairly large for a 9mm handgun. It is definitely a "full-sized" handgun. The grips are plastic, but designed with integral thumb rests for enhanced grip. I think the chequering on the grip is unnecessary, though it does help your hand remain in the same place. I have ordered smooth wood grips to test them out.
My CZ-85 came with satin nickel finish, which provides uniform protection and looks as if it will stand up to the elements.
Chambering a round with the slide is a bit more difficult than with a 1911 or SIG 228, for example, because there is only half the serrated slide surface to grasp, since much of the slide or rails ride the frame internally for better accuracy. It is also very tight from the factory.
Ergnomics, or placement of controls, resembles a 1911. However, I found that the slide release was just out of reach, and less convenient than on the 1911. The safety was also "sticky," which may be even worse on the ambidextrous CZ-85 design because you have to be able to manipulate the safety on both sides of the pistol at once.
Magazine release is very positive, and magazines seat very well and easily into the grip. However, I found that the extended magazine release extends too far - my finger often contacted it after pulling the trigger.
The trigger pull leaves a bit to be desired. Double action is about what you would expect, it is like a double action revolver, just a little heavier than my S&W Model 28. There is a lot of take-up in both SA and DA. Single-action does not break as cleanly as I would like. There is a bit of a "gummy" feeling when I pull the trigger.
I noticed the trigger smooth up with cleaning, and then use. After 100 rounds, it was a little better. Hopefully it will continue to improve. Out of the box, the single-action trigger pull is nicer than a stock Norinco 1911, but not as nice as a Norinco P228 copy. The DA trigger pull REALLY smooths out after shooting, however, and is far better than the Norinco P228 DA trigger.
Sights are standard 3-dot setup. They are very low, which would be good for carry, but at 25 yards, you have to squint a little to get you sight picture. They strongly resemble the sights that come on a Norinco 1911 or NP-34, but are cut and finished a little nicer, and coloured in more carefully. They also glow in the dark, which is neat.
Pointability of this firearm is very nice, and would be aided by sights that can be acquired more quickly.
I stripped the pistol for pre-fire inspection and let me say that the field strip is very easy and only requires one tool: a pen or magazine base to punch the slide release for disassembly. Stripping was much easier than I thought it would be, and is closer to the Sig 228 than the 1911. Cleaning it is a dream.
Firing at the Range:
I fired from the 25 yard range to start with. The first thing I noticed when firing was the recoil. The size and bulk of the CZ-85 should have reduced the recoil considerably. What I found was that muzzle flip was considerable, greater than a SIG 228 and almost as much as a 1911 in my hands.
The recoil impulse was gentle, and by no means did it hurt, but the muzzle flip made it slower to get back on target than my Norinco NP-34. I suspect that if I improved my handgrip, muzzle flip would be reduced.
It was actually very pleasant to fire, despite the higher-than-anticipated muzzle flip. Some of the ergonomic issues I had worried about were not as severe as I had thought. In single-action fire, my finger impacted the extended slide release much less. I am still considering removing the extended slide release, but currently the magazine release is so easy and positive that it is a difficult decision.
Accuracy was very good. The following images show the 25-yard groups I shot in my first time shooting a CZ. They were the best groups I had ever acheived with a semi-automatic centrefire pistol. The groups below do not necessarily indicate the mechanical accuracy potential of the pistol, but my ability to shoot it better than others. At 10-12 yards, the pistol bullseyed easily and consistently every time.
Reliability was 100%. I fired 100 rounds without any feeding or extraction problems.
The only negative I discovered while firing at this time was that the edges of the trigger sometimes bit my finger. Maybe I should smooth or round them a bit more.
In conclusion, the pistol so far has been accurate, reliable, and easy to clean. Out of the box it appears to require no work whatsoever. To improve the pistol, I might switch to a regular magazine release, add high-visibility high-profile front and rear sights, get a trigger job, and maybe an extended magazine release. And nicer grips. This pistol is the way that Norincos should be out of the box - rugged, reliable, and not needing any modifications, but accepting of any should they be necessary. It is a cheap date at $12.95 a box of 9mm, and shooting it accurately, will accompany me on future range trips. So the next question is, where is a good place to buy magazines for it?
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