It's funny how for so many years I was into Glocks, Sigs, Berettas, Smiths, etc. (and still am), but never really considered the CZ's as the 75 just didn't catch my eye. People always said though that the ergonomics and shootability of the 75 was simply sublime, much like the 1911 or say the Browning high power.

Fast forward to today's time though and I find that so many more people have either added one or more to their stables or even traded other beloved manufacturers' gems to make room for CZ's to fill both defensive and competitive roles.

I for one, got into them when the Scorpion Evo 3 S1 came out and since have added a P-07, TSO, and most recently a PCR. They are all great shooters and the ergonomics as you all know are fantastic.
I was shooting my Sig X carry today and it was going well enough, it's a great gun and is quite accurate as one would expect. When I switched over to the PCR today though I was blown away at how it just shoots laser beams. I mean bullseye after bullseye, close and at distance. I have shot Sigs for over 17 years, but today I shot the PCR markedly better, which is saying something about both the inherent accuracy of the gun and how the fit into one's hand can really help to get the best groupings possible.

I have more than a few guns that I love, but not for their excellent feel, more for their history or build quality, aesthetics, features, or maybe even cost effectiveness/exclusivity. When you get all that though plus a great feel where your gun seems like an extension of your hand, leading to the rounds going where you want them with regularity, well that makes for a wonderful shooting session.

Here’s a pic of my PCR just because we all love gun pics right?!



Now which new CZ to get.....

I've been impressed with them. I've been thinking accushadow at some point, maybe, but have been very happy with what I've got thus far. All of mine are CZ custom shop, and I've added a little like sights, grips, and a cajun barrel bushing, but they've been excellent as received.

Jeff Cooper was a fan, I believe.

^^^^^I can gather if I had CZC or CGW work one of mine I’d be even more enthralled with them than I already am.

quote:

Now which new CZ to get.....

To answer your question, 'which new cz to get' right now pick up a used TSO. The used ones are coming down in price because the TSO2 is out.

Then pick up a threaded barrel for this kind of toy.

quote:

Now which new CZ to get.....

I'm voting for the CZ 75 TS Czechmate, CZ Shadow 2 Orange or CZ Shadow 2 Optics-Ready.

Here's my range guns and I love shooting the CZ most but love the fit and finish on the Walther the most.

I've never shot one... did watch an instructor out at Front Sight make one hole with about 6 shots with one in 45acp... at about 20 ft.

G. Gordon Liddy really liked them and that is a pretty good recommendation in itself.

CZ75 is arguably one of the most underrated pistols.

^^^
I totally agree with that. And the prices aren't out of reach for a quality pistol. Remembering back in the late 70s, if you wanted one here in the USA, you had to have it brought into the country from Canada through Pragotrade. The cost was about $600 after all the "red tape". That was a lot of money then for a handgun and so I didn't get one. I first read about the CZ 75 in a 1977 Guns & Ammo article by Colonel Jeff Cooper who said if he HAD to have a 9mm, this would be the one. For me that said a lot. Finally bought my first one while living in Germany in the 80s and brought it back with me after getting the BATF Import Permit. Still have it (and a couple more since!) including a Kadet II 22lr conversion kit which is the best 22 kit out there IMO.

One funny side note: Glock 17 pistols were just starting to come into this country when I returned from overseas with my CZ 75 and some other guns on the approved ATF Import Permit. I presented the form to the Customs Officer at JFK Airport in NYC who she said she wanted to inspect the guns' serial numbers and compare them to the form. When she saw the CZ 75, she asked "Is that a Glock?" LOL Wow, I thought, the form says "CZ 75", why would you ask that question! I'm glad that was one time that NOT being a smart ass paid off. It was interesting to watch and observe other passengers wonder why a fellow passenger was holding a pistol in an airport terminal!

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
^^^^^I can gather if I had CZC or CGW work one of mine I’d be even more enthralled with them than I already am.

I don't know. Maybe. Depends how much you want to spend, or how much tinkering you feel like doing.

Cajun carries precision barrel bushings that reduce play at the muzzle to nothing, and it's noticeable from a stock bushing. If that play bugs you at all, then the bushing is a good idea; they're relatively inexpensive. You've already got the Lok grips. A trigger job or the custom trigger parts will run several hundred bucks; I don't know if it's worth it to you or not, or if it even boosts the value of the pistol comparably.

If they feel and shoot fine, I'd run them as is, tweak them as the mood strikes you.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
CZ75 is arguably one of the most underrated pistols.

I would have agreed w/ that 10+ years ago. First time I saw a CZ 75B was about 15 years ago, and it only cost ~$350 at Academy.

Those days are long gone, and the cat's out of the bag. When it comes to hammer-fired guns, CZs are more popular than Sigs now.

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
^^^^^I can gather if I had CZC or CGW work one of mine I’d be even more enthralled with them than I already am.

I used to be skeptical of that aftermarket stuff until I tried a Cajunized CZ. CGW & CZC can transform a CZ into a whole new gun for a few hundred dollars.

The upgrades I recommend most on the 75 platform are:

• Grips - the rubber grips are pretty bad in most owners' opinions.
  
• Sights - the tiny sight dots are lousy, especially for those whose near-sight vision is deteriorating.
  
• Main spring - CZ 75s are oversprung, which create a DA pull over 12 lbs. For $17 CGW SPGK1 will ease the pull weight significantly w/o affecting reliability.

Also, probably my biggest gripe w/ CZ 75s is the firing pin retaining pin is relatively fragile and not designed to withstand repeated dry-firing. If it breaks, it will render the gun inoperable. I have read anecdotes from owners who said theirs broke after fewer than 200 pulls of dry-firing. CGW & CZC make better replacement pins.

Hard to beat them. This one has no perceived recoil. It's like shooting a .22 short...SP-01 Shadow from the custom shop.

Love CZ's but a not so good hand fit for me. I lost part of my right hand index finger(trigger) back in 1986. It's only the finger nail but it makes for a wonky grip on CZ's. The flat faced triggers are fine but the curved ones cause me to reach to far for the trigger.
I had some years ago and loved each one but I found that other pistols are easier for me personally.

Yup. My first was a 75 BD that I got for a song. Still have it. I finally put a Cajun Pro Package in it, added better sights including a Dawson FO front, and swapped the shiny blue aluminum grips off one of my SP01’s. It now shoots up there with it’s more expensive brethren.

I’m a CGW fanboy. Not inexpensive but worth it to me. Changing springs helps but the full up package is game changing. All of my CZ’s except for one that I had a local guy work on sport the CGW pro package. Learning curve on decocker sear cages on a CZ is steep but once you get it and understand the one real trick it’s pretty easy to do the upgrade yourself. First one took hours and hours. Last one was like 20 minutes.

I always end up coming back to CZ. The ergo just work. No other production gun just adhere to my hand like any of my CZ’s. I used to complain that the sights and trigger weren’t up to the task. They weren’t. Nowadays though both of those are easily rectified. And don’t get me started on Lok Grips. They are amazing. My favorites by a long shot are the Bogies and the full Checkered. Both are phenomenal. Bogies are probably slightly more aggressive but the checkered are just as good and visually more appealing.

I think the sweet spot for an all around is the SP01. Upgrade to trigger, sights, grips of your choosing and it would serve well for home defense and competition. It would suck for carry because it’s heav6 but for everything else it is great. Decocker, firing pin safety, big mags, cheap mags, fantastic.

I was also unfamiliar with CZs until I got a RAMI BD last year. I am so impressed that I sold a Zastava CZ999 Scorpion and a SIG P-365 to fund a RAMI in .40s&w. Since the RAMIs are discontinued I had to have the .40 before it becomes completely unobtainable.
They are the nicest handling, accurate pistols I have come across.

I jumped in kind of deep with my first CZ purchase, buying a blue/black Shadow 2. Being a long time Beretta 92 & SIG P22x fan the Shadow 2 was a revelation. Several months later my local Sportsmans Warehouse had an AccuShadow 2 in stock, which I took home after lots of contemplating. At this point I started experimenting with the various springs in an attempt to improve the trigger, which was pretty darn good to begin with! 457 American 22lr was next, a beautiful rifle. The last few months I have added a S2O and a TSO. It's been damn expensive, but fun!

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:
^^^^^I can gather if I had CZC or CGW work one of mine I’d be even more enthralled with them than I already am.

I used to be skeptical of that aftermarket stuff until I tried a Cajunized CZ. CGW & CZC can transform a CZ into a whole new gun for a few hundred dollars.

The upgrades I recommend most on the 75 platform are:

• Grips - the rubber grips are pretty bad in most owners' opinions.
  
• Sights - the tiny sight dots are lousy, especially for those whose near-sight vision is deteriorating.
  
• Main spring - CZ 75s are oversprung, which create a DA pull over 12 lbs. For $17 CGW SPGK1 will ease the pull weight significantly w/o affecting reliability.

Also, probably my biggest gripe w/ CZ 75s is the firing pin retaining pin is relatively fragile and not designed to withstand repeated dry-firing. If it breaks, it will render the gun inoperable. I have read anecdotes from owners who said theirs broke after fewer than 200 pulls of dry-firing. CGW & CZC make better replacement pins.

The upgrade firing pin retaining pin was the first thing I did on my P09.

Had a P10F and a P09. Sold those along with other pistols as I went "all-in" with the P320/P365 platforms.

Kept my Scorpion Micro (that thing is sweet).

Got back into the CZ pistol thing with a P10F Optic Ready version as I was having issues with the transition to RMRs, and I recalled how flat/smooth shooting the P10F was.

Turns out the latest iteration of the P10F is noticeably improved over the 2018 model I previously owned. Maybe it's just the "OR" version, who knows, but this new P10F OR has an improved trigger, subtle qualitative improvements to the build/machining, and some other subtle differences in things like the placement of the S/N. I prefer this 2021 OR version over my 2018 P10F, very much.

I have high hopes for CZ in the future.

Hey DSgrouse,

Where did you get that CZ TSO threaded barrel? That would be one sweet setup with a can.

I'd set mine up like that in a heartbeat.

So how do I get one???

H&K-Guy

Dunno about this 'underrated' opinion. Most gun nuts I know have at least very kind up to almost reverent things to say about CZ and their guns. Well, aside from their recent P-10M...

However CZs DO tend to get overlooked by the less informed side of the gun buying public, but that's more due to outright unfamiliarity with the brand ("Oh, they make guns in the Czech Republic? That's cool, I guess. Um...where exactly IS the Czech Republic?"), than to any other factor.