(angst)

I own a 1911 (Caspian, of course) and EAA clones, both frames.

There is no "vs"; they are both mandatory for any correct collection.

My 1911 and my EAA's (in their role as CZ clones) are the best automatic handguns the world has EVER produced.

 

Well!

Great one! This outta make for great debate.

I have owned a number of CZ-75's in the past (9mm's) and I think they are great! In fact my NEXT handgun purchase IS going to be a CZ-75B in .40S&W........

Still love my 1911's (check out my signature ) but the CZ75/85 series is hard to beat! Just my .02


NAA

P.S. I also love the Glock!

 

The CZ-75 stands out as the obviously higher-quality pistol, out of the box. The 1911 is great for customizing.

 

The only gun I own that's not a 1911 is a CZ75B SA. It's a great pistol - very accurate, completely reliable, and it holds 15 rds of cheap 9mm ammo (factory hi-caps are $35). The only downside is the trigger will never be as good as a 1911 trigger.

 

I'm always hearing good things about the CZ's but they are a pistol that I know very little about, this in spite of reading most of the gun rags. Could someone give me a website, rag ref. or other source that would enlighten me?

Thanks for any available help.

Alpine Valley Pistoleer
NRA Life Member

 

I'm always hearing good things about the CZ's but they are a pistol that I know very little about, this in spite of reading most of the gun rags. Could someone give me a website, rag ref. or other source that would enlighten me?

http://www.czforum.com/
http://www.cz-usa.com/
http://pdmall.com/CZC/pistol~1.htm

 

I think the reason you don't read a lot about CZ is they don't pour money over the gun rags and buy the good will of their editors. CZ makes the best auto around for under $500. I like my 1911's as well, but CZ gives the most for the money.

 

The only negative for me is that the grip frame of my Springfield P-9 is a little bigger than my 1911. Also the thumb safety is a little too far forward for my short thumb.

Other than that they are excellent guns.

 

Thanks Guys

Thanks for the info guys, I think I've learned enough that I'm about to spring for a CZ 75B. I'd like to get some extra mags since I've always found 9mm's to be a pain to load compared to .45's. If anyone has a suggestion in this regard (mfgr, retailer) I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. Either 10 round or pre-ban are OK if the quality and price are right.

AVP

 

I have one of each. The CZ is my carry gun. 9mm SA/DA and fun to shoot. The 1911 is my fun gun. Lots of match stuff and just sweet.

 

Back in the early 1980's everyone read a lot of sensational stories which started with the Great Guru Jeff Cooper about the CZ75. Cooper's ill fated Bren 10 was a loose copy of it. Well the only originals coming into the country were trickling in from Canada through private purchases or people making private purchases elswhere and having the guns shipped into the States. Due to the fact that Czechoslovokia was still considered communist (like it isn't still today) prevented the importers from bringing in the weapon for sale to the public.

Being told by Cooper and others that this 9mm was the 8th wonder of the civilized and not so civilized world I decided that I had to have one no matter what I had to do to get it. I bought one of the first ever imported into the country when the law was lifted against mass importation of the weapon.

I do like the original CZ75 but am disappointed in the newer versions with the passive firing pin safety. I am told that the sheet metal roll pin that holds in the device often breaks if one does a lot of dry firing with the newer version of this weapon.

I like the original with its traditional rounded trigger guard and I do not care for the squared off trigger guard on the newer models. The rowel hammer I can take or leave. I prefer the spur hammer model.

The weapon balances nicely but not as well as the High Power.

The CZ is a heavier weapon than the High Power.

Accuracy is very good despite the rather rough trigger pull on the standard models. The race guns have superb trigger pulls.

The sights on my original are good but could be made better.

I am concered with the threaded screws that are found inside the frame. So far they have not come loose and backed off but I do not think this was one of the designers better ideas.

The trigger reach is extremely long on this weapon when it is in the double action mode and even though I myself have very long fingers I can just barely reach it to fire it when it is in the double action mode. If you have short fingers you will have to manually cock the hammer back to reach the trigger for the first shot.

I am disappointed that the weapon is made of a casting but if it was not the price would be a lot higher and a lot of people would not enjoy owning one of these very accurate pistols.

I have never had any problem with mine except for the fact that my weapon has an extremely weak ignition system. A high primer will stop it cold. The simple addition of a stronger mainspring would I am sure cure this problem but would also increase the weight of the trigger pull. Some of the other people that have tested this weapon for the gun magazines had the same problem I did with weak ignition. They also had the same problem with weak ignition in a now discontinued pistol the CZ made that was a close copy of the Sig P226. I may be in error but I think the design was sold to South Africa where it is being made today. If one looks at the indentation of the firing pin hit on the spent primer you can tell without even conducting any tests wether or not you have weak ignition. The primer will have only a very light dent in it. It is about the same depth as the weak ignition hits of the Glock, only the Glock of course has a rectangular indentation and the CZ has a round indentation on the primer crater.

I would not discourage anyone from buying this weapon but I would recommend you only shoot factory ammo in it for defensive purposes and check out the factory ammo for reliable ignition before you trust your life to it.

Workmanship is generally good in this weapon but has never equaled that of the High Power even in the original models. This comment does not apply to the factory custom built race guns. They seem to be much better finished and as I have stated previously have excellent trigger pulls. They are also above the budget of a lot of ordinary folks but you do get what you pay for.

I cannot make a fair comparison between this weapon and the 1911. The CZ was originally designed for the 9mm and later upscaled to 45 ACP. If we compare 45's to 45's I will take the 1911 over the CZ. The 1911 has a better trigger reach and is strippable to the frame with no tools. After market accessories are legion as compared to the parts available for the CZ. I think the average person will find the grip of the 1911 fits the hand much better than the fatter grip of the CZ since the CZ was originally designed as a high capacity weapon.

If you want a CZ buy one today because as the standard of living continues to rise in the Republic of Czechoslovokia so too will the price of the pistol. With the large number of plastic and sheet metal pistols now flooding the market the CZ even in its cast form seems to be almost soon to be a weapon of the past. W.R.

 

CZ 75: great ergonomics, very solid, very reliable, very accurate; but the trigger is not as good as a 1911 and detail stripping is much more difficult. IMHO it is an excellent pistol and a real bargain.
I have fired maaany thousands of factory and reloaded rounds in my CZ 75 with no ignition problems whatsoever, and have many friends with the same experience.
WR: Czechoslovokia split into the Czech and Slovakia republics about ten years ago, the CZ factory is located in the Czech Republic (and of course their guns are marked accordingly), their goverment is as capitalistic as the US, perhaps you are mistaking it for the Slovak government.

 

The second centerfire handgun I bought was an EAA Witness in 9mm. It came with two factory 17 round magazines and I bought three more (supposedly) 18 round off-name mags from Natchez and all five have been completely reliable. The gun was $269 and the extra mags were $18 each. I have spent more than this on 1911 GRIPS so it goes without saying that they are probably the best bargain in auto pistols today.

As others have already stated, the ergonomics are excellent, I think <hunkers down> slightly better than the 1911. Accuracy is unbelievable for a pistol in this price range - certainly better than I can hold. A shooting buddy can easily put a entire magazine into 4" at 25 yards with a two hand hold.

The trigger is better on most non-MilSpec 1911s than the CZ but this can be remedied by any of several smiths.

Having said all that, I own one CZ design pistol and seven 1911s. And am always in the market for more 1911s though I have been thinking of getting one of the .45 Cal CZs.

 

Can't really compare the two, it's like comparing apples to oranges. Better comparison would be CZ75 vs. BHP. It is probably one of the best values on the market today. Excellent ergonomics , handling and accuracy. The "far" trigger reach doesn't bother me, as I carry this pistol cocked and locked. Yes the frame is made from a casting, but doesn't effect its strength. The strength of this pistol is outstanding, it has been stated that it was designed to shoot subgun ammo.

 

AVP:

r.e.mags: go to the czforum and look up a fellow who goes by the handle of vonfatman. Last I knew he had pre-ban factory hi-caps for the CZ75/85 at $38 a pop.

Just filled out the paperwork for my CZ85. Very sweet gun. Can't wait for the staties to let me know I can pick it up

 

Yes the frame is made from a casting, but doesn't effect its strength.

I will have to firmly disagree with you on that one. I have worked with castings all my life and given the same heat treatment and thickness there is no casting being made today that will stand up to the beating a forging will take. Sudden impact and even extremely cold temperature affect castings to a remarkable degree. Castings crack and shatter from sudden violent impact.

To be made the equal of a forging the casting has to be either heat treated harder or made thicker and heavier or both.

The casting is faster, cheaper way to make a handgun and it is an inferior product as compared to the forging all things being equal between the two.

I would imagine your CZ and mine will last many years, just don't drop it. W.R.[[

 

"I would imagine your CZ and mine will last many years, just don't drop it."
...yeahh, it will break the concrete floor

 

Mr Romanian: there is a cure available for all the problems you mentioned on the CZ-75: the CZ-85. It does not have the FP safety, so it does not reduce the hammer striking force or screw up the trigger pull (I reduced the mainspring by 30% and have never had a misfire on my 85). It also has adjustable sights and a trigger overtravel stop. As far as weight, if my CZ is heavier than my HP, it could not be more than a couple of ounces. The 85 is either 34 or 36 ounces, pretty typical for an all steel gun. As for trigger reach, I find the CZ optimal for my hand. Personally, I shoot my CZ much more accuratley than my BHP (so I don't shoot the HP much).

 

CZ/1911

I have a 75B, a PCR(compact75variant) and a Colt 1911. I bought the 75B some 3 years ago when I decided I wanted a full-size hi-capacity 9mm, the PCR followed a year later. I have had no complaints whatsoever concerning the performance of either the 75B or the PCR. as a personal preference, I changed out all of my CZ mags with new +5% power mag springs from WC Wolf. The PCR is riding iwb right now. I like my CZ's very much, about as much as my 1911!

 

I GOT IT !!!

Because of the info that I got from you guys and your references, I felt confident enough to buy a CZ. And a special thanks to you bountyhunter. About 2 hours prior to heading off to see my dealer about a 75B, I read your post about the 85 Combat with its adjustable sights and no firing pin safety and immediately knew that was the model I wanted. Dealer didn't have one in stock but it only took him a day to get one, I picked it up this morning . Haven't fired it yet but will in a couple of days. Disassemblied it to oil it because it was rather dry. I'm favorably impressed so far.

I shall forever wonder why they call it a "combat" model. Because of the moniker I assumed it was some sort of short bbl'd DAO type and never bother to read the specs on their website. But it was bountyhunter to the rescue!

AVP

 

Thanks for the info guys, I think I've learned enough that I'm about to spring for a CZ 75B. I'd like to get some extra mags since I've always found 9mm's to be a pain to load compared to .45's

For those of you that find loading the high capacities a pain and who doesn't I suggest you buy a glock magazine loader for about 4 bucks. No they do not fit exactly but they do work and because they are plastic they tend to damage the finish on the magazine body a lot less than using a steel magazine loader. I use my glock mag loader on just about all of my different high capacity magazines no matter who made them. W.R.

 

I will have to firmly disagree with you on that one. I have worked with castings all my life and given the same heat treatment and thickness there is no casting being made today that will stand up to the beating a forging will take. Sudden impact and even extremely cold temperature affect castings to a remarkable degree. Castings crack and shatter from sudden violent impact.

Better not drop your Ruger Super Redhawk on the ground then. It might break into a bazillion pieces.

 

CZ85

congratulations AVP, I think you will be very pleased