CZ 75 and 75B Differences

T

tsillik

New member
What are the differences in these two pistols? Sorry for all the questions on these CZ's trying to learn about these before I get one.
 
The 75, often called the "pre-B", is an earlier version. Depending upon how old the pre-B might be, the differences can be aggravating.

  • The oldest pre-B didn't have a half-cock notch, and the hammer was much wider than the current hammer. [I was later told that this was a feature of the oldest "short-rail" models. If so that means I had one (a S-R model) and didn't know it at the time. It was not in great shape, so it's collector value wasn't outstanding. It had a marvelous trigger, however.]
  • Current Kadet Kits can't be used on the oldest pre-Bs because the hammer is too wide to fit in the notch on the rear of the Kadit Kit (to hit the firing pin). There are pre-B Kadet Kits floating around. The later pre-Bs and the transitional models may not have problems using the Kadet Kit.
  • The pre-Bs had a firing pin STOP (a piece at the rear of the slide that is dropped down when cleaning or replacing the firing pin).
  • The oldest pre-Bs also had a different safety mechanism that can't easily be upgraded to the newer design; parts for the old mechanism are very scarce -- and when disassembling, the safety spring (which is coiled INSIDE the safety lever, and must be retained by a pin when the lever is removed) can easily be lost.
  • The finish on the oldest guns were either blued or an enamel finish that wasn't very durable. I've not seen factory finishes other than those two, but there may have been some nickel-plated models.
  • The trigger guard was different, the hammer had a tang, and the grips were different.
  • Over time, CZ introduced the polycoat finish; at first it was better than the older enamel, but easily damaged by some cleaning chemicals. Now it's a very durable finish -- and it's applied over a "parkerized" (manganese phosphate) base coat.
  • The sights on the older CZs were different: the front sight was staked, and the rear sight used a different (narrower?) dovetail than the current CZs. Finding sights for the older pre-B models can be a chore -- and you may have to cut new dovetails and use a staked front sight; getting night sights may be difficult.
  • The slide stop on the older models is different (in appearance), but the newer ones will work.
  • Triggers on the older ones were typically better, and you seldom saw the "camming" seen with current CZs. (Camming means that when starting from the cocked position, the hammer moves a bit to the rear before it drops.)
  • As the guns became newer, the polycoat finish was improved, the finish became more and more hardy, and the sight dovetails were changed. As CZs evolved, they changed into what CZ fans call the "transitional" models, which look like the current 75Bs, but don't have the firing pin block.
  • With the introduction of the "B" models, which means (firing pin Block), CZ did away with the firing pin stop and used a roll pin to keep the firing pin retained in the slide. (A roll or solid pin through the slide near the safety is a sure sign of a 75B or B-series model -- it tells you that there is a firing pin block mechanism in the gun.)
  • For a number of years, we were warned not to dry-fire the B models too much, as dry firing could damage the firing pin retention roll pin. It wasn't a COMMON problem, but it happened. CZ later doubled the original roll pin and, more recently (I'm told) the reverted to a solid pin.
  • Early CZs (including B models) had possibly wimpy extractor springs, and those have been upgraded. You can also order them from Wolff Springs.
  • Early CZs (pre-Bs) had a slightly narrower grip frame internally, and only factory mags could be counted on to work... if they were the older 10-round and 15-round factory mags. The newer CZ mags wouldn't fit near the top of the mag column. (A gunsmith or the owner can open up the top of the mag column with a flat file and make this problem go away -- it's only a small amount of metal that must be removed.)
  • Early CZs used a slightly different barrel (that was compatible) and a different firing pin.
  • Newer models of full-size 75Bs (the SA models and the stainless steel models) have a slightly different frame, which allows the use of an extended beavertail, a reversible mag release, and ambidextrous safeties.
  • After they introduced the firing pin block, CZ also developed a decocker version of the gun. Everything is the same, except the hammer (internally) is slightly different to make room for the decocking mechanism.
There may be other differences that I've overlooked. (This comparison does not address any other changes that were incorporated into the SP-01 and subsequent variants. That frame has a longer dust cover and an accessory rail; one version was polymer.)

Basically the pre-Bs (true CZ-75s) and the 75Bs are the same gun, with minor internal differences. The differences matter if you plan to add things to the gun, but otherwise, not so much.

Most CZ lovers fall in love with the older pre-Bs, because they look svelt compared to the newer models, and often have slick triggers. I was among them, but now will only get a pre-B if I think I can resell it for a profit; I prefer the easiy availability of parts, sights, and a warranty that comes with the newer CZs.

There is a RETRO version of the CZ-75B that looks like the pre-B, but is still a "B" model. I'd love to get one of them.

.
 
Last edited:
Hey Walt, I don't wish to hijack the thread, but your comment about firing pin blocks got me looking at mine. I have a B and a 1/2 inch above the safety looks like where a pin would be, but I can actually see through it. Is this normal? I got it used earlier this year and it works perfectly.
 
baddarryl said:
Hey Walt, I don't wish to hijack the thread, but your comment about firing pin blocks got me looking at mine. I have a B and a 1/2 inch above the safety looks like where a pin would be, but I can actually see through it. Is this normal? I got it used earlier this year and it works perfectly.
Click to expand...

Perfectly normal. Roll pins, as marine6680 notes, are pieces of steel formed into tubes, with one part of the side open (where the edges would meet). These "rolled" pins compress as they are inserted to keep things tight. (In a way, they're sort of springs as well as pins.) Solid pins sometimes need to be "staked" or struck with a tool to spread the end a bit to hold them in place.

The original Bs had a single roll pin. Then CZ put a roll pin inside the roll pin to give it some extra strength. I understand they're now using a solid pin in the same position, but I've not seen one of those, yet.

I used to laugh at the guys who said you could break a roll pin by dry-firing, as I had dry-fired countless times with my 75Bs without problem... and then I got a new 40B (which is basically the same gun with minor changes), and busted the firing pin retention roll pin with a few hundred dry-fires. Happily, my local hardware store had a proper diameter roll pin, which I cut to length with a Dremel. I was out of action a day. I got some spares, but never needed them again.

.
 
Last edited:
There are dedicated SAO CZs... Those are labeled SA, as most CZs are DA/SA.

I believe they call the retro... The "retro model"... But they have some commemorative models that have the older look to them as well. There was a Soviet model that was for the fall of the Soviet Union.

Walt will know any others.
 
publius said:
Which model is the single action and what is the "retro 75" called?
Click to expand...

marine6680 got it right: There are two single-action models, one in 9mm and one in .40. As noted above, they have slightly different frames and slides, but it's no big deal.

Any CZ can be converted to SA pretty easily by removing the disconnector. If you do that, it makes sense to change the trigger, too. (But, unless you've got an 85B or 85 Combat, you probably can't make use of the larger safety levers -- as they're intended for a ambidextrous frame.)

The advantage of the dedicated single action models is that they come with several different trigger options, one of which can be adjustable for take up (how far the trigger must move before it starts to release the hammer) and over-travel (how far it goes before stopping.) Properly tuned and adjusted, with the firing pin block polished or removed, the SA CZ's can have very, very nice triggers. If you're not into cocked & locked carry or starts, then the decocker models, with trigger/action work done, is probably a better option. CZ offers only a couple of full-size guns with decockers.

The SA models have much larger, easier to use SAFETY LEVERS, too. Their adjustable, straighter triggers can't be used in a DA/SA model -- they just won't work in DA mode -- as you need more take-up (forward movement) for the trigger to go far enough forward to activate the DA mode... which isn't necessary for a gun shooting SA only.

The RETRO models have been advertized on several websites over the years, and I saw mention of a recent offering; you'll just have to shop around. The differences are basically "looks": different trigger guard, hammer, and slide stop lever.

There may be other, different models out there, but I'm not as famliar with the newer stuff as I am with the guns introduced before 2005 or so. And, as mentioned above, there are other variants, many on the SP-01 frame, available in Europe that we don't see here in the States.

The "end of Soviet rule" (not the proper name) commemorative model was a pure marketing gimmick: it had a RED STAR on the slide, and a hammer & sickle. I say gimmick because the CZ-75s were NEVER used by any Soviet Block military (except, maybe Soviet Spetsnaz troops in very limited numbers); the 75s were originally made for export to the West. (The West's general embargo of Soviet products limited their sale to a few countries.) The 9mm Parabellum round was also never a Communist Bloc/Warsaw Pact-used round, and even the excellent CZ-82 (which used the Eastern Bloc-standard 9x18 round) wasn't used outside of the Czech military.

That "red star" commemorative was a gimmick from CZ's Marketing, and those model models were offered at somewhat lower prices, so some folks buying them got some good CZ-75Bs at bargain prices.

CZ also offered a bayonet that would mount on the CZ accessory rail, too -- and it sold a lot of them, but was clearly a novelty item.

.
 
Last edited:
To hear you talk about the SA models... Makes me want one.

I like my current ones, and a good polishing and slight reprofiling of the sear reduced the camming... The triggers are pretty nice now... I'm sure swapping the parts for some CGW stuff would make it even better.

And that may get the triggers to a point of sublime that limits the SA appeal...
 
Marine, I've got an SA model and love it. The trigger on mine was great out of the box, with just a TINY bit of camming. I've been considering a trigger job on it, maybe a kit from Cajun Gun works. It's one of the sweetest shooting pistols I've ever shot though.
 
ozarkhillbilly said:
Not to hijack the thread but how is the BD model, I have only shot the 75B but would kind of like to have the decocker version.
Click to expand...

Except for the decocker mechanism, the guns are virtually identical. (The BD has the decocker mechanism and no safety -- and one less hammer hook [to make room for the decocker]; except for that, the parts are the same.)

The safety-equipped 75B can start from full hammer down, from the half-cock notch (or with the safety on) from fully cocked. All subsequent shots are single-action, with the hammer cocked by the slide.

The decocker models (BD, among them) starts from the half-cock notch (which is where the decocker drops the hammer), and all subsequent shots are single action. You can, of course, thumb cock the hammer or rack the slide to start...

Except for decocking, and the first shot, you shouldn't notice much difference.
 
You can convert the DA/SA 75B (and others) to SAO with parts from Cajun Gun Works or CZ Custom. Or just buy an SA 75. :D
 
Pilot said:
You can convert the DA/SA 75B (and others) to SAO with parts from Cajun Gun Works or CZ Custom. Or just buy an SA 75.
Click to expand...

Can't do that SAFELY with the decocker versions of the DA/SA 75Bs, however. (At least that's my understanding -- and the parts needed to install a safety, if it can be done, would be pretty expensive and might take some costly gunsmithing.)

For the safety-equipped models, you can just remove the disconnector, (part #17 in the manual) and then it's SA only... But adding the two-way adjustable trigger makes sense, too -- to get rid of unnecessary takeup.

If you do convert to SA, then doing something to enlarge the safety lever would be nice. I don't think you can use the SA versions, as best I can tell (as they're made for an ambidextrous gun.)

Or you can just start from cocked and locked, and forget DA function. ;)
 
When did they switch to the ugly square trigger guard?

It looked so much more classic, like a bhp with the round one. A tip of the cap to John Moses Browning.
 
That's why I just got a 'Retro'...
Round trigger-guard and spur hammer... beautiful!!
And Yes, that's why JMB was a design genius...
There aren't many pistolas that have the clean, beautiful lines of his Hi-Power!!

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top