CZ-75BD Opinions?

M

Martowski

New member
What are your opinions regarding the CZ-75BD? I think a lot of the CZ-75 features are very nice (slide to frame interface, trigger mechanism, etc.), but do not have the need to carry a gun cocked & locked. I would like another 9mm just to do some informal paper punching with and to keep as a home defense weapon. I already own a Hi-Power, but the process of lowering the hammer on that (and, for that fact, on a CZ) makes me a little apprehensive about using it in home defense.

Anyway, what are your opinions regarding the CZ-75BD versus other 9mm double actions with a decocker? Also, does anyone know if the Kadet kit will work on the BD model?
 
I've got one and it's one of my favorites. Like you, I wanted an alternative to cocked and locked carry. The accuracy is noteworthy. The trigger is nothing special, but is not heavy and has improved with use. The pistol appears to be very durable and has fed all types of ammo with no jams. For the price, the CZ line can't be beat IMHO.

Don't know about the conversion kit.

Good luck,

Ledbetter
 
Hello. I've not tried the decocking model of the 75, but have several early 80s pistols that have been shot quite a lot and carried more than a little. In short, next to the HP, they're my favorite 9mm handguns. While I much prefer single-action and carried my CZs cocked and locked, many, like yourself, prefer not to. For me, the CZ's smooth DA first shot is fine, but does require long fingers to properly attain one's grip and finger placement. Again, while I prefer SA semiautos, I think perhaps too much is made of the "difficulty" in using a DA/SA. In the real world, I've witnessed more than one situation that was neatly solved with such pistols and when more than one shot was fired, all hit! If you like the pistol and it's right for YOU, buy it and don't look back. I find the CZs accurate and very reliable. Best.
 
"I already own a Hi-Power, but the process of lowering the hammer on that (and, for that fact, on a CZ) makes me a little apprehensive about using it in home defense."

Why would you want to lower the hammer on a loaded HP? It's meant to be carried cocked and locked. I know some folks like to carry the hammer down on a loaded chamber and cock the hammer when ready to fire. I find this practice unsafe compared to cocked and locked. If not carry Israeli style, loaed mag in pistol but empty chamber. Work the slide when ready to fire.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
There are a couple of reasons I would want to lower the hammer on a handgun:

1. If I'm out plinking and have shot a group and want to cease firing for the moment, but don't want to hassle with ejecting the magazine and loaded round in the chamber every time.

2. Say, in a home defense situation, that I load my weapon but do not want the "touchiness" of a single action trigger. I'll want to lower the hammer so that I can use the handgun (like, say, a CZ-75BD) in double action, but not risk an AD by trying to lower the hammer manually on a loaded chamber.

Let me state, once again, that I am not comfortable with condition 1 carry, nor do I want other, less experienced, people who might be shooting my handgun at the "range" (such as my wife, friends, etc.) have an AD by trying to lower the hammer on a loaded chamber. I, personally, do not see the time when I will ever need to carry a handgun in condition 1. I'm not knocking those that do carry weapons in this fashion, but I do not feel its necessary in any of my situations. 99.9% of my shooting is informal plinking while walking out in the woods on my farm (or shooting at paper targets), and I do not see the need to carry a weapon in condition 1 either of these situations.
 
Martowski,

I'm not questioning why you would want to lower the hammer on a pistol. My post asks why you would want to lower a HP's hammer on a live round.

On a HP all the reasons you state are negated by cocked and locked. If you're plinking and you want to make the pistol safe just lock it. You're in a home defense situation and the danger has passed, just lock it. No reason justifies the necessity of lowering a HP's hammer on a live round. If you want to make the pistol completely safe remove the mag and empty the chamber. I don't subscribe to lowering the hammer on a HP. One of my buddies had an AD this way. Despite him being a seasoned HP man he still shot himself in the thigh while lowering the hammer on a live round. He missed the femural artery by a mms. CZ75s (except the earliest version) have a half cock notch that's meant to prevent an AD when lowering the hammer on a loaded round.

I agree that if you don't want to manually lower the hammer on a live round the best thing to do is to get a pistol with a decocker, whether that be a CZ, Beretta or SIG Sauer or whatever pistol fits your hand best.

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So many pistols, so little money.

[This message has been edited by Tecolote (edited July 04, 2000).]
 
I guess the basic issue is that I, personally, don't feel 100% comfortable with a handgun in Condition 1 carry. I like the Hi Power and, on occasion, do carry it in condition 1 while at the "range" (I always put the word range in quotes, because it's more of an open space with a target stand at my farm than an official range). However, I'm also concerned with other people that may be using my handgun (especially people that have possibly never fired an autoloader before). I would feel a lot more comfortable telling them to just hit a decock lever than having them engage a manual safety and carry a handgun cocked & locked. I guess I'm just used to decockers and having a manual safety is taking some getting used to.
 
Martowski,

You're right to get what you like best. Still, as I'm sure you know, when around people with little or no training, guns must be completely unloaded unless they're under your immediate superivision. I always remove the mag, unload the gun, remove ammo from the area, and leave the action locked open. You can never be too sure.

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So many pistols, so little money.

[This message has been edited by Tecolote (edited July 05, 2000).]
 
Hello again,

The decocker on the CZ-75 BD lowers the hammer to about "half-cock." This significantly lowers the amount of force needed to pull the trigger from the initial double-action position. This is the position it is meant to be carried and stored in, as far as I know. The decocker is not a "safety-decocker," there is no manual "safety" nor is there a safe-indicator.

The hammer cannot be lowered completely with the decocker, and I am not sure if this would be a safer mode of carry anyway, since the half-cock notch is bypassed and the hammer would be very near the firing pin.

There are other 9mm pistols which do have a safety-decocker, which will fully decock the pistol and put it on "safe" with a safe indicator showing. One is the FEG P9 Mod. 94, which is made in Hungary and imported by Century Arms International.

Good luck finding the pistol that suits your needs.

Ledbetter
 
Thank you. I used to have a Taurus PT-99, which could be carried cocked & locked or decocked. I often wonder why more handguns don't have this option, as it would seem to be the best of both worlds!
 
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