The CZ autos --

J

jrhilde

New member
I've owned five different CZ rifles and they were very well made and extremely accurate, so I'm already a CZ fan --- here lately, I've been thinking real seriously about getting a new 75B or possibly the 85---are there any CZ auto owners out there that can give me some information such as how comfortable is the grip, how easy to fieldstrip, and verify that what I read about their accuracy is factual --- seems I remember reading awhile back that they are often seen on the pro competition circuit--- there are many sources I could go to but I like reading the feedback from most of the members of this forum---I've learned a lot from this crowd over the years ---
thanks, John
 
Your questions are basically the highlights of CZ pistols. Most people feel one and fall in love (or lust) because they really fit unlike any other pistol in my experience. The stock rubber or plastic grips are wide so someone with smaller hands often ends up swapping to thinner grips. The slide in the frame allows a really high grip that also helps make them soft shooters as well.

To field strip pull the slide back until the lines on the frame and slide line up and then push the slide stop out. The whole slide will now be able to slide out the front the frame.

Mechanical accuracy is very good all across the CZ 75 pistol platform. I shoot my CZ's way better than anything else I own because the accuracy and ergos. I actual look like a good shot while shooting my CZ's.

CZ's and many clone/75 based guns are very popular in many shooting sports. I even use one of mine in local IDPA matches. Part of the appeal is having a partially competition ready pistol available from the factory as well as two companies that tune and make upgrade parts available for sale if you are a DIY type.
 
The only down side I know of--the 75B is a big gun, and the trigger reach DA is very long, and the pull is a bit heavy. If you have smaller hands, the thin grips will only help so much.

Not all the versions have light rails if that's an issue. I like that feature for a home defense gun.

If you have small hands, but are comfortable carrying cocked and locked, one of the 75s that allows this mode of carry would work a lot better.

Mine was perfectly reliable, very accurate, and looked good. The
DA pull was hard to deal with.
 
The grip is comfortable for me. The size may be an issue for some as it's a double-column mag and there's not any real effort to keep the grip circumference slim. There are slim grip panels which can help. You should definitely handle one to see how it works for you.

The CZ pistols I've shot and owned have been very accurate. The SA triggers tend to be good and the guns tend to be pretty tight overall. The combination makes for a very shootable gun with good accuracy potential. The best non-rested group I've shot in the past couple of decades with a centerfire handgun was using another shooter's CZ75. That prompted me to buy my own and now I have two--or rather I have one and my wife has one. :D

I haven't experimented with my second CZ75B, but the first one did not like aluminum cased ammunition. I have since seen other owners indicate that their CZ75 pistols perform best with brass-cased ammunition.

Here's a review that I wrote up when I bought my first one.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244796

Fieldstripping is easy. The slide stop can be hard to push out on a new gun, but that's being pretty nit-picky.
 
Grip size, trigger reach, and trigger pull are all fine. Don't be dissuaded from picking on up. Starting at the half cock notch helps the DA pull, but still it is fine for most. If you do have girlie hands, CGW makes drop in kits to reduce trigger reach, and pull weight. Start with the 75 series, there are many variations.
 
Others have pointed out most pertinent info.

I will add...

The trigger reach can be remedied a good bit with aftermarket parts from Cajun gun works. They are not too expensive, but it is something to keep in mind. Decocker models decock to the half cock notch which helps as well, but there is always cocked and locked if you prefer.

If you feel the trigger is too heavy, a mainspring swap is easy enough. If the trigger is not smooth enough for you, a basic polish job does a lot, or just dry fire it a lot. Polish up the internals and swap the main spring and you have a very nice trigger. Have a good gunsmith do a trigger job and you get an even better trigger. Get aftermarket parts and have a gunsmith work over the pistol, and you have one of the best triggers in any pistol available. It can be competition level, or defense focused.

The pistols really do lend themselves well to being tweaked.
 
I settled on CZs primarily for the ergonomics; the stock rubber grips just felt like they were molded to my hand. As a new shooter, my groups were significantly and consistently smaller than they were with every other gun I tried. I am a DA/SA fan, so that was in my favor too, but I know most people favor strikers these days.

The one negative I have about them is that I do not like the stock sights - I can shoot fine with them, but the dots are too small and difficult for my terrible eyes to pick up.
 
Mosin44az said:
The only down side I know of--the 75B is a big gun, and the trigger reach DA is very long, and the pull is a bit heavy. If you have smaller hands, the thin grips will only help so much.

Not all the versions have light rails if that's an issue. I like that feature for a home defense gun.

If you have small hands, but are comfortable carrying cocked and locked, one of the 75s that allows this mode of carry would work a lot better.
Click to expand...

Mosin44az got all of the downsides of CZ use about right. And nearly all of them can be easily worked around.

The DA first trigger pull is LONG -- a quirk of the DA/SA design as CZ did it, but with the safety-equipped models, you can start from cocked and locked, which greatly shortens the trigger pull.

Otherwise you can start from the "half-cock" notch (which is where all the decocker-equipped CZs start from), safely, and that shortens the trigger pull a bit. It is no less safe. The "half-cock" notich is not really "half-cock " -- closer to "quarter-cocked" but it does shorten the trigger pull noticeably, and lightens the trigger pull a bit.

All of the current CZs (starting with the introduction of the 75B) have a firing pin block that prevents discharges from drops or hammer hits. The firing pin can move forward ONLY if the trigger is pulled fully to the rear.

There are after-market kits to shorten the trigger pull and weight (from CZ Custom and Cajun Gun Works), and the PCR has a curved trigger, which can be installed with any 75-based CZ, that shortens the pull.

The trigger pull can be heavy, but it will smooth up with use and seem less heavy. You can also get lighter hammer springs from Wolff Springs which will make a substantial difference in the trigger pull, while still giving solid ignition with hard primers.

Thinner grips are available from some of the custom grip makers, and that helps with allowing your fingers to reach the trigger more easily.

Unless you're left handed, I wouldn't look at an 85B. It's simply a 75B with ambidextrous slide release and safety. The 85 Combat is a bit more sophisticated, without the firing pin block (which can offer a better trigger, with tuning), an extended mag release, and a straight mag brake, which allows the mags to drop free. The 85 Combat comes with an adjustable rear sight, but that's a so-so thing for most folks. (You find that you don't really adjust the sight all that much, once you find ammo you like.)

And then there's the 75B SA models (in 9mm and .40) which can be made to have triggers as good as the proverbial 1911 -- but they don't often come that way new, out of the box. There are also guns set up for USPSA and IDPA competition, like the SP-01 (with several different models) that incorporate some or all of these features, but you pay more for the extra features. Compact versions of the 75B (the 75B Compact, which has a steel frame and safety), the PCR, which has an alloy frame and decocker, and the P-01, which has a forged alloy frame, a rail, and a decocker, are other variants.

There is also a new polymer line available -- the P-07 compact and the P-09 fullsize guns, with user-changeable decocker or safety, and they have good triggers, out of the box. I've got both steel and polymer CZs, and like them both, and have been very impressed with a used P-07 I picked up recently.
 
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I haven't experimented with my second CZ75B, but the first one did not like aluminum cased ammunition. I have since seen other owners indicate that their CZ75 pistols perform best with brass-cased ammunition.
Click to expand...
I have shot a *lot* of aluminum case Blazer in my 1996 CZ-75B. That was a staple for a long time when it was dirt cheap and I was buying 1000rd cases at a time. Never a problem. I haven't tried any in my new PCR yet though.

As far as grips, I have changed them in every CZ I own. The plastic grips that come on the guns are just terrible IMO. Luckily, there are are lot of aftermarket options.

Everything else about the '75 is great IMO. They field strip very easily. The ergonomics are great. I think the sights are large and very easy to see (I ignore the dots). I actually like the factory trigger. Maybe I just got lucky with mine, but I have 3 CZ-75s and a CZ-40B. Out of the box the DA can be a little gritty, but it will smooth out after a thousand rounds.

I've never seen any need for any aftermarket changes except grip panels and maybe tritium sights.

CZ-75_Box.jpg


IMG_20150411_104839298_HDR.jpg
 
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I bought my CZ 85B used, it had 50 rounds through it. The guy selling it had small hands. He wanted so badly to make it work, but it just didn't.

I always shoot the same stance, free standing, not supported in any way. I experiment with different grips. Now I know the following targets aren't great, I am not saying I am a great shot, but the CZ gives me results that I find are good enough for what I am doing.

These are at different distances, just look at the report to see the distance. All distances are in yards.

I can consistently get these results with the CZ.

New%2BFiring%2BSet%2BReport.png


CZ85B_15_yards_3_and_one_half_inch.png



New%2BFiring%2BSet%2BReport.png
 
If you look at the picture DMK provided of the 75B you will see that the beavertail has a slight downward curve. I have large hands and found that type to not work very well for me. Other models, including the 75SA have the upward curved beavertail. That allowed me to get higher on the gun and didn't put a dent in the top of my hand after extended gripping. I had an old 85B at first and found that I never used the double action capability. I traded it into a 75BSA that had trigger work from the CZ Custom shop and it is one of my 2 favorite pistols. The other is a Les Baer PMII 1 1/2". They are very accurate and ridiculously easy to hit with. If I am going to a match & haven't practiced for a while the CZ is first choice do to it making me look a bit better than I might be at that moment.
 
The 75B beavertail is just bobbed shorter. The problem is probably that the shorter beavertail hits your hand in an uncomfortable way -- leaving the dent! -- while the longer beavertail of the SA (and other models) extends enough not to dig into your hand.

If you get in the mood for another CZ, check out the Stainless models. They're similar to the 75B (I like the matte stainless), but have ambi-safeties and the longer beavertail you find more comfortable.

.
 
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All I know is,,,

All I know is,,,
After shooting many wonder-9 pistols,,,
The one I decided to buy for myself was a CZ-75B.

Look, I have no way of knowing which pistol is the best out there,,,
But I can say with confidence that the CZ-s are very fine guns.

In fact I'll go so far as to say,,,
In my opinion they're as good as anything on the market.

But there's really only one way to know,,,
Go somewhere and fondle one.
 
First Mag Thru 85 Combat

I have nothing but good things to say about my CZ85 Combat. I couldn't believe the first time at the range with it. I was using 124gr handloads .



I later switched the grips for some Marschal Zebrano grips. The finish is the matte nickel.

 
Wow, I had a very busy day and so didn't get a chance to check on this thread til now, [8:30] --- all of you, thanks, this is exactly the information I was looking for---- I've thought of getting one of these for a good while now and you all have made it a pretty clear choice----I'll go ahead and get a 75B, likely change the grips and check back on the thread for reference on springs etc.---- thanks again for all the pertinent info----- John
 
There are a very few "legendary" semi-auto handgun designs over the past century or so... The 1911, the Browning Hi Point, and the CZ series to name a few of the obvious. The proverbial often 'over-used' analogy of a gun "fitting like a glove" in your hand to me explains the exact feeling whenever I hold one of the aforementioned--they make me a better shooter merely because of their respective designs (much like the Beretta/Taurus 92 series as well).

Along these lines, I picked up a Tri-Star Canik s-120 which is literally a carbon copy of the famous CZ 75 for a fraction of the costs.
 
I settled on CZs primarily for the ergonomics; the stock rubber grips just felt like they were molded to my hand.
Click to expand...

The best modification I made to my standard CZ 75B was to replace the cheap plastic grips with the factory rubber grips, which immediately improved the way this gun shoots. Next, I need to modify the sights next, I'll just repaint the dots first, I might replace them eventually. The trigger broke in nicely fore. I feel these are the only things needed to improve this gun!
 
I guess I'm the dissenter here...
If someone handed me a free 75 for combat use I'd be happy.
And I suppose they were a great deal several years ago priced ~ $375.
Not now, not at $550+ no matter how good it fits my hand.

Sure.. they're long wearing, very reliable, good shooting pistols, but so are many others that are much more refined in fit and finish than CZ's.

The things I didn't like about my 75SA:
Thick paint-like finish that scuffs/scratches easily.
Very course machine marks all over inside, some outside and even on the barrel.
Terrible factory grips.
Gritty trigger, awful really, especially offensive for a SA.
Loose/sloppy parts fitting in the safety mechanism.

I didnt like it much at all, didnt see it as a good overall value, and sold mine fairly quick.
 
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