Greetings--
g/f has been shopping for a new postol. She likes shooting our G34 and does really well with it, but the grip is a tad large for her hands.
She's looked at the Springfield XD series, a Kimber Ultra series (a .45), and the CZ pistols.
She likes the Kimber but the $$ is a bit much. The CZ fits her well. Comments on the CZ line ?
CZ tends to work well for small hands if used in the single action mode. It is a very good pistol and has a good reputation. She may also want to try a Steyr M series as they are excellent for people with small hands.
I have two cz's, one is a cz75B, the other is a cz75D compact. Both have been excellent guns, accurate and reliable. Just today we put 400 rounds thru the two of them without a failure one. They now have a 1000 rnds thru them each and I have not had one single FTE or FTF. My wife is able to shoot both of them with no problem and she is small in statue and 62 yrs old. Oddly enough, I thought she would like the compact better but she actually shot the fullsize better. She was able to keep 8 inch groups at 20 yrds consistently. This from a lady who has only shot about 150 rounds thru a pistol. Makes me proud
I don't think the Czechs know how to make a bad gun. Everything CZ that I've ever handled has been first-rate for finish, fit, and quality. I've never heard a complaint about accuracy or reliability, either. And not just pistols: their smallbore rifles are works of art.
Speaking of eastern Europe, I don't know if Poland is producing many current commercial firearms, but their military arsenals had a reputation of being the "German standard" of ComBloc military arms. I've got two Polish rifles (M44 carbine, Wz.48 trainer) that are top-notch, on a par with anything commercially produced.
My carry gun is a CZ75B. It is very accurate and has been reliable, except I have broken two slide stops - the first at about 15k rounds, the replacement after an additional 5k or so. Much of this was factory WWB and the handloads were not "hot" by any means.
The gunsmith (Mike Eagleshield) at CZ told me to keep a new Wolf recoil spring in it, and a shock-buff. I put the shock-buff in at the range but take it out for carry - don't need a possible source of malfunction. I keep a spare slide stop on hand; the part costs about $35, which is roughly 10% of the cost of the pistol.
With this one glitch taken into account, I strongly agree that the CZ75 is a very good choice. If the breakages had soured me on it, I would carry a Highpower or .45 instead.
Love that CZ-75b. What a great little gun. For a long time CZ was one of the best kept secrets in the gun world. Not for much longer. The secret is quickly getting out.
I loved mine! Well made, solid as a rock, and would eat anything it was fed. I couldn't make that gun fail. It's on of the few gund that I really regret getting rid of.
BobCat wrote: It is very accurate and has been reliable, except I have broken two slide stops - the first at about 15k rounds, the replacement after an additional 5k or so.
15K rounds before your first stoppage makes a statement about the quality of CZ. Good pistol you've got there, sounds like a keeper. How long has it taken you to run 15K through it?
It took quite a while - couple years anyway. The range is on my way home from work and I used to be there every afternoon for an hour or so.
I shoot a lot of .22 (in the Kadet top end as well as another .22 pistol) but I would shoot the 9mm top end on the CZ anywhere from one mag, just to keep my hand in, to 100-150 rounds when I felt I needed practice (often).
These days I still shoot it some, but I'm trying to learn to shoot the .45 so that gets most rounds (Springfield - base model; I don't know why people bad-mouth them, it has been very reliable). I put the shock-buff in the CZ before shooting, and take it out when I clean before re-holstering for the trip home.
Anyway, I agree it is a great pistol. I always mention whatever "bad" thing there might be, just to be balanced - most firearms I've had have been trouble-free and a pleasure to shoot.
The CZ75 is the best 9mm under $1000. And it is WAY under that price - less than half usually. I own just one CZ and it is the 97 (.45ACP), but if I were to buy a 9mm today I would get the -75 instead of the Ruger P89 that I got during the Klinton ban. I wanted to be able to get "high cap" mags and that put the advantage to the Ruger.
The gunsmith (Mike Eagleshield) at CZ told me to keep a new Wolf recoil spring in it, and a shock-buff. I put the shock-buff in at the range but take it out for carry - don't need a possible source of malfunction. I keep a spare slide stop on hand; the part costs about $35, which is roughly 10% of the cost of the pistol.
What exactly is a shock-buff ? I'm assuming it is some sort of after market spring or buffering device designed to soften the slide's "bounce" during recoil.
If this device (and a spring change ?) is neede to prevent potential damage, then why would we want to get one ?
It is nothing but a plastic ring that fits on the recoil spring guide; the plastic is soft enough to absorb some energy of recoil.
Recoil springs tend to take a "set" with a lot of use, so they need to be refreshed periodically.
As I said, I'm not "bad mouthing" the CZ75B - if I was disenchanted with it, I'd carry something else. I just feel it is necessary for "full disclosure" to tell the bad with the good.
I broke the hammer strut on a Browning Hipower a few years ago. Bought used, shot a lot, finally the "hinge" where the hammer strut is pinned to the hammer let go. The new part was cheap enough, and I was supremely happy it broke at the range, not in a "real life" self-defense situation.
The point is, I would never bad-mouth the Highpower - too many of them out there, used to good effect for too many years, for one broken part to make me say something bad about them.
So - I mentioned the broken slide stops on the CZ75 not to "warn" anyone that the pistol is unreliable, because it is *not* unreliable! I just felt the need to tell about the worst trouble I had with mine, while at the same time jumping on the bandwagon and saying what a great pistol it is.
Please don't take what I wrote the wrong way. If you get a CZ I think you will be very, very happy with it - I am with mine! Everyone I know who has one is happy with theirs. Just know that everything has a finite fatigue life; nothing lasts forever. If you shoot it a lot, you will wear out springs and may break a small part or so - just look it over carefully when you clean - and that goes for any firearm, carburetor, circular saw, chainsaw, transmission, or whatever manufactured article you want to mention.
The CZ75 / 85 is a great pistol. If you get one, you will have fun!
for a new postol. She likes shooting our G34 and does really well with it, but the grip is a tad large for her hands.
