CZ Range Report

I took the new CZ 75b out to the range today. Kelly was nice enough to come with me and take a few pictures. And I took a picture of her.

I have to admit - my mouth fell agape after the first three rounds from this pistol. The recoil was so incredibly manageable. I honestly could not get over it for a little while. Follow up shots were so easy. The pistol points very naturally. All I had to do was bring it forward and raise it to my line of sight, and the sights were almost always lined up on target.

The picture of me above, and the picture just below this paragraph were taken during my first set of double tap drills. The first picture was taken during the warm-up, and the second after I had become a little more familar with the pistol.

On to triple taps. Two to the chest, one to the head. This is really very easy with this pistol. The weight of the all steel frame really helps absorb the recoil. It doesn't hurt that the pistol is chambered for 9x19, either. This is UMC 115 grain round nose ammunition. I should have put the chronograph on them, but I didn't bring it with me this time. I also need to work on keeping my tongue in my mouth. One of these days I'm gonna bite it off.

As you can see in the picture above, the slide is completely recoiled. Yet muzzle flip is very minimal. Three pieces of brass in the air. Not too bad. And my tongue is where it belongs - behind my teeth.

Accuracy wasn't bad either.

The following is an 8" paper plate that was hung on the target board at a distance of ten yards. These groups were made firing about as fast as I could pull the trigger. The magazine was loaded with fifteen rounds, and the fun began.

Not too bad, really. My shots fall in the center of the target to start with, and then I walk them to the left almost every time. I will have to work on that. And the whole tongue thing.

Kelly got in on the action, too. She put a couple of rounds through the CZ, and you can see by the smile on her face that she enjoyed it.

I think she had more fun with the Browning Buckmark, though. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the range with my wife. Any time I can spend with her is good time. By the looks of things, I may just have to get her a .22 pistol of her own.

The downside?

While the magazine release is easy to reach (even for my short fingers), the magazines would not readily fall from the pistol. I had to grab the base of the mag and pull it out in order to reload. I am not sure how I will handle this problem yet, but when I come up with a solution, I will post it here.

Overall, this pistol has now moved to the number one spot. It ranks above the Browning Hi Power only because it feels better in my hands than the Hi Power does. However, I have ordered a set of slim grips for the Hi Power, and when they come in I will have to compare the two side by side. That will be a post for a different day.

Until then, the CZ will remain on my hip as I go about my business in Texas. It is a little heavier than most pistols on the market today, but one gets used to the extra weight. Especially when the trade-off is performance like this.

So, if you are considering a first pistol, or if you are thinking about adding another one to your stable, you would be well served to go and fondle one of CZ's many offerings. If all steel isn't your gig, then check out the SP01. It has a very similar feel to the 75b, but it's frame is polymer. Fit and finish on both pistols is above standard, and they are both very slim.

Very dependable - at least the first time out. I plan on putting several thousand rounds through the CZ75, and I will report on it as I do.