| Very Shooter-Friendly | Outstanding Reliability The Trademark Of CZ Shadow |
| Written by Jim Tarr | |
| Wednesday, 13 January 2010 | |
 The CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow is an improved, competition-inspired version of the very successful SP-01, with new sights and an improved trigger pull. Shown here mounting an Insight Technologies WX150 LED weapon light, the Shadow comes with three 19-round magazines. (Photo: Jim Tarr) The CZ 75 has not been around as long as, say, the Browning Hi-Power, but it has some similarities. Both are all steel guns, have double-column magazines and were reliable back in an era when that was an oddity. The CZ, however, has a mystique all its own. This was due in part to it being produced in Czechoslovakia, behind the Iron Curtain. Just finding pictures of one was tough enough - finding an actual pistol was even harder. Reduce supply, and demand goes up. That's Economics 101. The same could be said for the Skorpion machine pistol, which was rarely seen on this side of the Atlantic except on the cover of spy novels. CZ 75s were reliable, held just about the maximum number of rounds possible in the day, featured excellent ergonomics and could be carried cocked and locked. The late Jeff Cooper loved the way the pistol, with its distinctive humpbacked grip, felt in the hand and styled the grip of his legendary Bren Ten after it. Luckily for us (not to mention a lot of Central Europe), the Iron Curtain has come down. Czechoslovakia is gone as well, as in 1993 it peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic is the home of CZ-UB, the original manufacturer of the CZ 75. Not only are they still in business, they've expanded and continue to improve their line, including CZ 75s. The American arm of the company, CZ-USA, is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. Hobdell a Pioneer In addition to the original CZ 75, CZ produces rifles, a semi-auto, stockless version of the Skorpion, its new polymer-framed P-07 Duty and the CZ 75 SP-01. In the US, Angus Hobdell was the first professional shooter to use a CZ in competition. He used a standard CZ 75 at first, with good results, but shortly thereafter the CZ 75 SP-01 was introduced and he began competing with that.
 Many companies make holsters to fit the SP-01, and the Shadow has the same dimensions. This StingRay belt holster (SRB) from Blade-Tech is the author's preferred. (Photo: Jim Tarr) "The people who think I designed it just don't know how European companies work," Hobdell said. "They take 2 years to do anything. On Jan. 1 they already know how many units of each gun they're going to make for the year. Getting them to change their production schedule is impossible. "They don't have the flexibility to change the line, plus they're selling to world markets. The only reason the SP-01 exists is that a Special Forces unit wanted CZ-75s with a tactical rail on the front and was willing to buy 750 units." Shadow a Different Story While the SP-01 is a result of the desires of the Spec-Ops community and not those of a professional shooter, the same cannot be said for the CZ SP-01 Shadow. It was adapted from the original according to input from Team CZ shooters Hobdell and Adam Tyc, as well as suggestions from law enforcement, military and police worldwide. To put that in English, they took the SP-01 and made it shooter-friendly. The Shadow features an ambidextrous thumb safety that's big enough to manipulate under stress, and an extended magazine release. The mag release has a strong spring and is not so long it will accidentally get depressed. It has new sights, a no-snag rear with a fiber-optic equipped front and an improved trigger pull over the SP-01 due to two things, a lighter hammer spring and removal of the firing pin block safety. In fact, the CZ SP-01 Shadow has one of the nicest double-action trigger pulls I've ever felt on a factory gun. The double-action first shot is long, but smooth and light (8.5 pounds). The single-action pull broke at 3.5 pounds with just a little bit of creep.
Most
manufacturers "overspring" their guns so they work clean or dirty, with
any kind of ammo, for the life of the gun. The competition-inspired
SP-01 Shadow is not designed to please lawyers or for the firearm
illiterati who shoot at stop signs and refer to magazines as "clips,"
and the result is a pistol that is actually a pleasure to shoot. I carried the Shadow for several weeks in a Blade Tech Stingray belt holster (SRB). Currently this is my favorite brand of polymer holster, as I have not been able to break them while sitting on them in my car on surveillance. The same cannot be said for a number of other holsters, and I am not a fat guy. The weak spot with most holsters seems to be the belt loop, and the SRB's belt slot is sturdy and yet also has a little bit of give to it.
 Angus Hodbell competing at the USPSA National Championships with his Shadow. Note the minimal muzzle flip, due to the design of the pistol, which puts a lot of weight out front and less weight in the reciprocating parts. (Photo: USPSA) The CZ had some extraction issues with the aluminum cases of the Blazer, but I have yet to find a pistol that doesn't, to one degree or another - the aluminum just tends to stick in chambers more than brass or steel. It's great for practice, I just avoid it when there's a timer involved, just in case. The Shadow is only available through CZ Custom, which is the factory custom shop for CZ products in the States, run by Hobdell. The provided grips on the Shadow are black rubber with a slightly tacky feel that provide a good hold. The CZ's grip is not large (even with the thicker rubber grips, it's only slightly larger than a Glock 17), but many competition shooters prefer harder and/or smaller grip panels, so CZ Custom offers thin and thick aluminum grip panels, either smooth, checkered, or with grip-tape inlays. While the all-steel gun is a lot heavier than most 9mms, it's not a Desert Eagle and weighs the same as a 5-inch 1911. Flush magazines hold 16 rounds, and the three extended magazines that come with the gun hold 19 rounds. If you're the type who feels undergunned "only" carrying a 9mm, the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow is a reliable 17- or 20-shot 9mm with a great trigger and sights, designed by World-Champion competitive shooters and SF operators, which can mount a light and be carried cocked and locked. If that's not enough for you, you're doing something wrong. Specifications CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow
Type: Semi-auto Sources
CZ Custom www.InsightTechGear.com 1-877-744-4802 |
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