I always wanted a CZ-75 but never took the plunge. I am attracted to the traditional profile over the newer railed models. I am confused regarding the nomenclature, different magazine capacities (interchangeability) and differences between the trigger and internals etc.

I'm not interested in any clones, I want a CZ manufactured handgun.

A classic all-steel CZ-75 is what you seek.  If you can find a short-rail, those are the most desirable, but hte most rare.  That's OK, a new production steel CZ-75 is a great gun.  If you want some bling in your life, I find the Stainless Versions strikingly attractive, and I'm not usually into the bling, but damn they look good.



A classic CZ-75 is a DA/SA model, with a good long DA trigger pull for the first shot, so you can carry loaded and ready, safely with hammer down.  Or you can carry cocked and locked (i don't).   Then it transitions into a pretty good SA mode, with a good SA trigger.  At one time they used to have an oil spraying washing mashine rig that would spin the guns and manually cycle and dry fire them hundreds of times, to break them in.  I don't know if they still do that today.

The CZ-75 first became US popular near the same time the 92FS did as well.  Both hold 15 rounds, and weight almost the same.  The CZ though is a much more compact package. The recoil profile is pleasant, as your hand runs fairly high close to the barrel.  Reliablility is very good.  I find they point and shoot well, but being all steel, are of course heavier than polymer renditions.  To me, that's a feature and makes for a pleasant shooting experience.

Good luck, you made an excellent selection.

Definitely all steel, that's the attraction. I own lots of striker fired polymer pistols, I'm interested in this for historical reasons and to admire the metal machining.

What's the difference between the B models, Omega and so on?

Short Rail are the roiginals - and the coolest and most melted looking
Pre-B are the 1980's version, which is the same, but the frame goes all the way out.  
I find the above models the most aesthetically pleasing, personally.

B models are updated versions that still have the original DA/SA classic trigger, but with a firing pin trigger safety, the hooked trigger guard, and most importantly, they updated the metallurgy of the slide-release barrel-pin thing.  The originals eventually break, and the new ones I think last longer.  This is probably what you want, and what is available today.

The omega models I don't know much about. As far as I can tell, they have some different trigger options; and me I'm more of a classic DA/SA trigger guy.  I think they also have options in polymer versions and with rails and such; which isn't my priority personally.

With the Omega, you can switch between safety and decocker...at the cost of a worse trigger pull.

If you know your preference (safety vs decocker), don't bother with the Omega.

Doesn't matter which one you pick. You're going to buy another anyway.

Depends on the application and caliber.  There are four basic types in 9mm:

Classic CZ75 and Shadow series (steel/aluminum mediium/large frame, decocker/safety, single or single/double action)
CZ 75 Omega (can reconfigure from decocker to safety and back)
CZ striker fired (P7, P9, P10c)
CZ Tactical Sport (race gun)



The classic 75s have interchangeable mags, except for the compact (too short).  A full size 75 mag will fit into a compact 75.
The striker fired are unique mags
The Tactical Sport are unique and very expensive mags.

I'm pretty happy with my P01, a compact version with a rail.

CZ-75 is also the preferred pistol of the Swedish Bikini Team  ( you can't make this up; laughed my ass off when I saw this years ago)



https://www.uspsa2.org/sbt.htm

Well that settles it.....

I vote SP01/Shadow variant of the classic 75. Retains (relatively speaking) the aesthetics of the original pistol with a better trigger and an overall higher level of performance.

Truly outstanding trigger out of the box, big capacity, highly reliable, softest recoil impulse I've experienced with a 9mm handgun. You can buy SP01s as decocker DA/SA pistols or manual safety versions that will handle much like a 1911. Add some CGW parts and you aren't far off from a race gun in terms of the trigger in SA.

I have an omega. Trigger is fine and quite similar to my 97b.

I waited years to get a CZ 75.
I had a CZ 52 and a P 07, but I wanted the real thing...

Talk about fucking hammer bite

Yes, I know all about Cajun Gun Works.
But I thought a stock one should be better, than this. Attached File

I have been a HUGE SBT fan, since I found out about then 80 seconds ago.

Attached File

I picked up a 75b with my stimulus check last week. I finally got out to shoot it yesterday and my god, I get the hype now and I understand why so many people shoot them in competition. Shoots soft, fast target acquisition, I can only imagine how nice a Shadow 2 is. Maybe one day My only complaint so far is the stock trigger pull is ROUGH. Has some travel after hitting the wall in SA and its gritty as all hell. I've been looking around to see what the best move is to make it better. I'll probably stone it a little bit and see what that gives me before dropping any coin though.

I have a pile of different brands/calibers of semi-auto pistols.

I carry a CZ.

I'd carry a P01 Omega if the darn P07 didn't just shoot rings around all my metal framed CZs.

In the last few years I've bought M&Ps, XDs and FNS pistols and I end up keeping the P07 on my side.

Carry concealed metal frame - P01 Omega (safeties installed and carried cocked and locked)

General purpose/range metal frame - CZ75B

Want a nicer feeling SA trigger pull?  Get a race hammer from CZ Custom or Cajun Gun Works and install it.  Oh, buy a CGW adjustable sear to install, too.  The shorter hammer hooks on the race hammers change the geometry of the sear/safety/hammer relationship and the adjustable sear allows you to compensate for that.  No adjustable sear means you'll have to modify (remove some metal and do test fitting for function) the cam on the left side safety shaft.

The Omega pistols have different designed internals for the trigger, trigger bar, sear, safety, hammer, disconnector, etc. vs. the traditional CZ75 models.  Not better, not worse, different.  Probably cheaper than the older deisgn, easier to completely disassemble and put back together, and convertible between either decocking levers or safeties.  With the traditional model the internals will be different for a B model vs a BD model.  Wit the Omegas it's just remove the decocking levers and spring and install the safeties.  The rest is the same.  They've got some smart engineers working for them.

I sold my 2x HKs and got a cz75 shadow target 2 which has a sweet ass trigger that just slides when it’s pulled and it’s very accurate.

I also bought 2x P-07 suppressor ready 9mm pistols. They are very nice too.

One of these. Omega, 75b, 75bd so you can appreciate the platform. Both the omega and B series parts are plentiful if you want to upgrade.

No need to break the bank unless you got money to burn. Then you can go for a non-firing pin block model. SP-01 Shadow, Shadow 2, TSO...something like that.

P01 is what you seek

Attached File

I bought a 75B a while back, always wanted to get another after I traded a Springfield Armory P9 years ago. Sent off to Cajun with the instructions to make it like a Colt Gold Cup, a whole bunch of money later I have just that. A “full house” job and a tack driver.

All the "P" series guns are polymer framed but only the P10's are striker fired.

The P07/09 are hammer fired DA/SA guns with Omega style convertible trigger system.

How is the trigger on your threaded Omega? Is it threaded with 13.5 LH European standard is 1/2x28 USA threads?

Trigger on a stock Omega was pretty heavy in DA and it stacked. Easily was around 9-10 lbs in DA. The SA was decent in stock configuration around 4 lbs with some creep.
I went ahead and switched out a bunch of the internals to CGW parts and springs to lighten it up. Also did a bunch of polishing of the internals to smoothen up the action. Also switched to manual safety instead of decocker.
Thread pitch on barrel is 1/2 x 28 RH.  

Anything that's not Omega.

I picked up a TSO with my $1400 stimulus check.

The basic gun is the CZ 75B if you are looking at new ones. DA/SA, manual safety, no decocker so if you want to carry it hammer down then you need to manually lower the hammer to the half cock notch.

The CZ 75 BD is a decocker only model with no manual safety. My first few pistols were FNPs and Sigs so this is the setup I prefer, and what my first CZ75 was.

There are also the Omega models, which as already mentioned are convertible between manual safety and decocker and supposedly have worse triggers than either. Then again, people say the decocker models have bad triggers from the factory and IME they smooth out after a few hundred rounds of shooting/dry firing so take it for what it's worth.

There is the SP-01 which is basically a CZ 75B with a rail up front. The SP-01 Tactical is essentially a CZ 75BD with a rail up front and ambi decocker.

The Shadow 2 is more of a competition gun with a single slot rail in the front. The triggers are awesome.

All of the above use the full size CZ-75 magazines; the ones with the flat steel baseplate hold 16 rounds, the plastic baseplate ones hold 17, and the SP-01 comes with magazines that have a thicker baseplate and hold 19 rounds. OEM magazines are Mec-Gar, and the 16 rounders can be found for about $16-$17 each.

Then there are the compact models:

CZ75 compact: roughly the size of a Glock 19, steel frame, manual safety.

CZ 75D PCR: Similar to the compact, but with an aluminum frame, and decocker instead of a manual safety. Also the slide has a weird cut for the sights.

CZ P-01: This has a normal sight cut like the regular compact model, but has an aluminum frame with a rail in front, and like the PCR is decocker only. They have also made these with a steel frame in the past, and they have also made the P-06 in the past which was really just a P-01 in .40 S&W.

The compact models listed above come with 15 round magazines that will not work in the full size guns (because they are obviously to short). They can all use the full size magazines though. Pre-B magazines are different, and will not work in B models and vice-versa. Both are still available so if you get a pre-B make sure to get the right mags.


The polymer framed P-10, P-10C, P-07, and P-09 use entirely different magazines and really aren't CZ-75 series guns. Tactical Sport models like the TSO (Tactical Sport Orange) use another entirely different magazine that is wider and holds 20 rounds.


The CZ 97 B is a 45 ACP version that uses a Sig style locking block that locks into the ejection port, rather than the 1911 style lugs on the barrel that lock into recesses in the slide like on the CZ 75. I really wish they'd come out with a 10mm version; there are clones made in 10mm, but I want an actual CZ and not a clone.


Lastly, CZ is really bad about making really cool pistols and then discontinuing them all of a sudden. They did this with the stainless guns (which were available in matte or polished), .40 cal guns, Steel frame P-01, and a few others; so it is best to get what you want when it is available because if you wait a year you may be stuck having to source one through the used market.

I lucked into a sp01 shadow target custom a few years ago. A friend from work approached me and said I'm gonna either sell you this gun, or its going to the pawn shop. This was housing market bubble time frame. He told me what it was. I said name your price. He did.

I got a great deal. With the stipulation if I ever sold it, he got first rites. Sadly for him, it became one of the guns I'd never sell. It makes anyone that shoots it look good. Awesome trigger and fit and finish.  Its just a laser.
The only other cz it has produced so far is a 457 pro varmint. That is another awesome gun, rekindled my love for a 22.

I've had a pre-b for over 30 years. Probably 20k+ rounds down the tube. In my younger years I could hold a 2" group off-hand (2 hand) at 25yds. It was/is the most accurate pistol I own.

I had a trigger job done very soon after buying it and have had a Buffer Tech buffer in it for the past 30 yrs.  

Compared it side by side to a B model at the range and noticed the B didn't have as much muzzle flip. Other than that it felt the same.

I'd get a 75B as a first choice. I don't like the added weight of the SP-01 version (40.7 oz vs 35.2).