Does anyone here have any experience with this particular model from EAA? I've heard it is copied off the Sig Mosquito, but you have the option of either 9mm or .40.

Believe they been availbe before the Mosquitoe came out.  Loosely based on the SIG with the Browning locking system.  Controls are more ambi than SIGs.  Haven't heard anything bad about them, just not main stream.  I've always wondered if SIG mags will fit in them as I've got a bunch of those in 9x19.

CD

Yeap the Zastava CZ99 series has been out for 20 years.They had a limited import in the early 90's through TD Arms.Charles Daly imported them as the ZDA which was basically the CZ999 Scorpion.The lastest generation is the EZ9.There were some licensed copies made such as the Golan and TZ99 as well.
Here is a bit more reading if your interested:

http://www.cz99.org

So,I personally picked up one of the Zastava EZ9's a couple weeks ago on a impulse buy while surfing through gunbroker.Price was $325.00 NIB so I had to try one,but was not expecting much to be honest.
Needless to say I was shocked when I picked the pistol up at the local gunshop.

Machine finish overall is very close to the quality of  my SIG's and Beretta's .
The frame is verywell machined and finished which appears to be powder coated or epoxy paint.Likewise the slide is very well machined with only a few light mill marks on the inside non-bearing surfaces,the exterior is smooth and is parkerized.
The barrel is hard chromed inside and out and is probably the nicest barrel Ive seen to date on any pistol,much less one in this price range..
Also of note,the recoil spring is a braided strand type similar to the factory SIG spring only a hair shorter(maybe two coils).
All parts have proof and inspection stamps throughout.Some areas like the magwell have electro-pencil inspectors marks/numbers.
As far as the trigger, DA pull is typically long but very smooth with no gritty feel.SA is as smooth and crisp with only a slight amount of takeup.Overall I'd rate the FCG as excellent.
The ambi controls are well placed and extremely functional.I particularly like the decock and slide release being the same lever...simply idiot proof.
Field strip is basically like a SIG 226(including locking block removal)...extremely simple and straight foward..

Only complaint I had was the magazines are kinda cobby with rough edges(looks to have been finished with a grinder and then wire brushed) at the feed lips that,for me, required a bit of light file work to dress the area up a bit.Regardless the magazines were 100% functional so cosmetics aside they are GTG.
I did convert a couple Beretta 92FS Mecgar mags to use in the EZ9 by drilling the correspnding hole for the mag catch in the front of the mags....ten minute job...that alone smooth the feeding dramatically.

Now other than the exterior cosmetics of the EZ9 resembling a SIG,the similarity ends there.The parts and design of the EZ9 are similar,but completely different than a SIG.
The picture above is a bit also a bit different than the current EZ9 from EAA.The EAA EZ9 has a wider round hollow center hammer similar to that seen on 1911's,rather than a spur hammer.Im told that the hammer was changed to a round and wider profile due to preferences here in the U.S..

As a note Zastava packs the pistols in the typical red cosmolene they seem to use on everything.Considering that the frame is powder coated or epoxy paint I decided against the usual Gunscrubber bath and substituted it with CLP aerosol which worked extremely well at cutting the grease right off.However,I apparently missed some of the cosmolene in the firing pin channel.Intial test fire rendered a click on several attempts.Ejected the round and noted that it had no primer strike.Me thinks Murphy had caught up to me,and then I noticed the case head and primer was covered in a film of the red grease.
Cleared the pistol and dry fired it a few times,wiped the expelled grease from the slide face and reloaded the weapon and it fired.Note to self,hose out the firing pin channel extremely well on Yugo guns before use..
200 rounds of TCW 115gr. without a hitch.Printed a nice 2" groups consistently at 25 meters.Went back the next day to test the Beretta mags with a mix of a couple hundred rounds of hollow points and FMJ...pistol never missed a lick.

Needless to say Im extremely pleased with the pistol and its quality.
IMHO the pistol is overlooked,underpriced and is easily a $500.00+ plus pistol....definitely deserves more recognition/attention than it gets.
That said,the dealer I purchased from said the pistol I got was part of a 2009 dealer promotion,once they are gone the prices will be higher.
So I'd say get one while there are still some under $400.00.Ive seen the prices creeping up to $450.00+ on gunbroker in the last week.


ETA link

Wow, thank you for your write up. That was very informative. I've never heard anything bad about EAA, and your post just confirms the idea that I need to get my hands on an EAA.



 

To be honest Ive never owned anything from EAA until now.Ive been shooting 1911's,SIG's and Beretta's for the last 30 years,so this is the first time Ive strayed out of the mainstream weapons.Well thats not true,I purchased a Ceska Zbrojovka 97B in 2004...great gun too.
That said,I collect Yugo Mausers among others,so the name "Zastava" is what intrigued me.That place has been making weapons since the mid 1800's.
http://www.zastava-arms.rs/cms/index.php?id=324
As far as EAA customer service goes,my experience with them so far has been excellent.I ordered a bag full of spare parts/springs for the EZ9 and I had them in my hand in less than a week.Very helpful and kind folks to deal with,at least in my experience so far.
So yes I'd recommend getting one of the EAA Zastava EZ9's...great little pistol so far.

+1



I will add that the CZ99 has the loaded chamber indicator also.

from what i understand of the CZ05, as in your pic, the differences are in the rail and the new CZ05 has some type of mag round count where the user will know if 3 or less rounds are available.  thats about all the diff that i know of.

i have the CZ99 and i got it since, to me, it appeared to be better in function then the SIgs.  I will still get some Sigs tho.  But i really like the concept and funciton of the ambi/combo slide release/decocker.   eventho im not a lefty, the dual function lever is so cool.

also, mine has tritium sights.  dont know if they still work tho.

Yeap I completely forgot to mention the unique LCI.
The EZ9 also has the firing pin block just as many other modern pistols.
Also you may want to use small diameter o-rings under the grip screws to prevent the screws from loosening while in use.I believe the o-rings I used were #60.
The grip screws are not installed with any type of lock washer and they start walking loose after about 100 rounds.


22LR,
Is your CZ99 one of the early TD Arms imports?
Those are the only one's Ive seen mentioned with night sights.

Waffe98,

Its a BRNO USA, Rocky River Ohio, import

22LR
Nice.I have not seen one with that import mark/importer online yet.Good to add to the history.

Great thread! I have been looking for a "go to war" type pistol and keep coming up short on funds for a Beretta or Sig. I saw this for $450 today and didn't know anything about the model. I know the brand name and that it's very decent but that's it, and I'm NOT big on clones (taurus's fault). Now, save for a couple questions, I must have one.

1. Where do I get mag conversion info?

2. Will Sig night sights fit, or does anyone make some?

3. Not overly optimistic here, but will a Sig .22lr conversion kit fit for cheap practice?

4. Do for the most part Sig holsters fit the EZ9, or is it different enough to screw me?

Keep in mind the brand name is really Zastava,so base your opinion on the fact that Zastava is a true manufacturer with a long history.
This is a high quality military grade pistol IMHO,with a unique and robust design that is 20+ years old........its not a recent bargin bin clone.

The mag conversion is discussed on the CZ99.org forum which is linked above.
Its basically mark the "D" catch notch on the Beretta mag with careful measuring and cut the hole.I'd advise to make certain you get the "D" notch just low enough on the mag to make small adjustments to fit perfectly.....,and don't rely on what the factory mag has in measurements.Ive had some issues with the Zastava mags that ride too low and do not reliably lock the slide back.Its pretty straight foward overall though.
Otherwise just clean up(degrease and deburr) the factory Zastava mags and use them.If you buy them in 3-5 packs the prices are not too bad.
If you get a mag that does not work,then return it to EAA and get a replacement.The factory Zastava mags are very robust,and are heat treated as Im sure you will see if you try to deburr the feed lips with a hobby file as I did.The Zastava mags IMHO are similar quality to say an AK mag....kind sharp edged with a brushed finish but durable and functional..

None of the SIG parts,including sights or conversions work on the EZ series..Other than the external appearance and a somewhat similar design of some parts features/function,its a completely different animal.In such I don't think it even qualifies as a SIG clone or copy IMHO.

As far as holsters,its hit and miss on how the EZ will fit a SIG specific holster.Best advice I can give is to take the EZ to a gunshop that has a selection of holsters and try them out.That said Ive read that a holster for the SIG P228 and Springfield XD works.
Im personally using a Blackhawk thigh rig(fits all my pistols) and a used Galco Fletch made for a S&W SW99.
The EZ is a bit wider and thicker than the P226,and the ambi controls also make the pistol difficult to fit in some holsters due to additional width.Again I'd just go and try on some holsters.

Thanks. Now I'm torn. I know I could probably either find night sights, or drill in some vials myself, but I really wanted a pistola with a .22lr conversion. This does look like a very high quality piece for the money though.

22LR mentioned above that his CZ99 has night sights,so they were available at one time.I personally don't use night sights,so I have not researched them in any regard.
All of my firearms are dedicated calibers,and Ive never had or used a conversion kit,so again I can't be of assistance.

Got to fire one of these today.  It was a CZ999 Scorpion marked model and ate about 400 rds of M855 Ball without fail.  Looking a the mags seems you could also convert a SIG 226 mag to fit.  I've used SIG mags and vs versa with Beretta 92s.  Both will require modification to the mag catch as mentioned.  

Started the day off at 0600 with about 1000 rds of 7.62x39, couple of shorty AKs, 14" 870, 1000rds of 5.56mm for a M4 and 700rds of 9x19 for the CZ999 and a M9.  Three of us finished up before 0800.


CD

And you didn't invite me? j/k! Thank you for your service. Stay safe over there, and keep your head down.
Thanks for all the input everybody!



 

Yeah,from what Ive read the SIG 226 mags will work as well but require more modification than the Beretta mags.
Specifically the slot in the SIG  magazine body for the slide stop will have to be widened and lowered slightly.And the slide stop shelf on the follower has to be lowered or the slide locks back too early.
The Beretta mags only have to have the mag catch hole relocated....so thats the route I took.
Ive also found that the beretta 92FS mag springs and followers work fine in the Zastava 15 round mags too.
That said I had EAA replace mag that did not work,and the quality of the current Zastava mags has greatly improved over what I received with my 2009 model EZ9.So I will likely buy more as replacements are needed.
Otherwise I have a couple Beretta 92FS,so modifying the Beretta 92FS mags to also work in the Zastava EZ9 helps with my logistics.

Stay safe over there CD.

Hate to bring back an old thread,but the EZ9's are back under K-VAR's label..Looks like they will offer the .40cal. as well as a compact.Prices remain about the same which is good to see.
Pleased to see this since after EAA dropped the EZ series last year I was concerned about parts and mags.
http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?productid=17828&cat=444&page=1

From what iv'e read and heard they are greeat, reliable and inexpensive full size pisols.
Also SIG mags won't fit without modification.
I too am looking for one of these. Any idea what the used price is about now-a-days? Back in 2007 they were about $300 new and $235 used.

Beretta 92FS mags work best as they are easier to convert,requiring only the mag catch hole be relocated to the front.Takes about ten minutes of work.The 92FS aluminum floor plates may fit tight around the grips bottom edge at the magwell, requiring a bit of sanding of the grip panels bottom edges.I only use the stamped steel floor plates so its not an issue.

The SIG mags will need the mag catch hole relocated and the follower shelf for the slide stop has to be modified as its too high and causes the slide to lock back on last round.Takes a bit more effort but they work.

As far as used,have not seen many for sale.I do know CDNN had what was left of the EAA models on sale last month.That said K-VAR has a very decent NIB retail price on the EZ9,so it will likely cause the  EAA models(particularly used) to drop in price.They already have the factory mags in stock and will have parts available.So logistics should be greatly improved this go around.
Cheaperthandirt,CDNN,Impactguns and Midwayusa has the EZ9 factory mags also..

I talked with ISMI gun springs last year about making some replacement springs for the EZ series,and he is considering it for a future project.

There are a couple grip manufacturers,both overmolded and wood,considering making grips for the EZ9,but nothing confirmed yet.