I recently picked up a new CZ 75B Ω; as this version sports a number of differences over the traditional 75B, I thought I'd throw together a little mini-review (with range report to follow).

Changes in the "Ω":
New Omega trigger system; this is akin to the trigger in the P06.
New frame; very similar to a SA frame, featuring a more pronounced beavertail and a flatter frontstrap.
A simple frame-mounted ejector instead of the "ejector cage" of the standard B model.
Extended mag release; same as those on the SP01, AFAIK.
Drop-free mags; the Ω does not use the mag brake of the standard B model.

Standard sights are the typical CZ "luminous" light-charged sights in a three-dot configuration. Grips are standard CZ plastic.

Now, onto my review:

IMO, the Ω greatly improves on the standard 75B with all of its changes. My father owns a standard CZ 75B, which I shot for many years before I moved out on my own. Since then, I had been meaning to pick up a 75 of my own, but never got around to it. I just heard about the new Omega trigger, and when I saw this pistol at a local dealer, I knew I had to pick it up. My cost was $500 and change after tax. The pistol came with the usual two 16-round magazines, manual, cleaning rod and cleaning brush, all in a black CZ hard case.

Fit and finish is quite nice, as to be expected from CZ. There are some very minor tool marks on the interior of the frame and on the bottom edges of the slide, but all within reasonable limits for a brand-new factory-run pistol. The frame and slide are finished in CZ's standard black polycoat. The barrel sports the usual CZ hardcoat/finish/whatever, which, as we probably are all aware, tends to show signs of wear pretty fast (even though it's not really wearing). Rollmarks are generally well done; the Ω itself is struck slightly shallower than the rest of the slide markings, but is still clearly visible. The "Made in Czech Republic" marking on my frame seems to be quite light, however.

The trigger is quite pleasant in both DA and SA modes of operation. I measure the SA break at ~3.75#, which is absolutely excellent IMO. Unfortunately, I do not have a trigger gage equipped to measure the DA pull. However, the DA pull is decently smooth and not very heavy at all. It isn't as smooth as a S&W revolver DA, but it's not terribly gritty either. I would expect it to smooth out even more as time goes on. The SA pull is somewhat long - as to be expected on any traditional DA/SA - but is smooth throughout instead of staging like a SIG. Trigger reset is nice as well, being decently short. One of the most apparent changes to the trigger mechanism itself is that the trigger bar is now single-sided, instead of using a bow-type configuration as on the traditional 75B.

The frame changes are quite welcome to my hands. The pistol points very naturally for me - as much as a standard 75B, if not moreso. The flatter frontstrap is also comfortable; I'm not sure that it's necessarily any better than the more curved frontstrap on a standard B, it's just different. Neither the frontstrap nor the backstrap feature any kind of grip treatment. I will likely be applying 3M SafetyWalk grip tape to both front and back for a little extra purchase.

All in all, I am very pleased with my new CZ 75B Ω - and I haven't even had a chance to take it to the range yet! The trigger mechanism is a definite improvement in my book. In comparing to my past experiences with the standard 75B, I have to say that the Omega trigger system seems to yeild a significantly lighter out-of-the-box pull in both DA and SA modes, and the overall DA travel seems to have been reduced as well - likely due to the use of the P01/P06 style trigger instead of the more traditional style. Some may decry the depature from the traditional stylings, but I am welcoming them, if only for the practical benefits they offer.

Now for some basic photos (I apologize for the lighting; I didn't feel like setting up any extra lights, so just went with my built-in flash indoors):











More (better) photos and range report to follow soon!

Thanks for the photos...
very interesting setup CZ has.

the hammer is from the SP01 Shadow..so the hammer hooks are short and square...ie..no more camming in single action
single sided trigger bar. no ejector housing, etc.

looks like a fair number of small pins and springs are not being used in this design.

look forward to hearing about your shooting session with the gun

Nice looking pistol.  Should be a good choice to an all steel pistol.  I'd get one if I didn't already have a 75B.  Only complaint I had with my 75B was the camming in SA but if the Omega addresses that complaint.  Might be able to get away with no trigger job and just dry fire the crap out of it.  

I just realized why my SP01 had the better trigger out the box.  

Does anyone know if the ambi safety selector from the CZ-75B will drop in?

Thanks for the review.  My boat is pretty close to yours: Dad has a CZ75, and it was always ont he list to pick up my own.  I'll be picking up my Omega this Saturday.

Funny, I'm picking mine up on Saturday, too!

How much did that run you, I just got the CZ-75B for 469.00 new.
Edit:just saw the price paid.

I just picked my CZ-75B up today for 425 out the door pics coming soon!!!

its not drop in..

the hammer is not set up for a decocker..also missing are the internal decocking lever and spring

Thanks. I'll send an e-mail to CZ. I've always wanted to get a CZ, and I like what I'm hearing about this Omega. I prefer condition-one carry, but being left-handed means I need to have selector switch on the right side of the pistol. I had my current carry modified by a gunsmith, but was hoping it would be a bit simpler with this one.



[EDIT] Dang, I guess I'm going to wait for the CZ-85 Omega to come out, since the 85 has ambi safety and slide release. Sucks being left-handed sometimes.  Actually, I'll probably try out a regular CZ-85, just to see how it feels.

I do not see the Omega in my '09 CZ catalog.

Anyone have the SKU # from the box?

it's not in the catalog..

supposedly from a cancelled contract or overruns from the contract.

I like CZ75s, but the 4 Omegas I handled at the local gun store had incredibly horrible triggers, nothing I would call an improvement...

Interesting!

Looks to be 01113. (Full UPC code is 806703011134). Box is marked "CZ 75 B cal. 9mm LUGER" \ "W/OMEGA TRIGGER SYSTEM".

From what I have heard, they are currently a limited-production item.

ETA - Range report to come tomorrow! Been working a little late this week, so I haven't been able to make it out after work; but my scheduling leaves me with this Friday as an off day, so...

Thanks!

I had my Omega out last weekend and put 100 rounds of Blazer brass through it.  100% functioning and a sweet SA trigger pull.  DA was smooth.  My is hitting just a tad high at 20 yards but turned out some impressive groups.  I am 100% happy with it and just need to find a good holster for it.  

Edit - I read somewhere that these were for a Mexican police contract that went bad.  RSR picked up the batch and sold them.  Not sure if there is any truth to it -

As promised, range report!

Ran about 125 rounds through the new Ω this afternoon. Zero malfunctions of any kind - absolutely no problems, other than the shooter (me) having his head up his ass for about half of the session.

Ammunition was Blazer Brass 115 gr. Shooting was conducted at my favorite local indoor range.



Started off at ~7 yd with a bit of "getting to know the gun" (above). This involved a little of everything - DA, SA, slow fire, and rapid fire, all from a standard two-handed thumbs-forward stance. Grouped low, but kept it together.

Took things out to ~11 yd then, at which point my brain seemed to shut off all of the parts dealing with proper, accurate shooting. Just one of those days. I managed to get things back together, but only after blowing through an entire box of 9mm and a bunch of my .45 reloads (I brought along my 1911s to keep the CZ company).

This is the best I managed today at ~11 yd; total 5-shot group size is ~1.56" center-to-center. The inner four shots measure ~1.26".



For my last five rounds through the CZ today, the rest of the targets were all pretty shot up, but I wanted to see what I could do after running just over 100 rounds through the gun to more properly acquaint myself with it. I placed one shot in the corner of the target, and then used that as the point of aim for the following four shots, rapid-fire (as fast as I could re-acquire a sight picture). Total five-shot group size is just over 1.56" center-to-center. This at ~6 yd.



Yes, I know I'm not a great shot by any means. I don't care. As O_P would say, shooting stuff is still fun.

My thoughts:
- Trigger is nice and light for sure. Wish the LOP was less, but it is still a DA/SA gun, so I doubt there's much to be done there.
- The flatter frontstrap is, in fact, very nice. It helps ensure a more consistent grip and naturally orients the pistol in the "proper" position (i.e., not "over-gripped")
- Unfortunately, the frontstrap and backstrap lack any grip treatment. I will be rectifying this immediately with some 3M SafetyWalk tape. (I have found that this makes a world of difference on my 1911s and Beretta)
- While the sights can't hold a light charge worth a damn to serve as true night sights, I seem able to much better (faster) pick up the green dots as opposed to the common white dots on my other pistols.

In addition to the grip tape, I plan on swapping some springs in the near future as well - primarily a reduced-power mainspring to help with the DA pull weight. After some small tweaks, I'll run it head-to-head with my Beretta 92FS (my current 9mm front-runner). It's not fair as it stands since my 92FS has had a number of tweaks (including a drastically lighter mainspring).

Also, I'll be taking some more photos of the CZ itself this weekend.

No, the Mexican CZs are/were 75BD "Police" models. They are also marked, so it's easy to identify those. (And the Omegas are definitely NOT those.)

The current Omega 75B's are supposedly from a canceled LE contract - but there has been zero indication of the intended recipient(s).

CZ-85B is a nice piece.  Too bad Crimson Trace cant fit a laser w the right side safety.

The combat model has better trigger, But as it has no trigger safety, not the preferred cocked and locked piece.  Its more aimed for competition w its adjustable trigger.



Thx for the Review.
I went ahead and ordered an Omega.  Can't wait now.  With $20- transfer Ill tiptoe just over 500-, but... hopefully its a nice one.

Hey given Omega biblical meaning of end you think think...... Nawww not just as the sale peak.    May be sad days comin fellas.  Obama and his buds have their plans too.

.

I've been bugging my local dealer to get one for me from RSR, but so far no luck.  I want one for a ccw piece, as I just got an SP01 that I plan to use in USPSA this year.  And I wear an Omega watch also, so it seems fitting.

hmmmmm that is...... provacitive.

Ok here is my offer.  Pics all around.  Sort of a you show me your piece Ill show you mine. (when we get em)
Lets make this a porn page.  Gun porn that is.

With reviews if you can.

I thought about getting a reduced spring for DA, but the only time I ever shoot DA, is when I'm dry firing at home. Otherwise, I can't justify the cost.

tell ya..if you think the Omega is good now..you should try a CZ with a full action job...
hoping to pick one  up tomorrow..and am going to do an action job on it..

where in Colorado are you??

Why? So you can turn me into the authorities on a false drug charge and steal my guns and ammo while I'm in court?!


Just kidding. I'm in Westminster and only have a CZ75B. I tried to do an action job on my gun. I've only shot 5 rounds out of it since though. It still cams back a little, but breaks earlier and easier. Where are you? Do you post on co-ar15.com?

yep..post occasionally on COAR15.
I'm down in the springs.

if you have worked yours over..good deal..
I just think there is a world of difference between a  factory CZ trigger and worked over CZ trigger.

but then again..I think everything can be improved...

Oh I worked it over, but it was my first time. The gun still runs (apparently) so that's good. I haven't really had a chance to run it through the ringer though.

By the way, on COar15, my screen name is Sturtle, and I have the Budd Dwyer avatar. You may have seen some of my posts, I'm fairly new there.

i just bought one for $450 on sunday and will be picking it up thursday. i didnt know what the omega meant, just that this gun had a better trigger and was less exspensive than the regular 75B's at other tables. this will be my first full sized automatic and this thread is giving me high hopes fo this pistol.

Well, played with an Omega earlier today at the local funshop, and I'll be getting it.  SA trigger in that thing was NICE.

I posted earlier in this thread under my girlfriends screenname, how weird is that?

I have one, was wondering what the little omega sign on the slide ment, thanks for the info

I have never owned a cz, just the witness clones, dont have much to judge on trigger pull over the old ones, but, the SA pull on this thing is sweet. I shot it yesterday for the first time, double taps were easy to do, but I am used to shooting poly frame DAO striker pistols, this is like a target trigger compared to that

Small update:

Detail stripped the frame today. Incredibly simple and easy - just need your hands and a single punch (I used a 3/32"). I would rate it as the second-easiest pistol to detail strip (with the easiest detail strip going to the 1911).

I also just ordered some springs, a FO front sight, and a set of thin aluminum grips from Angus Hobdell / CZ Custom.

Once spare parts for the Omega system become available (which should hopefully be soon, since the P07 uses the same system), I'll try out some ideas I have for a trigger job (which will require removal of the FPB and extensive changes on the FPB lifter). I don't want to try anything as drastic as I have planned until I can get some spares.

sounds great...look forward to what you can do..

I actually ended up picking up a 75B (not Omega) today at the gun shop.  They had both and I was able to compare them side by side.  For what its worth, I actually ended up spending a little bit more money on the regular 75B versus the Omega.  The DA trigger pull on the Omega was significantly heavier vs the original, and the SA was close but I preferred the standard 75B.  Both guns were brand new out of the box.  The safety on the Omega was almost impossible to use.  For some reason it was REALLY stiff.  The guy at the shop said it would probably break in but overall the original 75B was so much smoother I figured it was worth the little extra money.  Other than a few tiny details it was hard to tell the two apart!  Can't wait to hit the range this weekend :-P

WARNING to all others with Omegas:

ONLY USE AFTERMARKET MAGAZINES WITH EXTREME CAUTION.

The 17- and 19-round Mec-Gar magazines may contact the trigger bar spring in a 75B Ω; if seated with any real force, they run a very high risk of dislodging the trigger bar spring from its captive position in the frame, rendering the pistol absolutely useless. Putting the spring back in without a full detail strip can also be quite difficult.

This issue arises because the Mec-Gars begin their taper begin higher than the factory mags - which themselves allow very little clearance to the trigger bar spring - and thus they are thicker at the same height as the lowest point of the trigger bar spring. The leg of the spring which sits in the frame is relatively short, and thus can be easily dislogded if an upwards force is applied directly to the spring. It would seem to me that if this leg was lengthed and the corrseponding hole in the frame deepened, then the problem wouldn't exist. I have modified one of my Mec-Gar 17-rounders by dremeling a small relief cut where it would be tocuhing the spring, and I can no longer replicate the problem with that modified mag.

I have also posted this on the CZ boards - it will be interesting to see if any CZ reps or factory gunsmiths reply to address this issue. (I myself really think that the spring should be lengthed as I said above... the short length captive in the frame now seems really short.)

ETA: Photos...



The key difference in taper between the facotry and aftermarket magazines.



Unmodified Mec-Gar on right, modified MG mag on the left. Basically, you need to create a relieved region directly above the taper line and forward of the center depression.

WOW Thanks for the warning on the Mags!

Did manage to get mine picked up.
Yes the trigger diff is noticeable.  Lighter than the standard crisp break of my 75B.  
SA is Nice. Ligher than my 75B.  DA about the same.
The safety is very light and useable.  Almost too much on mine.


No pics and no report yet.

The extended bevertail while unneeded, is kind of nice.  

Note:  From first look does not look like the 22 conversion will work on it.  Will try an initial fit when I have time.

It does seem more unique than you would think.  I do like it.

The Kadet doesn't fit without modification - the FPB lifter gets in the way. Some people on the CZ boards have already modified their Kadets - just need to mill away a litte at the back to accomodate the lifter, and since the Kadet doesn't have a FPB, engagement doesn't matter, just clearance. Those that have performed this little mod say they run great with the Kadet, though.

Oh, and you can't just pull the lifter. It's a key piece of the Omega trigger system, serving as an intermediary between the trigger bar and the sear. This is also what is going to complicate trigger jobs. Ideally, for comp trigger jobs, it would be nice to have a replacement part machined with engagement surfaces equivalent to the "up" position of the lifter, without the actual lifter portion (this of course would then also require removal of the actual FPB in the slide).

BTW, no new activity on my post about the trigger bar spring on CZF. From the P-07 takedown photos, it appears that their trigger bar spring sits MUCH deeper in the frame than that on the B Ω, and thus they probably wouldn't have the issue - if they could take the standard 75 mags, that is. (If you're wondering why the P-07 is brought up here, it's because it is the other pistol in CZ's lineup with the new Omega system)

i wonder if CZ will start mlling those slots in the Kadet slides from the factory. hopefully the omega trigger becomes a standard option and they do so.

I bought this two weeks ago and just got to the range today, price was $485.00 (+ Tax and Phone call).. I saw them priced at over $600.00 and as low as $520.00 before I found this one..
Range trip today I shot 150 rounds,  4 Types of ammo used with 100% function from the first trigger pull.. Sights are Nutz on and my groups at both 15 & 25 yards were pretty damn good..
I did some homework before the purchase, asked some questions, posted a thread asking for input and I'm glad I did so.. These seem to be excellent pistols with what I think is a very good fit and finish overall.. My Mags droped free perfectly, Safety wipes clean and smooth no prob, S/A trigger is real nice but I did not shoot any D/A this trip.. I will shoot this head to head next trip against my Old TAURUS PT-99 just for shits and giggles..
I am quite pleased so far with the gun and it will be seing more range time very soon..

My 75B Omega has the worst trigger that I could imagine. The smith at the local gun shop has lots of 75B trigger job experience but three frustrating weeks later it's either a bunch of creep of so much slack in the safety that it drops the trigger when you take it off safe. It started with the SA pull that felt as if it had "broke" but only moved the sear part way, safety would not re-engage unless the hammer was again fully cocked to allow the sear to drop back down. My trigger actually had 2 distinct stopping points before it finally fired on the third "break". I wish I had my money back and would strongly urge anybody intrested in a 75B to look elsewhere. By the way I called CZ USA and they offered to take a look at it in 4 to 6 weeks because from what they say, they have dozens of pistols coming in for repair daily.

Sounds like he didn't have the experience you thought - or at least didn't know how to apply anything to the entirely different Omega system.

The Omega can clean up very nicely - a fellow budding CZ enthusiast (and USPSA shooter) just got his 75B Ω back from a basic trigger job. Really just some polishing work and a re-springing. It is quite nice; much smoother and lighter all-around.

One thing that can't be avoided in the Omega system is the extreme LOP and take-up in SA, as this is a result of placing the FPB lifter in between the trigger bar and the sear. Until somebody fabricates a FPB-less replacement, a better-timed lifter, or you decide to hack and pin the factory one, there's nothing to be done there.


ETA - Basically, if you remove anything more than what a good clean/deburr & polish job would do, you're likely going to fuck up an Omega. There's not a ton to work with - the hammer hooks are already short, being a Shadow hammer, and the vital role of the new style lifter eliminates trigger bar to sear interaction. Thus, work must be done on the lifter - but there's nothing really there to work on (again aside from a good polish job). Better tuning would require an oversize (or otherwise dimensionally different) lifter; though I suppose this could be accomplished by welding up the current part, I wouldn't want something like that playing such an extremely vital role in the action.

ETA2 - Trigger job for an Omega = polish job + 13# mainspring. Done.

The light SA is nice, but I've decided that the LOP kills it for me - I would much prefer the heavier but shorter SA of a stock 75B. (Of course, the SA-only triggers are even better for out-of-the-box guns, but I digress.)

Also, I have fabricated a new trigger bar spring for mine. I have not yet had a chance to take it to the range since I swapped the spring, though my replacement has held up to lots of dry-fire practice and will absolutely not interfere with any type of magazine (coming at the expense of a shorter overall spring life; I know that my simple replacement design will fracture and fail long before the factory design would have, but if it keeps working until that point, I'll be happy).

So far I have heard (here and another board) comments ranging from "The NEW Omega trigger is better then SEX", to "The OMEGA Trigger is the WORST Ever"..

I wonder why the huge varience, if these pistols were actually intended for a large contract one would "think" care would have been taken to insure at least a consistant trigger one way or the other?

With only one trip to the range so far I will say that the S/A trigger on my gun is not anything like my 1911.. But I would never expect it to be, it's also not the worst trigger I have ever felt by any stretch.. The Take up seems a bit long and I do feel a little drag if you will but I suspect that will improve with use.. The trigger breaks pretty cleanly and does not feel like it stacks or anything nor does it force me to pull my shots..

After a bit of cleaning, a drop of lube and some dryfiring I will see how how it is then.. Just a thought but I wonder "if" a touch of GUNSLICK might smooth things up?

First this is the first omega he has seen but now has an education, as do I. Before you could pull the trigger partly but not enough to drop the hammer, and the safety could not be put back on without re-fully cocking the hammer. All we were going to do was a polish job but the problem was that the safety had an excessive amount of play allowing it to move slightly in the safe position if the trigger was pulled while on safe, click it off safe and the hammer would fall. We got around this by installind a tripple spring under the lifter bar or safety bar, not sure which one as I'm not the smith, but it eliminated the play issue.  We lightened the trigger return spring a little as well. Ended up so far with a little light of a trigger than I like, abour 2 lbs on the trigger spring and thr hammer falls crisp at 3 lbs. The problem is the last stage seems very light on a carry pistol. Still may be a work in progress as this is not intended for me to be a range pistol.

Springs in the lower half:
- Mainspring
- Trigger return spring
- Trigger bar spring
- Sear return spring
- Ejector spring (provides tension to keep the safety & ejector in place)
- Safety notch spring (part of the safety assembly; this is what "clicks")
- Mag catch spring (though I haven't actually taken my mag catch out - the only thing that I haven't disassembled on my Ω, actually)

Update - The Omega continues to have issues with the trigger bar spring becoming dislodged, thus rendering the pistol absolutely useless. This occurs with all magazines now. I'm beginning to think that something is indeed defective on my gun - perhaps the trigger bar itself - as a fellow shooter who purchased an Omega about week before me hasnt had any issues. He used it in an IDPA match last weekend without a hiccup.

My 75B Ω was sent out to CZ for inspection and repair this afternoon. The gunsmith I talked to on Friday sounded somehwat intrigued by my brief description of the problem over the phone. I'll keep you posted.

Yeah, me too. I've been a longtime CZ fan.

The ironic thing is, after I shipped out the Omega after work, I came home and called up the custom shop to finish getting my order for a TS in.

Yeah but that should be a great shooter coming from the custom shop. I didn't read through the whole thread but what I did see is that maybe the first smith you took it too messed it up and wasn't that familiar with them and now you have to send it back to cz...but like I said I didn't read all the posts so I could be wrong. Which won't be the first and definitely won't be the last time either.