Tag Archives: CZ

CZ Shadow 2 Carry, a Deep Dive After 2,000 Rounds

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The Shadow line, originally based on the CZ 75 SP-01, has been a top choice in competitive shooting since winning the 2005 IPSC World Shoot. The well-reviewed Shadow 2, launched in 2016 with improved features and an optics-ready option in 2020, is now widely used by leading IPSC competitors, including Eric Grauffel.

In response to demand for a lighter model, CZ released the Shadow 2 Compact in 2023, featuring a 7075-aluminum frame, 4-inch barrel, and 15+1 magazine capacity on a gun that was about a pound lighter. Both versions offer textured grips and smooth trigger action.

full-sized Shadow 2 and Shadow 2 Compact side by side
Testing both models, the full-sized Shadow 2 and Shadow 2 Compact side by side in Czechia at CZ’s range in 2024, revealed impressive performance that differed little between big brother and the new kid on the block. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

As the Shadow 2 Compact is based on a DA/SA competition gun, there’s no firing pin block plunger system, which can be a pucker factor for some, being drop-safe if carried with a round in the chamber. That led to the Shadow 2 Carry, which retains everything folks loved about the S2 Compact but deletes the manual safety lever in favor of a simple de-cocking lever, while adding a safety notch on the hammer and an automatic firing pin block.

Additionally, it features a direct mount with a K-series footprint, while retaining excellent sights, unlike the universal plate-based optics pad on the Compact, which requires removing the rear sights. The magazine release has also been made shorter, more akin to that on the P01– something we complained to CZ about directly back in 2024 on the Shadow Carry, so you are welcome.

CZ Shadow 2 Carry
Boom. The CZ Shadow 2 Carry as made in Europe for the U.S. market. As you can tell from our installation of a Holosun 507K, it is optics-ready (but doesn’t ship with one). 
CZ Shadow 2 Carry
The new CZ Shadow 2 Carry has a 4-inch barrel, giving it an overall length of 7.5 inches. All the dimensions are a 1:1 comparison with the Shadow 2 Compact, which means you can swap barrels, many internals (not controls), and holsters. 
CZ Shadow 2 Carry
The width over the ambi decocker is 1.5 inches, while the height is 5.4 inches. 
CZ Shadow 2 Carry compared
As you can see, when compared to this early 1980s CZ75 “Pre-B,” it carries forth the same lineage that has been the benchmark for the company’s 9mm family of semi-auto pistols for over 50 years. 
CZ Shadow 2 Carry compared
Including the low bore axis and gliding internal slide rails. 
CZ Shadow 2 Carry compared
And the overall grip angles and feel. People love the classics, man. 

Quick summary: CZ responded to those who wanted a safe-to-carry Shadow 2 Compact with the same race gun lineage known and loved for generations, and the resulting Shadow 2 Carry delivers on that promise, blending style, performance, and dependability in one platform.

For the full 2,500-word/30-image review, head on over to my column at Guns.com.

CZ? Czech! Company Grabs $205 million Czech Army Contract

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The Prague-based Colt CZ Group announced this week it had signed a new agreement with the Czech Ministry of Defense running through 2031.

The 4.26 billion kroner ($205 million) contract covers BREN 2 rifles, P-10 C pistols, GL 40mm grenade launchers, and a wide range of accessories, including optics, spare parts, armorer kits, holsters, and cases. It expands on a relationship that goes back to 2011, when the Czech Army began replacing its Cold War-classic vz. 58 rifle with the original CZ 805 BREN.

CZ is supplying the Czech military with the bulk of its small arms needs, from 9mm P-10 pistols to 40mm grenade launchers. (Photos: Czech Army)

“Our firearms have long proven their reliability and quality in real combat conditions,” said Jan Zajíc, CEO of CZ. “We utilize this experience to make continuous improvements and develop new generations of our products.”

As noted by the Czech defense minister’s office, the news of the CZ contract comes amid a multi-year 510 billion kroner modernization effort that includes not only small arms but also 24 F-35A Lightning fighters from the U.S., 77 Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany, 250 Pandur EVO 8x8s from Finland, and 246 Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.

A member of NATO since 1999, joining the same year as former Warsaw Pact allies Poland and Hungary, the country is nervously boosting defense spending amid concerns of an aggressive Russia to the East.

CZ Salutes WWII Free Czech RAF Squadrons

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CZ is marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a salute to the often unsung “Free Czechs” who served with the Allies with a special Spitfire-themed CZ 75.

Occupied by Germany on the eve of the conflict, just months before the shooting started, thousands of Czechs escaped to continue the fight against a common enemy.

Some 2,500 Czechs served in the British RAF during WWII, filling three fighter squadrons (No. 310, 312, and 313), one bomber squadron (No. 311), and one night fighter squadron (No. 68) as well as flying alongside British pilots in other squadrons. They also played a vital role in No. 138 Special Squadron, an outfit that dropped agents and supplies into occupied Europe– including Czechoslovakia.

A Czech Spitfire pilot of No. 313 Squadron
A Czech Spitfire pilot of No. 313 Squadron in conversation with his rigger and fitter at Hornchurch, 8 April 1942. (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

 

These men, exiles far from home, chalked up over 28,000 fighter sorties (at least 16 Czech “aces” flew with the RAF), dropped 2.6 million pounds of bombs on enemy targets, and made a difference from the Battle of Britain to the beaches of Normandy and beyond. Nearly 500 were killed in action.

The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The CZ 75 RAF special edition emulates the famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, which was flown by many of the Czech fighter pilots serving with the British during the war. (All photos unless noted: CZ)
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The CZ 75 RAF includes lightening cuts in the slide that recall the exhaust stacks of the Spitfire’s Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, as well as a finish that includes “riveted” body panels. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The grips include a set of Czech aviator’s wings. 

 

The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The serial number sequencing starts with one of the Czech RAF squadrons, in this case, No. 310 Fighter Squadron. Note the British “bullseye” roundel. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
And it is repeated on the front of the slide. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The magazine base has a stylized RAF. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The RAF’s Latin motto, going back to 1918, “Per Ardua ad Astra,” which translates to “Through Adversity to the Stars,” is carried. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
Note the Czech roundel, which is still carried on the country’s military aircraft.
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The CZ 75 RAF is a thing of beauty. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
Besides the pistol itself, its unique case recalls the avionics panel on the Spitfire, while its key is in the shape of the aircraft. Also included are an embroidered squadron badge patch and a hand-painted and signed Spitfire illustration by the well-known Czech painter and illustrator Jaroslav Velc.

 

Price? Availability? Just 56 CZ 75 RAF models will be created and will be offered…soon.

On a side note, as CZ now owns Colt, it would be neat to think that, at some point in the future, there may be a similar line of 1911s that salute famed American military units. Send those emails, folks!

Finally, the CZ Shadow 2 Carry

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The CZ Shadow 2 is one of the best guns of the century. Full stop.

The original Shadow line, an all-steel, large-capacity SA/DA pistol, was descended from the CZ 75 SP-01 and used successfully to pull down a first-place production division finish in the 2005 IPSC World Shoot. Given improved sights, a longer barrel, and better ergos, the Shadow 2 debuted in 2016, followed by an optics-ready model in 2020.

Today, it is used by two out of three of the top competitors in IPSC Production and Production Optics divisions, most notably by nine-time IPSC World Champ Eric Grauffe.

With Shadow 2 fans petitioning CZ for a slimmed-down version of the gun, the company introduced the Shadow 2 Compact in 2023, which cut weight with a forged 7075 aluminum frame and a 4-inch barrel. The magazine’s capacity is 15+1 with a flush-fit double-stack mag. Like the standard Shadow 2, the Compact ships with textured aluminum grips and a “butter smooth” trigger pull (single action 3.4 pounds; 10.3 for double action).

We shot the Shadow 2 and Shadow 2 Compact side by side while touring the CZ factory at the foothills of the Carpathians in Czechia last year and were thoroughly impressed with how they performed.

The Shadow 2 Compact, for all intents and purposes, is just a little brother to the more competition-oriented Shadow 2. It is smaller, lighter, and easier to carry, but retains the DA/SA with a manual safety. As it’s based on a competition gun, there’s no firing pin block plunger system, which can be a pucker factor for some on being drop-safe if carried with a round in the chamber.

With the Shadow 2 Compact’s safety question, folks were gun-shy, pardon the pun, about carrying it, especially concealed.

However, CZ has updated the design in the new Shadow 2 Carry, introduced this week. It retains everything folks loved about the Shadow 2 Compact but deletes the manual safety lever in favor of a simple de-cocking lever while adding a safety notch on the hammer and an automatic firing pin block.

I’ve been testing one that CZ sent me, and I have to admit, it is pretty sweet. I mean, it should be at $1,400…

More in my column at Guns.com.

 

First Ukraine-assembled CZ BREN 2s Roll Out

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An effort between the Ukrainian defense industry and CZ has yielded results as the first Ukraine-assembled Bren 2 rifles are being delivered.

Ukroboronprom, the state-owned Ukrainian defense production organ, announced on Dec. 14 that one of its enterprises had last month begun the licensed assembly of Bren 2 rifles in the country. The partnership between Colt CZ and Ukroboronprom was agreed upon in July, allowing local assembly of components shipped from CZ, leading to eventual full-rate production.

Since 2022, the country has been fielding Czech-made Brens, notably among special operations units and legions of foreign volunteers.

The Ukraine military, since it was formed in 1991, has traditionally used Warsaw Pact pattern small arms (left) to include multiple AK-47/74 variants in 7.62×39 and 5.45×39, while some units, such as the Rubizh Brigade in the top right, are issued assorted M4 platforms in 5.56. The CZ Bren 2, seen in use with Ukraine marines at the bottom right, is a newer addition. (Photos: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)

Up Close with the new CZ P-09C Nocturne

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CZ introduced the double-action/single-action hammer-fired polymer-framed P-09 series around 2013, and it has proved popular with “Czechnologists” ever since. However, an increasingly big drawback over the years is that it, as well as many of CZ’s other handguns, aren’t optics-ready.

About that.

While visiting with CZ during our Euro Trip earlier this year, we had the honor of seeing the updated P-09 series while it was still in pre-production. The best takeaways were a factory optics cut on the slide with co-witnessing iron sights, completely refreshed ergonomics, and backward compatibility with both legacy magazines and CZ’s Kadet subcaliber rimfire kits.

In a nod to the updated ability to carry a red/green dot– which is a superb sight option for low-light/night conditions– the new P-09 ORs would have a new name: the Nocturne.

I’ve been kicking around one of the production models for the past couple of weeks.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Euro But Not Trash: The Cold War Vintage CZ 75 ‘Pre-B’ 9mm

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While guys who dig CZs these days often like to think of themselves as mysterious and edgy, back in the chilliest days of the Cold War, picking up a CZ 75 was tougher than you’d think. 

A product initially of Communist-controlled and Moscow-allied Czechoslovakia, as I’ve covered dozens of times in the past, the CZ 75 first hit the market in Europe in 1975, hence the name. While nothing in the design was new – every feature had already appeared in a production gun somewhere – the combination of its internal slide rail design (similar to the SIG P210) with a 15+1 shot detachable 9mm magazine (Smith & Wesson Model 59), double-action/single-action trigger system (Walther P-38), and a linkless cam locking system (Browning Hi-Power) yielded a very sweet shooting pistol with a decent capacity that could be seen as a legitimate target or “combat” handgun, especially for its day. 

A second-generation 1986-vintage CZ 75 “Pre-B” with all matching serial numbers and zero import marks. (Photo: Chris Eger)

CZ 75s were known in the U.S. – they even popped up in that 1984 classic “Red Dawn” in the hands of dastardly commie airborne forces in the opening action sequence. The thing is, as there was plenty of bad blood between the U.S. and Warsaw Pact countries in the 1970s and 80s, it was fairly hard to get a CZ 75 in the States. 

This meant that most in that period came in via two narrow and now historically ironic sources: from Canada through a company called Pragotrade, and via American servicemembers/businessmen who bought them in Western Europe back when gun laws over there were a lot less draconian.

The latter is where I think this gun came from, as it doesn’t have any import marks but does have what seem to be factory-installed adjustable LPA target sights, which would make it a ringer for CZ 75s sold commercially in Britain in the mid-1980s. 

For instance: Czech out this ad from Edgar Brothers, a big UK-based gun distributor that is still in business – although not in the handgun market for the past 25 years. 

Now, that gun looks familiar…

More in my column at Guns.com.

Give the People What they Really Want!

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There are tons of Colt 1911 fans out there, after all, the pistol has been in (near) continuous production by the company for 122 years.

There are also tons of CZ 75 super fans out there, and for good reason, and the excellent shooting Czech 9mm has been cloned by almost as many people as the 1911.

There is a big Venn diagram of overlap between these two groups (myself included), and, with the CZ Group acquiring Colt back in 2021, this was one of the things the people who live in that overlap wanted to see– a limited-run of matched semi-custom CZ75 M1911s sets.

The 50 Tribute to Legends edition serial number range is COLT2021001 to COLT2021050 for the Colt 1911 and CZ2021001 to CZ2021050 for the CZ 75, which refers to the year of the Colt and CZ merger. The same unique serial number engraved on each pistol can also be found on the gold-plated base plate of its corresponding magazine.

CZ is holding an auction for NFT “Right to Purchase” tokens on its in-house Collector’s Hub for three of these sets which is actually kind of interesting in itself as, one could always hold on to the NFT for apparently years and then trade it on the Colt CZ Group marketplace for bitcoin or whatever without having to have the pistols shipped to an FFL and do a transfer.

CZ and Colt make it Facebook Official

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The Czech-based parent company of CZ and Connecticut’s Colt has come to an agreement, leaving the European gunmaker increasingly American.

Announced on Thursday, the Česká Zbrojovka Group, or CZG, will acquire a 100 percent stake in the historic Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC as well as its Canadian subsidiary, the Colt Canada Corporation. CZG has agreed to a cash and stock deal that includes $220 million upfront and the issue of just over 1 million shares of newly issued common stock. The combined group will have annual projected revenues of over $500 million.

The heads of both companies painted the merger as a strategic step in which both stand to make great gains as brands.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Czech Army doubles down on CZ-made weapons (duh)

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Czech Republic-based CZUB has secured a significant tender to supply the Czech Army with new rifles, pistols, PDWs, and grenade launchers.

The award, announced by the CZ Group last week, includes 16,000 BREN 2 rifles; more than 21,000 CZ P-10 pistols; 1,600 CZ 805 G1 underslung grenade launchers; and nearly 100 CZ SCORPION PDWs along with training ammunition.

In all, the tender is expected to be worth up to 2.35 billion Koruna ($93 million USD) with deliveries by 2025 and follows up on some 40,000 CZ-made small arms bought by the Czech military in the past decade.

The Czech Army already uses CZ BREN rifles, CZ P-10 pistols, and CZ 805 G1 grenade launchers and are set to get a bunch more by 2025. (Photo: Czech Army)

More in my column at Guns.com.

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