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As far as handguns go in the United States, there are a few sacred cows. We have the Colt Python, the 1911, the Glock 19, and the S&W Model 36. All are appreciated and beloved handguns, but one more deserves to join those ranks, and it’s the CZ 75. The CZ 75 is a Czechoslovakian pistol designed and created in 1975. The gun was developed under a secret patent only applicable in the Soviet Union, and sales to the states were happening at the time. The CZ 75 is the most copied firearm globally and has been cloned and recreated for decades due to the patent failure of the Soviet Union.
Why is it copied everywhere from Israel to Turkey and beyond? Because the design is brilliant. The CZ 75 owes its existence to two guns, the Browning Hi-Power and the SIG P210. It can be called an amalgamation between the two that takes advantage of both gun’s strengths. The CZ 75 incorporates a high capacity double stack magazine, a manual safety, and the Browning linkless cam system just like a Hi-Power. The slide rides inside the frame rails like the SIG P210. This design places the barrel much lower and decreases the size of the slide.
The B model is slightly different and is the current production CZ 75. The B model has an internal firing pin safety, longer slide rails, and a ring hammer. Other than that, it’s as close as you get to the original CZ 75.
The smaller slide and lower bore axis have an interesting result in how the weapon handles. Recoil and muzzle rise is decreased significantly. Add in the fact that this all-metal pistol weighs 36.6 ounces, and you get an ultra controllable platform in a combat-proven cartridge. The CZ 75 is ultra-easy to handle, and when instructing new shooters, it’s often the first centerfire pistol I introduce them to.
The CZ 75 also sports brilliant ergonomics. The grip is absolutely fantastic and allows you to grip the gun incredibly high. A good high grip encourages more control over the gun. Even though the gun uses a double stack, 16 round magazine, the CZ 75 offers a svelte and comfortable grip with an excellent contour. It fits the hand so well it makes you wonder why no one else copies the grip for their gun.
The CZ 75 uses a DA/SA design that allows for a long double action first shot trigger pull and offers a lighter trigger for follow up shots. This gives you the best of both worlds between a defensive revolver and a 1911. The gun incorporates a manual safety that can only be engaged when the hammer is locked to the rear. The safety is easy to reach and very easy to disengage
Shooting the CZ 75 is one of the most enjoyable experiences one can endeavor in. The gun barely moves off-target with every trigger pull, and recoil is insanely light. Accuracy is top notch with the three-dot metal sights, excellent trigger, and cold hammer-forged barrel. You can create very tiny groups very fast with the CZ 75.
Also, it’s not going to stop working either. One thing about Eastern European guns is that they work, and they work well. You can use and abuse them and barely ever clean them, and they’ll keep on going. Ammo type doesn’t matter, and even the cheap steel stuff runs through this thing without a problem.
The CZ 75 is a combat handgun, and the ergonomics reflect that. The safety, magazine release, and slide lock are all oversized and easy to activate. They are all placed for easy engagement and are all very easy to activate and accentuate.
Could the double-action trigger be smoother and lighter? Sure. The DA trigger is quite heavy and quite long, and smoother DA triggers exist. The single-action trigger is fantastic, but the double-action could be much more refined.
That’s my only complaint, and the CZ 75 is a damn fine firearm. It has a long history of success in police, military, and competition shooter’s hands. It’s criminally underrated, and I think it deserves to be a sacred cow of the gun world. Until it is, I plan to proselytize the greatness of the CZ 75 platform. Check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me.