what is cz 75b review

• [ November 7, 2023 ] Reptilia Saddle Mount | Beretta 1301 and A300 for Aimpoint ACRO and Steiner MPS Review Gun Part Review
• [ November 2, 2023 ] Fatal Victories - Pyrrhic Tales - Book Review [2023] Reviews
• [ October 26, 2023 ] Fisher Space Pen Review - Zero G Writing [2023] EDC
• [ October 19, 2023 ] Invicta Pro Diver Quartz Review - Rolex-ish [2023] EDC
• [ October 12, 2023 ] JM Custom Kydex AIWB Wing Claw 2.5 Review [2023] Gear
• [ October 5, 2023 ] Trijicon RMRcc Review - Honey, I Shrunk the RMR [2023] EDC
• [ October 4, 2023 ] BREAKING - ATF Bans Importation of UTM Training Ammunition for Civilians News
• [ September 28, 2023 ] How to Lose a Battle - Not So Precise - Book Review [2023] Reviews
• [ September 26, 2023 ] Primary Arms MRSc Red Dot Review [2023] EDC
• [ September 21, 2023 ] Timex Expedition Scout 40 Review - In The Field [2023] EDC

CZ 75B Review | The World's Most Copied Pistol

I, like many shooters of my generation, tend to prefer polymer "tactical" type of pistols, often overlooking modern classics like the CZ 75, Hi-power, PPK, or the P38. However, Phil changed that for me when he contacted CZ in an effort to broaden my perspective as a firearms enthusiast. Not long after, a CZ 75b arrived at my dealer's door.

I was surprised at how I had missed out on the CZ 75 for so long, especially since I love shooting handguns. I had tried the Witness compacts before, but they never felt right; I just dismissed them and didn't pay much mind to the CZ 75 pattern of pistols. I guess it was lucky that I was asked to write up this Cold War classic, because as soon as I picked the pistol up it felt at home in my hands. Unlike my friends' Witnesses, the CZ 75b felt well-rounded and complete.

The CZ 75b I received had their black Polycoat finish, which felt different from other firearm finishes. If the surplus pistols that recently made their way onto the market are any indication, it seems to be incredibly tough.

Before we get too far into things, like usual, here are the specs from the CZ website.

MSRP $612 Firearm Type Handgun Purpose Home Defense Chambering 9mm Luger Magazine Capacity 16 Frame Steel Grips Plastic Trigger Mech DA/SA Sights Fixed Three-Dot Barrel Cold Hammer Forged Barrel Length 4.6 in Weight 2.2 lbs Overall Length 8.1 in Height 5.4 in Width 1.4 in Safety Manual Safety, Safety Stop on Hammer, Firing Pin Block Safety Name CZ 75 B – 9mm

The CZ 75b arrived in a nicely laid out plastic case. The foam was nice closed cell foam perfectly cut out for the shape of the handgun. Nestled to the left of the pistol I found two beautifully blued, all steel 16 round magazines. Like most service type pistols, CZ saw fit to include some very basic cleaning implements, a Glock type poly brush and a plastic rod with a slot in the end for patches.

The two included magazines had a mirror-like finish applied making them feel like they are worth every bit of the $43.00 MSRP from CZ-USA. I still wish that the factory mag pricing was a bit cheaper, at $43 I am much less likely to buy several spares. Thankfully there are a metric ton of aftermarket options out there.

The safety on the CZ is a bit of a sore point for me. I have medium sized hands and had a hard time turning the safety off when in firing position. When the safety is in the up position it prevents the slide from moving much like the 1911.

The front sight has an interesting attachment method, the sight is pressed into a forward facing dovetail and secured with a roll pin driven through a notch in the front sight.

The CZ 75b shipped with a set of three dot sights that I found easy to acquire quickly. In this photo, you can see the marks on the frame and slide that you line up to take the pistol down for cleaning.

Take down is pretty easy, align the marks on the slide and frame then drive the slide stop pin out, after that the rest of the process is exactly the same as just about every other pistol out there.

With the slide on top of the frame, you can really see the slide rails that ride on the inside of the frame. You also can see the firing pin block (the little black circle) that ads that b designation to the CZ’s name. It is my understanding that this was the only change from the older CZ75 pre-b model. I am sure you guys will let me know if I overlooked other changes, I have faith.

The locking lugs are very similar in appearance to those on a 1911. I found the CZ to lock up nice and tight like a high end 1911 would. Some shooters have complained about the machining marks on the slide, I honestly didn’t notice any issues created by them and I didn’t feel that it detracted from the overall quality of the pistol.

The cold hammer forged barrel is super tough. Built to persevere in the most hostile of climates in the hands of soldiers (we all know how well they care for equipment) the barrel will remain more accurate than most shooters much longer than most other service pistols.

Some have remarked that the CZ looks a lot like a Hi-Power, I can’t say I disagree. I prefer the trigger on the CZ, but the Hi-Power’s safety is much easier for me to turn on and off. I wish the CZ’s safety was more accessible, but I understand that it is not intended to be carried cocked and locked so keeping the safety out of the way of a holster was the right move. As a recreational shooter I would have preferred a more proud lever.

The trigger was a touch gritty and had a small bit of creep in single action with a touch of overtravel, the double action pull was long and heavy like almost all double actions are.I understand that over time, the CZ’s trigger gets better. I guess I will just have to shoot it a lot more to find out. Darn.

Using my trusty Lyman trigger gauge I tested the single action, half cock, and full double action pull weights. I wasn’t surprised with the results as they were pretty typical of a service pistol.

Single action was under 5 pounds at 4 pounds 15 ounces.

The half cock position provided more resistance at 9 pounds 5 ounces, not too bad for a double action.

The full double action pull was a bit weighty at 10 pounds 14 ounces. Yikes! That could give your trigger finger a bit of a workout!

I really enjoyed how the full sized CZ fit into the hand, it felt natural. Other than my gripe with the safety I was rather pleased. Recoil wasn’t too bad, you can see that muzzle flip is about what you would expect out of a 9mm combat gun. I imagine that the CZ’s hefty 2.2 pound weight had something to do with that. I don’t really mind the weight because I am not planning on carrying the CZ 75b and the weight means this gun is built like a tank. The CZ’s extractor also doubles as a loaded chamber indicator protruding from the slide and allowing you to identify a loaded chamber by running your finger over the extractor to feel the raised edge.

Even though the trigger isn’t of match quality I didn’t have any issue hitting a 4.5″ hostage swinger on one of our steel targets repeatedly. The sight picture was easy to pick up quickly and the CZ 75b pointed naturally.

A quick accuracy test at 10 yards resulted in better than combat levels of accuracy. I did pull one shot, but the rest of the group was pretty impressive. I have said it in the past that shooting groups with handguns is not something I practice a lot and should do so more, I forget how rewarding it can be to get a decent group out of a gun.

Overall the CZ 75b proved to be a great shooter and a fantastic value. I am a bit sad that I haven’t had an opportunity to shoot one until now. As a self-proclaimed handgun guy, the CZ75’s absence from my collection was inexcusable. Just like the last pistol I reviewed, the manufacturer is going to get a check back instead of a gun. It seems this job is going to run me into the poor house at this rate. I think I may have caught the CZ bug and have found myself perusing my favorite gun auction site in search of a very early one or maybe even one of the very cool SP-01 Tactical to add to my Sphnix SDP Compact and my new CZ 75b.

I put about 600 rounds downrange with the CZ 75b and it never hiccuped or gave me any problems. It really displayed service pistol like reliability.

The MSRP of the CZ 75b is $612 at the time of this writing, but the street price found with a quick Google search resulting in finding the gun in the $550 dollar range, a pretty good value for a gun built as well as this one is. You can learn more about the CZ 75b at CZ’s website  here .

1 Trackback / Pingback

• Heckler & Koch USP40 | I like the Springfield XD Better | Firearm Rack

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• Forum Listing
• Marketplace
• Advanced Search
• Firearms Forums
• General Firearms Forum

CZ 75B SA long term review

• Add to quote

45caldan said: I have the 75 SA. mine was the first CZ I Cajunized. It cleans up great with the short reset kit! My absolute favorite range gun! Click to expand...

China boy said: I have a couple CZs and wanted to put in a trigger kit into the regular ones. But I wasnt sure if or what I could put in the SAO. Click to expand...

Cambo said: Which ones do you have? Click to expand...

arndog123 said: Here's mine. Some CGW parts and it's a nice shooter. Click to expand...

ithaca_deerslayer said: No pics? 2 out of 10. Click to expand...

Bradd D said: I'm a 1911 guy and I found I didn't like the location of the thumb safety at all. That and the mediocre trigger on the gun I looked at cooled any desire I had to get one. Click to expand...

Cambo said: My first 75 SA that I had years ago also had a not so great trigger. This one is acceptable. Click to expand...

Bradd D said: The 75B they had in the case was much better. Click to expand...

Top Contributors this Month

The Original CZ Forum

The 2023 CZUB Catalog is online!

• The Original CZ Forum »
• ARCHIVES »
• CZF ARCHIVES II »
• CZ Reviews »
• CZ-75B SA 9mm Review

Author Topic: CZ-75B SA 9mm Review  (Read 14769 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Unregistered(d)

Walt-sherrill.

Quote: "The oversized safeties are rather angular on their bottom, 'safing' side to the degree that they dug into my thumb to the point of being an annoyance. The safeties are large and easy to disengage, however, but their size makes accessing the slide release lever more difficult than normal, too. I think this factor actually caused me to trip the slide release lever with my supporting hand's thumb during rapid fire because of the lack of space between the safety and slide release.

• SMF 2.0.15 | SMF © 2017 , Simple Machines Simple Audio Video Embedder SMFAds for Free Forums

Hi, what are you looking for?

19FortyFive

• Submissions
• Meet Our Editorial Team
• Contact Information for 19FortyFive
• Editorial Guidelines and Publishing Standards
• Privacy Policy

Uncategorized

Cz 75b 9mm review: the self defense gun that the experts trust.

This pistol is trusted by law enforcement and military forces across the globe, so it’s no wonder average citizens trust it completely, as well!  CZ really took their time  to create a superior, quality-detailed build, using materials that will last for years and years. I’ve had my 75B for years, and never had any malfunctions of any kind with countless different types of ammo. It’s a tough gun that works perfectly in all conditions, standing up to snow, mud, sand, and any other environmental force you can imagine. If this isn’t enough to convince you, CZ offers a lifetime warranty on this pistol to ensure complete peace of mind.

The 75B comes with two 16+1 capacity, double column, drop-free magazines. While these are already pretty high-capacity mags, 20 round capacity is also available if that appeals to you more. Also, CZ mags are fantastic because they are durable and easy to clean. In fact, they are some of my favorite mags I’ve ever used. As previously mentioned, the mag release button is extended to allow easy use for any shooter, and you can expect a very long lifetime for the standard magazines.

The CZ 75B is priced around $650 (pre-pandemic) This is a mid-range price and quite a reasonable one for what you get. Other similar pistols, such as the  Sig Sauer Legion P226 , can run you $1,000 or more, so this is a great, reliable option if you’re on a budget.

• Lifetime warranty and complete reliability
• Soft-shooting and minimal recoil
• Complete high-quality pistol, right out of the box

Richard Douglas is a long-time shooter, outdoor enthusiast, and technologist. He is the founder and editor of Scopes Field, and a columnist at The National Interest, Cheaper Than Dirt, Daily Caller, and other publications.

Recent Posts

• The Democrats Do Have a Way to Get Rid of Joe Biden
• ‘They Should Quit’: Democrats Urged To Reconsider Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
• Bidenomics Is the Disaster the Left Can’t Get Enough Of
• Donald Trump Says History Should Prove He Is Innocent of Election Interference
• What Happens if Israel Strikes Iran?

CZ 75 Review

Our CZ 75 Review is covering a gun most well-known for being the sidearm of the Spetsnaz in the Soviet Union era.

CZ 75 was designed and manufactured in the Czech Republic, which at the time was the Soviet block country. The Czech Republic had a little more control over their firearms manufacturing than most of the Soviet block.

This means the Czech was able to make a more refined firearm than the standard Soviet Makarov pistol. 

Using design trades from both the Browning Hi-power and the Walther P38.

The CZ 75 is, some would say the best of both worlds.

It has the super smooth double action single action trigger while having the wonderful ergonomics of the Browning Hi-power.

You can easily find clones of the CZ 75. This is because it’s the second most copied handgun in the world following only the 1911.

Table of contents

Role-based off size.

• CZ 75 Review Beavertail 
• Aftermarket 

Red dot options

Mag release, aftermarket, maintenance.

The CZ 75 is somewhat outdated by today’s standards. Meaning it doesn’t have a light rail and the double-action single-action system has fallen out of favor.

The CZ 75 is also quite heavy.

That said it’s still is an excellent gun for competition or general range use. Most people aren’t going to want to use it for duty use due to the lack of a light rail.

If you’re into retro things, it’s definitely a great gun for concealed carry. It’s not as light as other options. For that reason, I don’t think it’s the most practical.

If you want to carry with a stylish firearm that has a retro feel the CZ 75 is going to be very hard to beat.

It’ll work well for IWB, appendix IWB or OWP carry, you can carry it however you would like.

CZ 75 In-Stock

Magwell on the CZ 75 isn’t anything special. There is no flare whatsoever.

So you’re not going to get any help from the gun if you botch your reload. That is one downside of using the CZ 75 as a competition-style pistol.

Grip/Ergonomics

The CZ 75 was designed in the late 60s mid-70s. Due to this, there isn’t a lot of modularity built into the pistol. It does have removable pistol grips, and there are a variety of aftermarket grip options that you can switch out.

This does give you the ability to change the feel of the grip in your hand. But you really don’t need to, the grip on the CZ 75 feels absolutely excellent.

The only thing you want to do is switch out the grip to change the texturing. 

CZ 75 Review Beavertail 

The Beavertail on the CZ 75 is incredibly well-designed. It fits with the rest of the pistol and there’s a nice taper as it melds into the frame.

This makes the gun feel extremely slim in the hand. Allowing you to get a very high grip on the handgun. I’m not normally a big fan of beavertails on firearms from the CZ 75 it just works.

It really allows you to get your grip as high as possible without having to worry about slide bite.

It’s just a comfortable grip that fits in anybody’s hand.

The only texture you’re going to get on the CZ 75 is going to be from the grip panels. Both the front strap and the back strap are completely slick.

The grip panels do a good enough job of providing a texture that you don’t really need checkering on the front strap or the back straps. By changing out to more aggressive aftermarket grips, you can get the grips to be as aggressive as you want.

There are a ton of aftermarket grip options for the CZ 75.

So you’re going to be able to make the gun into whatever you want it to be. 

CZ 75 Sights Review

Besides on the CZ 75 has not been updated since its introduction. They are just standard three dots sites and they’re really small. Where kind of like the old sites on a 1911.

They’re better than that, but there’s somewhere between that and more modern three-dot site setups. 

Aftermarket 

There aren’t a lot of aftermarket sides often for the CZ 75. CZ custom shop and Dawson precision both make aftermarket sights for this gun.

You’ll likely be able to find something that you can live with. But you’re not going to have the variety of options that you would have with other guns, like a Glock.

There’s no factory red dot mounting option for the CZ 75, although a couple of custom shops will set up mounting for you.

You can go straight to the CZ custom shop and they have their own mounting system built around the CZ 75 that is somewhat modular allowing you to work with multiple dots. 

You can also go to other manufacturers and they’ll mill the gun for a specific red dot.

If you’re going to use the CZ 75, I would probably suggest going with one of the newer narrower red dots, like the Holosun 507K or the SIG Romeo zero.

Trijicon also has the Trijicon RMRcc, which seems like a great option for the CZ 75. 

Controls CZ 75 Review

Safeties 

Being a double-action, single-action firearm, the CZ still does have a thumb safety.

This gun was originally designed to be carried, cocked, and locked, meaning you have the hammer back and the safety on.

The thumb safety is located on the left side of the firearm and sits fairly flush to the frame.

It’s still easy to access and the shelf is large enough that you won’t have any problem running the gun and when you’re shooting the firearm, you can actually ride your thumb on top of the thumb safety.

It’s positioned very similarly to a 1911 and extremely ergonomic.

Flicking the safety on and off, you’ll notice that it’s positive enough that you’re not going to have any fear of it inadvertently coming on or off, but it’s also easy enough to move that you won’t have any issues manipulating it.

You can run this gun either a single action only with the hand with the safety engaged, or you can run it in the double action single action variant by manually decocking the hammer.

If you manually decock the hammer to half cock, you will not be able to put the safety on, the safety can only being engaged when the hammer is all the way back. 

The magazine release on the CZ 75 is your standard push-button style magazine release.

It is reversible, which is a nice feature to have on a gun if you’re a left-handed shooter, although I will say the other features on this gun are not well set up for a lessee.

I have average-sized hands that will be considered medium to large size, and I can not fully reach the CZ 75 mag release without breaking my grip so I believe that will be the case for most shooters.

That said it’s still an easy mag release to use and I have no complaints.

There are some aftermarket options if you want to change that out. 

The stop on the CZ 75 is way too far for me to reach without majorly breaking my grip, and it’s also somewhat blocked by the safety itself.

Now, the only way I would suggest you using the safety for somebody that doesn’t have enormous hands is when reinserting a new fresh magazine, they’re going to want to drop the slide using their support hand thumb.

This is called the Vickers method and it’s an older style used on 1911s and considering the time period of this gun was invented and developed, it makes perfect sense.

It would be nice to see the slide stop mounted a little farther back on the gun so it was more user-friendly, but I really don’t have a problem with the system and you are shooting a retro gun so you’re going to get some retro features. 

The trigger on the CZ 75 is absolutely excellent.

The double-action pool is very smooth and consistent and it breaks very nicely. You’re going to get just an incredibly smooth trigger pull.

Now it’s somewhat heavy, but the smoothness makes up for that, and then from the reset, once the firearm resets, you’re going to fill that it resets slightly in front of the wall that you’ll feel for the single-action trigger.

When you feel that it reaches the same point it would if you were to have the safety engaged in the hammer cocked back.

You’re always going to have a slight little bit of take-up before you reach the wall on the single action pool, and from that take-up, if you’re going to have a nice clean break of the trigger with just a tad bit of creep beforehand.

It’s not a perfect trigger and if you get one of the CZ 75 pre-B variants that do not have a firing pin block safety, you’re probably going to have a much better trigger, but that creep indicates that you’re overcoming the firing pin block on the safety, which isn’t a bad thing to have. 

There’s no shortage of aftermarket trigger parts grips, and that’s about it. There aren’t many other aftermarket parts from CZ 75.

As we discussed earlier, there aren’t an abundant amount of sites and there are a couple of aftermarket controls such as the mag release, but they aren’t that common and there aren’t a ton of options.

This isn’t an issue in our CZ 75 Review but it may be for some of you.

Maintaining the CZ 75 is pretty straightforward. It does have an older style, a takedown pen.

A takedown pen also acts as the slide stop, so to disassemble the gun you’re going to want to make sure it’s unloaded, remove the magazine, make sure it’s unloaded again, and then you’re going to notice an index mark on the back of the slide that when you pull it back around three-eights of an inch will match up with an index mark on the back of the frame, these are both on the left-hand side of the gun. 

From there, you can use a pen or a punch to push the slide stop to the rest of the gun, and then your slide will come off where you can disassemble the gun by taking the barrel and recoil springs from the slide.

Once you’ve cleaned the parts then you just reverse the order to put the gun back together. 

CZ 75, in my opinion, is an absolutely beautiful firearm.

The length of the grip and the length of the muscle are very proportional and the gun just seems well-balanced. It could be a little bit thicker in the front to make it a little more attractive and proportional, but overall it’s a very elegant, retro-style firearm.

It makes me think of being a CIA case officer back in the 1980s, Berlin walls, the kind of images you evoke in your head. 

The CZ 75 is a fantastic performer on the range.

The recoil impulse is what I would call incredibly smooth, and it’s just a joy to shoot. It does have a little bit of muzzle flip, but that muzzle flip really dissipates recoil and the heavy frame helps here as well.

This is one of my absolutely most favorite guns.

I would seriously consider carrying a CZ 75 if it didn’t weigh almost double similar size modern polymer-frame guns.

The CZ 75 is just an incredible gun to shoot and I think it’s one that everyone should have in their collection.

If I ever get into a retro carry gun mood, CZ 75 is probably a gun I will be carrying.

Let us know what you think about the CZ75 below.

Related Articles

• CZ 75 vs Glock 19
• CZ 75 Compact Review
• CZ P07 Review
• CZ P07 vs P10C
• CZ 75 Compact vs Glock 19

This is an opinion piece, but I always aim to eliminate bias.  Look, we’ve all read them before. Gun reviews that claim to be helpful, but they’re really thinly veiled hit pieces trying to get you to buy something before you’ve even started your research. Or, even worse, a review put together by a content writer who has never even held a gun.

I’ve trained with some of the best in the business to learn various shooting styles and ideologies to better serve our customers. I’ve purchased guns of all price points, calibers, and action types to build the best products for the market. I want you to walk away knowing you have the information you need to make a sound purchasing decision.

6 Replies to “CZ 75 Review”

Your review of the Cz 75 is spot on. It’s all the way on top of my all time favorite list.

A very good review, of a very good firearm. The accuracy of these firearms ( Cz 75 ) is amazing. I have an older Tz, then when the Cz became legal in the U.S. , I acquired one. No regrets.

I bought a CZ75 while stationed in Germany 1985. Have always liked the CZ style. Just looking for a different set of grips.

Cz 75 is a maverlas pistol l like the most

I purchased a cz75 clone with polymer frame. My gorgeous steel frame cz has become a “safe-queen” only due to it’s weight

I’ve never cared for adding accessories to my pistols, so that lack of rails inst an issue for me. I was trained to hold the light on my off hand. I prefer my defensive guns be as simple and reliable as possible, with one exception. I do require a safety. Just my personal rule. If you love your glock, that’s fine by me.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Posts

• What’s the Best Handgun for a Woman?
• S&W 43c Review
• Shadow Systems CR920 Review
• Sig P365 X Macro Review
• Smith and Wesson 442 Review

Recent Comments

• Sean Alberts on Infiltrator
• Nathan on Ruger LCP 380 Review
• Shane on Smith and Wesson 442 Review
• Simon Weishaupt on Sccy CPX2 Review
• Jackson on Walther PDP Review
• January 2023
• December 2021
• November 2021
• October 2021
• September 2021
• August 2021
• February 2021
• January 2021
• December 2020
• November 2020
• October 2020
• September 2020
• August 2020
• Announcements
• Concealed Carry
• Gun Comparisons

Top rated products

• Instructions
• Return Policy
• Industry Profesional Program
• Content Creator Program
• Affilate Program

More Pistol Reviews

• Glock 43X Review
• HK VP9SK Review
• Sig P320 X5 Legion Review
• Sig P365XL Review
• Smith & Wesson Shield
• Springfield Armory Hellcat OSP
• Wilson Combat EDC X9
• 30 Jul What’s the Best Handgun for a Woman? 0 comments
• 22 Jul S&W 43c Review 0 comments
• 18 Jul Shadow Systems CR920 Review 0 comments

Social Media Profiles

Your Cart is Empty

Home » Firearms » Handguns » Review: CZ 75 SA — Overlooked and Underrated

Review: CZ 75 SA — Overlooked and Underrated

There are plenty of classic firearms that still hold their own today. The CZ 75 is one of those guns. The CZ 75 is popular, but the SA is lesser-known and often overlooked. Unfortunately, the pistol has been discontinued, but you can still find these on the used market and CZ produces several great alternatives.

CZ 75 Background

There are several great articles that go into the history of the CZ 75, and I’ll link to a good one  here , but here’s a little background on the pistol. A Czech design, the CZ 75 was first introduced in 1975 behind the Iron Curtain. Given the nature of politics of the day, it was years before the CZ 75 was available in the U.S., and clones were being manufactured as soon as people started noticing success with the design.

CZ 75 SA Features

The CZ 75 Single Action is one of the biggest values in the handgun world. For around the cost of a standard CZ 75, you get a crisp single-action trigger, with an adjustable, flat trigger face. This, combined with the inverted slide rail design of the CZ 75, makes for an incredibly fast shooting pistol. 

The SA variant features the same manual safety found on the standard CZ 75 (save models with a decocker), but there is no double-action firing mode. I’ll be honest, the thumb safety leaves a lot to be desired. It’s sloppy and mushy with no audible or tactile  click! , but it functions. I’m not sure if this is the same on all examples, but that’s how my model is. 

The rest of the pistol is standard CZ 75. The three-dot sight picture works well. The sights are a little small and narrow compared to modern options, but that helps some with shooting longer distances. Additionally, the lines milled into the top of the slide help to cut down glare when shooting in bright conditions. 

Magazines are plentiful, and Mec-Gar makes dependable aftermarket options — both flush-fitting and extended. You’re looking at 16 rounds of 9mm with standard magazines if you live in a free state. The CZ 75 shows its age with its lack of an accessory rail. However, this makes for a sleek and attractive design, but it limits the pistol’s functionality.

CZ 75 SA Specifications

Caliber:  9mm Luger Action:  Single-action Capacity : 16+1 rounds Sights:  Three-dot Frame:  Steel Barrel length:  4.6 inches Overall length:  8.1 inches Height:  5.4 inches Width:  1.4 inches Weight:  36.1 ounces

Accuracy and Handling

On the range, the CZ 75 SA is an absolute tack driver. If you do your part with proper trigger pull and sight alignment, the pistol will too. Firing standing at 12 yards, I was able to get groups  about the size of my fist. I’m sure a more experienced shot could tighten this up a bit. Overall, I was happy with the accuracy I was able to achieve.

The handling is where my love for the CZ 75 starts to dwindle. Don’t get me wrong, the pistol shoots like a dream, but when looking at the firearm as a combat pistol, I have one hang up. The inverted slide rail design leaves very little room at the rear of the slide for racking the pistol or clearing any malfunctions — a common complaint. Being left-handed, this is even more of an issue because it’s difficult to use the slide release to charge the pistol, so I primarily depend on slingshotting it.

Alternatives

As I stated earlier, unfortunately, the CZ 75 SA has been discontinued. However, there are still a ton of excellent alternatives from both CZ and other manufacturers. Sticking with CZ, the 75 Omega is a solid option. This is the same basic pistol with a double-action/single-action trigger. The Omega variant features parts that allow you to easily swap between using a manual thumb safety or a decocking lever. If you’re looking for something a bit more modern and tactical, the CZ SP-01 should be on your shortlist. This is a similar design with full-length frame rails and a DA/SA trigger.

Additionally, if you look outside the CZ family, the Tanfoglio Witness series should be considered. Patent design issues at that time allowed many clones to sprout up, and these pistols are nearly identical in form, function, and quality.

Competition Options

Even the popular Shadow and Tactical Sport lines are based on the CZ 75 design. CZ pistols are some of the best-handling, flattest-shooting competition pistols on the market. Like the standard models, there are also a number of great competition options made by Tanfoglio.

Conclusion: CZ 75 SA

The venerable CZ 75 still holds its own today. Robust, accurate, and reliable, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more tested pistol design. If you see one of these single-action variants, jump on it, or find one of the great alternatives on the market.

What do you think of the CZ 75 SA? Let us know in the comments.

About the Author:

Are you a fan of old revolvers? How about cowboy action shooting? Share your answers in the comment section.

Comments (9)

The CZ75B is the ultimate dependable 9mm I have one of the 1st to be sold in US it has never hiccuped or stovepiped a round 5000 rounds they build the best And most dependable pistols out there just picked up a 75D PRC with aluminum Frame and loving it , no problems yet but yes my main carry is a 45acp Shield or aluminum framed Colt 1911 compact

“clearing any malfunctions — a common complaint”… I own a CZ 75B SA for about 8 years; it had over 6 K shots. So far I had only one malfunction episode; it was a defective round. So I don’t really know how common are the complaints… It’s a really great handgun: accurate and reliable.

You keep saying CZ 75 SA, but this is not one, its a 75B SA. In 2004 CZ did make a few non firing block models single action only which were sent to a select few, in a time they were making a bunch of versions and testing configurations before making the SP01 shadow. I have a 75 SA, non b model, and is indeed stamped as such on the frame. Happy to share pics and internal shots if you are interested. You can be excused for not knowing, they are rare as hens teeth and 99.999% of cz users have never seen one let alone shot one.

I bought a CZ 75B several years ago and loved it. My only complaint was factory sights. They are small and on my copy weren’t regulated. I eventually had a gunsmith install adjustable sights. I then saw the same model in the compact model at my local dealer and traded the original CZ for the compact model and it was my carry gun for several years. Being an old fan of the 1911, I love the ability to carry this pistol “cocked and locked”.

Lefty, Doesn’t Springfield make a new Hi-Power clone with ambi controls ?

My Springfield SA-35 only has left-side controls. The new model by FN is ambi though. ~Dave

I have the 75B with the Omega trigger. Accuracy is outstanding. Call me old fashion but like my 1911 and browning hi power there’s something sweet about this all Steel guns.

Years ago the CZ-75 was not available when I got an EAA Tanifoglio clone, (in .45 ACP). The CZ-75 is yet another example of an “outdated” design that is still viable, and can benefit from newer manufacturing technology. As example, wish that gun manufacturers would consider Electropolishing to “clean up” some of their small internal parts, as this process would remove many of the small “burrs” that occur when machining Stainless Steel, but does make it harder to apply any type of finish. Electropolishing can “passivate” Stainless Steel to some extent, making it even more stain resistant. Still, I like my “WONDER finish” clone in .45 ACP, and the MEC GAR magazines are great.

Being a southpaw like the author, I’ll pass on this.IF I were determined to go SA,I’d look at the FN P-35 Hi-Power-either the FN or licensed copies.Both the British and the Argentines used the P-35[and FAL]in the Falklands action.

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your discussions, feedback and comments are welcome here as long as they are relevant and insightful. Please be respectful of others. We reserve the right to edit as appropriate, delete profane, harassing, abusive and spam comments or posts, and block repeat offenders. All comments are held for moderation and will appear after approval.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• Wed. Nov 8th, 2023

The Internet Gun Review Magazine

The CZ 75B, a comfortable double stack. This is madness.

By Hunter Elliott

There is an arguable advantage to carrying a pistol that feeds from a double stack single feed magazine, but there can also be a bit of a disadvantage.  The advantage is having increased magazine capacity but sacrificing grip comfort, due to the enlarged grip to accommodate the larger magazine. Right now some folks are saying that with a carry gun, magazine capacity is not as big of a deal as the average defensive pistol fight is, and so on and so forth quoting all sorts of statistical data. My reply to that is I have never heard anyone say, “I hate I brought so much ammunition to the gun fight”

The CZ 75 B Omega as it ships in a nice box with all the paperwork, trigger lock, extra magazine, and a basic cleaning kit. I thought the cleaning kit was a nice touch.

I have a couple of double stack pistols and I do appreciate the increased magazine capacity but comfort can be sacrificed.  Grip comfort is important and has a direct correlation to accuracy and control. With a handgun, as you all know it is always a compromise between stopping power, concealability, and comfort. How cool would it be to be able to combine those factors in some measure into a single pistol.

Left and rights sides of the CZ

Well, in my opinion we have a contender. The CZ 75 B Omega. A slick double action pistol chambered in the ever popular 9mm Luger in a very comfortable double stack.

The CZ 75 B is externally reminiscent of the Browning High Power of Fabrique Nationale located in Herstal, Belgium, which is in itself a fine pistol also chambered in 9mm Luger. What strikes me right off on the CZ is the way the slide is machined to ride inside the receiver. That does lower the slide inside the receiver and helps lower the center of pressure deeper into the pistol which in turn gives the pistol less leverage against you during recoil.  That translates into less “muzzle flip” (I don’t love that term for some reason) and more of a push back.

You can clearly see how the slide runs inside the receiver.

The 9mm Luger does not generate a tremendous amount of recoil to begin with and with some insightful design features it makes it easy to handle for most anyone.

The initial range trip was actually the 9mm ballistic test, which you can read by clicking this link.

Once we got the Omega lathered up we commenced to really try to break it.

Clinton had brought some 300 rounds of lead truncated cone reloads and we loaded up the magazines and went at it as hard as we could. We started out with the two sixteen round magazines loaded and after a hundred rounds whichever of us that was not shooting would pick up the empty magazine off the deck and load it, handing it off shortly after the gun was run dry. There was very little time in between magazines with that system. Once we got another 200 rounds or so through the pistol it was getting pretty dang hot. We let it cool off a bit and policed brass. After a few minutes we got back at it and finished off the truncated cone reloads. By now the CZ was plenty dirty. I then loaded some of my reloads consisting of a 124gr JHP loaded with four grains of Unique propellent. This load is the bare minimum charge and I wanted to see if such a light load would function and cycle the slide of the CZ once we had it so dirty and fouled. After about fifty of those without any issues I was satisfied the Omega is a reliable pistol.

Second Range Trip

I was asked to introduce a few folks to auto loading handguns and the CZ 75 B Omega, Colt Delta Elite,  and a  Gen 4 Glock 17 were the pistols I brought with me. It was not so much of a reliability test of any of those pistols but to see how folks shot the different types of auto loaders, the double action CZ, the single action Colt Delta Elite, and the striker fired Glock 17. We went through about fifty rounds for each pistol and to tell the truth, most really liked the CZ. Everybody liked all of the pistols but the CZ being the 9mm and the option of single action or double action trigger pull had the greatest appeal to the beginner. Oh, and another fifty rounds through the CZ. That brings the total round count to some 450 flawless rounds.

The slide is a bit smaller vertically than your average Government Model but with strong cocking serrations there was no trouble cocking the slide, even with sweaty hands.

The trigger, which broke at a very clean four and a half pounds and little take up in single action and at a solid ten pounds through the double action pull. The double action pull is very similar as a Ruger GP 100 revolver.

The safety engaged when the hammer was completely back, allowing for safe single action carry. The slide stop was generous and serrated for dropping the slide on a loaded magazine. The magazine release was large enough to easily find and worked as it should.

Here you see the rowel style hammer in full cock and the safety engaged. The safety on the 75 B Omega does not serve as a decocker.

A large magazine well to accommodate the double stack single feed magazine. It was plenty big enough to easily find during hasty reloads.

Excellent three dot sighting system set as twenty five meters from the factory. For the distances I shot out to twenty five yards the sights were dead on.  Also, another angle on the slide to reliever fit.

The backstrap was smooth and offered a great deal of comfort during shooting.

Here you will notice the ejection port as well as the external extractor. The hammer does have a quarter cock illustrated in the photograph.

The ramped barrel, quite dirty but never gave any trouble.

The bottom of the slide, here you will notice the firing pin block.

Two sixteen round magazines with witness holes ships standard.

Muzzle view showing the front sight fit and another angle on the slide to receiver fit.

The top of the slide is deeply serrated which cuts any glare off of the top of the pistol. This is especially useful on bright days and careful target work.

The CZ 75 B Omega detail strips easily by lining up two small marks on the slide and receiver and pushing out the slide stop.

How about the barrel lugs and slide lugs, looks like the John Browning design made it’s way into the pistol.

Accuracy chart for the CZ 75 B Omega. Please click on the chart for a larger version. Reload one was a Montana gold 115grain JHP over 4 grains of Unique propellent. Reload two was a 120 grain lead truncated cone but I propellent charge is unknown.

Conclusions

All in all we are around 400 rounds through the CZ 75B Omega without any failures. Most of which were run through the gun when it was dry, dirty, and hot. The pistol performed very well, being ergonomic and comfortable which aided in controlability and accuracy. If I had to describe the Omega in one word it would be robust. It feels like it is somewhat overbuilt but still very comfortable to shoot and carry. I have decided to purchase the test sample as I believe it would be an ideal training pistol for someone trying to learn the manual of arms on a double action auto-loader. It is plenty accurate, comfortable, and low recoil so new shooters could easily learn the fundamentals. OK, that is what i told myself but truthfully I am going to buy it because I liked it a lot (though my reasoning holds water).  I also would like to put it in rotation for local pistol matches and lawful carry. After this test I have all the confidence in the world in this model.

Acknowledgments

Winchester Ammunition

Clinton Jamieson of rangehot.com and Hills Inc.

Update, after four months and about a few thousand rounds more through the CZ 75B Omega is still purring along without issues. I try to bring it to the range when I go, especially with a new shooter as shown in the video below. David Elliott with some of my reloads.

Specifications

The CZ 75 B Ω (Omega) features a simpler, more robust version of the 75’s trigger system. The interlocking design of the trigger mechanism’s parts allows for easy disassemble and reassembly without the need for tools, so taking the pistol down beyond a basic field strip is much easier than on a standard 75. Not only does this simplify maintenance, the trigger parts themselves are made of different materials, enhancing durability, operation life and reliability.

Share this:

I spent much of my youth involved with firearms and felt the call early on to the United States Marine Corps, following in my father's and his brother's footsteps. Just after high school I enlisted and felt most at home on the rifle range, where I qualified expert with several firearms and spent some time as a rifle coach to my fellow Marines. After being honorably discharged I continued teaching firearm safety, rifle and pistol marksmanship, and began teaching metallic cartridge reloading. In the late 1990s I became a life member to the National Rifle Association and worked with the Friends of the NRA. Around that time my father and I became involved with IDPA and competed together up until he passed away. I began reviewing firearms for publications in the mid 2000s and have been fortunate to make many friends in the industry. Continuing to improve my firearms skills and knowledge is a never ending journey in which we should all be committed. I am also credited as weapons master on a few independent films.

Related Post

Colt king cobra target .22 lr 4 1/4″ barrel, handy rimfire., colt 4 1/4″ anaconda, handheld howitzer, hi-point yeet cannon…..finally., 29 thoughts on “the cz 75b, a comfortable double stack. this is madness.”.

[…] Go read this article… […]

Well done Hunter I knew you would fall in love with the CZ line. The grip on these pistols is about as comfortable as a handgun grip can be.

Get your hands on a CZ 75 D Compact and let us know how you make out.

Thank you very much sir. I have already been in contact with CZ about the next test pistol. I always believe what you tell me but some times I like to give you a hard time.

Good read. These are great handguns. I have a Pre B 75 & find no faults in function.

Hunter, check out the Ruger SR9/40 and SR45 if you are interested in double-stacks that feel like single stacks.

I will check them out for sure. Thank you sir.

[…] that found their way into my possession). You can read the review of the CZ 75 B Omega by following this link and the Glock 17 by following this link. Clinton Jamieson, a fellow reviewer, also brought along […]

It’s an interesting thing, the CZ75B Omega, I see it all over and they are saying it’s new? I bought a CZ75B Omega in September of 2009, it has the Omega symbol on the slide. Great gun, fell in love with it immediately, very accurate, easy to shoot. I liked CZ’s so much after that, I went out and bought a CZ75 Compact 40; another excellent firearm (since June 2010) and another flawless CZ product. Today I am once again considering a CZ for everyday conceal carry, either a C75B compact 9. or a RAMI 2075 in 9 or maybe 40. The RAMI is smaller, but the CZ75B Compact really feels nice in the hand and still packs 14 rounds!

I agree 100%^. The Omega was my first real experience with CZ pistols, other than shooting a few rounds through a friends and I am very pleased on how it ran. I intend to add a few more CZs to the collection myself. Please keep me posted on what you decide for everyday carry.

Very nicely written review! I have a CZ 75B and it has become one of my favorite hand guns. I have since purchased a P-01 and am seriously considering acquiring an SP-01. CZ’s really fit my hands very well, and I shoot accurately with them. I also like all metal pistols more than the sea of polymer pistols. My CZ 75B with coco bolo grips is a work of engineering mastery and art.

Thank you very much. I have become a huge fan of the CZ line after spending some time with their firearms. As you say, in a sea of polymer, it is nice to see a traditional pistol holding it’s own.

Bought a CZ 75 P-07. Absolutely enjoy shooting and owning that handgun. Has the Omega trigger and I have installed the decocker. Smooth as silk. Have run over 3500 rounds of Freedom Munitions 9mm 115 and 124 gr without one burp of any kind. This is a solid gun to own.

My next investment will be a CZ 75B SPO1 Tactical. Can’t waite.

Thank you very much John. This was my first real experience with the CZ line and I did not know how it was going to shake out. I fell in love with the Omega pretty quick. How do you like the decocker? I am hoping for a SP01 test sample after SHOT. Please keep me posted on what you think of it.

Hunter you should check out the CZ 97B in your favourite cartridge…45acp!

It is one great shooter. If you decide to compare accuracy betgween it and another .45acp you better bring the best 1911 you got because the 97B is one heck of a shooter.

While I am on the suggestion page why not look into a CZ 75D Compact aka PCR. It is, without a doubt one of the best compacts made…bar none. It has a twin with a rail called the CZ P-01. Both are excellent from a firm that knows how to build pistils.

I will be sure to stop in the CZ booth and follow up with those folks with your suggestions. Thank you very much my friend.

I really like my 75B Omega and was interested in the 97B for a long time. Finally found one a couple years back, but it didn’t fit my hand as nicely as the 75 did. The specs say the grip is the same, but it must have a larger circumference, as I could not comfortably and easily reach the magazine release. without repositioning my hand on the grip. Due to that, I decided against it. I do have a 75 Compact 40 S&W though and just recently looked at a 2075 Rami, haven’t decided if I want that or the 75B Compact. I like the Rami because it is a little smaller, but I don’t know if I like the feel as mush as the 75 Compact in 9mm. Decisions, decisions . .. .

Get the Compact over the Rami. Sadly the Rami has had major issues with the double recoil spring and CZ insists changing it more often than not to ‘solve’ reliability issues. Or try the Canik/Tri-Star c-100. Identical gun in every way except the price. Magzines fit etc. They have on in .40 S&W if you are so inclined. Price is about $330-60 ish.

RAMI is a great choice for CCW. It is a very reliable firearm. Every batch can have a few bad ones… Don’t let a few examples become the rule. I own two of them and wouldn’t mind a third (and fourth…). I also have the 75 B Ω which is a great gun only knocked by wannabe mavens. A Shadow 2 shares real estate with them as well. All quality tools (yes, that is what firearms are).

Thanks for the review. You covered well all the attributes of the CZ75B platform. One tip that some my find useful is that CZ Custom makes some excellent thin aluminum grips. For those with short fingers and/or small to mid size hands, these grips transform the CZ75B into a completely different (better!) firearm. Despite the note on CZ Custom’s website, the thin aluminum grips do fit on the newer CZ75B Omega. Apparently earlier Omegas had a more ‘square’ front and backstrap, but the newer ones are more rounded like all CZ75Bs.

Thank you for the kind words Eli, and the heads up on the grips. I appreciate your feedback.

I love the cz! I have two a 9 and a 40. I compared them to my glockenspiel 34 sig 226 and 229. The czs out shot them all! I used federal and my reloads. The cz 75s just performed a lot better! I also compared the cz 22 kit to sig. CZ just would not stop! The sig would not stop jamming!! I plan on getting the omega or a retro next week. Can’t wait!

Jimi, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I agree, CZ makes a fine pistol and I Omega test sample purchased and have had it out several times since the review was published and it keeps on keeping on. Thank you again, very much.

[…] a CZ 75B Omega for the 9mm (review here), a Kahr Arms CT40 for the .40 (review here), a Colt M45 A1 for the .45 (review here), for the .223 […]

Great article on a pistol I like very much. Though I am not very familiar with the Omega trigger system I have learned a bit and am interested. I can appreciate you being unbiased and informative on these reviews, I do like to read the articles on rangehot.com. .

Just purchased a CZ 75B in part to this review. Great review and can back that up as a satisfied owner of this firearm.

That is awesome! Thank you for the kind words. I have had the CZ out several times since the review and she has still not given any trouble. If you want, head over to the rangehot.com facebook and post some photos.

I agree with many other comments by others. Great open and unbiased review covering key points and good comparison. I also am a very happy owner of this handgun. Bought it almost on a whim in a fine gun shop. Had read great reviews in the past and had been keeping my eye out for a CZ75 but the SP-01. When in this shop they not only the SP-01 but a number of other models by CZ often mentioned. The SP-01 just turned out to be beyond my price range at this time and a little bigger than I was looking for. I saw this next to it and just had to check it out. The person assisting me just raved about it and had every gun imaginable in this shop he could have directed me too. Put it in my hand checked it over and just said ‘I’ll take it’! Very unlike me, I typically research endlessly before making a decision. I have a number of fine handguns, Walthers, HK, and some less expensive utility guns. This has quickly become my easy favorite. Easy targeting, smooth shooting and dead on and not a hiccup on anything even when breaking in like some others from the first round through it. Never regretted my decision. I had at the range and invited the retired law enforcement range officer to try it out. He asked where I got it, what I paid for it and immediately was calculating what his employee discount would be. Needless to say, he was very impressed. It is just one sweet shooter and finely constructed.

Thank you Stosh for the kind words and your perspective as well. I am thankful you took the tine to let me know your experiences.

[…] will notice, this pistol is reminiscent of the 75 B Omega, as reviewed here.  However, it has some noticeable updates such as three-dot night sights, increased capacity, and […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

CZ P10C same quality reduced MSRP