CZ 83 What's the word on the .380?

[usp9]

I'm looking for opinion concerning the CZ 83 in .380. Anyone have experience shooting these guns? Are they reliable, do they wear well, how accurate are they, how easy are they to maintain, take down and clean, etc.

I currently shoot the Beretta 84 and a Bersa Thunder .380, so where would you place a CZ83 on the scale with these two?

Any particular rounds work well or poorly? How would you rate the sights?

Thanks for any and all responses.

 

[Murphster]

I'll probably be the only one with a negative comment, so I'll start. I had one. Accurate, good trigger, felt good in the hand. Not as well finished (particularly inside) as a Beretta .380 but it looked fine on the outside. Mine was unreliable. Would not reliably feed anything. I'm sure in retrospect it was probably a magazine issue and could have been fixed with new mags, but I was miffed and sold the gun after owning it for just two weeks. I've had and prefer the Beretta, Sig, Bersa, or Walther .380 offerings because of the reliability issue. It's been a few years but I think that sights were about on par with the Beretta. I wouldn't buy another one. I would go with another Beretta or maybe the Browning BDA.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

My shooting buddy bought one new in Sept 2005, and I'll be posting it for sale here and TFL in the classifieds real soon.

It's a typical CZ in that it is very comfortable in the hand, and the trigger is wonderful, much better than any CZ 75s I've tried. It's a higher quality feeling piece than the Bersa, as it should be for the extra $100 or so.

He only shot FMJ factory reloads and inexpensive American Eagle stuff, but never had a problem in the 250 rounds he fired.

It's also very accurate. I can damn near one-hole a five shot group at 10 yards offhand. My buddy however can't shoot it worth a darn, and that's what matters since it's his gun.

 

[brownie bellows]

CZ-83

I have three of them and love them (I also have 3 Makarovs and assorted other autos). The cz83 is a much nicer pistol than the Maks in all respects, in my opinion...fit, finish, handling, shooting, accuracy. It is a class act. And, with its double stack magazine, you can hold 13 rounds of 380.

 

[dairycreek]

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Here's mine. Never had a problem with it - ever. Had it for about three years and have put hundreds of rounds throught it. Super little gun.

 

[gazpacho]

Unless you buy a Mac11, the CZ-83 will be the biggest 380acp you will ever own. Factory Highcaps are easy to get from CZ-USA. The DA trigger is long and smooth, but a little squishy. The SA trigger is short and smooth and also a little squishy. I can't describe it better than that, as no other gun I've shot had a similar trigger. This gun finds its roots in the CZ-82 (9x18) service sidearm, and the CZ-83 (32acp) police sidearm. It has too many parts, but has proven robust, and very accurate. The ergonomics are superb. Ambi-dextrious Safety and magazine release. Left side slide release. Can be carried locked and cocked.

I have the 32acp version, and it remains my favorite handgun. I keep it for purely entertainment reasons, and will probably buy a second to keep as a safe princess.

 

[wbond]

I own 3 CZ-83s - one in each caliber

The CZ-83s I have are all dandys.

This is the .32 ACP, .380, and the 9x18.

However, the 9x18 is not only the most powerful, but also the nicest because it has a chrome plated polygonal bore. Wow.

The new model CZ-83 9x18 are said to have a stainless steel polygonal bore, which would be even nicer.

The 9x18 is quite a bit more potent than the .380 for two reasons:

1) the cartridge is a bit more potent

2) the polygonal bore adds about 40 fps more

So between a more potent cartridge and more efficient barrel, the 9x18 has a huge advantage.

Normally, the 9x18 pistol costs more than the .380 pistol. However, Makarov.com is selling new 9x18 CZ-83s for less than the .380s cost elsewhere.

The .380 CZ-83 is nice, but get the 9x18. It's nicer and more powerful.

Also, I've never had any malfunctions of any type.

However, I've heard of the mag feeding problem with some other people's guns. That problem has been solved some time ago because I've not heard of it occuring with any CZ-83 in the recent past.

 

[Majic]

I have 2 CZ-83s (one early and late model) and have never had any problems with either one. Like the others have already said they are accurate, feel good in the hand, and IMO is a real soft shooter for a blowback gun.

Unless you buy a Mac11, the CZ-83 will be the biggest 380acp you will ever own.

I guess you haven't seen a Taurus PT-58.

 

[gazpacho]

I've shot the PT-58. It didn't stand out in my mind as larger, but I couldn't compare them side by side. Mac11 is still larger.

Now that I think about it, the Taurus PT-938 may be larger than the CZ-83.