Cz 97?

[Brian41]

I was at a gun show saturday AM, and got the chance to handle, and see upclose a CZ 97 for the first time. I have been looking at them on the CZ web site for a couple of months, but never had seen one. I was very impressed. The gun felt great in my hand, is over all a very good looking pistol, had great sights (factory from what i was told), and despite its double stack .45 mag, still fit well in my hand. I was expecially impressed that the gun was seemingly narrower overall than the Ruger P89 i currently use as my CCW, and still holds 10+1 rounds of .45 ACP.
Can anyone vouch for how the 97 operates? I've read great stuff about the 75/P-01/RAMI and the like CZ series guns, but i hadn't ever seen anything on the 97.

Thanks

 

[Craig M. Arnold]

Cz 97b

I have two CZ 97Bs. IMHO, for the money, they are the best 45 pistol made. Tough, reliable and very, very accurate. They will out shoot my Kimbers, Colt and Smith and Wesson. My advice is get one, you will not be sorry.

Best regards.

 

[George Hill]

I rank them with the SIG P220 after a little work is done to them.

 

[hartzpad]

CZ-97 will probably be my first .45 acp autoloader someday.

From what I have read there are only 3 negatives to the CZ-97

1) most have trouble feeding any type of hollow point ammo, although many have gotten around this by polishing/modifying the feedramp

2) no hi-cap mags and sounds like there will never be any

3) too large a grip for many people (I love it though)

Other than that, I have read that they are very accurate, great shooters.

 

[12 Volt Man]

IMHO the CZ97 is one of the greats.
Even after going through 3 owners before it finally became mine, it is the most accurate gun I own.
The downsides have pretty much all been mentioned. You have held the gun, so you know how big it is, you do need some good sized hands. Also some find it undersprung, a new Wolff spring takes care of that. Many of us do not like the fact that it has a short little guide rod. I have a remedy for that problem if you are interested.
Here is a picture that shows a pretty good group I shot with my 97. Sorry it is sort of cheesey. And sorry to those who have seen it before.

 

[mtarnold5]

cz97

I also own a 97 and it is without a doubt the best .45 for the money available! I have not had any problems feeding hollowpoints. When I got it I just polished the feedramp, installed a more powerful mag spring, and put a heavier recoil spring (20#). If it fits your hand well..........BUY IT!!!!!!!

Take care, Mike Arnold

 

[Marshall]

I also own a 97 and it is without a doubt the best .45 for the money available! I have not had any problems feeding hollowpoints. When I got it I just polished the feedramp, installed a more powerful mag spring, and put a heavier recoil spring (20#). If it fits your hand well..........BUY IT!!!!!!!

You mean after you did that it didn't have any problems feeding holllow points or, it didn't have any problems but you did that for the heck of it?

 

[George Hill]

I hate you.

 

[mtarnold5]

cz97

When I purchase any pistol, the first thing I do before I take it to the range is give it a good cleaning and polish the feed ramp. I had read where the 97's had had problems feeding hollow points......so on top of the regular fluff and buff I replaced the springs. In answer to your question, I did not try it before replacing the springs and polishing the feedramp, but, I have yet to have any problems with hollowpoints. To be fair though,as far as hollowpoints, I have only shot golden sabers, starfire, and hydra-shok through the 97b( 2 boxes of each). I had experienced my only ftf with any my cz's shooting corbon out of my pcr.......so I have chosen not to try that with my 97(or any of my cz's period).Truthfully, I really just wanted to make sure that IF it became necessary, and all I had were hollowpoints, it would feed them reliably. I would say though, I shoot fmj most of the time. S&B, and PMP. I know some people say that you should not have to replace the spring on a brand new gun, but as cheap as the recoil springs and mags springs are through wolff, I buy in bulk to have plenty of extras on hand. Cz's are undersprung(IMHO) from the factory anyway, so I replace ALL my cz's springs. I figure it like this..........I bought my 97b for $425.00(shipped) + $10.00 ffl fee+ say $10.00 springs, less than $450.00 for a pistol of this caliber is outstanding. My father owns several .45's (Colt, Kimber, had a loaded Springfield but sold it!, and his 97'S) The 97's are as accurate if not more accurate than all of them costing 2-3 times as much. By the way, he has also never had any problems feeding hollowpoints from his 97's. Thanks, Mike Arnold

 

[armoredman]

Sold several CZ 97s to people with large hands who picked it up, got "the look", and fished for the wallet. Great pistols, as is, IMHO, darn near anything saying CZ....

 

[peteinct]

Great gun

Brian, If the 97b fits you, you will be very happy with it. Mine is the most accurate auto I own. On par with my S+W model 66. It is very soft shooting a real hoot to take to the range.I never had a problem feeding hollowpoints but I have only run a couple boxes through it. I've shot thousands of FMJ rounds with it and not had any problems. The short guide rod looks hokey but functions fine.
All in all it is a marvelous gun.

pete

 

[Kamicosmos]

They are great guns. Mine feeds hollowpoints okay (All my handloads though), and seems just fine on its springs. Mine is a 2003 model though. I have not polished the ramp yet, but might just because. I also had BlackSnowman make me a full length guide rod for me out of a hinge pin. (dug through a box of hinges at Cummins, got one for a buck fifty.) Again, just because.

The gun is scary accurate. It makes me look so good. I recently shot my CCW qualification with it. We are required to use Factory ammo for the qual, so I picked up some S&B 230 grain ball, since that was what the gun is designed around. It's a good feeling to have your CCW instructor (who is also a cop) just get giddy over your shooting! I replied, I just pull the trigger.

I am eyeing the 85 Compact (or the p04 when it comes out) and a RAMI as well. CZ are the best thing going right now. Excellent quality, reliable, accurate, ergonomic and extremely affordable. I mean, people compare them to SIGS, which are double the price! That's gotta stand for something!

(Oh, and uh. They might not be Hi-Caps as far as a 9mm is concerned, but I kinda consider 10 rounds in a .45 to be hi-capacity...)