CZ40P

[AMraider]

First local show since February and I picked up this CZ40P. It's been around the block but overall not too bad of shape. I have never seen one in person. I can't wait for a range trip!

 

[potmetal]

I had one years ago. It's a great shooter.

 

[Nature Boy]

It looks a lot like a CZ75D

what’s the history on this model? I know nothing about it

 

[WVsig]

It looks a lot like a CZ75D

what’s the history on this model? I know nothing about it

CZ and Colt had a joint venture to build a gun known as the 40B. It was a 1911 sort of pistol that was DAO with a manual safety. IIRC CZ made the uppers and Colt made the lowers. Colt backed out of the deal. CZ was then left with a bunch of slides. CZ being the king of Frankenguns took the slides and mated them to the newly developed P01 frame. They sold them as the CZ 40P. When they were released they were $300 guns. Below is a pic of a 40B.

 

[Nature Boy]

CZ and Colt had a joint venture to build a gun known as the 40B. It was a 1911 sort of pistol that was DAO with a manual safety. IIRC CZ made the uppers and Colt made the lowers. Colt backed out of the deal. CZ was then left with a bunch of slides. CZ being the king of Frankenguns took the slides and mated them to the newly developed P01 frame. They sold them as the CZ 40P. When they were released they were $300 guns. Below is a pic of a 40B.

View attachment 930250

when you threw in the Colt collaboration it jogged my memory, thanks!

 

[WVsig]

The Colt rollmark guns are semi collectible in that there are not many of them and they are odd ball orphans. I believe the reason Colt backed out is because the Z40 was the base platform for Colt's development of "smart gun" tech. When that got out they scraped the entire product not just the "smart gun" part.

 

[yosemitesam1101]

I have two of these. 2 CZ75s, 2 CZ82s and 4 CZ52s. The CZs are a bit different than most guns but very reliable and accurate. The CZs are quality weapons on a budget.

 

[WVsig]

I have two of these. 2 CZ75s, 2 CZ82s and 4 CZ52s. The CZs are a bit different than most guns but very reliable and accurate. The CZs are quality weapons on a budget.

They used to be budget shooter but not anymore. I used to be able to buy NIB 75Bs, CZ Compacts, PCRs etc... for $400 OTD. Ever since the P01 prices ave gone up! I still buy them.

CGW 75B, CGW Shadow 2, CGW Steel P01, CZ 75 SAO CZ Scorpion EVO pistol with tailhook!

 

[Walt Sherrill]

It looks a lot like a CZ75D

what’s the history on this model? I know nothing about it.

I know your memory has been jogged, already, but...

CZ made Colt Z40 in the Czech Republic. Nothing was made by Colt. It was apparently intended for the U.S. LEO market. (I've never heard whether CZ was going to ALSO offer the CZ-40B, or whether that was just a natural offshoot of Colt dropping out of the venture.)

Colt was going through all kinds of management and production problems at the time and made a lot of screwy decisions. By the time that Colt backed out of the deal with CZ,CZ had already produced about 800 of the Colts, and all but maybe a handful were DAO.

You'll find the the COLT Z40 listed in the Fjestad Blue Book. Fjestand said 750-800 were made but few made it to the U.S. I'd assume that some did, as it was intended to be a police handgun, and the Europe has never been big on the 40 S&W round except, maybe, for IPSC competition. The U.S. is probably the best market for the Z40.
​

I've only seen one Colt Z-40 at a gun show, and that dealer wanted more than twice the 40B price. Some consider it a collector gun (i.e., it IS a rare Colt), but I think it's just a rarer CZ-40B in DAO and not really worth the premium because of a questionable Colt marketing decision). I don't remember whether it had a blued finish or the CZ polycoat. The Blue Book says blued.

The Colt Z40 is supposed to have a really nice DAO trigger. (There was also supposedly a handful of DA/SA Z40s made with safeties..)The internal components of the 40B were pure CZ-75B, but the grip frame was similar to the 1911. It fit the hand just like a 75B, so the grip was well done

As noted by WVsig, CZ had a knack for building components in large numbers and assembling them into complete guns later. Because they sometimes had large supplies of different components, and were known to throw together unusual components (perhaps for test marketing), that allowed CZ to create unusual models. I've always considered the 40P a "Frankengun."

Production of the 40B started and stopped in 2002, and because of that, CZ had a "compact" .40; the 40P filled that gap and there was still a lot of interest in .40 S&W in the U.S. Creating the 40P may have been a marketing decision or maybe just an an effort to reduce a large inventory of parts. According to the Fjestad Blue Bo imported about 1,500 40Ps from 2004 thru 2006. CZ did a second (and final) production run of the CZ-40B in 2007.

The 40P sold in the $300 range, but so did the earlier CZ 40B. (I think I paid $275 for my 40B, plus shipping on the 'net.) The prices have continued to slowly increase, due to all of the market pressures on the international markets and currencies during that period . The price shown in the Blue Book for the Colt Z40 is $800 NIB and $775 in 98%.

• While the 40B slide will mount on the P-01 frame, the 40B slide will not function on that standard P-01 frame. The 40P frame is slightly different than the standard P-01 frame, internally. (I don't think the P-01 slide works on the 40P frame, either.)

• Unless someone has found a work-around, the Kadet Kit, a .22 top end designed for the various models CZ-75/85 models, won't work on the the 40P or 40B frames

• The Fjestad Blue Book says the 40P has a polymer frame, but everyone I've ever seen or heard of used modified P-01 frames, which were forged aluminum. (That's an unusual error for Fjestad.)

I had one of the original 40Bs and it was a good gun, but I found that I was NOT all that enthused with the.40 S&W round at the time, and eventually traded the 40B away. I wish I had kept it. I've had a bunch of CZs over the years, and still have several, but the 40B was the the only CZ I've regretted trading or selling. I'm now comfortable with the .40 round, and have a number of .40 S&W handguns -- but none of them are CZs. I'll eventually find another 40B. I do have a FNS-40 and ir reminds me a lot of the 40B in how it fits the hand and shoots, but it's striker (not hammer) fired.

 

[bannockburn]

Walt Sherrill

I have seen both the Colt Z40 and the CZ 40P at various gun shows over the years. Since the design of the grip frame was so pronounced that it really didn't feel all that comfortable to me I didn't look any further. I do recall though that at the time neither of them were priced very high and if I would have had the money on me, I would have bought the Colt as a future collectible.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I have seen both the Colt Z40 and the CZ 40P at various gun shows over the years. Since the design of the grip frame was so pronounced that it really didn't feel all that comfortable to me I didn't look any further. I do recall though that at the time neither of them were priced very high and if I would have had the money on me, I would have bought the Colt as a future collectible.

The Colt Z40 and the 40B share the same frame and slide. I found the feel of the 40B in hand to be very similar to the CZ-75b and also similar to that of a 1911 (although it was double-stack)

The P-01 frame used with the 40P is essentially the same grip frame, ergonomically speaking, as the CZ-75B compact models (which includes the P-01). The only differences between the 40P version of the P-01 frame and the standard P-01 frame are minor internal adjustments.

Maybe the Z40/40B grip frame is just different enough for you to be off-putting, but I've never heard "pronounced" used to describe the P-01 frame.

The 40P never interested me, as I don't like decockers. Had I had stumbled across a Colt Z40 for $100 more than a standard CZ-75B, I would have jumped on it. I might still jump on it.

 

[wnycollector]

I picked my CZ40B from CDNN for ~$280 maybe a decade ago. It was my first .40 pistol and still my favorite and most accurate. Even though .40 has fallen out of favor, I find myself carrying it in an owb holster during the winter because it just fits my hand so well. Just a superb pistol.

 

[bannockburn]

Walt

I have seen both the Colt Z40 and the CZ 40P at various gun shows over the years. Since the design of the grip frame was so pronounced that it really didn't feel all that comfortable to me I didn't look any further.

What I was referring to with the Colt Z40 and CZ40B was I had a problem with the overall grip design. It had a slightly long, angled shape starting with the backstrap and combined with the flat squared off design of a wider grip, just did not feel comfortable in my hand. I thought it might be a good fit as it was kind of like that found on a 1911 with a flat mainspring housing but the whole thing just didn't feel right to me, as if it were too big and angular for my smaller size hand.

Likewise I have no problem with the P01 grip frame; matter of fact it's one of my favorites as it reminds me a great deal of the grip shape of my favorite 9mm., the Browning Hi-Power and one of my other favorites, the CZ75! Also a Colt Government with a flat mainspring housing.

 

[AMraider]

I have always liked the .40 S&W. Not many people do. It goes nicely with my 9mm CZ 75B Omega also with the decocker. I have been wanting the 75B in .40 but it looks like I have waited too long.

 

[czhen]

Thank you Walt.
CZ-Colt 40 joint venture sadly, did not catch up on market. Consumers were looking for polymer pistols and look with ugly faces a 1911 shaped pistol.
Great pistol to tame a .40 cal.

 

[railroader]

I have always liked the .40 S&W. Not many people do. It goes nicely with my 9mm CZ 75B Omega also with the decocker. I have been wanting the 75B in .40 but it looks like I have waited too long.

View attachment 930525

. I saw a nib 75b in .40 yesterday for sale. It was at Ace Hardware in Blythe California. It was $629. I was surprised to see it in the gun case.