first pistol, CZ75c, high point/RIA 1911,or?..

[pedaldude]

Well I made the first step in getting a pistol, moved out of NY, then waited the 90 days to buy one here as a resident.

so I've been shooting alot with range guns mostly 1911s in 45, I've got 1k or so empties to prove it as I anticipate reloading at some point and wish I'd started saving them sooner. I've also stocked up on ammo in case it goes up in price some more before then, mostly 45 WWB since already all but one of the local *marts raised there prices a buck or two a box, and I shoot it better than the more expensive stuff they sell at the range.

anyway, I'd like to shoot more 9mm as well to save money. I've been looking around for deals in the area and online, prices are OK local in some of the shops so it doesn't pay to pay shipping and transfer from any of the online retailers.

I've handled shot and dry-fired many autos and I'm pretty limited in what's comfortable to hold for any amount of time since my hands are relatively small so I've got it narrowed down to either a 1911, Hi-Power or CZ75. I really like the trigger on the 1911 and I've tried a whole lot, I've read about the RIA and how it was a good deal and also heard that the SA ones are good and I've gotten to shoot a few of those, funny the milspec was most reliable compared to the much more expensive model that I shot (TRP). I was looking around at another shop and told the man at the counter my problem, they had SS mil specs for 550 and 650 with different grips and sights mounted. I was then told that he had sold a bunch of cheaper high standard 1911s and he'd recommend them to someone who didn't want to spend $1k plus, the price was marked $350 and I did some searching around and found that armscor possibly makes them (it was also listed on the warranty card in the pistols box so why not) so they're basicly RIA with slightly different grips and a different rollmark. I've read similar reviews of them as the RIA from people who have owned and shot the pistol. The same shop also has a CZ75 compact for $350 and an FM hi power for fifty less so I don't know what to do. They also had a star BM but it was not in very good shape and had surface rust and wasn't at nice enough a price.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I'm a big fan of CZs and Hi-Powers. You'd can hardly go wrong with either. With 1911s you might be less satisfied with the lower-end guns, unless you're able to do some parts-swapping, adjusting yourself. And there aren't a lot of 9mm 1911s to choose from -- and a lot of them seem to have problems. (I have an older Stoeger-imported LLama 9mm 1911, with some good aftermarket parts, and its about as good as you get.)

The CZ and HPs will both likely come with mediocre triggers. Dry-firing with a snap cap will improve the CZ, and removing the mag safety will probably help with the HP. Having either/both tuned by a gunsmith after a few hundred rounds will make either/both seem like much better guns. The price on the CZ Compact is fair -- not sure about the FM, as they are frequently much lower. You can sometimes find an FN HP from CDNN for under $400, and that's the way I'd go. Waiting an extra month or two to accumulate another $100 or so can make a big long-term difference in your satisfaction with the gun you buy.

(I currently have a CZ Compact, a CZ 85 Combat, a CZ 75 Single Action, and an older BHP. They're all great guns, but I probably shoot the Compact the least. Its smaller, but its heavy. I also have a SIG GSR [1911] and its one of the nicest 1911 I've owned. I'm impressed. I've also had a very nice Norinco, customized by a pretty good 1911 gunsmith.. And shot a bunch of Wilsons and Kimbers.)

1911s are a unique shooting experience; if you like .45, they are excellent. Less expensive 1911s tend to be less satisfying than the low-end Kimbers or Springfields, but the RIA has gotten a lot of praise from shooters on forums like this. I've come to believe that its best not to SKIMP on 1911s, but have no experience with the RIA.

 

[Retro]

Rock Island is rock solid, and it shoots well. RIA is more accurate than my Springfield GI, and I paid $600 for the Springfield, and only $300 for RIA. After knowing that RIA shoots better than SA, I got so pissed that I spent double the amount for a SA. So I traded in SA for a USP .45. I think for a workhorse 1911 without all the fancy bling-blings, you can't go wrong with RIA. Besides, you can always add the fancy bling-blings onto a RIA if you want a race gun.

But don't get me wrong, Kimbers are awesome pieces of art. My friend has an eclipse, and it was awesome... a little shiny for my taste but it shoots very tight groups, the tightest I have seen, tighter than SigSauer P220. But for 1200 dollars, you could also get a M1A instead.

 

[Jiml3]

I have both the CZ PCR 9mm. and a Browning Hi Power among many other guns.
I would rate both excellent and suggest that either one will make you happy.
In the beginning, stay with the nines. The ammo cost a lot less than most other calibers and you will have more money to spend on practicing. As you get
more experienced, you can always move up.

 

[pedaldude]

thanks for the advice. looks like I bought something, little bit of both, got a CZ97. It's pretty nice, definitely a keeper, might get an RIA one of these days with the money I save from reloading once I decide on what I'll get in that dept.

I tried a few but really didn't like the trigger, then I saw a used one today it was a good price so I figured I'd give it another shot. turns out this particular pistol had been sent back to CZ to have a single action trigger installed. the result, sweet!

I'll add some pictures and targets later, already put 100rds through, hadn't shot in over a month and it did pretty well, shot out to 25 yds and got it all in the black despite a little shakiness on my part, also I was covering the target to hit the bullseye, had I held a 6 oclock hold it would have been a tighter group. the only thing Imight do is paint the dots on the rear sight and find a nicer looking set of grips, maybe a loader since it's also a little hard to get the mag past 4 rds.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The one thing people consistently complain about with the CZ-97B is the size of the grip. If that's not a problem, you're home free -- as the SA conversion (which generally includes an action job) costs $100-$150) is a very nice EXTRA. (You may have a little trouble with some hollow-point loads, too -- but if its been worked on by the CZ gunsmith, that's probably been taken care of, too.)

If you find that the grip is too large, there are a couple of grip makers on the CZ-Forum who can make thinner custom grips, and I'm told (I've not tried) that the Hogue wraparound rubber grips for the CZ-75B can be heated and stretched to fit, reducing grip size somewhat.

It used to be that folks said the SIG P-220 was the best, most accurate (non-1911) .45 out of the box, but many are now starting to say that about the CZ-97B.

Its a great gun, and you did GOOD.