Is it me or do local gun dealers not seem to know about CZ?

[DirksterG30]

For me it was a local dealer that turned me on to CZs. We were buying a pistol for my wife, and the clerk suggested the PCR. I'd never heard of CZ, but I was very impressed with what I saw. The ergonomics were outstanding, and the price was very good (I think it was $459). We went home with the PCR, and I liked the PCR enough that I ended up getting a used P-01 for myself a few months later. The last time I was there, this dealer had various full-sized CZ-75s, SP-01s, and Ramis, but no compact-sized CZs.

The local Gander Mountain stores also carry CZs, but the clerks try to sell whatever they have a lot of at the time.

 

[Saiga39]

My local gun store occasionally will have a CZ. I had the guy track me down my first CZ which was a 75B in Satin Nickel. He told me that he talked to the CZ rep about becoming a dealer but it would require him to purchase a certain amount of riles\handguns. I forgot the exact amount but it was something between 20 or 30. He couldn't do that at the time.
It might be cost prohibitive to get started as a CZ dealer.

 

[JesseL]

My local gun shop carries the full CZ line.

 

[ranger58]

Thanks for the web site brownie0486, also czzone I beleave is another.

r58

 

[P. Plainsman]

Each of the two cities I've lived in in the past several years has one big, good, dedicated gun store. Both of them do an OK job of stocking CZs. Four or five different pistols, about equal number of rifles. When a new model arrives like the SP-01, they'll give it some play.

Little by little, CZ is arriving in America's gun consciousness. Word of mouth plays a major role. CZ-USA does advertise, but their print ads are rather straightforward and prosaic ("here are our pistols and rifles; the CZ 75B is one of the world's most respected and copied pistol designs; oh yeah, we also do Dan Wesson revolvers"), and they certainly don't compare to the magnitude or slickness of, say, Kimber's or S&W's media blitzes.

This thread is timely. I hit the range this morning with my 75B. I had a ball. What a great, trusted pistol. Hits the 25 yard plates like a laser with the hot, XTP-tipped Black Hills 124 grain 9mm+P ammo. And very fast to put center-mass groups on a combat silhouette at 10 yards.

 

[brownie0486]

r58,

You are welcome sir

Brownie

 

[Logos]

Well, I've put two CZs (both compacts, I tried twice) through their paces and was definitely not satisfied. A self-defense gun should be 100 percent reliable in order to be called reliable......my CZs were both about 95 percent reliable.

Wolf extractor spring helped a little, and I think the problems were usually magazine problems--but if you have to tinker with magazines a lot--how can you be sure it would feed a 2nd round in a crisis?

Yes, I know it will 95 times out of a hundred......good odds, but I can get better odds, so why screw around with the CZ?

My Glocks, on the other hand, have simply NEVER jammed......at all.

Your mileage with CZs may vary......in fact, I hope my experience WAS unusual--but I'm not going to buy any more CZs.

 

[BamBam-31]

In other words, go to the horses mouth for information, not the horses arse.

Well said. Even if you do a simple search here, the overwhelming consensus is CZ pistols are reliable and accurate. One man's "95%" reliability, combined with everyone else's 100%, is pretty damn good.

Every company comes out with a lemon now and then. You buy enough, you'll come across one eventually yourself. Doesn't invalidate your experience that your particular example's a lemon, but to proclaim, "Brand X is unreliable," you'd need a little more than that.

 

[brownie0486]

Logos,

Do you own a 1911 of any kind at all? They certainly are NOT as reliable as about 95% from my owning over a dozen of them in the last 30+ years in every conceivable configuration.

I still own 1911's and had relied on them over 2 decades knowing they were NEVER 100% reliable as well. My Glock 17 first gen has had 3 failures to feed/eject since 1988 with over 75,000 rds through it. Should I stop carrying that gun as it is not 100% reliable as well?

NO gun is 100% reliable if you shoot it long enough and often enough over many years. If the criteria is 100% reliable for you personal SD, I'd carry a knife, that tool WILL cut [ perform it's intended function ] every time I need it to do so.

and I think the problems were usually magazine problems

That sir is not the guns fault, but the mags fault. Blaming the gun for what you believe is mag related is something thats not germain to the reliability of the guns design and function itself.

If my thoughts ran in that direction, I'd not buy a Kimber [ which comes with sh**ty mags that don't feed right a lot of the time.

Wolf extractor spring helped a little, in reference to reliability in your post.

Well, perhaps you should have researched that particular platform some more as the extractor springs are known to fail when the gun is not cleaned/maintained properly and residue gets in between the extractor and it's channel and does not allow the extractor to spring back to it's resting position properly. Keep that area clean, the extractors are not having issues. The workaround is a stronger spring installed if you can't maintain the gun properly.

All of the above information is taken directly from posts on the CZ forum where numerous owners relate some of the quirks like the extractor spring and it's potential problems. There are far too many satisifed hard core CZ owners who shoot these guns everyday and carry them for SD to be worried about this product failing anymore so than every other gun out there.

If you'd look at what others have reported based on first hand experience with the CZ line, you'd have read that of ALL the guns on the rental ranges, the CZ's; Rugers; and Glocks are the only guns that hold up to constant range abuse at years end.

Brownie

 

[brownie0486]

I forgot to mention, the FIRST thing I did with my new PCR was replace the mag springs with Wolf +5% springs, and a new 18# recoil spring in lieu of the 17# spring that came stock with the gun.

Thats not unusual though, I do the same thing for my mags for the glocks, the 1911's, the HK P7's, the Beretta 92sf, and about any gun I'm going to carry on the street.

If you had replaced your mag springs with Wolf springs, and changed the extractor or kept it spotlessly cleaned knowing the issue with that funcvtioning part, you'd be hard pressed to make the gun fail in anyway.

I think the Glock may just have the edge because their mags work in their guns for the most part. I still replaced all my carry mags with extra power Wolf springs for the glocks I carry when they were purchased. There are things you can do yourself to make any gun MORE reliable than it came from the factory, like mag spring replacements from Wolf.

Brownie

 

[Ghost Tracker]

Well Logos, you've got me there. You're officially the first person I've ever known who thought CZ came up short. And you tried TWICE! Thanks for the insight. But thinking about it, I've never shot the compact. Is that the PO1?

 

[Rod B]

I bought a CZ85C in December of last year. I liked it so much I bought a CZ97B in April of this year.

Both guns are accurate & reliable.

I have also owned Glocks. I can't complain about Glock but the CZ just feels better to me & is far more accurate.

 

[Jmeyer1292]

My CZ 452 was my third gun, and first bolt action rifle. It feels good, looks good, and shoots very well. It is also the only .22LR rifle anywhere near its price range to have quality iron sights. I was, and still am, very impressed by it.

My CZ-75B was my first semi-auto 'service pistol' (my first semi-auto was a Ruger MkII which I hate). The CZ has been almost 100% reliable: it has had only one stovepipe in around ~3000 rounds. And the ammo I was shooting were reloads. The gun is stock. Anyway, I love it.

When I bought this thing in early 2006, the only guys I could find in the DFW area was Academy Sports and one dealer at the gun show (who had only three pistols). Since then, I've noticed many more dealers carrying these fine weapons.

 

[Logos]

Well, let's see......



First of all, in answer to Ghost Tracker's question, I had the alloy compact that came before the P01. They were called PDs and I believe CZ is still making them.

Second, in answer to somebody else, I have owned Colt 1911s and they were less reliable than my CZs.....so was done with them long ago.

Third, the magazine is a part of the gun......quite an essential part. In fact, it's a one-shooter without a magazine. So, yes.....I blame the gun and CZ for the jamming problems, SOME of which were related to magazines.

I understand about extracter springs. They, along with a couple of other problems, will plague a certain percentage of CZ owners. Quality control is spotty. It's a crap shoot. I lost and cut my losses.

Like I said, if magazines are so badly designed and poorly made that you have to keep tinkering with them to get the gun to work.....how do you know they will work when you most need them?

Anyhow, Glock has got my business from now on......Colt and CZ had their chance and failed.

My Glocks are just as reliable as my Smith & Wesson revolvers......that's good enough for me.

 

[schmeky]

I have a Glock 17 and a CZ-75. Both of mine have been reliable.

When it is time to go shooting, I grab the CZ. I can shoot it with more accuracy, comfort, and less fatique than the Glock.

The problem with CZ's is they really are a cult item. Everyone knows about Glocks, and face it, they are the rage.

You have to educate a buyer on what a CZ is, and the Glock sells itself. Just look at whats in the dealers display case.

 

[alligator94]

I had to find one for my local shop to order. They know their guns, but according to them nothing sells like a glock, except maybe an XD or the M&P....

 

[brownie0486]

Like I said, if magazines are so badly designed and poorly made that you have to keep tinkering with them to get the gun to work.....how do you know they will work when you most need them?

IF replacing mags springs with Wolf springs represents having to keep tinkering with them to get the gun to work. to your thinking, most guns need tinkering.

Glocks at one time had mag issues, it had nothing to do with the guns prowess as a reliable weapon platform. Glock is not on something like six mag follower changes that I know of since introducing them to the US market.

Like I said, if magazines are so badly designed and poorly made that you have to keep tinkering with them to get the gun to work.....how do you know they will work when you most need them?

Teething problems that are easily resolved by replacing the springs, thats not tinkering, that a one time fix to my thinking. It's not something that needs to be addressed once the springs are changed out [ if the problem is mag related ]. The CZ magazines are not "poorly made" or "badly designed" at all. If one were to compare any OEM mag springs to Wolf springs, most guns magazines would rate "poor made" and "badly designed" according to your criteria.

The bottom line here is that you failed to do enough research through the forums [ easily found with a google search ] to KNOW what to expect and what needed to be addressed by others with this particular weapon platform. Thats not the guns fault to my thinking. Disappointment in a product that has a "few" quirks that are easily fixed due to lack of a proper knowledge base before buying it seems to be putting the blame on the tool rather than poor research and knowledge of the platforms potential issues.

Without the proper knowledge base prior to buying anything, one can not make an informed intelligent decision and that always leads to disappointment in most instances whether it be a car purchase or anything else. The issues you had are well known to the informed who research the history of others personal experiences with the same platform. It's apparent you didn't practice due diligence before buying that weapon, otherewise there would have been NO surprises after the purchase.

Brownie

 

[CZF]

You guys have it much better nowdays, than say even 5 years ago, especially in my area.

People actually know about CZs when you converse with them.

Yes, some shooters do have to order CZs, sight unseen, but most are thrilled with the products that CZUB is cranking out now.




75B Stainless= BIG SMILE

 

[Tom Servo]

We carry them where I work. All of us own them, and we all swear by them.

Basically, "can't afford the SIG? Well, this one shoots nearly as well, and is just as reliable. Yeah, those plastic things over there? They're okay, too, but the CZ is a shooter's pistol."

And when I say, "nearly as well," I mean VERY nearly. My 75B is my winter-carry gun:



That said, the two objections I've heard are a) that it's a bit big/heavy (true...), and b) they've never heard of it, so it must suck (untrue).

At that price-point, there's not a better pistol on the market.

 

[armoredman]

There have been 5 CZ pistols in this house. Not one has ever had a spring changed, an extractor changed, etc. The only changes EVER made on any was grips, with some wearing Hakans,

and my PO1 with it's Crimson Trace Lasergrips.


None have been anything but reliable. Some of my coworkers have purchased CZ pistols on my reccomendation, and almost everyone went back for another one.

For the record, I have seen Smith AND Colt revolvers fail, as well.

 

[Black Snowman]

I'm lucky enough to live less than a dozen blocks from the dealer closest to the importer here in KC. They'll even stock a Tactical Sport on occasion and have the CZ reps on site 3-5 times a year.

I currently own a RAMI, 85 Compact, 75B, SP-01, and a 97B. I carry the RAMI and 75 pretty regularly. I also have an AT-84, which is the older CZ 75 design licensed to the Swiss. Man, that thing is just an awesome gun.

 

[peacemaker45]

Basically, "can't afford the SIG? Well, this one shoots nearly as well, and is just as reliable. Yeah, those plastic things over there? They're okay, too, but the CZ is a shooter's pistol."

Not to mention better ergos than most sigs.

When my last girlfriend was looking for a CZ, we went to three different gunshows, and found none. At gunshow number four, we found one Tanfoglio 10MM, (NOT what she was looking for,) and one 75B.

~~~Mat

 

[waterhouse]

I gather most folk just don't know about them, which hurts sales. All of my customers know about (and usually have strong opinions about) glocks, sigs, HKs, and various 1911 makers.

It seems that very few people outside of internet boards have heard anything about CZ.

 

[armoredman]

I'm trying!

 

[hmp32]

CZ's are popular here in Washington State. 3 major gun shops are CZ dealers.