Need Info: CZ 100

[Stachie]

What can you guys tell me about the CZ 100 9mm pistol? My brother is considering one. He is a rifle guy but wants an inexpensive pistol for plinking at the range. I know little about this gun and would appreciate any input.

Does it shoot well?
Does its design contain flaws? If so, what?
Is it durable?

 

[dleong]

Stachie,

Hop on over to the CZ 100 Series Club on CZForum.com for more information on this gun.

 

[nonquixote]

It's decent for a plastic pistol except for one major flaw, possibly the worst trigger I've ever felt. IMO among CZs the 40B and 40P are much better for similar prices.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I had one. Traded it b/c it ended up sitting in the safe too much when I went to the range. CZ really dropped the ball on this one. Ergonomics are great. The gun has many nice features. Adjustable sights are out of place on a carry gun, they should offer fixed. Rear sights are a non-standard dovetail, mandating custom-made rears. Worse, the front sight is integral with the slide. So many went unsold during the time when 10 round max capacity magazines were mandated that most of the new ones you find still have 10 round mags. I probably put 500 rounds throught this gun and it was 100% reliable. Accuracy was exceptional. The trigger wasn't the worst I've ever felt (anybody try an AMT .45 BACKUP?). But it was a sure second. Even the triggers on my Sigmas were light and crisp by comparison. Triggerpull length was excessively long. Probably wouldn't make a bad carry pistol, but it certainly wouldn't make a good range gun.

 

[Nortonics]

Black plastic 9mm - ekkk.

CZ blued metal 40 cal. - Mmmm...

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I'm a big CZ fan.

Had a CZ-100. Got rid of it.

Great ergonomics -- what a Glock should have been -- but a horrible trigger.

The triggers can be improved, but I'm not sure its worth the effort. (Tips for improvement can be found on the CZ Forum.)

Get a Glock 19 if you want a compact polymer pistol. While the Glock triggers aren't great, they're much better than a CZ-100. (I have a Glock 34 that I really like.)

 

[lee n. field]

My brother is considering one. He is a rifle guy but wants an inexpensive pistol for plinking at the range. I know little about this gun and would appreciate any input.

Plinking at the range? Have him get a Makarov, and spend the rest of his $350 on ammo. He'll be happier in the long run. If he's insisting on 9x19, in the same price range have him look into a Ruger auto. There's lots of choices in that price range.

I had a CZ-100 in .40 for quite a while, about 5 years. I finally decided it wasn't going to be able fill the role I'd hoped it would, and traded it off in December. I had a couple things break on it during my ownership. Total round count through it would be in the multiple thousands. I had intermittent jams. It beat up brass something fierce.

Some guns you just seem to be able to shoot well naturally. Not the CZ-100. I couldn't shoot it accurately without concentrating a lot of form and grip, which meant it was fighting me, not working with me. I think the trigger was a lot of this.

The trigger is people's main complaint. The trigger is what it is. What it is is a true DAO. No Glock-ish precock. When you pull the trigger you're pulling the striker back against the main spring through it's full range of motion. You feel every rough place in the machining. You feel it when the trigger bar hits the interrupter (which is what disengages the sear). All this can be made smoother by judicious polishing , but cannot be lightened short of trimming the main spring, which might make ignition unreliable.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

Another neat little piece of trivia for those of you who (still) have this gun, if you haven't already noticed it: remove the mag and look at the inside backstrap side of the magwell. On mine at least, there is a metal piece embedded in the polymer with the word GUN cutout.

The trigger can be mastered but it will take diligent practice, some -ing and a fair amount of ammo.

BTW, pricewise, these guns shouldn't run any higher than $350 new. I think mine was $315 before taxes. I took a bad beating when I traded mine. Not complaining, I figured I would, but these guns are highly unpopular.

There is a CZ110 that's supposed to be a DA/SA type of trigger. CZUSA won't import them b/c they don't think it will sell well. I think they should bring in the 110 for a year and see how they do compared to the 100. I'll bet it beats the socks off saleswise.

 

[armoredman]

The possability exists that CZ-USA may actually import the CZ-110, which, from all reports outside the US, is a great improvement over the CZ-100, and a very good pistol.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

There's a possibility that a comet will strike the earth tomorrow and obliterate all life, but it's about as likely to happen.

When speaking of CZUSA, my attitude is not let's wait and see, but I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Hugo]

Hey CZ USA! Import the CZ 110 already! I'm sure someone at CZ reads this forum right? Right?

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I'm sure someone at CZ reads this forum right? Right?

You would think that wouldn't you. Truth is precious few manufacturers and importers bother to check the more popular forums. I see that Para-Ordnance has somebody who does this, offers technical assistance, sometimes assurance, and answers questions on both www.1911forum.com and on www.m1911.org forums. A Sig employee monitors www.sigforum.com and frequently posts. Glock doesn't (and probably doesn't care). Kahr doesn't. Colt? . Springfield? . Smith&Wesson - probably not, though they may monitor certain threads on www.smith-wessonforum.com without posting. I see that Sandy over at North American Arms frequently posts on that company's forum.

You don't need to have somebody police a forum eight hours a day - just go on once and a while, answer a question or two as best you can, talk about new or upcoming offerings, and maybe offer a little assurance that things will be alright when somebody has a problem. With the larger companies, you can spread this out among 8-10 employees and get a significant amount done with a minimal time investment. The PR value of something like this is immense and it costs virtually nothing. If you can make somebody feel good about their purchase you've gone a long way toward securing a repeat customer.

 

[Buck Nekkid]

I used to own a CZ 100. As stated, it has a fantastic grip and was a natural pointer for me. I had an older model and was able to purchase a replacement fixed sight from CZ-USA to replace the adjustable one. I was told that the adjustable sight was mandated by BATFE so that it could meet the "sporting gun" requirement for import.

The CZ 110 is supposed to be the real deal, but unless it can compete and excel against XD's and M&P's, not to mention Glocks, then I'd tell CZ to just let it languish in Europe. "If ya cain't play with the big dogs ya just as well stay on the porch"

 

[lee n. field]

, then I'd tell CZ to just let it languish in Europe

The 110 languishes everywhere else in the world except the Land 'o the Free.