I picked up my A01-LD on Friday, and thought I'd check back in and give you my initial, and very basic impressions. This is only obersations of the feel of the gun as I haven't shot it yet, and I have only broken it down to lube it.
For a very basic comparison, here is the Shadow 2 with a set of Lok Grips.
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When you look at the listing on this gun on CZC's website, it says it is an evolution of the shadow line, and by that they mean the Shadow 1. This is a good thing or a bad thing depending on your liking of the SP-01 Shadow.
The fit and finish on the A01 is very nice and is blued rather than Polycoated like the Shadow 2. It's far far better looking IMO than the Shadow 2 finish. But that only matters if it matters to YOU. People shooting competition expect their guns to be run hard and get beat up, so I'd think the finish on the A01 would be a small detail.
The A01 has more of a shelf on the safety than the Shadow 2 and I do find it just wide enough to rest my thumb on it with dry fire. Live fire might change my mind about that, and since I've decided if I ever do compete it will not be with this gun, it will be with my Shadow 2, I may go ahead and add the extended safety from CZC. I believe the Shadow2's minimal safety is designed as it is to accommodate rules of competition it was designed for. I'll let the competitors address that.
the slide serrations on the two guns are a little different but I find them equally effective.
Note that the trigger guards are a little different also.
The slide stops are different, and the Shadow has a rail, where the A01 does not. Though CZC just announced an A01 model with a rail if you care.
The A01 has a bushingless bull barrel, where the Shadow 2 has the standard bushing from CZ. Part of the accurizing of the Shadow 2 from CZC comes with a different barrel bushing. The lack of a bushing on the A01 does mean that you need a tiny tool that's included to capture the guide rod in a compressed condition to remove the recoil spring assembly and barrel from the gun. Some people won't like that, but I didn't find it terribly hard to handle.
The hammer is different on the two guns and I find the Shadow 2's hammer easier to manipulate due to the sharp edges.
The Magazines for the Shadow 2 hold 17 rounds. The A01 uses SP-09 magazines and they hold 19 rounds.
The Shadow 2 required me to put palm swell grips on it to accommodate my hand size. I wear XL gloves, and I also found the aluminum grip panels on the Shadow 2 too slippery, but quite handsome. The grips on the A01 on the other hand are much more grippy and while I need to reserve judgement until I've shot it, I don't anticipate changing out the grips. They feel great in my hands.
The magazine releases are different, and the Shadow 2's is definitely easier to reach. Though the A01's isn't bad.
The A01 is quite heavy, and is 5.5 oz heavier than the Shadow 2. That could be a benefit in some ways and a hinderance in others.
The A01-LD has one MAJOR flub as far as I'm concerned. While the front sight is very functional fiber optic, and is easy to pick up, the rear sight is not adjustable for height like on the Shadow 2. I did not notice this in the listing for the A01-LD. It can only be drifted for windage, and has no height adjustment. I can't for the life of me figure out why they would put a non adjustable sight on this gun. I don't know if it's some rule of competition with some guns, but it seems totally strange. I mean a person can certainly just learn where to hold, but I would have preferred it if this gun had come with the same sights as on the Shadow 2.
The trigger is another point of contention for me. My particular A01's trigger is really only marginally better than my stock Shadow 2 while dry firing, if at all. But I also have to acknowledge that I haven't shot it yet, and it might lighten up a bit. It's very smooth, but there is some pretravel and a bit of overtravel, and the break seems slightly less crisp than on my Shadow 2. Maybe I just got a really great example of a Shadow 2 trigger, but based on the reviews and videos I've watched, I guess I expected a little more. I mean don't get me wrong, but I thought it'd be a little crisper.
I'm going to leave it at that for now until I've spent more time with the gun and shot it some. It's impossible to come to any meaningful conclusions on dry fire alone, and really I didn't buy the A01-LD because I was looking to upgrade. I just wanted to have a little bit nicer example of a design I know I like. I will say, it's a dang nice gun by my limited experiential eye, but I don't think I'd compete with it. I suspect I'm going to have a really good time with it and it'll stay in my lineup.
I may still pick up a TSO at some point.
460, thanks for taking the time and effort in posting your observations and impressions.
I have a Shadow 2 as well so I am very interested in hearing about the A01.
