The 75b and the 75sa aren't the same gun. Even if you make the 75b SAO they would be different. The 75sa has a different frame with higher swept beaver tail which allows for higher grip on the frame.. It has an extended mag release which won't fit on a 75b. It has extended ambi safeties. The 75sa 9mm has a different slide than a 75b in 9mm. I think that's it. Here's a pic of my 75b compact with my 75 sa for comparison. Even though it's a compact it has the same general features of a full size 75b. The compact is sao in this picture by the way. Mark
A number of points, here, most right, but a few things need to be updated.
The old 75B has a different frame, but the newer 75B in Stainless appears to have the same frame as the 75BSA, including the ability to accommodate the extended (reversible) mag release, and it comes with both the “improved” beavertail and ambi-safeties (albeit smaller levers, I think). The 85 Combat has an extended mag release, and it can be fitted to the older 75B -- if that's important. I don't find the "extended" releases to be noticeably/functionally all that different. The 75BSA extended release will probably fit the 75B Stainless model, if it's not already installed (I don't know). You can also install the 85 Combat trigger (which has an overtravel adjustment) in the 75b frame, too.
So some of the advantages of the 75BSA have already been incorporated into newer 75Bs.
As best I can tell, visually comparing and measuring, the SA frame does NOT allow a higher grip. The part of the respective frames where the hand interacts with the frame are identical -- only the
end of the beavertail is different, and in the 75B SA, it curls up and away from the hand. It certainly looks better.
The slightly different slide of the 75BSA (in 9mm) is mostly a difference of looks, not a functional difference. It has to be just a hair heavier, as there is more metal at the muzzle end, but I doubt anyone would be able to really tell the difference when shooting.
Note: the .40 version uses a still-different slide, and a full-length guide rod. The .40 version has extended rails, but the extended portion is minimally narrower than the rest of the rails, and DO NOT ENGAGE the frame. The 9mm doesn't even have the "cosmetic" extended rails.
The larger ambi-safeties on the 75B SA models are a big improvement, and I've thought about installing them on my 85 Combat. The safety on the older 75B model is smaller – a bit like the smaller safeties on the Browning Hi-Power.
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Why would anyone want a 75B in SA? Put simply, the 75B is one of the most ergonomic pistols available -- it just FITS more hands better than just about anything else available. Unhappily, the DA Trigger pull is long and not every hand can deal with it. CZs "point" very naturally. Hard to find that in a lot of guns.
Carrying a DA/SA model cocked-and-locked gives you a slightly "easier to start" weapon,
and the first and subsequent trigger pulls are always the same -- not the case with DA/SA guns. While a DA/SA gives you the option of a SA start, you still have the “second strike” ability of other DA guns – if you consider that important.
(Note: I've shot IDPA for a number of years, and worked as Safety Officer and scorekeeper at many matches. DA/SA guns have a different first and second trigger pull, and in matches you'll notice that even with better shooters have larger groups on the first several shots than those shooting SA guns. This can be trained around, and some shooters get it right – but many don't.)
Why not just get a BHP?
Price is one reason. I have a BHP (an older T-series), and it's a fine gun, but I take the Czs I own to the range far more frequently.
Which shoots better? For me, they're about the same. The BHP is a bit narrower, but the CZ seems to fit ME better.
Others find the Browning/FNs fit them better. Properly gunsmithed, both can have wonderful SA triggers.
Anyone interested in CZs should visit the CZ Custom Shop to see the various options available. A highly gunsmithed CZ from that shop will compete favorably with just about anything available, and still be less expensive.
http://czcustom.com/cz-custom-pistols.aspx
