Why CZs aren't used by American LE Agencies?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

GunLvrNLearner

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2008
Messages
539
With all the praise of CZs from accuracy to reliability to one of the best combat pistols in the world it seems that they would at least have a share of the LE market

Is being made in the Czech Republic some reason?

Because LE prefers a full size POLYMER for carry?

I just dont get it
 
It's about money. Glocks are probably cheaper to produce and law enforcement agencies can get them for cheaper than CZ guns.
 
I believe it all to be a training issue, takes too long to train non-shooters on SA/DA guns. In a stressful situation a safety, or the long DA pull followed by short SA can be a very tough thing to master.

I am sure that is not the entire reason but I do believe to be part of it.

Nick
 
There's lots of competition for contracts with the large city and government police departments. Apparently CZ either chooses not to compete or have been unsuccessful in convincing managment to purchase or in bidding for these. Its kind of like asking why US police departments don't drive BMW's like they do in Europe though BMW motorcycle has had success in getting some contracts for US police.
 
Good question! If we say they are more expensive then what about SIGs and HKs, and if we say they are SA/DA handguns then what about Berettas?
 
More parts = more to repair & more parts to stock in the armory; heavy double action, limited holster selection, higher bulk cost, more difficult takedown, heavy all-steel construction makes it leass than a favorite for many LEO's, what else....
 
Because until recently you didn't have a device that decocked the CZ. S&W, Beretta, Sig, Ruger, etc., all either had a safety that decocked the pistol or a decocker.

A pistol with the hammer down looks safer than one with the hammer cocked (even with a safety engaged), which is one of the reasons the 1911 and Browning Hi-Power began to fall out of favor when the DA/SA pistols started showing up in large numbers.

I know the CZ can be fired in the double action mode, but most (not all so don't jump on me) of the 1911 and Hi-Power folks think lowering the hammer on a live round is and accident waiting to happen.

The P-01 came out with the good ergonomics and decocker, but by that time the striker fired pistols like the Glock already had established such a strong following it is tough to make inroads.
 
Cost per gun, politics, repair, etc, etc.

As has been mentioned, it takes about one day to train someone to repair a Glock, I would be willing to bet that the course for a CZ is going to be a little longer and a little more complicated. This and a whole lot more make the cost of a CZ a whole lot more. And as we know, cost drives a whole lot in LE.

Has CZ really done any work to get it's foot in the door of LE?

I highly doubt that a Glock is only charging $75 per unit. Could be, might be, but just do not think so.
 
Simple, Durable, Reliable, Inexpensive

Given the above 4 points, and the fact that my tax dollars are paying for them the Glock wins, hands down. Just follow the money. I have two CZ's I like them, but for LE, it's Glock all the way.
 
I've said for yearsw that I doubt it costs more than $100 to make a Glock, but at the same time, I highly doubt that the police are getting them for $75. I believe something more like $2-300 each is realistic.

I think a C&L CZ-75 would be a great duty gun.
 
Back when LE agencies switched to autos the CZ pistols weren't even available in the U.S. There was a little something called the "Cold War" at the time. (It was winding down, but we didn't know that yet).

So, when cops switched from revolvers to semi's, the CZ wasn't even an option. The S&W 59 series and Berretta 92 series were the early winners. When Glock came around they practically gave the guns away to LE agencies to establish a market. A lot of the agencies that had S&W, Berrettas, or other guns switched to Glock when it came time to replace their first auto pistols. And, when other agencies that hadn't yet made the switch to autos finally upgraded, Glock courted them as well.

By the time CZ's could be imported, and they had CZ-USA up and running, the S&W and Berretta's had been established as cop guns and the Glock bemoth was on the way. The CZ pistols just didn't have any room to compete.

Strictly on merits the Glock has some advantages or at least perceived advantages over the CZ-75 as well. The ATF ruled that the Glock was "Double Action" and that is much more palatable to LE officials then a cocked and exposed hammer. The 75 BD series with the decocker didn't come around until a little later.

The Glock also has the advantage of being ready to fire without having to disengage a safety first. Some agencies liked that because it's similiar to how a revolver operates. Just point and shoot.
 
It's all about the money. I am going to try to convince my Dept to look at the P01, since our Glocks are falling apart. :) Glock sells DIRT cheap to LE. Action type has nothing to do with it, all money.
CZs have been adopted by some smaller agency's, one in Texas comes to mind, can't remember the town. Mine is an authorized off duty piece, as well.
It's a long row to hoe against the Glock machine, but I believe the CZ is a better product. Personal belief, yours may of course differ.
 
There was an article with Gaston Glock where it was said he mentioned that it costs them $52.00 to make a G-17, so selling them in volume to NYPD for $75.00/each still makes a decent profit - let alone spare parts

Does CZ have the US support structure in place?
 
The Czech Police were carrying the decocker equipped PCR about 12 years ago, and later went to the P-01 of which they still carry.

However, they might be joining the ranks of other police who carry polymer pistols.

P-07CZP-3.gif

Other than the finger/trigger boob boo that is.

As for any USA dept carrying CZs?

Free or close to free Glocks are what the administrators are voting for.
Some Canadian forces have used CZs in the past.

I'm more concerned about what I carry, or the choice of armed professionals
around the world that know guns well.

Most of them I've met carry CZs or a Hi-Power.
 
Last edited:
LE agencies can get Glocks for about $75.00 each
Click to expand...
The local LE equipment store sells Glocks directly to the department for 364 or to an individual officer for 384.
 
You guys miss the entire hooplah of the late 80's when CZ-75 clones were ALL the rage? Every gun rag was screaming about how good they were. Fact is that there were NOT that many available.

You had Witness, Tanfoglio and Jerico--all of which I think are actually the same Italian licensed copy of the CZ75. Springfield might have had a licensed Italian copy at one time too. The Bren Ten was loosely based on the CZ-75 but getting a REAL CZ here in the 80's was close to a thousand bucks.

That changed in '90 or so when the real thing started shipping, just in time to compete with Glock.
 
The CZ's have the longest trigger reach of any gun on the market. This doesn't bode well when you are trying to buy guns to fit an entire dept. The inability to safely decock is also an issue.
 
P01, PCR, P07 all decocker equipped. P07 can be switched from deocker to standard safety very easily, comes with the parts, too. :) The P07 pictured above with the Czech police officer has the standard safety installed, btw.
I have medium size hands, no trigger reach issues.

Dr Rob, yes, Tanfoglio made the Jericho 941, the Witness, the Springfield P-9, TA-90, TZ-75, all Tanfoglios.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Why do Air Marshalls have HKs?
2
Replies
31
Views
4K
nyresq
N
M
  • Locked
Acquisition of patrol rifles for LE agency.
2
Replies
43
Views
4K
TacticalSquirrel
T
T
  • Locked
CZ P-01 vs. Beretta PX4
Replies
10
Views
5K
PCRCCW
P
C
  • Locked
M&P owners past and present. Why is the S&W M&P a bad pistol?
2 3
Replies
60
Views
5K
jocko
J
sisyphus
  • Locked
In Praise of Arex
Replies
13
Views
985
jhb
jhb
Back
Top