Mulliga
Member
My concealed weapons permit came in the mail yesterday and I picked up my 9mm RAMI from my FFL today. I took it out shooting (after my circuits exam, though ;p) at a local indoor range (http://www.afn.org/~guns/). I only had half an hour, so I could only run about 200 rounds through it before I had to clean up my brass and leave.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I bought the gun NIB for $490 after shipping and transfer fee. It came with a case, manual, 2 10-round mags, lock, snap caps, cleaning tools, and a mag loader. It's the first time I've ever bought a new handgun, so I was impressed with all the junk they give you.
Here it is (forgive the blurriness, all I have is a webcam):
Though the dimensions of the RAMI are close to a Glock 26 or XD subcompact, there's no denying this is a chunky gun. The slide is about the same width as my CZ-75, but the frame is noticeably thicker (CZ-75 on left):
This profile view shows the abbreviated barrel and grip of the RAMI vs. the CZ-75. The shorter barrel makes sitting more comfortable, and the shrunken grip drastically reduces "bend-over" type printing when carrying IWB (at least for me).
Many parts of the gun strike me as overly wide - the hammer, the trigger guard, the beavertail, and the mag release. It handles much like a CZ-75, however, and the back and front of the frame have striations for added control. The CZ factory rubber grips that come with the RAMI are fairly thin and give you a good grip on the pistol. All in all, I was impressed with how well the gun pointed and came on target - basically as good as my full-size CZ-75.
DISASSEMBLY, INTANGIBLES, & DRY-FIRING
Disassembly is basically identical to the full-size CZ-75. The slide release is more difficult to knock out, though, but that may change with time. Fit and finish are typical CZ - the black polycoat makes the outside of the pistol uniform and businesslike, and the internals are somewhat rough.
The safety and slide release are very thin. It takes a little practice to consistently knock the safety off and on, but it's very positive and clicks into place audibly (one thing I've always liked about CZs). I recommend not using the slide release at all - better to slingshot the slide back, IMHO.
I was able to get a 2-1/2 finger grip on the gun:
The trigger was the one weakness of the RAMI from other reviews I have read. Either I got really lucky, or CZ is making the newer RAMIs differently, because my trigger is pretty good right out of the box. Single action has a lot of takeup on the first shot and a slight amount of creep inherent with the CZ action (the hammer goes back slightly when the trigger is pressed), but the break is about as light as my CZ-75 - no 9 pound trigger here. Double action is even better, since you don't notice the creep - just one smooth pull, but heavy enough to be completely safe, even at half cock. Both trigger pulls are more than good enough for a concealed carry piece.
AT THE RANGE - MAN, I HATE LOADING SUBCOMPACT MAGS
The 9mm RAMI mags hold 10 rounds, but the 9th and 10th rounds took some incredible cajoling to fit inside - my hand was actually hurting after the range session from loading the mags. Thankfully, the RAMI itself is a pussycat to shoot- it should be, since it's about the same weight as a Glock 17.
I ran a mix of Remington UMC 100-round bulk pack JHPs, Wolf FMJs, and Blazer Aluminum FMJs through the RAMI. Unfortunately, it failed to feed from the 10-round mags multiple times in the range session, and ejection was anemic. Hopefully this is just a "break-in" period, but I'm not taking any chances - in two weeks, I'll be able to take it to an outdoor range and shoot many, many more rounds through it. I'll post the results in this thread, but for now, I can't recommend a RAMI for concealed carry.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I bought the gun NIB for $490 after shipping and transfer fee. It came with a case, manual, 2 10-round mags, lock, snap caps, cleaning tools, and a mag loader. It's the first time I've ever bought a new handgun, so I was impressed with all the junk they give you.
Here it is (forgive the blurriness, all I have is a webcam):
Though the dimensions of the RAMI are close to a Glock 26 or XD subcompact, there's no denying this is a chunky gun. The slide is about the same width as my CZ-75, but the frame is noticeably thicker (CZ-75 on left):
This profile view shows the abbreviated barrel and grip of the RAMI vs. the CZ-75. The shorter barrel makes sitting more comfortable, and the shrunken grip drastically reduces "bend-over" type printing when carrying IWB (at least for me).
Many parts of the gun strike me as overly wide - the hammer, the trigger guard, the beavertail, and the mag release. It handles much like a CZ-75, however, and the back and front of the frame have striations for added control. The CZ factory rubber grips that come with the RAMI are fairly thin and give you a good grip on the pistol. All in all, I was impressed with how well the gun pointed and came on target - basically as good as my full-size CZ-75.
DISASSEMBLY, INTANGIBLES, & DRY-FIRING
Disassembly is basically identical to the full-size CZ-75. The slide release is more difficult to knock out, though, but that may change with time. Fit and finish are typical CZ - the black polycoat makes the outside of the pistol uniform and businesslike, and the internals are somewhat rough.
The safety and slide release are very thin. It takes a little practice to consistently knock the safety off and on, but it's very positive and clicks into place audibly (one thing I've always liked about CZs). I recommend not using the slide release at all - better to slingshot the slide back, IMHO.
I was able to get a 2-1/2 finger grip on the gun:
The trigger was the one weakness of the RAMI from other reviews I have read. Either I got really lucky, or CZ is making the newer RAMIs differently, because my trigger is pretty good right out of the box. Single action has a lot of takeup on the first shot and a slight amount of creep inherent with the CZ action (the hammer goes back slightly when the trigger is pressed), but the break is about as light as my CZ-75 - no 9 pound trigger here. Double action is even better, since you don't notice the creep - just one smooth pull, but heavy enough to be completely safe, even at half cock. Both trigger pulls are more than good enough for a concealed carry piece.
AT THE RANGE - MAN, I HATE LOADING SUBCOMPACT MAGS
The 9mm RAMI mags hold 10 rounds, but the 9th and 10th rounds took some incredible cajoling to fit inside - my hand was actually hurting after the range session from loading the mags. Thankfully, the RAMI itself is a pussycat to shoot- it should be, since it's about the same weight as a Glock 17.
I ran a mix of Remington UMC 100-round bulk pack JHPs, Wolf FMJs, and Blazer Aluminum FMJs through the RAMI. Unfortunately, it failed to feed from the 10-round mags multiple times in the range session, and ejection was anemic. Hopefully this is just a "break-in" period, but I'm not taking any chances - in two weeks, I'll be able to take it to an outdoor range and shoot many, many more rounds through it. I'll post the results in this thread, but for now, I can't recommend a RAMI for concealed carry.
about it. Putting tape on one mag instantly revealed that all the failures were coming from that mag - the other (unmarked) one fed perfectly. I shipped the bad mag back to CZ, they sent a new one, and it has also been 100%. It's been a great gun, even better for the price - $300 NIB last year! A RAMI in .40 is very tempting.
