Sidearms & Scatterguns CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

[Boyscout618]

I wanted to start getting into the handgun game, so I started doing my research. I had been shooting rifles (deer rifle and tacti-cooled 10/22, nothing spectacular) primarily and wanted to get some pistol experience. I am very excited, this is my first pistol and I had some specific criteria:

-DA/SA
-Exposed hammer
-Full sized, all steel, nothing fancy, stout and sturdy
-9mm (initially wanted .40 S&W but changed my mind after reading a couple ".40 vs 9mm" articles and talking to my dad)
-Relatable to Beretta M9 (the plan is to be at USNA this June, provided this darn waiver clears (another story), and I wanted to be semi-acquainted with the sidearm of choice)
-(OBVIOUSLY) accurate and reliable
-...and one key part: available/affordable

I was originally hooked on the 75 B but couldn't find one to save my life for under $6-700 on Gun Broker. Started looking at the BDs because there were a few more available at the time, and managed to get in on one, the Police model that has a few differences from the regular BD, for $500 shipped. The seller had 47 of them in stock on the evening I first saw the listing, and they started going like hotcakes! Three days later at 2:30 pm they were all gone. Fortunately I had ordered mine that morning, the 14th one left.

I also ordered a Bianchi 5 Black Widow holster, Uncle Mike's large rectangular pistol rug, and some protein powder (oh wait- that's for something else). Those all should be here within the next couple days, pistol more than likely by the end of the week. Will post pics then.

My Dad has a Sig 229 in .40 for his duty pistol (Assistant Chief, Superior PD) and he just got the conversion kit for DA-only to SA/DA, so that kinda helped make the decision for me after shooting the "new" gun. I have also shot his S&W 6906, so that contributed a bit. Other than that, I haven't shot many pistols; a few revolvers here and there, but that's it. Looking forward to putting a few rounds down range soon!

*As a side note/rant, Gander Mountain and Cabela's didn't have ANYTHING that I was looking for, so that bummed me out. Holster is from Midway USA, rug from Optics Planet (I forgot about one when I ordered the holster) and protein powder from Amazon.

 

[Rainier42]

Re: CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

Have a CZ75B ... excellent handgun and never has given me a problem. Would recommend a 22 conversion kit was well, makes range time much cheaper.

 

[Boyscout618]

Re: CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

Well, Murphey's Law actually worked in my favor this time, the pistol got to the FFL today! Dad picked it up after work, and when I got home from wrestling practice it was sitting on my desk. Will post pictures and maybe a video review if I have time, no guarantees on the video.

I can tell you, once I de-greased and then re-lubed everything it was one slick gun. Feels great, controls are in good position, take-down is easy, and it balances well. Shooting starts tomorrow, I cannot wait! By that time the holster should be here, as well as the protein powder, soft case by the end of the week.

 

[Boyscout618]

Re: CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

Here are some obligatory crappy cell phone pictures...

*By the way, for anyone looking into this holster for this pistol: when the pistol is in half-cocked position (as in you drew, fired a couple rounds, hit the decocker, and then reholstered) the retention snap is NOT long enough to fit around the hammer. The hammer needs to be all the way down for the strap to fit, unless you get someone to move the snap for you, which doesn't seem like it would be too tough.

**As an edit to that statement, I was able to stretch out the retention snap to fit the half-cocked position once the pistol had been in the holster for a couple days. Still a little tight, but with use I am sure it will loosen up.

The target is 41 shots, distance ranging from 10, 15, and 25 yards. I am by NO MEANS a practiced pistol-man, and wasn't really taking my time for groups, just getting a feel for the trigger and where the reset was. I would fire, slowly let out the trigger till I felt the reset, then squeeze of another shot immediately. And, quite frankly, I was jacked to be shooting my OWN pistol for the first time!

 

[snipe10]

Re: CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

CZ makes great guns, enjoy

 

[suitslinger]

Re: CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

Stopped at the lgs one day... guy at the counter said "hey ya wanna try out this new cz we got in?" Took it to the range one shot drilled the bull unloaded went out and put my credit card on the counter... Best money I ever spent. (after getting that god awful trigger worked on)

 

[Boyscout618]

Re: CZ 75 BD Police on the way!

Does this count as a review...?

15 and 25 yards, first two shots of the night, cheap FMJ ammo. Not bad for a gun with only 41 and 42 shots through it! (Not to mention the kid behind the gun has much more to learn)

In all seriousness, having put 64 rounds through I can say I am liking it so far; reliability is excellent, operation is pretty good (long/substantial trigger pull [although smooth] is the only complaint) and dang she looks sharp! Have yet to really shoot for groups (low-light conditions when you can't see the sights, I'm guessing, don't make the best grouping conditions) but, as proof shows, she has potential.

 

[Boyscout618]

I figured I would update this a little, just for the sake of sharing my experience. I now have around 550-650 rounds through this pistol, and the only issue I have had is a couple instances where the slide doesn't rack all the way forward when, and ONLY when, you replace an empty mag with one that is topped off and hit the slide release. It gets the round halfway into the chamber, but needs a tap in the rear to go all the way forward. By no means is this a consistent problem, but it happened enough times for me to bring it up. It has zero issues while firing, but this is still a slight problem. Bear in mind, this only occurred while shooting in the middle of a Wisconsin winter, so it is possible the oil was gumming up a bit. Either way, I am open to suggestions on a more temperature-consistent oil/lube, I believe I was using Winchester/ Break Free CLP. I keep the feed ramp nicely cleaned and polished, so that isn't the issue. Other than that, my pistol is still super accurate and fun to shoot. My new favorite targets are charcoal, as they stand out nicely against snow, offer a decent sized target, and explode nicely when hit!

ANYWHO, a couple modifications since y'all have last seen this. The grips are CZ's own Coco Bolo grips, and I think they look great! The picture is pretty accurate on the color. They don't have as much of a shelf to rest your shooting hand's thumb on at the top of the grip, which I liked about the plastic factory grips, but they still work well. I have been thinking about getting some of the rubber ones, or the G10, or the bad-ass looking thin aluminum ones they throw on their comp guns... but for right now the Coco Bolo's work and look great for this range gun.

Also, a sharp observer may notice that the hammer has mysteriously changed. An observer familiar with the pistol and its many variants may think "Wait a second, you cannot put the CZ Competition Hammer in a decocker gun, the custom shop's website says so!"
Well, someone (the tool behind this keyboard) somehow missed that part and ordered up the Comp Hammer anyways. Luckily for me, when my old man took the gun and new hammer to our preferred (well-respected and highly skilled) smith, he was able to do the necessary mill work to ensure everything would work as it should. I have entire faith in his work, but as I have been on the east coast since early January I haven't been able to personally put it through its paces, although the smith put 10 rounds through it with zero issues.

So you ask, what are the results? The smith went into the meticulous design of the CZ's inter-working parts of the trigger group, which he compared to doing surgery on a hand with all of the small parts, and polished all of the necessary parts and put in the now-modified Comp hammer. Now, according to Angus Hobdell himself at CZ's custom shop, they aim to get the trigger pull with the competition hammer to around 3.75 pounds (by the way, you should stop what you are doing now and watch

NUTNFANCY SHOT 2012: CZ-USA Custom Pistols! - YouTube

^ this video right now for an amazing interview). When my smith was done he tested the trigger: he claims 3.5 pounds for the DOUBLE action, even lighter for the single. There is less creep in the trigger and my dad, a LEO of 20+ years, says it has less weight and comparable travel distance in single action than his issued Sig 229. Incredibly, he says the CZ's trigger now makes his Sig's feel rough. For those who know the 75's trigger, you know how much this means. He has been looking to get a 75 D PCR for carrying, and this only made him look more diligently! I'm pretty sure he has one picked out, just waiting for the stars to align or something..

Unfortunately for me, Spring Break is still 13 days away. The smith had this done last week, and I have been chomping at the bit to take this thing out. If this pistol was pretty accurate with a (relatively) sketchy trigger before, I cannot imagine what it can do now! I am thinking I will be switching out the sights next...
Almost forgot, here she is! Looking sharper than ever if you ask me.

<a href="http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/boyscout157/media/photo2_zpsecbb387a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd439/boyscout157/photo2_zpsecbb387a.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo photo2_zpsecbb387a.jpg"/></a>
Thanks for reading, happy shooting! Go Navy, Beat Army!

 

[ridenrunwv]

I've been wanting to get into USPSA and start practicing that type of pistol shooting more often and have been looking at the CZ 75 SP-01 and M&P. Seeing so many positive things about both makes it a tough decision.

 

[sandwarrior]

Boyscout618,


First I gotta say, Love the Pistol! I carry a CZ 40P that they don't make anymore. Which leads me to ask why your dad gives the nod to 9mm over .40 S&W? Mine is one of many derivatives of the CZ75 which is actually a production prototype for the P01. It and the 40B went by the wayside when the PO series kicked off.

The thing I like most about the CZ is the ergonomic feel of the grip and how they work in your hand. 1911's fit my hand pretty well, but the CZ feels like a glove when shooting it.

 

[Boyscout618]

Hey Sandwarrior, thanks for the compliment! I really do like the look of that 40P, I'm sure it is a solid pistol!

We had a couple reasons for choosing the 9mm over .40. I don't know enough about the current ammo situation, but we have always been able to scrounge up and keep a hold of 9mm ammo. His carry gun that he got rid of in exchange for a CZ was an older S&W 6906 in 9mm he has had for years. Pistols chambered in 9mm usually have a higher capacity, and with today's modern ammo quality and refinement (this can be up for discussion) he is of the opinion that the 9 can do just about everything the 40 can, with +p, +p+, etc if necessary. His Sig is in 40, but the 9mm is better overall for shootability when compared to the 40.

Hope that answers your question! I totally agree with what you say about the fit of the grip, it is one of the things that first drew me to this pistol.

 

[sandwarrior]

Ahh that makes sense. Him being LEO, he gets practice ammo. As I remember, I could barely get .40 most of the time through the ammo shortage. No .45 or 9mm for a long time. But, if you are in the chain of those designated to get 9mm it makes a ton more sense to go with that instead of .40 that may/may not be able to get. As usual, all the most common ammunition flew completely off the shelf and stayed gone for a long time.

Fortunately for me, I have had and used my ability to reload most anything I want. I never thought I'd see the day I'd need to reload 9mm, but it came this last go-round.