I’m looking to pick up a fun range pistol in 9mm. My plan is to spend around $2,000 on it. I’m ok buying used. Do I look at the CZ Shadow, Staccato P, or something different?
Sidearms & Scatterguns If you had $2000 to spend for a range pistol…
- Thread starter bwp86
- Start date
Fun range pistol leaves a lot of latitude…
USPSA match is very different than NRA Precision Pistol. More detail would help a lot.
Easy button: Glock 17 or 19 and spend the remaining $1500 on magazines and cases of ammo or powder/primers.
I like CZ platform too. The 75 and Shadow are common in Production class around here. For me the 75 works as a better all around 9; the Shadow is a bit heavy for anything but shooting a match.
Almost too many choices in the wonder 9 category. CZ, Smith M&P, and Glock have gotten my money (in that order). Then the awful boating accident occurred at Lake of the Ozarks….
USPSA match is very different than NRA Precision Pistol. More detail would help a lot.
Easy button: Glock 17 or 19 and spend the remaining $1500 on magazines and cases of ammo or powder/primers.
I like CZ platform too. The 75 and Shadow are common in Production class around here. For me the 75 works as a better all around 9; the Shadow is a bit heavy for anything but shooting a match.
Almost too many choices in the wonder 9 category. CZ, Smith M&P, and Glock have gotten my money (in that order). Then the awful boating accident occurred at Lake of the Ozarks….
No competition, just plinking at the home range. I’d like something on the nicer end…glocks never did it for me. I do have a 9mm suppressor as well.
I have a lot of friends who’ve had similar boating accidents down there lol
once upon a time I had a CZ75 factory equipped with suppressor height sights and a threaded barrel. I put CajunGunWorks competition springs in it. It was a real hoot to shoot and deadly on raccoons. If you don’t mind the DA/SA trigger that might scratch the itch.
CZ is a fairly utilitarian pistol tho. Polymer paint finish isn’t exactly what I would call nice. It is highly functional tho. And cheap enough that you won’t cry if the canoe flips over.
ETA: If you want to put an optic on the pistol, CZ isn’t the best choice.
I shoot primarily 1911/2011 guns, in that price range you could be looking at a:
- Bul Armory
- Stealth Arms Platypus
- Springfield Prodigy
- Kimber 2K11 (maybe a little high)
- Precision Defense Custom CWA 22 Caliber Pistols (not 9mm, but a lot of fun and cheaper ammo for a range toy!)
- Many other options out there now in that price range...
Good luck finding the right one.
- Bul Armory
- Stealth Arms Platypus
- Springfield Prodigy
- Kimber 2K11 (maybe a little high)
- Precision Defense Custom CWA 22 Caliber Pistols (not 9mm, but a lot of fun and cheaper ammo for a range toy!)
- Many other options out there now in that price range...
Good luck finding the right one.
Your advice about CZs, particularly when it comes to optics compatibility, is severely outdated.
DWX Compact. Redlion has a nice one with a rail, in post #4.
Last edited:
I'm a sucker for Czech pistols.
If you want to save a little money from a $2000 bill get a CZ Shadow 2 Optics Ready and send it to CZ Custom or Cajun Gun Works for an action tune.
If you want to splurge Arma Zeka is where I'd go: https://americanprecisionfirearms.com/american-precision-firearms-home/arma-zeka/
I have a pcr sitting in its case…I need to get that thing out when the snow melts off.
Buy 10 hi-point yeet cannons so the ATF knows you mean business
People put way more importance than warranted on the pistol when it comes to practical shooting competition. The pistol matters less to performance than most people think.
On a slightly different subject the DWX, and all the other double stack 9 mm SAOs out there, are competitive only in Limited Optics. They aren't allowed in Production or Carry Optics. The Shadow is competitive and legal in all those three divisions.
i think the only one would be their P model but it's a pretty nice gun. drop in a trigger kit (eg brazos) and it's an even better gun. pretty popular, plenty of holster choices. see lots of them at uspsa and 2-3 gun matches, no issues. they work, they're accurate, and 2011 ergos are excellent. mag prices though will give you sticker shock if you're used to glocks, but buy a handful or two and they last forever.
I love my Shadow 2's. But I got them specifically for USPSA Prod and then CO. They were purpose built for that use case.
I have to say that I really like my Shadow 1's as well and actually on the clock, I'm a bit faster with them.
I would never convert one to SAO though.
If I wanted SAO, then I'd get a Tactical Sport Orange or the DWX.
I have to say that I really like my Shadow 1's as well and actually on the clock, I'm a bit faster with them.
I would never convert one to SAO though.
If I wanted SAO, then I'd get a Tactical Sport Orange or the DWX.
Why that? That's a tiny ass optic and Holosun sucks bollocks.
SIG Romeo 3 Max, CMore RTS2 or RTS3, and Trijicon's SRO are significantly better choices.
I guess I’m open to any of the above. I have a holosun 407k on my FN510 and that works fine for me
If that's the only pistol optic you have used then yes you'd think it's great.
I tried a Holosun a few years ago to see what the hype was about and to have a backup for my aTrijicons. I ended up selling it because it lacks so much of what consider important in both self defense and competition/range pistol optics.
It sounds like I should try a nicer one out! That Shadow 2 compact that is OR looks like a fun one. Reasonably priced so I’d be able to add something nicer to it
If a Shadow is what you want for a range toy get the full size OR. It's all steel and has a longer frame and slide making it extremely fun to shoot.
The Compact is 3/4" shorter (i think) with an aluminum frame and lighter by almost a pound.
Right now you can buy a CMore RTS2 for 270 bucks at Amazon as the RTS3 is the new hotness. An RTS2 with a 10 moa dot is what's on the Shadow that I'm shooting in the match videos.
Yes I strongly recommend pistol dot sizes much bigger than what people are used to. Most everyone is exposed to rifle red dots first and automatically assume (incorrectly in my experience) that small dots are also better on handguns.
Didn’t realize they had the OR full size. I’ve eyed some Dan Wessons as well…just wanting to stick with 9mm
I want one. As soon as I get my hands on one it's going to CZ Custom for their optic plate system.
@308pirate is right about larger dots on pistol optics. I switched from a 3 moa chinesium dot to a 5MOA SRO. It was a vast improvement.
Both of my Shadow 1's and both of my Shadow 2's have the CZC Plate systems. I had my S2's done well before the OR version came out.
And when the first version of the OR model came out, I didn't like the lack of rear serrations anyway.
Much happier with mine with the CZC plates.
As for optics, I started with FastFire III's and Venoms but sold them all and have SRO 5MOA for all my dot pistols now.
I'm with you on skipping the S2 Compact. I think of the S2 as purpose built and it's not supposed to be compact.
I've owned a lot of the target pistols over the years, Wilson/Nighthawk 1911's, various CZ's, STI's, Sig German P226's Xfive's, etc. If you are not looking for a comp gun, and just a really fun easy to shoot accurate range gun, there are few guns that shoot as nicely as the CZ TSO, but if you like the Shadow 2 grip more the TS2 Orange might be more favorable. The CZ's really do punch above their price class. I'd put the DWX in there as well, but the trigger on the TSO is just stupid good. The German Sig Xfive's are amazing, but it's so hard to source parts and expensive now that I'd never recommend on, and the US made versions are not nearly as nice and like most current Sig products ridiculously overpriced.
Do you have a time line? Like are you scratching a "right now" purchase itch?
If not, a Stealth Arms Platypus done up the way you want would be fun. They feel great in hand--the grip feels better to me than Staccato's OEM grips (all of mine have aftermarket and reduction grips)--and shoot well.
Done again, Id get mine with a DPP cut and a vortex 6 Moa defender.
That said, I do like my Staccatos as well
If not, a Stealth Arms Platypus done up the way you want would be fun. They feel great in hand--the grip feels better to me than Staccato's OEM grips (all of mine have aftermarket and reduction grips)--and shoot well.
Done again, Id get mine with a DPP cut and a vortex 6 Moa defender.
That said, I do like my Staccatos as well
