CZ 75 Compact

[jay1313g]

I'm thinking of picking one of these up.

Looking for recommendations on:

Decocker or not? (I like the idea of being able to carry in condition 1 with this gun.)

9mm or .40 - Not looking for the debate about which is better or which ammo is cheaper but asking if the .40 is abusive in this gun. (I normally shoot .45 and this gun may end up with the wife when she gets her permit.)

Testimonials with reliability?

There seem to be several different models of the Compact. Recommendations?

[Steelharp]

I had one, sold it because of financial issues. One of the finest 9's I've ever had. No issues, dead on POA=POI, fit my hand perfectly; mine was not the decocker. I liked the C&L option like a 1911. No problem to drop the hammer to half cock for DA first shot.

Get one; you will not regret it.

[Guest mikedwood]

I have a CZ P-01 which is a 75 basically. Love it. Great gun, well made and feels good. I say get it.

As for the decocker, yeah I think that's a good idea.

[Guest Arko]

Great gun, natural pointer. Personally, I like my decocker in 9mm, but it's built like a tank, so I doubt the 40 would have a shorter life span.

[Guest tnmale46]

cz's rock

[Garufa]

I'd take a look at the CZ 75 D PCR. Hard to find but has alloy frame and better sights. The decocker on CZ's are odd to me in that it drops hammer to half-cock. But you can dire DA from there. I'm used to decockers just dropping the hammer all the way.

[Guest Matchguy]

Here is what a friend of mine on another forum had to say about the gun you mentioned. He is a lifelong firearms instructor and avid CZ fan, as am I. Here's how he feels about it.

.........I do appreciate the benefits I see in the full sized pistols. But I have to admit, the very first CZ pistol I ever held happened to be a 75B Compact 40, and it felt incredible in my hand. So tomorrow I plan to head up the road, bring another 75B 40 home with me, and handle the Compact 40 that showed up at the company from the factory. I will decide what magic I want them to work on the pistol, and will be waiting impatiently for them to call and say ok, come get this one .

I will lose a bit of sight radius with the 75B Compact 40, but will still retain the steel frame, the DA/SA trigger with manual safety, and add the full dust cover with tactical rail. So I think/hope I can live with the trade offs involved......."

Personally, Jay, I think if you can handle a .45 you'll also do fine with a steel framed compact .40. All bets are off, however, if you go to the alloy frame. I'd want to actually fire one of those in .40 before buying one. I've found that the compact version of a standard service pistol recoils much the same as the larger gun unless you're into +P+ megabangers and/or a super short grip, and as long as the material is the same. But once you lighten up the compact model with an alloy or plastimatic frame, I think, like I said earlier, you ought to shoot it first. I have a Bersa Thunder 9 Hi Cap and the compact version of the same gun and the difference in recoil is barely noticeable, even with +P ammo. I'll leave the safety up to you. If you're not comfortable manually decocking the gun and carrying it DA, or carrying it cocked and locked, then you'd better get the decocker model.

MG

[glockster157]

I had a CZ PO1 compact w/decocker in 9mm. Great gun, I traded it in a moment of weakness as I was carrying a Glock 19 at the time and did not see the need for 2 similar guns. Mistake. I do think if I were buying new and weight were not a major issue I would rather have the steel from gun, especially in 40. The 9mm was fairly snappy in the LW alloy frame of the PO1. Plus, I don't need a decocker, I have let my hammer down a bazillion times and I am very confident I can do it safely, but what a decocking model cannot do is go on safe in a SA mode. So steel or alloy no decocker for me but your wife may need one if you pass the gun to her, I would also stay 9mm if you are going to pass the gun to a female.

[jay1313g]

Thanks for the input guys! How hard is it to find a PCR? Have you seen one in a shop lately?

[Guest Matchguy]

Thanks for the input guys! How hard is it to find a PCR? Have you seen one in a shop lately?

Try Angus Hobdell's custom shop in Arizona. He's on the CZ team and runs a custom CZ shop and sells all of the CZ products. He has PCR's listed for $542. http://czcustom.com/CZ-USA-Pistols.aspx

MG

[jay1313g]

I will call tomorrow but it appears that Angus is out of stock also! This must be one hard to find pistola.