By Ray Rios

I recently bought a new CZ75D PCR. This is the lightweight compact version of the CZ75D that was commissioned by the Czech national police (thus PCR). The gun cost me $449.00. What did I get for my money?…

I got a very lightweight 9mm handgun with an aluminum alloy frame and steel slide. The gun is not a “micro – 9” by any means but it’s weight and profile make it a very viable carry gun.

The gun came with front and rear grip serrations, and serrations on the forward portion of the trigger guard. Very handy and useful. The slide has both fore and aft cocking serrations. The gun also comes equipped with a very obvious and noticeable loaded-chamber indicator on the top of the slide; low-profile Novak-style sights, extended mag release button located in the preferred 1911-style on the left side of the grip; a decocker mechanism very much like the SIG pistols (this is a great feature), Commander-style hammer; very comfortable soft-rubber grips with just the right amount of palm swell, and a beavertail-style grip enhancement that makes the 1911 shooter feel at home. Full-length guide rod is standard equipment. The magazines are well-made and hold ten rounds. All edges of the pistol’s exterior have been nicely rounded to be snag-free for comfortable carry. The finish is the CZ “polymer” baked-on matte black. It looks good and it is tough. Field stripping is a snap and the gun is easy to maintain.

If I sound impressed I am… this is a nice package for the money.

The gun is a pleasure to shoot. Very pointable. Using the sights the bullets go where they are aimed. I have written a previous review of the CZ75B for this website and I must say that this gun is even more accurate in spite of it’s shorter barrel and sight radius. Every round goes “bang!”. No misfeeds or jams even during the 100-round break-in period. I wouldn’t hesitate to use this gun for personal defense when reliability is utterly necessary.

I hope people catch on to this… the CZ guns are really, really good. I like them so much that I am downsizing my collection of certain Austrian-made guns to make room for more of the CZ-line of pistols, shotguns and rifles.

And NO… I don’t work for CZ! I am a gun enthusiast who knows a good deal when he sees one.

Six Months Later

As far as functionality is concerned, the gun has had one major fault… the magazines. I found after a while that the magazines would bind up and cause jamming. I tried changing the magazine springs by buying the recommended Wolff replacement, but this didn’t really improve matters much. The gun continued to jam. I installed different recoil springs… again not much difference. I inquired of CZ as to their recommendations, but didn’t get much in the way of help there, either. Finally, I bought two ProMag EA004 mags at a gun show in Sacramento. Bingo! The Pro-Mag magazines solved the problem. The gun now runs rapid-fire 10-round runs without any problem. Hollow-point ammo such as Hydra-Shok or Winchester Silver Tips also feed reliably. I’ve ordered another Pro-Mag for my gun as I like to have three magazines minimum for all of my semi-auto handguns.

Now that the magazine issue has been resolved, the only other fault that I have with this pistol is the sights, and there is a remedy for that as well. CZ sells a tritium night-sight replacement set for $75.00 and I will install these as soon as they arrive. With that improvement in place I would rate the CZ75DPCR as my best 9MM handgun, slightly better than Glock and Kahr because the gun is double/single action with a de-cocker. Light-weight and very accurate. Easy to disassemble and clean. I recommend this gun to anyone. Just be prepared to buy new magazines if my experience means anything.

Specifications:
Designed to the specifications of the Czech national police the PCR (Police of Czech Republic) COMPACT is an alloy frame de-cocker. The PCR features an extended magazine release, low profile snag-free sights, loaded chamber indicator, serrated front and back strap for improved handling, rubber grip panels and a lanyard loop in the butt.

MSRP	523.00
Stock	Checkered rubber
Frame	Light Alloy
Finish	Black Polycoat
Ammo	9 mm Luger
Mag./cap.	10
Overall length	183 mm / 7.2 in.
Barrel length	98 mm / 3.9 in.
Height	135 mm / 5.3 in.
Width	35 mm / 1.4 in.
Weight	780 g / 1.7 lbs.
Barrel	Hammer forged
Rifleing	Conventional
Trigger mechanism	SA/DA
Sight type	Fixed, low profile
Safety features: Decocking lever      – Safety stop on the hammer      – Firing pin block safety

By Ray Rios

I first came across the CZ pistols at the gun range in Oceanside, California where I was a member. The CZ’s were marketed as “affordable” pistols (meaning “cheap”). Since I had already fallen under the spell of the 1911 and owned a SIG, I didn’t pay much attention to the cheaper guns that were available. This began to change when I was at the range one day and the fellow in the lane next to me was shooting a CZ-75B. We began to talk and he asked me if I would like to shoot his gun. I took this to mean that if I said no I would probably insult the guy, so I agreed and picked up his CZ. I was immediately struck by the comfort of the gun, as it was very well-balanced. Shooting it revealed that the gun was accurate and had a trigger-pull in DA mode that was very much like the SIG that I owned.

At this point I began to look more closely at the CZ guns. I did some research over the Internet and discovered that the manufacturer is a very old and very well-known Czech company that dated to the early 1900’s. Very much in the European tradition of firearms makers, CZ had developed a full line of pistols and rifles that dated back to pre-WWI. The company was corrupted after WWII by the Soviet Union and began mass-producing firearms for the Warsaw Pact countries. This precluded import into the United States, but distribution was common in the European NATO-allied countries where CZ firearms were well-known for their quality and performance.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, CZ had a big inventory of guns and no one to sell them to. An enterprising US importer began bringing their guns into the US market and the basic CZ pistol – the 9mm CZ-75B could be purchased for under $300.00 for a time. As time has gone by and the guns have become somewhat more well-known the prices have begun to creep up. I bought my CZ-75B in 1997 for $319.00 including two 15-round magazines.

Close inspection of the CZ-75B reveals a gun that was designed to be a military sidearm. No frills. The guns are constructed of steel and are most commonly provided with a black “polymer” baked-on finish that is actually quite tough and durable. The roll-markings on the slide tend to be somewhat obscured by this finish and this effect is less than desirable esthetically. Also, the importer has stenciled their name and location in gold-colored ink on the right-hand side of the slide. I wish they wouldn’t do that! The grips on the stock CZ-75B are of black hard-plastic and are uncomfortable. Hogue sells a soft-rubber wraparound grip that compliments this gun nicely.

All the cosmetic issues aside, shooting the CZ-75B is a revelation. Excellent trigger out of the box. Excellent accuracy. One of my friends who owns a SIG 229 regularly calls and asks me to let him use my CZ when he is shooting in friendly range competitions. The CZ is more accurate than his SIG! I have run many different brands and types of 9mm ammunition through my CZ-75B and I honestly do not recall a single malfunction. Accuracy is excellent with three-shot groups delivered from a Weaver stance yielding 2.0″ to 2.5″ at 15 yards and 3.5″ at 25 yards… provided a good day and a steady-hand, of course. The gun takes down and reassembles easily. Parts are readily available from the CZ USA website.

CZ manufactures a broad line of handguns and rifles. I recently purchased a CZ75 PCR, a compact 9mm pistol with a de-cocker rather than standard safety. This gun is also highly accurate and very comfortable to shoot. The CZ rifle line includes semi-auto and bolt-action guns that are considered top-notch. CZ pistols come in calibers from .380 to .45 with some “race-gun” models available. Finishes range from blue to “black-polymer” to stainless steel.

The CZ line of pistols and rifles represents perhaps the best value of any line of firearms. I would encourage anyone to explore these guns and “spread the word”. My experience with these fine guns tells me that the CZ line is one of the best-kept secrets in today’s menu of firearms.

Specifications:

Action Type: Double Action (75B), Single Action (75B SA), De-cocker (75 BD), or Double Action Only (75 DAO)
Chamber: 9mm Luger, .40 S&W
Capacity: 16 (9mm) or 10 (.40SW) rounds

The, CZ 75 is a recoil-operated, locked breech design that employs Browning style, link-less locking system. Early versions (CZ 75) featured no firing pin block, while modern versions (75B, BD, DAO etc) have such safety. Also, all modern versions feature a CZ-85 style trigger guard. CZ-75B has a frame mounted safety and slide stop. CZ-75 BD has a frame mounted de-cocker, and CZ-75 DAO has no manual safeties.

The gun is available in basic DA/SA with manual safety (CZ-75 B), in DA with de-cocker lever and no manual safety (CZ-75 BD), in DAO without any external levers (CZ-75 DAO). Compact B and BD models also available in 9 mm, with a shorter barrel (100 mm) and 14 rounds magazines. Cadet conversion kits and complete handguns available in .22 LR to provide low-cost training and plinking ability.

MSRP	480.00
Stock	Checkered plastic
Frame	Steel
Finish	Black Polycoat, Glossy Blue, Satin Nickel, Dual Tone
Ammo	9 mm Luger
Mag./cap.	10
Overall length	206 mm / 8.1 in.
Barrel length	120 mm / 4.7 in.
Height	138 mm / 5.4 in.
Width	35 mm / 1.4 in.
Weight	1000 g / 2.2 lbs.
Barrel	Hammer forged
Rifleing	Conventional
Trigger mechanism	SA/DA
Sight type	fixed
Safety features: Manual Safety – Safety stop on the hammer – Firing pin block safety

By Ray Rios

I’ve become a collector of Colt guns… semiautomatics mainly, both old and new. Recently I came upon a barely used Mustang .380. The gun was on consignment in the local gun shop for $400.00 with the original box and literature, and one extra Colt magazine.

I inspected the gun closely and found nothing wrong with it. It was clean, unscratched nickel plated and gleaming steel. My personal estimation is that the gun was fired only a few times, as there was some powder residue in the dust cover, but no discernable wear on the barrel shroud, hammer interface or muzzle. I liked what I saw, so I bought the little gun.

I (as always) did a little internet research and discovered the most obvious improvements that the gun needs. One, replace the Colt-provided plastic guide rod (what a cheesy item!) with a replacement. Two, replace the clumsy double recoil spring arrangement that Colt supplies the stock gun with with a Wolf single recoil spring.

Okay, so I took the gun to the range and put 200 rounds of Russian “Golden Bear” .380 ammo through it. No failures to feed, and surprising accuracy at 25 feet, which is all I would expect of an extremely compact and concealable personal-defense gun in .380 caliber. Basically, at 25 feet the bullets went where I aimed them… nothing wrong with that.

One problem that I discovered is that the safety lever is easily pushed into the “safe” position by the right thumb during recoil. I developed a quick cure for this by “riding” the safety lever with the tip of my left thumb while I shoot the gun. Problem solved.

There is quite a clamor for subjecting these little guns to the “dehorning” process. The logic is that these guns are full of sharp edges and carry guns need to have smooth contours. I don’t disagree, but the price for dehorning a Colt Mustang approaches $400.00! This is as much as I paid for the gun… add in silly stuff like Novak sights, new triggers, etc., and you can sink a bunch of money into a simple self-defense pistol that runs pretty damn well out of the box, and better with some inexpensive aftermarket parts, as I indicated previously.

I experienced no problems with magazines dropping out of the gun while shooting, or the slide release lever falling out. As far as I am concerned, these issues are fables… couldn’t prove it by me…

I like this gun. I would also like to acquire one of the .380 Government models. What a shame that Colt quit making these classy little guns.

By Syd

Sometimes you run across something that is simply right. Such is the case with the Wilson Combat CQB. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one for testing and evaluation. There is nothing particularly revolutionary or new about this gun. It is just the classic M1911A1 with all the things done to it that ninety years of experience with Old Slabsides have shown to be desirable.

The CQB is eat-up with sex appeal. It is two-tone, green and black Armor-Tuff coated, black slide, green frame, with black wood grips with Wilson night sights. Wilson’s logo medallion which looks like pewter is set into the black wood grips to an excellent visual effect. It has 30 lpi checkering on the front and back strap. When I first held the gun, I thought that it had some kind of rubber wrap-around grip because of the way the checkering felt. It isn’t sharp and abrasive and actually feels in your hand more like rubber than spiky steel. It is an interesting sensation.

The lock up has that “fitted by elves in the Black Forest” smoothness. There is no slop or rattle in the slide-to-frame fit. The barrel bushing is fitted without the tiniest bit of wiggle but you can still field strip the gun with your hands, not needing a bushing wrench. The accuracy is far better than anything I could do offhand. Wilson ships a test target with each gun showing exactly what it will do from the bench at 15 yards. (Click Here for test target)

You might expect that a gun fitted this tightly might have reliability problems so we tested that. We ran approximately a thousand rounds through it without cleaning it. We tried to make the gun jam. We fired junk ammo, lead shouldered wad cutters, hollow points – everything we could find. We fired it “gangsta” style and weak hand only from around barricades. I tried a couple of old magazines which have tended to be sources of trouble. The only malfunction we experienced during the testing was a single stovepipe which occurred with a new shooter who had never fired .45 ACP or an M1911 before.

The trigger is perfect, simply perfect. There is a tiny bit of travel, but no creep, no roughness and no “catches.” It breaks cleanly at about 3.5 lbs. of pressure. Were I asked by an aspiring gunsmith how the trigger on a tuned 1911 should feel, I would tell him to shoot this gun and he would know.

Charles shot the pistol at the Gunsite Alumni match. I shot it at a Kentucky Practical Defense League match. We were both gratified with the gun’s performance. I was particularly impressed with my longer-range shots, an area where I often don’t do so well.

The pistol is just right.

This is a test target shot with a Wilson Combat 1911 pistol.

by Geno Benelli

As a firearms instructor I have the good fortune (generally) to test fire hundreds of guns each year for reliability and accuracy.  I try and maintain good notes on particular guns and ammunition that prove to be compatible so that I can pass this information along to my students.  Here is a review of my own personal firearm, a Wilson 1911 CQB:

• It is a 5″ with green/black armor tuff finish.
• Standard length recoil guide.
• @ 4 lb trigger pull, clean, no creep
• Combat Pyramid night sights
• Well executed 30LPI on Frontstrap/30 LPI on flat MSH
• 4300 rounds fired with NO failures to feed or fire
• Ammuntion used includes 2000 rds of factory Winchester, Federal and S & B
• Reloads include 2200 rds of reloads loaded on my Dillon to the following specs (230 grn. FMJ, WW 231 powder, OAL 1.255″, case mouth diameter of .469″, assorted brass)
• 100 rds of Federal Hydra-Shock
• I generally train at 50 feet and less using standard IDPA targets, with interactive timed to turn targets
• Standard groups at 50′ are generally 1-2″ at slow fire
• I change springs every 2000 rounds, clean the gun every 500 rounds and lubricate as needed.

There’s not much more that I can say except the CQB is one of three guns that I own that I would trust my life to on any occasion (the others are my Glock 36 and my S & W 686)

For additional versatility and fun I sometimes slip on the carbine conversion which takes about 5 minutes and is remarkably accurate with a Hakko red dot system.  The CQB is an absolute 10.

By Scott Smith

Long known for the pistols of modern IPSC matches, STI has come out with a new IDPA legal and for those of us that prefer for IPSC use the Trojan. A truly unique take on the single stack 1911. This is a standard 5″ 1911 or a 6” version is available in calibers from 9mm to 45Super, there should be one to fit your personal needs.

Starting from the ground up this is a fine version of the infamous 1911. It incorporates a number of custom shop type features; dovetailed front sight, Bo-Mar type rear sight, extended safety, speed bump grip safety, fitted barrel and bushing, etc. all for under $1000. Not a bad deal considering what you get in this pistol.

One of the unique features of the Trojan is the front strap texturing. Instead of checkering or stippling the front strap has a tree bark type texture to it. Not only does it look cool, but it works and affords a good purchase to the firearm.

Overall impressions of the Trojan were good. The pistol shot everything that was run through it from the best in defensive loads from CorBon, Winchseter, CCI, Triton to handloads using 200gr LSWCs, JHPs in weight from 185grs-230grs, and of course 230gr round nose, both lead and FMJ. It fed these from magazines from Wilson, Brown, McCormick, and had no hiccups. Accuracy was more than acceptable with 8 shots groups off hand at 20 yards averaging under 3″ for all rounds fired. The Trojan I shot had a particular like for Federal 185gr Hi-Shoks and kept that group of 8 rounds under 1.75″ for match grade type accuracy.

The only drawback to the Trojan is that you must resize your leather to fit it as the frame is wider than other 1911’s out there. Not a problem, just wrap it in a Bianchi Blue bag and stuff it into the holster you intend use, in about 48 hours, that holster will be custom fit the the Trojan. It does work well out of all common launch platforms used in USPSA/IPSC competition today. For details check out the STI web page, www.stiguns.com

By Scott Smith

Long known for the companies competition pistols, STI International has made the Edge into a tactical duty pistol. Starting with the full length Edge frame and slab side slide, STI has milled a Weaver type rail into the frame. This has not changed the handling of the pistol from its competition roots, just the look and function.

The rail will accept an number of the tactical pistol mounted flashlights available today. Because of its size and light weight I favored the ITI M3 available from Streamlight. This light has ambidextrous controls and slides on and off easily. The pistol light package for duty work fits well into Blackhawk’s (www.blackhawkindustries.com) Omega Series holster, use the 3volt size as well as Eagle’s (www.eagleindustries.com) SAS line, again you need the 3 volt size.

As seen in the photo this pistol is a nonstandard OD green frame, and matte black slide. These finishes were applied by Robar (www.robarguns.com) and are its famous Rogard, and the OD is Polymax. All internal and moving parts have had NP3 applied to resist corrosion and for its self-lubricating qualities. These finishes were used as they are tough and will aid in the life of this pistol by helping to prevent rust from normal duty use.

Overall this is one fine pistol and serves both duty and competition well. For competition use it rides well in a Blade Tech (www.blade-tech.com) straight drop holster and the SOCOM’s Heinie sights will keep most all loads on target. The weight of the SOCOM allows for fast shot to shot recovery and it tracks well from target to target.

With most all factory or IPSC major loads this pistol will shoot sub 1 1/2″, 8 round groups at 15 yards all day long offhand. If this would fit fit your needs check with STI International at www.stiguns.com, they can build one for you.

By Scott Smith

STI International, long known for the high-capacity, polymer framed competition pistol has entered into the carry race with the Ranger. This is an all steel pistol with all the features one looks for in a CCW piece.

The Ranger is small with a 3.5 inch taper cone barrel, good trigger pull, no sharp edges and a small frame for concealability. The grip panels are thin flat checkered for a low profile but solid gripping surface. Like its big brother the Trojan, the Ranger uses STI’s tree bark type front strap texturing instead of checkering. In a carry pistol this is great as it affords a good grip but does not aid in wear and tear of clothes.

The Ranger is an all business handgun, in a real caliber for our test piece, 45ACP, is there another choice? With its all steel construction, it readily handled the hottest loads from Cor-Bon and Triton with minimal recoil, something similar sized alloy framed 1911s can’t lay claim to doing. Ammunition run through the Ranger included Cor-Bon, Triton Hi-Vel, PMC, Blackhills, CCI, Seller & Belliot, Remington, and Winchester; all in a variety of weights and bullet styles. As was expected this little 1911 shot everything well, with 7 shot off-hand groups averaging 3″ at 20 yards.

This is a fine OM sized 1911 and would serve one well for daily carry use. With practice it would make a fine little IDPA piece too, those short sight radius’ are tough to get fast follow-up shots when you are used to a full size GM. For more detailed information on the specs of the Ranger, go to www.stiguns.com, drop them a note and tell them you saw the Ranger at www.SightM1911.com.

By Ray Rios

I’ve been shooting the Springfield 1911 Micro-Compact .45 for about 3 or 4 months now and have the following observations to share:

The gun must be broken in. A minimum of 200 rounds has to cycle through this pistol before you begin to get some reliability with hardball ammo. Before the break-in period was complete I was experiencing jams with every magazine I put through the gun. I bought Chip McCormick mags thinking that they might provide more positive feeding, but the result was pretty much the same. However, as I approached and passed 200 rounds the gun began to be much more reliable. Today I took the gun to the range and did some rapid-fire 6-round bursts, double-taps, etc. and was quite pleased with the performance of the gun. I put two magazines of Remington Golden Saber HP’s through the gun without any trouble. I personally feel that the .45 hardball round is enough of a stopper without taking a chance on HP ammo that may not be suited to the gun, so I don’t run HP through this particular pistol. At least, not yet.

Some advice to anyone buying this gun: Due to the lightweight alloy frame and short barrel, the gun has pretty stiff recoil and muzzle flip. Be sure to hold the gun firmly, and don’t let your grip hand ride up on the grips or you will experience “limp-wrist” jamming and you may accidentally engage the safety. I have learned by experience to avoid these issues. Also, keep your gun well-lubricated. It seems that the changes in geometry caused by downsizing a 1911 make almost all of the tolerances of this gun more critical. It is definitely not very forgiving of maintenance and proper shooting technique. That being said, the gun is now quite dependable given good ammo and proper shooting habits.

I took this gun to the range last weekend. I also took my accurized M1991A1. Shooting at fixed targets at 40 feet there was no comparison… my full sized Colt shot one-hole groups off sandbag rests. The Springfield shot a bit low, although grouping was good… 3″ to 4″ at 40 feet off sandbags. Remember… this is a carry weapon designed to deliver maximum punch at close range.

Q: What do you think about the “Internal Locking System” (ILS)?

A: I prefer to ignore the “Integrated Locking System”. Springfield provides a plastic key to manipulate this system. I prefer to think that it isn’t there.

As far as engineering, manufacture, fit and finish… this gun is a gem. If you get the chance, pick one up and check it out. With all the “Loaded” goodies on it is quite a specimen.

SA Micro Compact Specs:

Bi-tone PX9801L
Caliber: .45 ACP
Capacity: 6+1
Barrel: 3″, 1:16 LH
Sights: Novak® Patented Low Mount Tritium
Sight Radius: 4.7″
Size: 24 ozs., 5.7″ overall length
Trigger Pull: 5 to 6 lbs.
Magazines: 2
MSRP: $1060.00