CZ75 SP-01 Shadow Review 2009 - 2012

Being a fan of Glock pistol,I'd purchased different Glocks for years.
Even my friends had offered me their pistols(Other Brand)to test,my bias towards Glock had never changed throughout these years.

Similar to myself,many novice from my gun club thinks GLOCK is cool and it's a mystery. Harder than steels Polymer receiver,no external safties,taking apart in 30seconds,world top shooter Dave Sevigny is using it.etc...

The first few years while I was still a novice,I had no major problems with Glocks at the range. I only shot without moving. I can take times to aim,align with the target,slowly squeeze the trigger, as much time as I want for a shot. I still got some good results.

Not until a few years later,I started to participate IDPA/CDP/IPSC. It totally changed my attitude.

IMO,Glock is very difficult to control on rapid fire while moving. I'd mainly used Glock 17 & 34 for competition. Due to the weight distribution(Weight mostly on the slide),the muzzle flip had given me a hard time to track the front sight easily. Eventhough it is a 9mm,it jumps. There are not too many Dave Sevigny out there:D

The wide grip from Glock also a problem to me. I have small hands and the grip seems too wide for me to feel comfortable.

I'd once blamed myself for spending too little time at the range(One or Two times a week)was the reason I can't shoot well. Not until an IPSC friend handed me his CZ75-SP01 Shadow to try. I was amazed how fast the front sight back on track and the recoil seems far more easy to control than Glocks. The pistol is heavy. It balanced on my hand very well. I had a very tight groups right away with the Shadow.

I'd decided I want a Shadow right away.

It took a while to research and getting a good price.
And I'd ended up with the price of CAD895.00.

As of February 2011, the lowest price I can get for a CZ Shadow in Canada is CAD799.00. The latest model also included 3 magazines as well.

Since I've got a small hand, I'd ordered the CZ Aluminium Grips in Blue before my pistol had actually arrived. The grip comes with pre-cutted grip tapes. And it cost me CAD125.00 for it included shipping.
A 11lbs recoil spring and 13lbs main spring as well.


I reload ammuniation myself, if you are using factory ammo; you may consider keeping the factory recoil spring as is.

My CZ75 SP-01 Shadow had finally arrived two weeks later.



Opened the box and took out the pistol, the first thing you'll notice is the weight of the pistol. It is heavy!! The weight stated from the user manual is 1170g with empty magazine,whereas a Glock 34 with a empty magazine weighted 650g. It is almost twice as heavier.


The second thing you'll notice is that the pistol as well as the magazines were packed with oil. Many oil!! Inside and out. I think it was to protect the pistol from rust while at storage. It took me about half an hour to disassemble the pistol and clean it up from inside out. A soft cloth with water is all you need.

I'd also unscrew the rubber grips, changed the recoil spring(11lbs)and main spring(13lbs),and also put on the aluminium grips.


The pistol comes with a pistol box,user manual,cleaning rod and brush and a spare main spring(Stock). I was suprised that it didn't come with a cabel pistol lock!!

The production year of the pistol clearly marked on the pistol with "09" on the strong hand side.

Because I will be using this Shadow for competition, I'd further grip taped it.





The fibre optic front sight comes with the shadow is easy to see from the rear sight.
It has a bright large red dot.


Other than the CR Speed and Ghost Holster, the BladeTech DOH holster is the best you can find in the market at the moment.





Took the Shadow to the range two days later, I can't wait to try out my new baby.

The ammo was my reloads:(1)124g Frontier RN Bullets/6.0gn HS-6 powder/Winchester primers/Mixed brand brass.(2)124g Frontier RN Bullets/4.0gn Titegroup powder/Winchester primers/Mixed brand brass.
13lbs Recoil Spring/15lbs Main Spring.

Since I had a competition right after my test fire, I only have about an hour to test my new pistol. But the result were not bad.

The red cross were the Point of Aim. This target were shot from the very first magazine. Rapid fired. The groups were already tighter than my Glock 34. But I think I still need more time to test the pistol further.

At the same night's competition, my results say it all. Other fellow member had also used his brand new Shadow over his Glock; the results were dramatically improved.

I will keep undating this review when the time see fit.
Please let me know if you want more information to be posted here.

UPDATE No.1 - July 9th,2010
My CZ Shadow is going stronger and stronger.
I now have 2 of them and the first one become my back up. The second one seems more accurate for me. I'd also bought a pair of silver aluminum grips for it. I'd exclusively using Shadow for my IPSC competitions and I've got pretty good results(Ranking)from it.
But one thing to note here, make sure you check the rear sight's location periodically. The sight had moved to the right after so many rounds[I forgot...but over 1000 rounds for sure]. I'd found out 1 day before my big match. Luckly, I correct the problem and rush to the range and test it to make sure.
Other than that, there is zero mulfunction at all.
Last thing to note, this gun seems to be very unforgiving by dirt. Make sure you clean it and lube it after each session to ensure proper function.

UPDATE No.2 - February 12th,2011
My second CZ still going strong without any mulfunction so far.
It helps me always on top of the IPSC competition list. I am happy with the results.
And I'd sold my first one with the blue grips.
Make sure you keep some spare parts for back up if you only have one pistol like me.
You'll need a slide holder, recoil spring, magazine follower,trigger springs, ejector for back up if possible.
I've seen my fellow shooter has a broken slide holder in the middle of the match and a broken recoil spring as well.

UPDATE No.3 - February 21st,2011
My first breakage of a trigger spring happened on Friday. I was at the range just one day before a local match.  I did cancel the match since I've got burned out by driving around and try to get the replacement spring near evening.
I suspect the breakage is reasonable since I'd shot at least 15000-20000 Rounds downrange already; and, also had many dry fire sessions at home.
I will order a few spare trigger springs tomorrow to include in my spare parts kit.
My spare parts kit now included:
1xSlide Stop; 1x13lbs Main Spring; 1x 11lbs Recoil Springs; 2x Trigger Springs.
I am planning to buy a spare extractor and some magazine follower when I have the money.


CZ75 SP-01 SHADOW - [TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Length[mm] ---------------------------------------- 209mm
Height [mm] ------------------------------------------------- 150mm
Width [mm] ------------------------------------------------- 42mm
Weight with
empty magazine [g] ----------------------------------------- 1170g
Frame ------------------------------------------------------ Steel
Barrel length
w/o glide ramp[mm] --------------------- 114mm
Sight radius [mm] --------------------- 163mm
Magazine
Capacity(9mm Luger)--------------------- 18
(10 for Citizen)

I appreciated if you can leave a comment.

- TO BE UPDATED -

Cheers:D