| CZ 75 | |
|---|---|
Original "short-rail" version of the CZ 75. |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Czechoslovakia Czech Republic |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1976–present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Josef and František Koucký |
| Designed | 1975 |
| Manufacturer | Česká zbrojovka |
| Produced | 1976–present |
| Number built | 1,000,000+ (Oct. 12 2007) [1] |
| Variants | see Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1.12 kg (2.47 lb) |
| Length | 206.3 mm (8.1 in) |
| Barrel length | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Width | 32.6mm (1.3 in) |
| Height | 138mm (5.4 in) |
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| Cartridge | 9x19mm Parabellum 9x21mm .40 S&W |
| Action | short recoil, tilting barrel |
| Rate of fire | semi-automatic |
| Effective range | 50 m (for 9mm CZ-75 family and CZ-75 Automatic) |
| Feed system | detachable box magazine, 12–20 rd depending on version and caliber |
| Sights | Front blade, rear square notch |
| CZ P-01 | |
|---|---|
The CZ P-01 |
|
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Czech Republic |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Czech police |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1999 |
| Manufacturer | Česká zbrojovka |
| Produced | 2002- |
| Number built | ? |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 0.77 kg (1.7 lb) with empty magazine |
| Length | 184 mm (7.2 in) |
| Barrel length | 98.5 mm (3.9 in) |
| Width | 35 mm (1.4 in) |
| Height | 128 mm (5.3 in) |
|
|
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| Caliber | 9x19mm Parabellum |
| Action | short recoil, tilting barrel |
| Rate of fire | semi-automatic |
| Feed system | detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Front blade, rear square notch |
The CZ 75 is a semi-automatic pistol made by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod (CZUB) in the Czech Republic. First introduced in 1975, it is one of the original "wonder nines" featuring a staggered-column magazine, all-steel construction, and a hammer forged barrel. It has a good reputation amongst pistol shooters for quality and versatility at a reasonable price, and is widely distributed throughout the world. It is also the most common gun in the Czech Republic.
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Armament industry was an important part of the interwar Czechoslovak economy and it was responsible for much of the country's exports (see, for example, Bren light machine gun, which was modified version of Czechoslovak ZB vz. 26). However following the 1948 communist coup d'état, all heavy industry was nationalized and caught behind the Iron Curtain. Still, while most other Warsaw Pact countries became dependent on armaments imports from the USSR, much of Czechoslovak weaponry remained domestic (for example, Czechoslovak army used the Vz. 58 assault rifle, while other communist block countries used Kalashnikov rifle).
Brothers Josef and František Koucký became the most important engineers of the CZUB following the second world war. To some extent they participated in designing all the company's post-war weapons. As they used to undersign their designs together (using only the surname), it is hard to assess, which of them thought out particular ideas.[2]
By 1969 František Koucký was freshly pensioned, however the company offered him a job on designing a new 9mm pistol. Unlike during his previous work, this time he had a complete freedom in designing the whole gun from scratch. The design he developed was in many ways new and innovative (see Design details).[2]
Although the model was developed for export purposes (Czechoslovak armed forces were using 7.62x25mm Tokarev as were some of the Warsaw pact countries, and would chamber later domestic pistols in 9mm Makarov like the rest of the Warsaw Pact nations), Koucký's domestic patents regarding the design were put into category of "secret patents". This meant, that nobody could learn about their existence, but also nobody could register the same design in Czechoslovakia. At the same time neither Koucký nor the company could file for patent protection abroad. Consequently, large number of other manufacturers began offering pistols based on CZ 75 design (see Clones, copies, and variants by other manufacturers).[2]
The pistol was not sold in Czechoslovakia until 1985. It became popular foremost among sport shooters (sport shooting is the third most widespread sport in the Czech Republic, after soccer and hockey[3]). It could be adopted by the Czech armed forces only after the Velvet Revolution.[2]
The CZ 75 is a short recoil operated, locked breech pistol. It uses the Browning linkless cam locking system similar to that used in the Browning Hi-Power pistol, where the barrel and slide are locked together on firing, using locking lugs milled into the barrel mating with recesses in the roof of the slide. An enclosed cam track integral with the barrel is actuated by the slide release lever's transverse pin. After the first few millimetres of the recoil stroke, the barrel is cammed downwards at the rear, enabling the slide to continue the recoil stroke and eject the spent cartridge.
Most models have the capability of being fired in both single and double action modes, and feature a frame-mounted manual safety. Some recent models have a decocking lever that doubles as a manual safety. Starting in the early 1990s, all CZ 75s have been made with firing pin blocks, designated by the letter B (as in CZ 75B).
The CZ 75 was one of the first high capacity 9mm pistols with a manual safety similar to that of the Browning Hi-Power. This allows the CZ 75 to be carried with the hammer cocked with safety applied and a round chambered, ready for use simply by switching the safety off, a configuration known as condition one. It is somewhat unusual for double-action pistols to have this "cocked and locked" type of safety; most such as the Walther P38 and the Beretta 92F have a combination safety/decocking lever (as do some later versions of the CZ 75). The trade-off of this configuration is that to uncock the hammer for a double action first shot, the hammer must be dropped manually by pulling the trigger while lowering the hammer with the firer's thumb under control. Once lowered in this manner, a double action first shot can be achieved in a similar manner to other double action pistols without actuating any controls. Subsequent shots will be single action unless the hammer is again manually lowered.
All non-double action only CZ-75 variants feature a "half-cock" notch. Unlike a M1911 pistol, this is not a safety position, but rather an operator aid to provide a safe place to manually decock the pistol. All of the "decocker" models decock to this position, and the manual advises not to attempt to place the hammer further on any model.
Unlike most other semi-auto pistols, the slide rides inside the frame rails rather than outside, similar to the SIG P210. This provides a tight slide-to-frame fit and a very efficient barrel lock-up, both of which contribute to good accuracy.
Both frame and slide are castings, though forgings have been used in very early production models. The 6-groove barrel has traditional land-and-groove rifling with a higher-than-standard rate of twist (1 in 9.7).
Originally designed for export, the CZ Model 75 entered mass production in 1976.
Action Arms imported the pistols to USA in the early 1990s until CZ-USA was established as the sole distributor of new CZ pistols in the United States.
CZ variants of the CZ 75 include:
Today the CZ factory is located in the Czech Republic (EU) and the gun is offered worldwide, however during the Cold War, Czechoslovakia was part of the Warsaw Pact and thoroughly communist in its political outlook. The CZ 75 was the first 9mm semi-auto pistol developed expressly for sale to the West and it offered new idea in auto-pistol manual safety design: it was a dual mode design. It could be carried in the conventional double-action/single-action mode of operation, or it could be carried "cocked and locked" like the 1911 pistol.[7]
Due to politics the Czechs could not market their pistol in the United States and because CZ failed to secure world patent protection for their design, a number of firms copied it. Foremost Italian firm Fratelli Tanfoglio made good business marketing the pistol to the West with the design being so solid, that two shooters, US national Doug Koenig and Frenchman Eric Grauffel, have won the hard fought IPSC World Championship using pistols based on CZ 75 design. That was tremendous endorsement for any handgun design because all other World Champions up to the time had used pistols based on the John Browning 1911 format.[7] Other notable copies/clones are those of Swiss origin, which have reputation of manufacturing quality rivalling that of the CZ original.[2]
The clones, copies and variants by other manufacturers include: