Back in 1976, a new handgun was introduced to the marketplace – all over the world, with the exception of the United States. It wasn’t allowed to be imported directly for some reason – I’m sure it was all about politics. The CZ-75 was really something to brag about, and I really wanted one, for many years. Some folks found that they could secondarily import the CZ-75 from Canada. Unfortunately, they were paying upwards of $1,000 for those guns, and back then that was a huge sum of money.
The original 9mm CZ-75 was a full-sized combat/duty gun. The original CZ-75 was a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) design with a safety lever, so that it could be carried either hammer-down, or cocked ‘n locked.
The reviews written about the then-new “Wonder Nine” CZ-75 were off the charts. It was a gun that felt really good in the hand, and the trigger pull was amazing. One fairly new thing was that the slide rode inside the frame rails, rather than on the outside of the frame rails, like most semi-automatic handguns do. This actually made for a much more accurate gun – was true then, and is still true today.
Some makers in oher countries decided to copy the CZ-75 design. However, most didn’t do a very good job. I owned several of these lackluster clone imports and I didn’t find one that was totally reliable. And, I won’t keep a gun that isn’t 100% reliable. Part of the problem was, the tolerances weren’t held tight enough. Try as I might, I couldn’t gunsmith any of those CZ-75 clones to work — and I’m a fair hand at working on firearms. Today, other CZ-75 clones are being made that are much better guns, and have proven to be reliable.
D is for Decocker
The gun under review today is the CZ-75 D Compact – the “D” stands for decocker. You can’t carry it cocked ‘n locked. It has a well-positioned thumb decoker on the left side of the frame that is easy to reach – when you are done shooting, you simply depress this decocker and it drops the hammer (safely) to the half-cock position. If you decide to continue shooting, then you can either manually cock the hammer again, and all shots will then be in the single action mode. Or, you can just pull the trigger for the first shot, it’s a little bit long pull, but smooth. After that, all remaining shots will be in the super-smooth single-action mode. Many gun companies have copied this design, and for many years, most police departments carried DA/SA handguns. It took some training to transition from the long double action pull, to the single action pull, but nothing that training couldn’t overcome.
On the CZ-75 D Compact, the decocker returns to its position, after you have decocked the gun – no forgetting to put it back “up” like on the Beretta 92FC – this is a good thing if you ask me. Many times, I decocked a Beretta 92FC and forgot to push the decocker back up. There is no safety per se on the CZ-75 D model, other than passive safeties inside the gun – and the “safety” between your ears.
My personally-owned CZ-75 D Compact has a lightweight aluminum frame, and the anodized black color of it matches the black all-steel slide perfectly. A white, three-dot system is on the slide and they were perfectly regulated. There is also a very small loaded chamber indicator on the top of the slide. There are also slide serrations on the front and rear of the slide to make chambering a round and press-checking a little easier.
One complaint that many CZ-75 users have is that the slide sits down low in the frame, there isn’t a lot of metal to grasp to chamber a round. No problem if you grip the slide tightly, at the rear serrations, and pull back hard. [JWR Adds: A low bore axis and light slide are two of the advantages of the CZ design. These both minimize muzzle flip.] The slide stop is slightly extended, making it easy to press down on it, to release the slide, once the slide locks back on an empty magazine. The very top of the slide has serrations, running front to back, and this helps cut down on glare.
The barrel on the Compact model is 3.75-inches long – thus putting it in the compact category. The frame is a little bit shorter – about ½ inch than the full-sized model. The frontstrap and backstrap have serrations, and they sure do help keep the gun firmly in your hand under recoil. My gun came with the factory hard rubber grips – that are checkered. These work great if the gun is carried openly in a hip holster. However, when rubber grips are used under concealed carry clothing, they tend to grab your clothing – and you can easily fumble your grip. I replaced my rubber grips with some custom G-10 grips that are black and gray and have a sunburst pattern – I’ll probably never put the rubber grips back on this gun.
The magazine capacity of the later-production compact models is 15-rounds. Earlier model magazines held fewer rounds: The earliest Compact models only held 13-rounds, and then 14-rounds later on. And some were sold with just 10-round magazines, for sales in full-capacity magazine-deprived markets, like California. This was also the case for all CZs imported between 1994 and 2004 during the dark days of the Federal AWB and magazine ban. The newer CZ-75 Compact guns come with a Mec-Gar 15-round magazine and being made by Mec-Gar means that they work – every time! Each Compact model comes with two of these 15-round magazines. There is also a small lanyard ring on the butt of the gun, at the rear – many law enforcement agencies, back in Europe, attach a lanyard to their guns so they can’t be snatched away – a good idea if you ask me.
There is also an extended beavertail on the frame to prevent hammer bite and to also secure the gun in your hand, under recoil. The back strap is curved nicely as well, and the gun just feels great in the hand.
The Compact only weighs 27.5 ounces, and that’s not much heavier than many of today’s polymer striker-fired handguns in 9mm. I’ve carried this gun in a Craft Holster all-leather open top, compact holster on the belt and it is a perfect fit. They produce some outstanding leather holsters (and some in ballistic nylon) as well, at very reasonable prices – check out their website.
BTW, CZ-USA is now owned by Colt, and we are starting to see more and more CZ products. They are producing a lot of different handguns, mostly with polymer frames – most are made in the Czech Republic – and they certainly do know how to make firearms there.
My Shooting Tests
We are still in a severe ammo drought, and I’ve limited my shooting for my review and test articles. However, I’ve had this CZ-75 D Compact for quite some time, and I’ve fired well over 1,000 rounds through it, with zero malfunctions of any type. From the great folks at Black Hills Ammunition, I used the following: 115-grain EXP Hollow point and this round runs a little warmer than the standard rounds but not +P, though. The 124-gr JHP, 115-gr Barnes all copper hollow point, that is +P, 115-gr JHP, 124-gr JHP +P, 115-gr FMJ, 100gr HoneyBadger +P and their newest 125-gr HoneyBadger subsonic. As already stated, there were zero malufunctions in all my testing over a long time. The HoneyBadger 125-gr Subsonic is a real pussycat in this gun, with hardly any felt recoil at all. The 124-gr JHP +P lets you know you touched off a hot round. All shooting for accuracy was done on a rifle rest, with the target at 15-yards.
No groups were any larger than 2.5-inches, if I did my part. Many groups were well under 2-inches, with some coming it at close to an inch and a half – again if I did my part. The best accuracy was from the 125-gr HoneyBadger subsonic load. The 124-gr JHP was second best. I can’t ask for better accuracy, from a service grade 9mm pistol.
Many shooters today will turn their nose up at an all-metal DA/SA handgun, because they love their striker-fired polymer frame handguns. However, you’re really missing out on one of the finest 9mm service pistols ever made if you pass on acquiring a CZ-75 – either the full-size or Compact model. The CZ-75 is one of the classic handgun designs to ever come along in the last century if you ask me. It is right up there with the Browning Hi-Power, M1911, German Luger, and many others. The design is that good, if you ask me.
I wanted to again touch on the frame/slide colors – I’ve never seen any gun made out of steel and Aluminum, that match in color like this Compact does. It matches perfectly – not “close” to being the same, but they match perfectly. This shows great attention to detail.
One more note is that when I’m taking this gun down for cleaning, I have to (still) use a rubber mallet to get the slide release out of the frame – the gun is that tightly fitted, even after firing more than a thousand rounds through it.
If you happen upon a CZ-75 Compact then check it out closely, as there is a lot to like. Full retail is $745, and a deal if you ask me. A recent check at GunBroker.com, shows these selling for $625 to $725, wholesale — so retail will be 10% to 20% higher.