GUN TESTS GRADE: A

$1119

This was a recent price at OakHillGuns.com. The CZ Shadow 2 is a competition-ready variant of the legendary and iconic DA/SA CZ-75 pistol, but heavier with a steel frame and full dust cover. It weighs 46.5 ounces, and that helps the user to stabilize the pistol during recoil. Unlike most DA/SA pistols, the Shadow 2 has no de-cocking lever, but it does have a traditional thumb safety that allows the pistol to be carried in a variety of conditions: cocked and locked like a 1911 (Condition 1) or DA/SA with the hammer down on a loaded chamber, requiring a double-action first shot (Condition 2).

CZ pistols have a cult-like following. It is not nearly as well known as the Glock or Colt, and that’s because it was designed in the 1970s in Czechoslovakia — now the Czech Republic — during the Cold War, and not many were imported into the U.S. Since then, the CZ-75 has been copied by many manufacturers.

Part of the uniqueness of the CZ-75 platform is that the slide rides inside the frame rails. Nearly every other semi-auto pistol currently produced uses a slide that rides on the outside of the frame. This feature slightly lowers the bore axis, so recoil and muzzle flip are reduced. What some users don’t like about the slide-inside-the-frame-rails design is that there is less slide surface area for the user to grasp and manipulate the slide. It takes training to get used to. The Shadow 2 has this slide/frame set up, and the slide on the Shadow 2 is also angled, no doubt to whittle weight off the pistol, so there is even less real estate on which the user may grasp the slide. To make slide manipulation easier, the Shadow 2 has coarse slide serrations for more texture.

It also has a higher beavertail and undercut trigger guard. This means the user’s hand can be as close to the bore axis as possible. With the slide machined with angled sides, most of the reciprocating slide mass is centered on the bore, not above the bore, so there is less muzzle flip, which we confirmed in testing.

The slide is fitted with target sights, a fiber-optic front sight that is pinned in place and serrated. The rear is also serrated and click-adjustable for elevation and drift-adjustable for windage. The edges of the rear sight were rounded and smooth, so you may sling-shot the slide after a reload. We also liked the fact that the corner edges of the rear sight were chamfered, so our eye focused toward the center of the rear sight.

The frame is much different than a stock CZ-75’s. First, the front and rear gripstraps are nicely checked and offer a sure grip. Second, the undercut trigger guard allows a higher grip on the gun so you can better manage recoil. Third, the extended beavertail offers protection from slide or hammer bite. The grips are blended with the frame, so there are no edges for the user’s hand to chafe on during extended firing sessions. We really liked how the Shadow 2 felt in hand.

Other features are an oversized and squared trigger guard, low-profile slide stop, and manual thumb safety, which give the user confidence yet are not in the way. The magazine release is oversized and the height can be adjusted. We liked this magazine release a lot.

The CZ field-strips easily. Just align the tick marks on the left side of the pistol, use the magazine to push out the slide stop from the right side of the frame, and the slide assembly comes off. Easier than the Colt, but not as fast as the LWD.

The trigger is really the icing on the cake. The trigger is smooth in DA and crisp and breaks cleanly in SA. DA pull weight is 10 pounds but feels less, and in SA, the trigger breaks at 4 pounds. Trigger reset is super fast, and we found ourselves shooting double taps fastest with the CZ. The trigger face is smooth. This is an excellent trigger, and even our devoted 1911 tester liked the feel of the DA/SA trigger.

In the box with the Shadow 2 were three steel-body magazines with polymer floorplates, a cleaning rod, and brush. We appreciated the three magazines. Our sample wore an Urban Grey Polycoat on the frame and a matte-black nitride finish on the slide. The grips were thin, textured black aluminum. In hand, the Shadow 2 feels thin and not chunky like some double-stack 9mm pistols. In fact, when we measured the thickness of the CZ’s grip (1.1 inches), it was thinner than the Colt (1.3 inches), which is a single stack. We give credit to CZ for engineering the grip to be accommodating to many hand sizes without compromising on magazine capacity, which is 17 rounds.

Going live at the range, we found the CZ to be the easiest of the pistols to shoot due to the trigger, sights, grip, and weight. It was also the most accurate of the three pistols tested. Our best five-shot group at 25 yards measured 0.69 inches with Armscor’s 124-grain FMJs. The 115-grain Defender and handload ammo had best groups a hair over 1 inch. In speed shooting, the CZ excelled with fast split times.

Our Team Said: The Shadow 2 is a very capable competition pistol that makes shooting easier due to the pistol’s ergonomics, excellent trigger and weight. We would not hesitate to purchase this pistol.

Range Data

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