In the century since the introduction of the 9mm 
Luger cartridge, hundreds of full-size service 
handguns have been chambered for it. The 
specifications of most are similar and, at first glance, 
selecting one type over another seems arbitrary. A 
few models stand out by the virtue of a good design 
married to high quality of production. CZ75B is one 
such weapon. 

  The first design feature I wanted was the cocked 
and locked single action. Having earlier standardized 
on plastic-framed pistols without external safeties, I 
wanted to see if that would improve practical 
accuracy. After trying several guns at the range, I 
decided to get a CZ75 because it fit my hands well. 
The B version currently available differs from the 
original model 75 in having a firing pin safety and 
longer slide rails. 

  My "military" gun was apparently a contract overrun 
from a Turkish police contract. Unlike the pistols 
meant for the commercial market from the start, it 
came with one proper 15-round magazine as well as 
a crippled 10-rounder.  The sturdy plastic case also 
included cleaning tools and a magazine loader. In 
Minnesota, a CZ75B  retails for $340 to $450, 
depending on the store. 

  The first impression of this pistol is favorable. It is 
all carbon steel, machined impeccably and finished in 
a tough matte plastic coating. The coating combined 
with grooves in the top of the slide keep the sight 
picture free from glare. The slide lock lever and the 
external safety are streamlined for easy draw from a 
holster yet can be manipulated without shifting the 
grip. The gun balances well, with a slight bias 
towards the muzzle. 

  The contoured slide rides inside the frame and is 
quite slender. Full-length slide rails and precise 
machining ensure very tight lockup. The action is a 
link-less Browning design, with the top of the 
chamber locking into the slide. Because its slide is 
relatively small and its steel frame is relatively 
heavy, the center of CZ75B mass is very low.  That 
helps with holding it steadily on target. The thin slide 
and generally streamlined shape make CZ75B easy to 
carry in the waist band in spite of its one-kilogram 
weight. When I first saw the gun, I was concerned 
about getting a sufficient grip to rack the slide but 
that was not a problem in actual use. Since all 
controls reside on the frame, my fingers did not get 
gouged as they often do with slide-mounted levers. 

  The thumb rest grips which made the gun 
"sporting" in the eyes of BATF were too thick. For 
$20 I replaced them with Hogue grips with finger 
grooves.  Shooters with very small hands may prefer 
flat rubber CZ grips available for about $15. With 
any of the grips, the pistol pointed very naturally. 

  Availability of standard, un-crippled magazines is 
crucial to the viability of a defensive handgun. New 
15-rounders for CZ75 cost about $45, a bargain 
compared to most other pre-ban magazines. The 
difference in capacity is only one of the reasons for 
insisting on proper magazines. The other reason is 
that the ways in which ammunition capacity is 
limited, be it dimpling and scoring of the magazine 
body, internal obstructions or hollow floorplates, all 
compromise the strength and reliability of the 
magazines. Having a spring bind inside or the 
magazine body break at the perforations during 
combat could mean death. An interesting design 
feature is that magazines do not drop free by 
default. A flat spring inside the grip acts as a 
magazine brake. If you prefer magazines to drop 
free when the release button is pressed, flatten that 
spring. 

  CZ75 can be cocked and locked. The safety lever 
operates similarly to the classic Browning designs, 
up to lock the hammer and the slide, down to fire.  
When the hammer is down or at half-cock, the safety 
lever cannot be applied, so the gun is always ready 
for use. De-cocking has to be done manually. This 
pistol can be fired without a magazine in place. 

  Of the many requirements a combat weapon must 
satisfy, the first and foremost is reliability.  In two 
range sessions, without cleaning the gun between 
them, I used 200 rounds of 115-grain S&B ball, 150 
rounds of 115-grain S&B JHP, 100 rounds of 
Remington 147-grain subsonic JHP and 50 rounds of 
Speer 124-grain +P Gold Dot JHP. The gun 
functioned 100% reliably, with less powder fouling 
than any other design I have used before.  Repeated 
chambering of the same cartridge produced no bullet 
set-back.  Ejection was very consistent, with every 
empty case going to the right.  At no time have any 
empties hit me or even cross my field of vision. 

  To check the accuracy gun in my hands, I fired a 
full magazine freehand at a bulls eye target from 
seven yards away. The result was a single hole about 
2/3 inch in diameter. To me, that is sufficient 
accuracy for fighting.  For comparison, the best 
group I ever shot freehand was 1/2 inch, with a 
custom 1911. Next, I set up empty pop cans at ten 
yards.  Firing as quickly as I could pivot to the next 
target and pull the trigger, I knocked down sixteen 
of the cans with as many shots. Predictably, hollow 
point ammunition proved slightly more accurate than 
ball.  At ten yards with 115-grain ammunition, my 
gun shot right on for elevation and about 1/2" to the 
right of the point of aim, a condition correctable with 
a brass or nylon punch. Before doing so, I will try 
thinner CZ grip panels. The finger grooves of the 
Hogues may be adding enough to the length of the 
grip to affect the point of impact. 

  The gun was originally designed as a single action 
and it shows. With the hammer cocked, the trigger 
reach is quite short. After a minimal take-up, the 
trigger pull is light and consistent. After a shot is 
fired and the slide cycles, the trigger re-sets at the 
end of its travel, rather than partway through as on 
my other handguns. That required re-learning in 
order to fire rapidly and accurately. Double action 
trigger is smooth but heavy.  The hammer can be 
placed into the half-cock position by pressing the 
trigger gradually. That makes the rest of the double-
action pull shorter and lighter. 

  Recoil of CZ75B is barely perceptible. The 
conventionally rifled 4.75 inch barrel is long enough 
to keep muzzle flash to a minimum. Muzzle flip is 
also slight, similar to light rimfire pistols. The three 
dot sights work fairly well but they represent a 
compromise between target and combat shooting. A 
more prominent front sight would ease the sight 
picture re-acquisition after every shot. Since the 
front sight is pinned and rear sight sits in a standard 
dovetail groove, installation of tritium or fiber optic 
alternatives should be easy. 

  Minor details about CZ75B make me like it even 
better. It has no built-in locks or other disabling 
devices of dubious utility. An ambidextrous safety 
lever can be fitted for left-handed users (similar 
CZ85 comes with a standard ambi safety) The 
instruction manual is useful and to the point. 
Disassembly requires a minimum of manual 
dexterity.  One detail that the manual does not 
mention: in order to remove the slide, it should first 
be drawn back slightly, then eased forward with the 
trigger depressed. 

  The choice of often-maligned 9mm Luger 
chambering brings several advantages: ammunition 
is universally available and inexpensive, minimal 
recoil and large magazine capacity enable the user to 
deliver rapid successive hits on target. Extensive 
practice is possible as hands don't suffer from harsh 
recoil.  The .22LR conversion kit is available for CZ75 
but its only benefit is reduced ammunition cost. The 
recoil level is already low enough to make it a non-
issue. 

  Minor unfavorable details: the magazine brake 
rattles a bit. Disassembly instructions recommend 
using a magazine floorplate to pry the slide stop 
lever (also disassembly pin) away from the frame. 
Rather than do that and risk damaging the frame 
finish or the magazine, it is easier to push on the 
other side of the protruding pin against any 
convenient surface. The trigger pivots instead of 
sliding: while entirely acceptable in a fighting gun, in 
my opinion it limits CZ75's potential as a precision 
target pistol. 

  What tactical niche does this gun occupy? It can be 
a fine sidearm or a carry weapon.  It is also suitable 
for home defense in preference to a shoulder arms.  
Although much less powerful than a shotgun, a 
handgun is faster to bring on target and easier to 
handle in a confined space. CZ75B does not stand out 
by having an unusual feature or by using rare 
materials.  It does stand out by blending well-
selected conventional features with precise modern 
manufacturing methods to yield a reliable, accurate 
and ergonomic tool. As Colt 1911 before it and Glock 
17 after it, CZ75 has spawned numerous clones and 
that is a good indication of success.