I'm not really sure where to start, other than my initial impression is that I'm not sure I want to shoot anything other than a CZ ever again. Sure, I know that's crazy talk, but I'm utterly blown away by just about everything with the CZ SP-01 Shadow. First of all, huge props to Matt Mink and his crew at Automatic Accuracy for custom building me not just a gun, but a work of art. At one point I had an order in with CZ Custom, but in order for them to install the STRS, they wanted to ship me the gun, have me ship it back, and then install. I understand that it has to do with an agreement they have with CZ-USA, but as a customer, if I'm willing to pay the money, I want what I want, and I don't want to have to pay three times for shipping.
The AA Sales Manager, Mark McArthur is one patient guy, and we spent a lot of time on the phone, me asking questions, him patiently answering them. If anyone was considering a CZ, I'd steer them hard to Automatic Accuracy, simply because they built a gun for me, just the way I wanted. I picked out which specific trigger style I wanted, the size of the safety, and grips. It should surprise nobody that this gun fits my hand perfectly. At the same time I was ordering, both Terry and Les had orders in (Les for 3 guns), and I know we tried the AA patience, but those guys were amazing. The adventures in getting it done are blog worthy, but they are one of those things that I'm going to keep private between the three of us (and Kozy) and we'll share a laugh or two.
Coming from a 4" light, striker fired, polymer gun, there are no words for me to describe my time with the CZ. My first hundred or so rounds shocked me. The PPQ has some muzzle flip, and I need to grip to really take charge of the recoil. The CZ's extra weight manages that to an extreme, and the gun has no muzzle flip, and seemingly no recoil, the slide simply cycles back and forth, enabling me to keep my eyes on the sight, and get off rapid shots, with accuracy. In slow fire, the PPQ can put some great groups together, but the further away from the target, the slower I have to go, to keep a sight picture, and get hits. I did runs of 10 round head shots from 15 and 20 yards with the CZ, and I had 1" to 2" groups, as fast as I could pull the trigger.
Single targets are one thing, but in this sport, it's transitions. I ran a couple of El Pres with Kozy, and my times were slower than with the PPQ, and I'm going to attribute that to a couple of things, mostly a slow draw to first shot, and reload. In a reload drill I'm faster, but doing El Pres, I tried to do what comes naturally, which is find the release on the paddle, CZ is button. My groups were tighter, than with the PPQ, and I did have one miss, and we'll get to that next. The CZ being heavier forced me to drive the gun to targets, which is a benefit.
This is what the SRTS is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYQlTrhAc0
Striker fire guns like the PPQ are great, because each and every trigger pull is the same. The CZ is a Double/Single Action, so it has a long, and harder first pull. The CZ has about a 6.5 lb first pull right now, but it's the length that is a challenge. It's definitely harder for me to keep the sights from moving on this pull, so first shots are going to be an issue, that's where I had my miss on El Pres. By contrast the PPQ has about a 5.5 lb pull each and every time I pull it. The guys at AA tell me that once I get the gun broken in, that first pull should get down in the range of just under 6 lbs. The single action pull is about 2.5 lbs right now, and once it's broken in, should get just a touch under 2lbs.
There's no doubt in my mind the potential in with this gun, and it does not come with a "B" card in the case. I'm going to have some serious adjustments to make to learn the pull, build the muscle memory on the reload, and on the draw, but the actual act of shooting is infinitely easier. Les made the comment that good gear supports good habits, and will help, never has that been made so clear to me. My SP-01 Shadow is set-up for competitive shooting, there is no doubt about that. It's not set-up to be carried, or as a home defense gun, it's purely for sport, and in that role, it will excel.
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| I'd like to shoot like Matt Mink |
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| I really want this guy |
No gun is going to make me a B, or better shooter, only hard work, and practice is going to do that. This gun however I think makes it easier on me. I spent a bundle on it, and right now I think it's worth every penny. Once I have my skills together, I'll be a more competitive shooter.
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| Sound Advice |
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