CZ in .45?

[KW12]

Just wondering what people think of CZs in .45 I been shooing my 9mm G17 and .22 Ruger, but tried a 1911 and found it proundly enjoyable. I've been eyeing a CZ or a clone for some time, and would like to know what people think of these guns when chambered to higher caliber. How do they compare to 1911's?

 

[marshallartist]

I've handled the CZ 97 but never fired it. It's big an heavy and you need big mits to hold onto it. Personally I'd go with a 1911 because it fits my hand better but that's just my opinion.

BTW I'm a huge fan of the CZ75

 

[KW12]

I'm thinking of EAA Witness. As I understand, it's a CZ75 clone and it's the same frame for .45 as for 9mm. I looked at the 9mm one at a LGS and loved the ergonomics. It's the same as CZ75, except the grips are kind of a soft plastic. I wish it had a decocker, but that's not a deal breaker.

 

[45fan]

Its still not a 1911. They are pretty comfortable pistols to me, I have looked at them before, but compared to my 1911, its a bit chunky. I cannot imagine that the trigger is going to be as smooth, or easy to slick up either.

 

[marshallartist]

I had a Witness 10mm and it was "beefier" than the CZ75. I'm not sure if that's the same frame as the .45 version but I would not be surprised if it is. I recall that the fit and finish wasn't quite up to CZ levels but that doesn't make it a bad gun. Also the Witness pistols require more of a break-in but to me that's not a problem for me either. It's just an excuse to shoot more!

 

[KW12]

I had a Witness 10mm and it was "beefier" than the CZ75. I'm not sure if that's the same frame as the .45 version but I would not be surprised if it is. I recall that the fit and finish wasn't quite up to CZ levels but that doesn't make it a bad gun. Also the Witness pistols require more of a break-in but to me that's not a problem for me either. It's just an excuse to shoot more!

Cool.

As for it being beefier, the gun store had both and I compared them side by side. The only difference that the Witness had shorter barrel (compact model?) and more comfortable grips. And I loved the "golden" finish on the Witness, just one awesome looking gun. That said, if I was a millionaire, they both would've come home with me.

 

[Colt556]

The Witness is a bit beefier than the CZ75 or the 1911. It is a 10 shot though and built pretty solidly. I've had them in 38 Super and 45 and still have the 10mm version. I like them but they are big and heavy. I also like the CZ 97 and will get one one of these days. I'm also a CZ fan but also have 1911s, which to me is a better option for a carry weapon.

 

[hopcam]

I'd like to come across a CZ97 just to handle it. Never seen one other than pics.

 

[Magneto]

There was a cz-75 clone in 45 made by Sarsilmaz in Turkey that was imported by EAA for a short time. Not easy to find but they are on gunbroker and are so expensive I would rather buy a 1911. If you can find a deal on one might be worth it.

 

[Claddagh]

I've owned my CZ97B for about twelve years now. My hands are largish, but nowhere near the "Bill Jordan" end of the scale and it fits me just fine. When compared side-by-side with a full-sized 1911, the dimensional differences aren't much at all.

Mine is a very early production (SN 15XXA) with proof date of July 1998. My single gripe with it (aside from the lack of an ambi thumb safety, as I'm a southpaw) was that it would only feed RN ball ammo 100%. From what I can gather, this was remedied in later production models. OTB, it was one of the most consistently accurate handguns I've ever owned, every bit as accurate as the "Big Name" custom 1911 that I paid more than 3X as much for and waited 9 months to get.

Neil Keller at Kustom Ballistics up in Decatur installed an EAA ambi thumb safety for me and did a basic "Duty/Reliability" tune on it. CZ-USA did not offer an ambi thumb safety, even as an accessory option, at the time. It now feeds my 200 gr. LSWC practice/plinking handloads and every brand and type of premium HP factory ammo I've tried in it flawlessly.

The factory mags are from Mec-Gar and interchange with those for the steel-frame EAA .45. Spares are readily available and significantly less expensive if you purchase them from about anyone other than CZ-USA. It uses the same sizes of recoil, FP and mainsprings as the 75, albeit with slightly different standard rates. Wolff makes spares and you can get them from Brownell's, Midway USA, etc.

IMHO, the CZ 97B is perhaps the most under appreciated .45 ACP duty/service sidearm out there. I consider mine to have been one of the best buys I've ever gotten in terms of value/performance received, even when the $ I spent for mods are factored-in. All told, I have somewhat less than $700 in it, and about $250 of that was for the extra work.