cz75 shadow ok for carry/defense?

[motosapiens]

Kind of a newb question I guess. I already have a cz75 bd, and I absolutely love the ergonomics of the gun and way it points and shoots. I use it for home defense, and concealed carry about 20% of the time, and I've done a couple idpa shoots, and will probably do more. Might branch out into other disciplines, but I don't really see myself as the sort of person who wants a pure race gun.

I see the 75 shadow has some trigger work and no firing pin block, but it seems that if you manually decock it (carefully) it would still be reasonable to carry it in DA-first mode. My research suggests it has an inertial firing pin so it should still be drop-safe. Is that so?

feel free to expand this discussion beyond the specifics of cz-land, regarding various competition mods and which ones would make a gun significantly less appropriate for carry or defensive use.

Probably I just learn to shoot the guns I have better, but buying new stuff is part of the fun that makes one shoot more and train and focus better. advice?

Edited April 11, 2011 by motosapiens

[belus]

CCW doesn't get much discussion on these forums (its discouraged) so I don't think you'll get very complete answers.

But why do you only carry the BD 20% of the time and what makes you think you would carry a Shadow more?

I say just buy the gun you want. If you think it makes a difference which gun is sitting in your holster, act on it. I'd personally just have the custom shop clean up the trigger on the decocker model and put the money saved into ammo. The extra trigger time will make more of a difference.

The guys in the custom shop won't do the trigger job the same way if they know its going to be used for carrying. I think they put a heavier main spring in it. They may also leave out other parts of the trigger job for defensive guns, I'm not sure.

[JakeMartens]

Manual decock will it to the halfcock position and you are good to go

[blind bat]

The Shadow was designed for competition. Period. It has an extra long firing pin and no firing pin safety. If you drop hard enough on the muzzle it will discharge. The point of removing the firing pin safety is to get a really short reset. Also something your probably don't want in a carry gun. I personally wouldn't want to carry fairly heavy and expensive gun all day. I have carried my 85B but never my 75 Shadow.

Send your BD into CZ Custom (czcustom.com) and have Rob or Angus do a carry trigger job and put on better sights. You will have 75% of what the Shadow will give you for 1/10th the price and an awesome pistol you can safely carry or compete with.

[ck1]

As was mentioned, CCW on benos doesn't come up too often and opinions vary widely I'm sure, that said, I'm not into pure "race guns" very much either and any gun I own gets carried (some more than others). I may carry my 75 Shadow at some point as I like to carry, practice, and shoot matches with the same gun if I can and I don't see any issue in the 75 Shadow's case as far as using it as a carry piece as long as one really understands how they work, they were duty weapons first after all. Though, cocked n' locked is probably the safest condition to carry a Shadow variant in IMHO as it's just about the same as a 1911 in condition one minus a grip safety, gives you the thumb safety and the half-cock/hammer-catch notch which is all they've got, hammer-down DA first pull would mean trusting a firing pin spring more than I'd be willing to, also, I'd want to be 100% sure I could set off my carry/SD ammo or go up to a stronger hammer-spring if I were to carry one.

YMMV x 100 here.

[motosapiens]

CCW doesn't get much discussion on these forums (its discouraged) so I don't think you'll get very complete answers.

But why do you only carry the BD 20% of the time and what makes you think you would carry a Shadow more

Oops, my bad on that I guess. For sure, the question is more focused on competition than carry, and just wanting to educate myself on how competition mods would make something unsuitable for carry, or what I would particularly need to be aware of.

I only carry the cz 20% of the time or so because it's a big heavy gun, so I usually carry an m&p40compact, or a pf9. I guess the point is my competitive gun would never be a full-time carry gun, but I wanted to be aware if there were particular mods that should make me not carry it at all ever.

If you drop hard enough on the muzzle it will discharge.

that doesn't sound good or safe. Heck, I'm not sure it's safe for games, since I'm kind of uncoordinated.

thanks for the good feedback so far. the whole point of this thread is to educate myself about the practical effects of competition type modifications.

[enutees]

I couldn't imagine carrying the Shadow on anything but a duty rig. It is heavy as hell and after a match I'm always more than glad to take it off. And that is with a CR Speed belt and a dropped offset holster. The rear competition sight is also so sharp I couldn't imagine putting it under my shirt.

[OpenDot]

my carry gun is a glock 19, cheap and reliable... if it gets stolen or i wind up defending myself with it..it's cheap to replace either way

[Jeff Matzka]

I see the 75 shadow has some trigger work and no firing pin block, but it seems that if you manually decock it (carefully) it would still be reasonable to carry it in DA-first mode. My research suggests it has an inertial firing pin so it should still be drop-safe. Is that so?

I believe it would be perfectly reasonable to carry a Shadow in DA-first. That is, if you're willing and able to comfortably carry a handgun of the Shadow's size and weight. The Shadow does NOT come with the "extended firing pin" as a stock part, and has as you say - an inertial firing pin. It is not likely to fire on a muzzle drop, but that said - not impossible. I wouldn't want to test the theory.

I would treat it as I would a standard 1911 (the ones with no firing pin block) - take care not to drop it.

[gunshrink]

Would follow the advice on use of the "cheap(er)" carry gun and the more $$ for competition. I have 2 shadows that I use for production. Awesone guns that I am very happy with - great trigger, great balance and accurate as hell.... that being said, my carry gun is an XD Service model in 40 SW. I have grip tape on it, hyviz fron fiber (I am older with old eyes, need this) and that is it. The gun cost me $400 and is accurate and reliable. In my state (MN) some attorneys would take the custom trigger, custom gun and all that goes with it and say you were out "hunting" or some lame excuse like that. Also, if you are involved in a defensive shooting they take your gun and maybe you get it back maybe you don't but if you do not in as good a condition as you gave it up. The Shadow with enhancements cost three times my XD and I sure would not want to lose it. I have about 1000 rounds through the XD and have used it a few times in L10 just to up the comfort level. If it gets taken, not as big a loss. The same would go for a Glock, M&P etc. I also teach CCW and tell my students the same thing, confirmed by my lawyer and several LE. On ex police chief in particular says that trigger work is one of the first things some lawyers go after. Never been in court on a shooting but it does make sense. As for the CZ's buy ten of them - one of the best guns I have ever owned.