CZ 75 Shadow

[SAMMY63]

I just bought a CZ Shadow. I have been using factory shells to break it in now I want to start to reload.

Anyone have a good 124 jhp load + OAL.

Thanks, I know this is the place for the information.

[DWFAN]

4.1gr titegroup, montana gold 124jhp, 1.10 oal. Work the load up in your gun though, and check the oal to make sure it fits.

I used a barrel reamer so I can run a little longer to match the rest of my guns.

[blind bat]

With my Shadow, I run 124gr MG's at 1.085". At 1.095" the "ogive" on the MG JHPs (very abruptly) hits the rifling. Anything longer than that and the slide won't go into battery and I need to strip it and pry the round out of the chamber.

Here's a tip. Field strip the gun and take the barrel out of the slide. Take a fired and cleaned/tumbled case and put the MG bullet in the case so it's ridiculously long. The bullet should slide in and out of the case fairly easy. Then carefully slide the round all the way into the chamber until it bottoms out on the front of the case. Now pull the round out of the chamber and measure it. That should be the absolute max OAL. I'd suggest loading at least .010" less. You should also try a couple of different cases since they aren't sized the results can vary.

Edited July 29, 2011 by blind bat

[SAMMY63]

wow. good tips thanks alot. i will do the bullet thing this weekend.

good luck shooting

[CocoBolo]

wow. good tips thanks alot. i will do the bullet thing this weekend.

good luck shooting

That is basically how I determine max oal, except I use a sized case, bell put a bullet in way long, then just knock the bell off with the crimp die. Notice no primer no powder.

All Shadows are not created equally. With MTG 124rn I load 1.145, with 146gr Zero JHP 1.145, with Bayou 135gr 1.145. I learned my leasson on flat nose bullets, had to load them super short so I don't use them.

Edited July 29, 2011 by CocoBolo

[doubleforte78]

I use 3.9 grains of titegroup with an average power factor of 130. Nice soft load.

[noylj]

I have never had any problem with Hornady's FMJ-FN and and they are marginally more accurate then the FMJ-RNs I have tried. If they were cheaper, like equivalent to MG prices, I would be stockpiling them.

Is the Shadow that much different from the CZ-75? I load long for my 2 CZ75s (of course, they are from Czechoslovakia and not the Czech Republic) and ALL my other 9x19s. Have shot 9x19 for about 35 years, using 115 or 124gn L-SWC cast bullets and only had problems with COL with one Browning HiPower (a hair too long or too short and it would choke--never saw a gun so COL sensitive).

Find the COL that works in your gun and practice.

A very accurate load in many of my guns is a 124gn jacketed bullet and 5.7gn Power Pistol or 5.8gn Silhouette. If your gun will cycle it (or you use a weaker recoil spring), you can look at 4-4.5gn of Silhouette. Shouldn't be as good as it is. I am sure that no one else likes the powder, but 3.7gn of Green Dot with a 124gn FMJs has performed very well, giving me an average of 1.62" at 25 yards. An extremely clean load, but not as accurate (at about 3.75") with a FMJ is 4.2gn of PB.

[facelessman]

124gr JHP MG loaded to 1.10 on 4.1gr of N320 works great in mine. Avg 132pf, and super accurate.

[rfwobbly]

As per the above comments, the CZ chamber is "touchy" about its ammo. Each time you change bullet brands or weight, you'll need to investigate the max OAL or suffer the consequences. As per above, this is not a hard thing to do, but it is highly necessary. The reason is that CZ brought the rifling so close to the chamber. As per the cartoon below, CZs really prefer RN if you can live with them.

My SP-01 likes PD 124 FMJ, Berry 124 RNHB, and Zero 124 HP.