KWA/KSC GBB "KZ-75" CZ 75 Replica First Impressions

[Rhandhali]

I just got back from overseas and have decided I want to get into doing some competitive shooting. I've got a CZ 85B that I've put some new sights on and I thought I'd give airsoft a try for training and practice.

This guy was just delivered yesterday and I know very little about airsoft itself. It's a KWA KZ-75, not quite a CZ 85 but that's what I get for not shooting a Glock/HK/M9 or other more "tactically acceptable" pieces.

First off, here's my CZ85 on the scale. It comes in at 942 grams empty.

Here's a fully loaded magazine, 16 rounds of 115gr steel cased Tulammo. 275 grams, total weight of pistol+mag+16 rounds is 1217g, or about 2.7 pounds/2lb 11.2oz.

Here is the airsoft gun itself. You can see that it's about 2/3 the weight of the unloaded CZ85 at 673 grams.

The (totally empty) magazine for the gun is pretty close the loaded weight of the real magazine at 272 grams. Small enough that it doesn't matter.

Total loaded weight of the airsoft gun, then, comes in at 945 grams, a little over 75% of the weight of the real thing.

Handling it, it handles just like the CZ85. Excepting the weight it feels like the real thing and without the orange tip looks dead on to it. The manufacturers even have a dummy roll pin for the firing pin stop put in to complete the looks. Stripping the gun is just like stripping a regular CZ.

The trigger is the same DA/SA that is on all CZ75/85bs. It is softer and lighter than the real thing however and posseses a nice, solid reset.

I have a Blade-Tech Drop and Offset holster for the CZ85 that the airsoft replica fits into quite well. The fit isn't perfect as the holster is molded for the ambidextrous controls of the CZ85, requiring me to tighten the screws considerably to achieve the same tension. The ride of the airsoft gun in the holster is identical however. I get the feeling that if I had a CZ75 specific holster the airsoft gun would fit perfectly. The airsoft magazines fit quite well into the blade tech double mag pouch that I use with no adjustment needed.

In all, not having shot it just yet, I feel that this is a good facsimile of the real thing and would be a good training tool for handling and basic marksmanship. There are three things I would change; the aforementioned weight - the gun should be heavier, the trigger needs to be stiffened to be closer to the stock trigger that I have on my gun and the sights int the slide are cast as part of the slide. I shoot the CZ custom tactical sights and while the sights on the airsoft version are pretty close to the real thing it would still be nice to at least have the option of replacing them.

Dumping rain outside so it's going to be a little bit before I can get a range report with the airsoft. Got a propane adapter instead of green gas and I don't want the house to stink.

[MikeSLC]

My KZ75 has been working fine on propane for over a year. I chopped off the orange tip and intent to replace the front sight (somehow).

[Rhandhali]

Apparently a lot of the orange tips come off with the application of a hair dryer or heat gun. I don't really plan on taking it off though. It really likes .25g bbs and I haven't had any problems with propane at all; the smell is just atrocious so I've switched over to green gas for the time being. Even if I shoot outside the smell clings to the gun and the magazines.

I've started trying different hammer and trigger springs on my CZ85 and it's actually quite a bit closer to the KZ-75 trigger pull now that I've put in a 11.5lb hammer spring and a lighter trigger return spring.]

[CZinSC]

You may end up chopping off the back of the hammer after you use it for a while. If you have a high hold where the webbing of your strong hand is up under the beaver tail, the hammer will hit your hand. Doesn't hurt too much, but after using the gun for practice for any length of time, your hand will get sore.

Also, be VERY Careful of the magazines. Handle them CAREFULLY, especially when they are really cold after shooting off a whole mag worth of BB's. If you hit the base pad at the wrong angle, which isn't hard to do, the flanges that hold the base pads on will shear right off. It has happened to me twice. And believe me, I'm not talking about dropping on concrete from a shooting position. I'm talking about a 3" drop onto my work bench. KWA replaced the first one, but it took several weeks. I didn't feel like going through the same process the second time so I just deal with it. You can still use the mags after the flanges break off, but it's kind of crappy.

+1 on the Green gas. Expensive and hard to find, but the propane is just awful.

[Rhandhali]

I know what you're talking about. I've actually taken to wearing gloves since my hands still tend to get a bit sweaty when I'm shooting, but I'll definitely look into bobbing the hammer a bit at some point. Need to break in the new dremel as it is.