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Tanfo Stock 2 vs. CZ Shadow custom


BeckA11416

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I've been looking for a stock 2 for about 4months now (with no luck so far), I currently have a CZ shadow that I have been shooting for about 4 seasons without a problem. I was looking to either buy a NEW shadow so I would have a backup or get the stock 2. Can anyone help me understand why i would want a stock 2 over having a backup CZ? Is it just the fact they are so limited and nearly impossible to get your hands on in 9mm?

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Both are great guns, but CZ has way better aftermarket support and availability. If it were me, and I already had a Shadow, I would acquire another Shadow as a backup gun. This way you would have parts and gear (holster, mag pouches, etc) that are interchangeable between the two guns. I believe the availability (or lack of) of desirable Tanfoglios in the USA is solely due to EAA.

I love my Tanfoglios though. Those Italians make some damn sexy cars, motorcycles, and firearms! :wub:

Edited by BrazeauRacing
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I have 2 Stock II's in 9mm and I love them. I have shot a few different CZ's and AccuShadows and I think you will nearly always be able to get a better trigger with the CZ but the ergonomics of the Tanfos is what makes it for me. I would much rather the weight, aggressive checkering, and just the way it feels in the hands over an extra .5 to 1# of trigger pull weight. You can make the Tanfos have a great trigger with a little TLC. Mine are deadly accurate and I like the way the Tanfos are made that I now have 6 in total, LOL. Their is more support for after market parts now that there was 12 months ago. You won't be disappointed either route you take though.

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I agree with BrazeauRacing , CZ's are a great gun, have great support, and they are nicer right out of the box.

You already have a Shadow, you like it, and you have all the equipment that goes with it.

Get another for your backup, this way your comfortable if something happens in the middle of a match.

But the Tanfoglio is a great platform also. With a little bit of trigger work it's a wonderful gun to play with.

I like how the gun feels, shoots, and it tracks very well for me.

As was stated above, availability, parts and support are little bit more difficult to achieve.

But if you shoot one and prefer it over your Shadow, than that's the gun for you.

Edited by gunnit
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If you have the Shadow already, then I would probably stick with that.

But the main reason I see between the guns are:

CZ has a smaller frame, so better for smaller hands. Tanfoglio has a bigger frame, better for bigger hands.

CZ DA pull mechanics make the DA lighter with no stacking, Tanfoglio is a little heavier with a little stacking (but also adds a little feedback).

In SA the CZ trigger pull can be lighter, but has a more vague/mushy feel to me. Tanfoglio trigger pull is a little stiffer, but seems like it has a cleaner break and has more feedback.

I personally like the feel the of Tanfoglio over the CZ, but there are many here to like the CZ over the Tanfoglio. They are just a little different, so its more of a personal preference.

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it's a tough call. The real answer is get both. I have 2 shadows and a stock II in 9mm.

Stock II has lovely hard chrome finish, nice adjustable rear sight, great checkering and frame shape, nice balance etc etc. overall it just has nicer parts.

The CZ however has a better trigger and for some that's a deal breaker. some may also prefer the slightly smaller frame (for me with anything other than the thick rubber grips the shadow feels too small).

There's certainly more parts options for a CZ but the tanfog parts catalogue has grown in the last year or two.

some have a preference for one or the other. I think perhaps at the top level the tanfog may be the slightly faster/better gun to shoot (probably in large frame as the big mags are easy to handle and reload into the frame). for a hack like me I shoot both of them about the same but love the trigger on my shadows so find myself reaching for it more often.

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I've had 2 shadows and now have a stock 2 9mm and a stock 3 9mm. The grip being smaller and my inability to reach the safety, which I find is more common on these guns and people replace them with rami safeties so they are out of the way or the other safties, and the long da trigger reach on the cz is why I chose to go to the tanfo side. With a lot of people complaining about the inability to actually use and ride the safety with their thumb, I wonder why they have not come up with a replacement safety that is reachable/usable by most people?

The long da trigger reach is another thing that I wish cz would find a solution to that is still uspsa legal. I have wide hands and shorter fingers and find the trigger, no matter 85c original-curved-new 85c, I can barely reach it to feel comfortable enough to take an accurate shot on a distance target.

The tanfo ergonomics are just a bit better than the cz, I can reach the trigger in da comfortably, I can ride the safety with my thumb, and after trigger work it has a very nice trigger. I think too many people get wrapped up in how light they can get their trigger and that that is the only thing they think will make them a better shooter. The tanfo can be worked over just as well as a cz in my opinion and product support is a lot better now. I can get any part I want for a tanfo at several different sites now, what else would you need that they don't have.

But cz are great guns, I'm not saying their not, I wish I had one just to have but I shoot the tanfos a lot better.

Edited by Prov1x
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If you are happy with your CZ, I have no idea why you would get a backup gun that comes with all of the following great attributes:

-Different frame

-Different trigger

-no parts compatibility

-different magazines

-different holster

-maybe different ammo

For a while last year against my will, my backup gun was .40 cal, and that was enough of a PITA lugging around 500 rounds of different ammo and different magazines to every match... and that was even with a gun that shared virtually everything else with my primary. Personally, I'd want my backup to be as close to identical in every single way possible to my primary.

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That's weird. I've yet to feel a CZ that has a better trigger than my Tanfo.

well you haven't tried mine.... :)

(and I haven't tried your stock II......)

But I can agree that with enough smart work you could make a tanfoglio trigger pretty nice. to me what holds them back is the friction between plunger and trigger bar (different setup on CZ) and (especially in DA feel) the short hammer strut which gives you that DA stacking feeling. The firing pin block may add a little to it too but I don't think it's much if anything.

With some custom work inside I'm sure the SA could be made probably as nice and as short as a CZ, but for me shooting IPSC (as opposed to USPSA rules) extensive 'trigger job' type mods aren't allowed in production. So whilst there's heaps of off the shelf parts for my CZ that are production legal (hammer springs, short reset disco's, comp hammer with super short SA hooks, no firing pin block, ext firing pin, lighter firing pin spring, different triggers) there is not that much for the tanfoglio (admittedly there's a lot more now than say 12 months ago). Technically even changing to a wolf hammer spring is not legal in my IPSC production div stock II since it's not a 'factory option' part. Even though the factory shipping spring in the gun is apparently wolf. CZ on the other hand make (or at least market) a nice range of hammer and recoil springs from the factory.

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What about the reset difference between the 2 guns? Does the Tanfo hava a lot longer trigger reset than the custom shadow?

Depends....if the custom shadow does not have to short reset trigger system in it and the tanfo does not have the xtreme hammer in it, then I found that the tanfo trigger reset is just a bit shorter than the cz. With less take up in the trigger as well.

With the srts in the cz and the xtreme hammer in the tanfo the cz will have just a bit shorter reset than the tanfo. Although to me, the reset with the srts on the cz, it was almost too short and I found myself slapping at the trigger. I admit though that I didn't spend a whole lot of time learning the srts before I decided to sell it and go the full tanfo route.

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My accushadow was great out the box.. My stock 2 had to get worked on..

Comparing a custom accushadow to a factory stock 2 is not an accurate comparison. Comparing a stock shadow to a stock stock 2 is a more accurate comparison.

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