Shadow 2 Questions

[JNW]

I have been reading great things about the S2 and am considering buying one.  I have several questions.  Is there any difference between the models except color?  I finally got to handle one today.  Loved the way it fit my hand and the weight.  However, when I pulled the trigger I was disappointed.  The DA was okay, but I found the SA had a lot of pretravel, a bunch of mushy creep when it hit the wall instead of even a moderately crisp break, and then a longer reset than I was anticipating.  I could shoot the reset okay as is.  The mushy break was the the most disconcerting.  I shoot a Dan Wesson 1911 a lot and am used to a super crisp 4 lb pull.  Will the factory trigger pull get better with use?  I can imagine it getting a touch lighter and smoother, but doubt it will get more crisp.  How do I get a better trigger?  I’ve looked at CGW and CZC and it looks like buying a gun from them will get a better trigger, but will a $1600 S2 have a fabulous SA trigger pull?  Sending a gun in for trigger work with shipping will cost about the same as buying a new gun from the custom shops.  Can this gun have a 1911 SA pull or is it impossible?  

Would I be better off getting a TS Orange?  Any and all opinions and answers welcome.

Jeff

Edited October 31, 2017 by JNW

[SlvrDragon50]

Get a new hammer and your SA will be completely different. 

 

Production = S2, Limited = TSO

 

4 lb SA pull is pretty heavy. You'll end up with 2.5-3 lb or so.

 

Models basically the same.

[HI5-O]

The Shadow 2 I recently acquired was one that was worked on by CZ Custom. The DA and SA pulls are way better than a stock S2 as I was able to compare the gun I got against a new stock S2. 

 

I have a few more mods to make like switching out the trigger to one with more curve to shorten the reach as well as a fully adjustable rear sight and then the barrel bushing. Will also try a lighter hammer spring. 

 

You will like the trigger after some mods. See the thread about CZ 101 (sorry, forgot the exact title). 

[Chrishoward1364]

The TS orange in 9mm actually has more recoil per CZ's own testing. 

 

I now have a stock shadow 2 that I am doing a review on here shortly, but I will say with a little dry firing the trigger smoothed a bit. The single action trigger pull on the custom shop CZs I've felt are the rival of a good 1911 trigger, but at least to me they feel markedly different given that the trigger hinges back, instead of pulling straight back like a 1911. 

 

You may want to reference my earlier thread from when I was considering the purchase. There is some commentary from owners who have had work done, and reference parts compatibility/issues from the major custom shops. 

 

[blackhand]

I recently got a Shadow 2 with a full trigger job done by CGW. I had the pistol shipped straight to them, so I didn't get to handle it before the work. DA pull was reduced to just under 6 pounds and SA pull to under 3 pounds. The DA pull is long and smooth, but just as light as the Glocks I've been shooting almost exclusively until now. The SA pull has a small amount of take-up before hitting a definite wall. Trigger breaks very clean and crisp with pronounced reset. CGW stated the reset distance was 1 mm. The SA pull has the feel of a nice, 2-stage rifle trigger.

 

CGW told me I could expect the DA and SA pulls to reduce by another .5 lbs after breaking in without any change to the crispness of the trigger. The SA pull is much lighter than I'm used to, so having that little bit of take-up and resistance is reassuring. Overall, I'm thrilled with the gun and trigger work. I just need to make time to shoot it more.

[rowdyb]

 A hinged trigger will never ever feel like the straight trigger you are used to on a 1911. You'll have to adjust your expectations of that. While you can get a Shadow 2's numbers down to what you'd like to see on a trigger pull gauge it will feel different. If you can adapt to that feeling change then it will be a great gun for you. But if you expect it to be one way that it can't be, then you'll be disappointed.

 

CZ Custom in Arizona or CJ Maven in Arkansas is who I'd send a gun to for work. I've had guns from both and I've also built my own with parts from CZ Custom and Cajun Gun Works.

 

You will have pre travel in DA and SA. You will have some small over travel if you want a reliable gun. As far as the feel of the break, that can be made to feel better than stock. In my opinion you're getting lower poundage numbers, less travel and a nicer break when you get a trigger job done on a CZ. You can get that in a way that will feel amazing compared to a striker fired gun or any other gun with a hinged/pivoting trigger like Sig or Beretta or what have you.

 

But the mechanics are too different to compare a 1911 trigger to a CZ trigger.