(Review) CZ’s 75 SP-01 9mm pistol

The history of Ceska zbrojovka Uhersky Brod began in 1936 in the town of Strakonice where it was established as a branch of Ceska zbrojobka and production of a combined range of military and civilian arms commenced on January 2, 1937.  In the intervening years, the company endured the Nazi occupation and, after the end of the war, a major reorganization of the company took place with each division of the company a focused on the production of  industrial machine parts as well as firearms. Then, in July of 1988, the company was once again given its independence and reassumed its original name of Ceska zbrrojovak, s.p. and by 1992, the company was once again focused entirely on the manufacture of sporting firearms. Since then, CZ firearms have been available in the U.S. from such importers as Bauska, Action Arms, and Magnum Research. However, in 1997, CZUB came to the conclusion that it needed to manage its own destiny in the huge U.S. market and thus, they initially established their U.S. headquarters in Oakhurst, CA. but, are now located in Kansas City, KS.

The CZ 75 SP-01 pistol is a upgraded version, of the famous CZ 75 steel framed, double-action/single action, pistol that is specifically designed to be a military and law enforcement duty sidearm with an overall length of 8.15 inches, an overall height of  5.79 inches, and an unloaded weight of 41 oz. Also, it has an exposed hammer with a beaver tail extension to protect the shooter’s hand and the slide features fixed font sights with drift adjustable rear sights. In addition, it features a cold hammer forged, 4 5/8”, barrel chambered for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge and it contain 18 rounds in its steel magazine which is protected by a plastic bumper pad. Plus, it features CZ’s corrosion resistant, black, poly coat finish, rubber grip panels, and a 1913 Accessory Rail attached to the dust cover for mounting a tactical flashlight or a laser sight.

First imported into the U.S. in 1993, the CZ series of handguns has gained an almost cult-like following due to high quality construction and a highly ergonomic grip frame that is somewhat reminiscent of the Browning Hi-Power. In fact, most IPSC shooters choose a pistol with either a 1911 or CZ 75 grip frame which, in our opinion, says a lot about the popularity of this pistol. In addition, the CZ 75 SP-01 features a beefy, all steel, frame, slide, and barrel that results in very low recoil which enables the shooter to get back on target quickly for a follow up shot if necessary and greatly extends the service life of the pistol. In fact, many people report that the CZ 75 SP-01 has one of the most comfortable grip frames they have ever held and is one of the lightest recoiling 9mm pistols that they have ever shot. Also, while we would hesitate to call the rubber on the grip panels “tacky”, they certainly provide a more positive grip than hard plastic or even checkered wood grips do. Also, the CZ 75 SP-01 pistol features a beavertail extension and a deeper pocket for the web of the shooter’s hand designed to reduce the distance to the double action trigger to accommodate shooters with shorter fingers. In fact, the only drawback we see with the CZ 75 SP-01 pistol is that the heavy-duty frame and subsequent additional weight precludes the shooter from carrying it concealed and instead, relegates this fine pistol to the function of a duty pistol or competition pistol only. Otherwise, the design, construction, fit, and finish are absolutely top notch and we would be proud to carry such a fine pistol as a duty weapon.

Therefore, we find the CZ 75 SP-01 9mm pistol to be up to the usual, high quality, standards we have come to expect from the CZ brand name. Also, with the improved features found on the CZ 75 SP-01, we expect that this fine pistol will gain favor with both the law enforcement and military communities for which it was intended. However, some very notable IPSC shooters such as Adam Tyc and Angus Hobdell have also found favor with the CZ 75 SP-01 and thus, we expect that its popularity will grow in that community as well.