Would you recommend a CZ97B?

[Trey45]

I'm going to be buying another 45acp semi in about a month, I have a CZ 75 P01 now and love everything about it. I've heard that the 97 has HP feeding reliability issues, but this is info from about 8 years ago. I'd like to hear from anyone/everyone here who has a CZ 97, pro's, con's, issues, ammo reliability, accuracy, the whole 9 yards. I know I'm asking a lot, I thank you all in advance for any light you can shed on my decision.

If not a CZ 97, what 45 acp would you recomend that's not a Glock or a 1911. I already have a 1911, and just don't like glocks, at all.

[mike in co]

i have a cz97b. its as old as the data you speak of...the serial number is under 500.

if you like cz's and you like 45acp. me thinks you will like the gun. it is obviously longer in the grip than a 75/85....but was not an issue for me...if you can shoot/handle a 1911, this gun should fit also.

i shoot 230 lrn and golden sabers...no issues both at around 800 fps.

and if you like the cz style...consider an eaa witness in 45acp....sorta like a cz75 on steroids.

mike in co

[ItZaLLgooD]

I don't have any comment on the CZ but I had and loved an XD45. It's supposed to have a grip similar to a CZ.

[9.3X62AL]

I've had the privilege of shooting Mike's CZ-97B, and it is one nice ride.

[monadnock#5]

I have a 75B 9mm that I like as much as you do your P01. No CZ .45's though.

As to what else is out there that you might like....When my son turned 18 my wife and I gave him a Sig P220 Police trade in. It had been gone through by the Sig armorers and came with a "new" factory warranty. I'm not especially fond of the design lines in the P series Sig's. Function, reliability and accuracy however leave personal aesthetics in the dust. From that perspective, the Sig's are works of art. Check them out before you make your final decision.

[mike in co]

just for the record, what the owners manual says, is that the gun is not designed to feed SEMI WADCUTTERS.
so if that was a plan pass on the gun.

me i dont "target" shoot with my 45's so was not an issue for me.


mike in co

[exile]

I don't own anything in .45 auto, never have (hey I'm working on it, thinking Dan Wesson 1911) but I did get to handle, although not shoot, a Kahr PM45 the other day, somewhat pricey, but one of the coolest guns I have ever picked up. Don't know if concealed carry is what you are thinking, but this thing felt great and seemed to exude quality. For what it's worth, I used to have a Sig 226 and never could get used to the feel of it, although I imagine the 220 would be a different animal.

exile

[9.3X62AL]

Exile's text prompts a couple comments. If indeed CCW is on the agenda at some point, the CZ-97B is a little large for that kind of action. As a "duty" sidearm or open carry pistol, it would excel--and it seems to have been built for California, given its 10-round magazine capacity.

The SIG-Sauer P-220 is a very fine multi-venue pistol. "Commander-sized", it conceals fairly easily. Its alloy frame shaves weight a little, and most people adapt well to the pistol's ergonomics. Subjectively, it feels a little thinner than the P-226 in the hands. My agency had and still has several hundred of the P-220 in service, and they are utterly reliable. The factory claims a service life expectancy of 5,000 rounds, but in real world usage I've found that to be EXTREMELY conservative. An armorer can keep them perking right along well past 25K rounds at nominal expense.

[Trey45]

I had considered a Sig as well as the CZ, and possibly another HK USP but in 45acp this time. CCW isn't a concern with these pistols I'm looking at, I already have that covered. The CZ 97B doesn't exactly lend itself well to CCW anyhow, that thing is a monster. I reckon the next time I go to the funstore I'm going to ask to see a few Sigs to try on. As opposed as I am to striker fired pistols, I have to admit the Springfield XD's really fit my hand well. I may have to add that to my list of prospects as well. As an aside, I in no way feel striker fired pistols are unsafe or dangerous or unreliable, I have just always been around hammer guns and find it a little disconcerting to shake hands with a pistol and not see a hammer on the aft end of it. This holds true with hammerless revolvers, those things just freak me out [smilie=l: Yup, I know it's weird, can't help it.

[ReloaderFred]

While I don't own a CZ97, I do own several Witnesses, which are similar in exterior configuration, some of them in .45acp. They're a large gun to conceal, if that's a goal down the road.

Another consideration would be the Springfield XD in .45acp. It's a smaller gun, with 14 round capacity, and mine is dead nuts accurate, right up there with my highly modified Colt 1911 (at about three times the price of the XD). I carry mine most of the year and have complete confidence in it. It's one of the most ergonomic pistols I've ever shot.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[ReloaderFred]

Trey45,

We were typing at the same time. If it's any consolation, the XD has a cocking indicator on the back of the slide, as well as a loaded chamber indicator, and grip safety.

The next time you have one in your hands, and it's unloaded of course, close your eyes and take a shooting stance. When you open your eyes, see how close the sights are to being aligned. Mine comes right up and when I open my eyes, everything is pretty much in place to fire.

I have XD's in 9x19, 357 Sig, .40 S&W and .45acp. Great guns, but they won't shoot SWC bullets, since they're designed as Service Pistols.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[mike in co]

the 97b has a loaded chamber indicator inline wiht the sights...you do not have to take yours eyes off the target to see the indicator.

10 round stagered stack,,,,so narrower that doubel stack guns.

it has mass...mass is what makes a 45acp fun/easy to shoot....take away the mass and you have to hold on for control.

cocked and locked, an external hammer....you can re-cock, can't do that with them plastic pistols.




mike in co

[DanM]

Heavier and larger than a 1911, but they shoot good after you get used to the trigger.

[ebner glocken]

I've had one for the better part of a year now bought it new, love it. It will outshoot my gold cup had has fed everything that has been shoved down the mag, yes that includes 5.5 grains of 231 with a HG 200 SWC lee copy.

Yes, it is a tad on the largish side. Mine is not carried, shoot at the range so it's a nonissue. If you have small hands you may not like it.

Ebner

[sqlbullet]

Like reloaderFred, I would suggest you look at the witness. I don't have a 45ACP, but do have two 10mm. One is the standard full size and is my CCW. The other is an Elite Match and is a real tack driver.

Both eat anything. Generally I feed them 175 SWC (Lee TL) or 205 gr LRN (Mountain Mold).

[mike in co]

Like reloaderFred, I would suggest you look at the witness. I don't have a 45ACP, but do have two 10mm. One is the standard full size and is my CCW. The other is an Elite Match and is a real tack driver.

Both eat anything. Generally I feed them 175 SWC (Lee TL) or 205 gr LRN (Mountain Mold).

would you pm me some of your load data ?(bullet/oal/powder)
my new 10 witness is a jam master...no full mag without a jam or two.
i have shot barnes 200 fp, rem 180 golden sabre, win 175 sthp, and another 180...no workie!
the miss feeds are the flat or hp catching on the bottom of the feed ramp.
eaa says its ok to return...on my dime, so trying to resolve with out 50 bucks in shipping charges.
the gun cycles on 40 s&w fine! gonna shoot them in a match today, but i really want 10mm loads in this gun..i have a 40,,,want serious knock down powder....
thanks
mike

[goste]

Well, I owned one, for about six months, a couple of years ago..

My Dept. Mandated DA/SA, no SA only, so I was looking for a pistol in .45, that I could carry Condition one, while on patrol, or hammer down, when I was around the station... I already owned a CZ75B, and checked into the 97B....As others have stated, it's a....BIG....pistol. Mine was 100% reliable, and of very nice workmanship. It was way more accurate than I could shoot.

The erognomics(SP), at least for me, make this pistol feel bigger than it really is. I'm 6'3", and can palm a basketball, but this pistol just felt to big for me, and I sold it, to another officer, who loved it, but could not find a duty holster it would fit into...

I bought a Witness, that's sorta close to the same size, even takes the same Mags., but the diff. in feel is like night and day.

As others have posted, you can't go wrong with the XD. You might also look at the Ruger P90 (I think) in .45

[mike in co]

You might also look at the Ruger P90 (I think) in .45

ohhhhhhh dear gawwwwwwwwwwdddddddd ....
dont mention a rugerp90 in the same family, day, conversation as any cz.........like grape jucice and a fine champagne, a yugo and a ,,,,well just about any real car.

dang...have some sensibilities.......


mike in co

[mike in co]

I don't have any comment on the CZ but I had and loved an XD45. It's supposed to have a grip similar to a CZ.

lol and its plastic( ohh i'm sorry high tech polymer), has no hammer and no mass................

[ReloaderFred]

I'm guessing you've never shot one............

[sqlbullet]

I am with Mike on the Ruger P90. I had one and hated it. Only owned it about a month before it was sold to fund my Delta Elite.

But, I do like the XD's I have shot. I gotta think an XDm in 45 ACP is in my future. And if I can find funds and a smith, it might become a 10mm.

Mike, I will PM you later when I am near my load data. In addition, my full-size jammed regularly during the first 200-300 rounds. During that time I polished the heck outta the feed ramp, replaced the factory recoil spring with a 22lb wolf spring, added +15 Wolf mag springs, and started storing all the mags loaded full with 15 rounds. Since then I have had no issues. and am over 2000 rounds now.

[Odawgp]

and if you like the cz style...consider an eaa witness in 45acp....sorta like a cz75 on steroids.

mike in co

EAA witness are made in Italy by Tanfoglio, EAA has some CS issues here in the states but the guns from what I hear are top notch, Henning Wallgren who lives in Longmont and shoots them professionally sales parts for them
http://henningshootsguns.com/

I am looking at purchasing a witness match in 40S&W

[Trey45]

EAA's have polygonal rifling, which doesn't bode well for lead boolits.

[ReloaderFred]

I have roughly a dozen EAA Witnesses and none of them have polygonal rifling. I've got them in .22 Long Rifle, 9x19, 9x21, 9x23, 9x25 Dillon, 357 Sig, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, .41 AE and .45 acp. In some cases I've got multiple top ends and barrels, and not one of them is polygonal rifled.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Trey45]

Thanks Fred! My info was obviously wrong. This sheds a new light on these EAA witness pistols then. I appreciate the correction. Fred while we're at it here, can you tell me about EAA's customer service?

[9.3X62AL]

Fred--

You're not too fond of those Witnesses, are ya! :)

[ReloaderFred]

9.3X62AL,

They're very versatile platforms and caliber changes are a snap. In some cases, you only need another barrel, and in others, just switch the top end and magazine. They're very ergonomical, too boot, and easy to work on.

Trey45,

I could write reams on Paul Rickert, the gunsmith (and I'm told part owner) at EAA. They're simply the importer for the Tanfoglio guns, and I've only needed to order parts from them once, but I've had two "conversations" with Paul at two different SHOT Shows. Now I won't speak to him, period. Attila the Hun could give him lessons in civility. He's so bad, other EAA employees have walked over and apologized for his behavior.

With that said, there are other people working there that aren't "Paul", and are pleasant to deal with, but like I said, I haven't needed their customer service. The guns are easy to work on, reasonably priced and durable. And there are other outlets for parts, if you need them. Reed's Guns is one and Henning is another.

When you pick up a steel frame Witness, it just fits your hand, similar to an XD from Springfield. Needless to say, I like them.

There are people who cuss them because they might get one that doesn't like a certain bullet shape or load, but would think nothing of spending over twice as much for a 1911 and then spending several more hundreds of dollars to get it to run right, and yes, I have one of those 1911's that needed all the extras to get it running correctly, plus another that didn't need anything extra.

I have no experience with any of the polymer framed Witnesses, so I can't comment on them. All of my polymer framed pistols are Springfield XD's in 9x19, 357 Sig, .40 S&W and .45 acp.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Trey45]

Fred you're a wealth of knowledge, thanks very much for the help!

[Slogg76]

+1 for the XD-45. I have the 5" Tactical. It loves cheap Lee 230 grain TC TL sized .452. Previously I would not own a "plastic" pistol. But now, I have not missed my 1911's at all since I bought my XD-45. It probably fits my hand better than handgun I have handled and shoots on par with my 1911's that cost twice as much.