The CZ-75 here is apparently the bedside carry for gun owner Richard. You might notice the condition of readiness of this gun. Is there one chambered? We don’t know for sure, although my guess would be no.
How do you think a bedside self-defense gun should be stored, hammer down or cocked and locked? Do you keep a round chambered or do you store your handgun at home with an empty chamber?
DA/SA… chances are there is a round in battery.
You’re probably right, although I can’t help questioning the DA function of the CZ-75 when it doesn’t have a decocking lever. As far as I know you must to lower the hammer manually as you depress the trigger in order to decock, which is 1) pretty old school, and 2) a bit risky. Anyway, I don’t love it, and rarely use DA on that gun.
I DO love my CZ, however, so when I carry it (usually hiking), I keep it in condition one. No awkward gun manipulations, plus a SA first shot. Curious if anyone knows why the CZ is set up as it is – there is probably a reason. I do know there IS a version with a decock lever, so someone at some time decided it would be good to have one I guess.
Almost all of the newer cz75 pistols at my LGS come with the swappable safety and decocker kits. My PO1 for instance came already set up with the manual decocker for that long heavy pull for first hammer strike on battery. However, the above pistol looks like its equipped with the manual safety which features straight horizontal ridges… as opposed to the decocker’s curved thumb ridges (I double checked my parts bins). Now I’m less certain one is in the chamber.
I know there is a risk in lowering the hammer with a round in the chamber but when I had my Jericho 941 (derived from the CZ-75) I always kept one in the pipe with hammer down, trusting the DA trigger pull and my finger off as a safety. For EDC I just dont feel comfortable with the hammer ready and only the thumb safety on. I practiced a lot lowering the hammer unloaded before keeping one in the chamber. I never really carried that particular gun due to the fact it felt like a boat anchor – 4.25″ bbl and made of steel, not a light alloy or plastic.
While primarily a range gun, my 96A-1 does often serve as my bedside gun and sometimes duty while out and about, I keep a round in the chamber and safety off but it has a decocker so it’s a no-brainer to keep it ready for a DA use.
@Khalil
Interesting. I found the slide mounted safety quite robust on the Jericho, it locks the firing pin in place with the lever and a beefy v notch. I also found it easy to take off while drawing. How come you opted for hammer down? Did you carry it all the way down or on the safety notch?
while I had it (eventually traded it out) I carried with hammer fully down. It was a solid gun and no doubt the safety would’ve held up well, but I couldn’t carry it like a 1911 w/o the additional safeties the 1911 afforded. The SA trigger was nice and I just didn’t feel that I needed to or could carry it safely with the hammer ready to drop. I am comfortable with both frame and slide mounted safeties, have no preference there, so that wasn’t a factor.
Eventually I got rid of it as it had a tendency to stove pipe, which I think was more of my issue and I probably wasn’t gripping as well as I should’ve. Overall it was a fun gun but I lost trust in it and it was too heavy for effective EDC. I do want to get a CZ but I am unsure if I’ll go for the decocker version or the regular 75B, it will be a range gun more than a carry one as I am happy with my current carry rotation.
I carry a CZ 75 Compact without a decocker. I carry round in the chamber and hammer down. I realize the risks of manually lowering the hammer, but I only have to do so after range time or loading after cleaning. At the range, I point my gun downrange when I do. At home, I have a clearing barrel I use.
Sounds pretty sensible to me. I have a Winchester 94 that is made safe by manually decocking the hammer as well (not my EDC, ha). Still, maybe I should get a discharge barrel for home too…
As Cooper would’ve pointed out, a normal CZ-75 is best carried in Condition 1 if personal safety is the goal. It’s just as “safe” as a 1911 in like carry. (He would’ve also made it clear that there really is no “safety”- that’s up to the individual handling the firearm.
It’s a CZ, so it’s almost certainly DA/SA…Which means it’s entirely possible there’s one in the chamber and it’s fully ready to fire just by pulling the trigger
The first question is imprecise and only deals with two types of handguns. A double/single would ordinarily have the hammer forward whether or not one’s in the chamber and a 1911/SA would have the hammer back, safety on with one in the chamber. No point in having it cocked and locked without one in the chamber. How about a striker-fired handgun? The real question is the second one. The answer is “chambered”.
👏👏👏👏👏
Agree on #2, always chambered.
I don’t like these types of guns for self defense as they are too complicated for the average self defense guy, and that includes me.
I prefer something simpler like my Ruger LC9s Pro. Bedside mine is in the top drawer in a pocket holster/sleeve that is screwed to the side of the drawer nearest the bed. The draw stroke from the open drawer is nearly the same as from the front right pocket of my pants of the day during the daytime. Simple, repeatable, ez pezy for an old timer like me. Its also out of sight with drawer in always closed state. Also an extra mag in drawer. While at home, if my gun is not on me, it is always in that drawer in the sleeve with an extra mag. ALWAYS. Simple repeatable processes lead to predictable and accurate actions, especially important when under stress.
how difficult is it to pick up a gun and pull the trigger? couldn’t be simpler, with the option to sa at any point… not a complicated manual of arms.
The “complications” with starting your shot “string” with a CZ-75 or similar piston in the trigger-cocking mode is that a susequent follow-up shot will have an entirely different “tigger pull” and action now that the hammer is already cocked. With most striker fired pistols, 1911-types and double action revolvers that are fired from a hammer down position, each susequent shot will have the same trigger action and weight.
For a short time I carried a compact EEA Witness in .40. Always in Condition 1. It never went “BANG” when I didn’t want it to. Condition 1, Rule 3. You should be able to handle it.
some say in terms of shot placement the different pulls could have an effect. but getting a round off is still uncomplicated, whether hammer down, on half cock or fully back.
got a couple, carry cocked locked. bedside, half cock no safety.
decockers are weird.
That’s a regular CZ75B, not a BD. You should never ever EVER thumb-decock a gun if you don’t absolutely have to. “Chances are” he does the right thing and keeps his bedside gun in Condition 3. Having that extra little safety step is a good thing when you have an any gun that’s sitting off-body for long periods of time. It doesn’t matter how much the trigger weighs, if it’s just sitting there waiting for someone or something to pull it at the wrong time, and I don’t trust safety switches to not get knocked off in a drawer or glove compartment. That said, you should never ever EVER have your on-body sidearm be Condition 3, unless maybe you’re climbing up a tree stand or doing something else where it might flop out and shoot you in addition to you breaking your butt. Use whatever safety levers you have while carrying, but don’t rely on them if the gun isn’t under your immediate control at all times.
Stuff like this makes my point exactly.
Now I have to reexamine my Witness Elite Match 10mm CZ-based howtizer.
I carry a CZ 75 Compact without a decocker. I carry round in the chamber and hammer down. I realize the risks of manually lowering the hammer, but I only have to do so after range time or after cleaning. At the range, I point my gun downrange when I do. At home, I have a clearing barrel I use.
A good tip on a safe way to decock a hammer fired modern gun with a transfer bar safety or equivalent:
Put the thumb of your off hand between the hammer and firing pin, then pull trigger and slowly lower the hammer onto your thumb. Then release the trigger before lowering the hammer the rest of the way.
Good grief!
Who writes stuff like “How do you think a bedside self-defense gun should be stored, hammer down or cocked and locked? Do you keep a round chambered or do you store your handgun at home with an empty chamber?”
Are we talking about ALL pistols or just 1911s and variants in Condition 1, 2, or 3?
If we are talking about all pistols and their variants, the “condition” a person keep a SPECIFIC PISTOL in has vastly different operational and safety implications- and may not be comparable or even understandable to the owner of A DIFFERENT SPECIFIC PISTOL.
Take the 1/2 cock notch in a SIG P938 as just one of many examples. It was significantly updated in 2014 (to be deeper and more robust) such that the pistol operates differently now: I believe the firing pin block is engaged at half cock with the new design BUT WASN’T engaged at 1/2 cock in the old design.
I know I will be burned at the stake for this, but I like the half cock position and would much rather cock it than swipe a safety.
i’d rather not cock a hammer under stress, everything here has a thumber. and as strych has pointed out, cocked and unlocked in a good holster is also viable.
Ok, I live alone and no small children visit my home. That said, night stand gun; Glock 22 with Hienie Straight 8 night sights.TLR white light. Loaded mag. Empty chamber. Spare mag. Rolled put of bed when a running gun fight broke out on my street after Hurricane Michael. Kitchen? Beretta 92. Bathroom? S&W 3″ round butt 65. Ready to go. Living room? Sig P220 and S&W 442. Ready to go. I know that doesn’t make since, but I like things that way.
I regularly de-cock guns by depressing the trigger and lowering the hammer.
Single action revolvers, a 1911, or even my beretta 92.
So a CZ with a safety doesn’t bother me.
Just point the gun in a safe direction when lowering the hammer.
There’s a good way to more safely decock most modern hammer fired guns:
Put the thumb of your off hand between the hammer and firing pin, then pull trigger and slowly lower the hammer onto your thumb. Then release the trigger before lowering the hammer the rest of the way. Most modern guns will not allow the hammer to contact the firing pin with the trigger released.
Jr you are absolutely correct and I do this every time to decock my SAO (on my own DA/SAs the safety is also the decocker but even if I had that CZ then this method applies). These guys in the comment section who are saying “w-well it could go off if you try to thumb the hammer down!” don’t know what they are talking about.
Members of the “Glock Master Race”? Still assume that most of these folks haven’t handled a cz or rather a da/sa in general. Again decock the hammer and ride with one in the chamber, it is really not that hard of a concept to figure out if you understand how this firearm operates.
I have done and seen this done.
The problem I have with overly cautious methods like this is that it encourages one to bring the weapon in close and turn it to the side. Not a good thing.
I point it in a safe direction, pull the trigger and release the trigger as the hammer travels forward.
Been doing it 40 years since I got my Ruger Bearcat when I was 10. Never had a discharge.
I did have a slam fire on a Walther PPK once when dropping the hammer. Primer was not dented (the Walther Safety rotates and locks the firing pin) but the force of the hammer hitting the frame ignited the primer. Puckered me up pretty good but the round went into the ground about 4 foot in front of me.
Nothing mechancal is 100%
only speculation is possible. can’t see enough roll mark. def manual safety, but they make sa only, plus pre “b” models did not have the hammer block. not drop safe with round chambered. these also have a half cock position which is how i would ride bedside, safety off.
comments above seem to suggest that da/ sa makes it riskier to lower a hammer manually while chambered, but at that point condition one is the same as any sa hammer.
no issue lowering a hammer on a live round here.
I’m living in a Frckn hotel . The guns loaded, on a bedstand, hammer back on safe, pointed at the door. Off n on I put my hand on the gun just to get used to where it’s at.
are there any kids skipping rope out there?
There were until I winged a couple. I don’t mind kids, I just don’t trust them with a rope
You better cross your fingers it ain’t hotel Kalifornia bucko.
Since it is stored in the open I assume there are no children in the house. If so it should have one in the chamber.
For me personally my bedside gun is the only one that I keep loaded but without a round in the chamber.
The reason is because when I first got married I had exactly two sleepwalking episodes. As far as I know they’re the only ones I’ve had and I know I’ve had none since. However, descriptions of my actions and abilities during those two episodes made it clear that I was capable of very basic object manipulation but nothing past that and that for some reason nothing that required any actual strength.
Therefore I reasoned that should something like this occur again, which is unlikely but possible, I might be capable of pulling the trigger on a gun I picked up and very possibly manipulating a safety but would be very, very unlikely to be able to operate the slide. So, in the case of such an event I couldn’t reduce the risk of an ND to zero but could find a happy medium between safety and not having to fumble around if woken up by an intruder at 3am.
I’ve slept walked twice myself, and have thought about that. My mom found me in the kitchen banging on a pan with a kitchen knife. In my dream I was cutting fishing string, weird huh?
That is strange. I don’t remember dreaming about anything at the time but I probably was.
Now I can’t shake this picture I have in my head of a possum in a kitchen with a frying pan and a knife.
I’d freak and probably either run away or grab a shotgun and empty it.
Happy to find my gun platform here. The CZ family is my favorite handgun. My carry, a Rami 2075 BD is always on my hip decocked and ready to go. My range, training and competition handgun is a 75 SP01 BD.
Since I train with the DA/SA, I am much more comfortable with the DA in a decocked mode than having to train and mess with a safety. Personally, I don’t ever want a safety. I find the DA perfect for safe carrying.
On my bedside my Rami lays there just like it does on my hip. Its in the open just the way my hand would want to find it.
DA/SA takes some time to perfect, but I prefer it for safe carry with a Decocker model.
Chambered, hammer down, safety off. (EAA Witness .45 / CZ 75 Knockoff). I much prefer a DA only without the safety option, but I got one on auction and I love it. Great bedside friend and I like the thought of a .45 over 9mm for home defense. 10 +1 in .45, hell yeah. Still getting used to the DA/SA trigger but good excuse for range time.
Rad! Someone needs a girlfriend though.
Repressing the Navy Federal Debit Card… someone is current or ex-military.
Representing*
If it’s on me, it’s got one in the pipe.
If it’s not on me, the chamber is empty (unless it’s a revolver) and it’s in my quick access safe – at home or at work.
If I am the owner of the gun, there’s one in the chamber. Period.
Anyone know what that tray/table thing is called that his gear in setting in? Would like to have one on my nightstand too. Thanks TTAG FOLKS!
Condition 1 holstered.
Two Words.
Veronica Rutledge.
CZ-75 SP-01 Shadow – actually the only pistol I own. Round chambered, hammer down all the time. If I’m awake, it’s on me (and sometimes when I sleep, too). Bedside drawer when I’m in bed, holster stays in the pants, though, fireman-style on top of my boots/shoes next to the bed so I can step out of bed right into them. Other side of the bed has a matching drawer, it holds a .44mag 7 1/2″ Redhawk, loaded and hammer down as well. Loaded Rem 870 in the closet, and 2 other loaded revolvers hidden in the house – bathroom and office.