Regular readers will know I’m a CZ 75 fanboy. And why not? I’ve never shot a bad one and new shooters love them, too. So expectations were high when I took delivery of new CZ 75 B Ω Urban Grey Suppressor-Ready pistol . . .
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At first glance, the CZ 75 B Ω is nothing to write home about. The Czech handgun sports a mix of grey and FDE they call “Urban Grey.” The Cerakote finish is applied evenly throughout the gun. In fact, nothing rubbed me the wrong way; there weren’t any sharp edges to catch the hand. Looking a little closer, John Browning’s minimalist genius is revealed. The 75 B is all elegant swoops and graceful curves.
Neither the front strap or back of the 75 B’s curved grip are textured. Although the natural shape of the double stack gun fits the hand well and the 9mm’s recoil is light, I’d still appreciate the some checkering for single-hand work. My biggest complaint: the cheap plastic grips feel cheap. And plastic.
The tall sights are a slight disappointment. With tritium ampules, the sights work well day or night, and the rear sight is drift adjustable. But I would’ve appreciated a serrated rear sight face instead of the flat back. And I’d certainly want more of a ledge on the front of the rear sight to manipulate the slide for single-handed reloads.
This version comes with CZ’s Ω trigger. As far as I can tell, its main purpose is to make maintenance easier. The hammer is wider on the 75 B, although I’m not sure why.
The really clever bit: a 75 B owner can swap between an ambidextrous safety or a decocker-only, with zero ‘smithing involved. The process is simple, clearly laid out in the instruction manual, and all the parts are included.
I got this pistol after another TTAG writer had already fired some thousand rounds through it, all suppressed. Needless to say, the gun was absolutely filthy. Chunks of built-up, caked-on carbon flew off during recoil, hitting my safety glasses.
I was told that it was “starting to hiccup” a bit when I got it. Out of the first 100 rounds I put through the CZ 75 B Ω, the gun failed to return to battery twice. A little tap on the back of the slide completed the cycle.
So the gun richly deserved a full disassembly, some spa time in a solvent bath and a good scrub down. Unfortunately I was given a fairly short turn-around time on the gun. So I field stripped the 75 B (no tools required) and sprayed it with Rogue American Apparel’s Gun Lube until black ooze dripped out. I gave the barrel five good passes with the BoreSnake, reassembled the bits and got back to work.
Over the next two days — over 500 more rounds — I had zero failures of any kind. I shot FMJs, HPs and the Ruger ARX rounds; bullets in weights from 100 grains to 147 grains. I shot suppressed and unsuppressed. Again, no reliability issues. Considering the condition the 75 B was in when Jeremy handed it over (a “gun crime” if there ever was one) it performed exceptionally well.
One of the things that I consistently hear about the stock CZ 75: in double action the trigger is too long and heavy. Copy that. And that’s especially true for anyone who doesn’t have size large hands. The trigger isn’t too much for me, big mitts and all, but that’s because I put the “power crease” of my index finger onto the trigger while maintaining my grip.
[If you want to make CZ greater again, the good folks at Cajun Gun Works will turn the gun’s gas pedal into a Porsche quality masterpiece, and perform all manner of custom work.]
That said, even shooters who have a hard time with the CZ’s trigger in double-action are surprised at how well they shoot the gun. Of course, you can eliminate the problem simply by carrying the CZ 75 in single action mode with the safety on, as I do.
It’s no wonder this pistol has been a mainstay of the competitive circuit for decades. It draws well, points fast and absolutely hums along in recoil. Even single-handed, the CZ 75 B Ω Suppressor-Ready comes back into position quickly. Long strings of fire are a welcome challenge; there’s no fighting the gun. Suppressed, even the most recoil averse can pour out the rounds with confident quickness.
Even after 440 rounds of reliability testing and familiarization fire, the gun still shot more accurately than I expected. Shooting five-round groups off a bag at 25 yards, the CapArms 115gr FMJ shot 1.4-inch groups, the CapArms 147gr FMJ shot 2-inch groups and every other round I tested fell in between those two. That’s right, the worst shooting round, for 60 rounds, was 2″ at 25 yards.
The entire CZ 75 line offers terrific value for money. The suppressor-ready CZ 75 B Ω is no exception; it performs extremely well for a wide range of shooters. The firing mechanism gives options to shooters, and the swappable safety-to-decocker feature is a welcome bonus. This gun confirms my faith in, and love for, CZ’s 9mm Euro-pistols.
SPECIFICATIONS: CZ 75 B Ω Suppressor-Ready
Chambering: 9mm Luger
Magazine Capacity: 18
Magazine Type: Double Stack
Frame: Steel
Grips: Plastic
Trigger: DA/SA
Barrel: Cold Hammer Forged
Barrel Length: 5.11 in
Weight: 35.7 oz
Overall Length: 8.8 in
Height: 6.1 in
Width: 1.4 in
Safety: Swappable Ambi Safety and Decocker, Safety Stop on Hammer, Firing Pin Block Safety
Sights: High Tritium Three-Dot
MSRP $636 (found new online for $565 – $599)
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Rating (out of five stars):
Appearance * * *
I love the lines of the 75 B. Beyond that it’s nothing special.
Customization * * * * *
The ability to change the safety/decocker on a whim is cool. The sights are easy to swap, as are the grips and many internals. There’s little that can’t be changed by a gunsmith at a reasonable cost. There are compatible holsters a’ plenty.
Reliability * * * * *
Filthy dirty, it ran well. After a lube and BoreSnake, it ran perfectly.
Accuracy * * * *
Two-inch groups at 25 yards with a filthy gun. Not bad at all.
Overall * * * * 1/2
An exceptional value. Reliable, comfortable and accurate. The sights, grips, and lack of texture on the front and back straps deny the CZ 75 B Ω the coveted fifth star.