CZ 75 D PCR 9mm
I'll let you in on a little secret. CZs are a particular passion of mine which is odd because when I became infatuated with them they went against my normal sense of what a gun should be. They are a Traditional Double Action pistols meaning that the first shot is a long, heavy double action pull followed by much lighter single action pulls. The "D" in the prefix means "Decocker" so great, one more thing you have to remember to do before holstering the pistol after shooting. The Traditional Double Action operation is 80 + years old having been popularized by Walther's PP, PPK and P-38 pistols that came out prior to World War II. My feeling prior to trying my first CZ in 2004 was that this was an operating platform whose time was past. My second strike about the CZ line-up was the over abundance of them were chambered in 9mm. Both of my criticisms melted away when I tried my first CZ. The action was smooth, and the Double Action pull what not that heavy. The accuracy astounded me. Suddenly I was not so concerned about the puny 9mm as I was able to put the shot exactly where I wanted it. The news continues to get better as the ammunition makers continue to develope very efficient loads for the 9mm and I no longer feel under-protected when I pack a 9mm.
You'll note that after plucking this model off the shelf I replaced the grips. This pistol comes with checkered rubber grips that have nice palm swells and they work great. However, I wanted to make the grip slimmer and these VZ grips fit the bill perfectly reducing the width from 1.38 inches to 1.18 inches.
The ergonomics of the pistol is fantastic. The design of the grips and grip frame allows my finger to reach the trigger in just the right spot to ensure well centered hits. While we're talking about the trigger the double action pull comes in at 8.14 pounds does not cause me to throw shots. The single action pull at 4.15 pounds allows me fast follow up shots and the accuracy to put one right over the other. I think this 4 plus pounds of trigger pull is just about right for a single action pull on a defensive handgun. Far too often I have shied away from carrying a 1911 simply because some of the more expensive ones have very light trigger pulls and I find myself with an occasional accidental discharge during recoil.
Now getting back to ergonomics the placement of the decocker is perfect for my reach and I can manipulate it easily without shifting the pistol or changing my grip.
So let's see some targets!
Here's an average 21 foot target:
I will end with a challenge: the next time you are in the shop, ask to examine one closer. See how it fits in your hand and see how well you can reach the controls. For my sized hands the CZ pistols fit so well that I don't have to think about how to operate it as it seems to become an extension of my arm and during the intensity and confusion of a shooting incident that fit makes your mission just a little bit easier.