75B or SP01 ?IPSC Shadow? for target shooting newb..?

[firebladejr]

Hi Guys.
 
I?m brand new to target shooting and guns in general. I have a 6 month wait before I can purchase my first pistol, however I have my heart set on a CZ after doing considerable research. They?re not too easy to come by here as I believe they sell out quite often and then they?re out of stock until the next shipment, so my plan is to choose one asap and put it on lay-away so that it?s ready and waiting in the store for me at the end of my waiting period.
 
I?ll be doing target shooting only and I?m deciding between the 75B ?Limited Edition? which is uber s3xy, and the SP01 ?IPSC Shadow? in black poly coat.. less s3xy but from what I?ve read seems to be better for target shooting.
 
The 75B Limited Edition is $1085 cased with 2 mags, and the SP01 IPSC Shadow is $1295 cased with 4 mags. I don?t ?plan? on owning more than one pistol for now, so the price difference doesn?t bother me. What I?m trying to understand is which is the better value pistol for my needs and which will get me better results being a true newb. I?ll be honest and admit that I don?t know the difference between SA/DA yet, nor the benefits either pistol will have over the other.. so advice from anyone with experience would be much appreciated.
 
I noticed the SP01 has an accessory rail whereas the 75B doesn?t.. does this mean that only the SP01 will take a laser? And can I use a laser in competition anyway? My distance eyesight isn?t perfect, so was thinking a laser might help if it?s allowed.
 
Any tips or advice you can offer would be great!
 
Many thanks,
Peter.

[burningsquirrels]

Your best bet before buying one is to check out some of the local competitions first. Where do you live? Perhaps we can help in that regard as well. Once you've seen and interacted with some of the nice folks at the local competitions, you'll be better informed as to which model you will eventually prefer.

[firebladejr]

Hi burningsquirrels, thanks for th reply.
I'm from Sydney, Australia. I'll be shooting at the Sydney Olympic Shooting Centre which I've been told is a great range and one of the best in the world at the moment! There are some great shooters there, some of which represent Australia in the Olympics,etc however CZ's don't look to be overly popular. I'll be mainly shooting with a friend of mine, however he's got a whole range of guns in his collection that h can choose from, but no CZ's!

[burningsquirrels]

Can't help you much regarding Australia, but I would check out the local ranges there to see what they have and also look for an IPSC club there. The SP-01 would be a great choice for IPSC Production division. You'll probably find more CZs and CZ clones in that style of competition.

[jameslovesjammie]

With the Limited, you are essentially getting a different type of finish on a stainless CZ.  There is nothing special about the limited other than looks.  The Shadow, on the other hand, is quite a bit upgraded from the standard SP01.  QUITE a bit.  If it were my money, for only $210 difference I wouldn't even consider the Limited Edition.  I love the way it looks, but the Shadow is just a superior gun in almost every way.

[firebladejr]

perfect, thanks for the info.

I noticed the CZ dealer sells mags for $75 each, so the extra 2 mags with the SP01 essentially make the price difference $60 between the two pistols.

Realistically I don't plan on winning any comps, but Australian laws require you to compete 6 times a year to keep your firearms permit. If I'm competing, I'd like to do as best as I can but the gun will mainly be for fun at the range. I'm leaning toward the SP01 Shadow, but have read some threads that mentioned the 75B had a better trigger than the SP01.. obviously I don't really know what I'm talking about in this regard but am weighing up various feedback on CZ forums, etc.. I'm pretty sure someone also mentioned that the SP01 Shadow could be a little more dangerous due to the lack of a safety and having the decocker instead (< I don't know what that means). I'm thinkig that since it will be a range gun and will either be in a safe/case, or pointing down the range, absence of a safety isn't a big issue... would this be an accurate assumption?

[burningsquirrels]

You also need to ask someone at CZ about their "Australian" version of the SP-01. I'm not sure what the laws are there, but CZ had to make a slightly longer barrel to comply with Australian laws.

[firebladejr]

You also need to ask someone at CZ about their "Australian" version of the SP-01. I'm not sure what the laws are there, but CZ had to make a slightly longer barrel to comply with Australian laws.

Thanks for the tip. Just checked with them and all pistols have the Aust Reg barrels..

[coolbox]

SP01 Shadow has
- better trigger
- safety
- durable polycoat finish

It does not have
- firing pin block, meaning that the firing pin can be activated and a loaded weapon would go off when the trigger is not squeezed (hammer falling on firing pin or any other failure, including when the gun drops on the floor). This actually makes the trigger mrchanism simple, and improves trigger performance significantly.
- a sensitive scratch prone finish that needs to be pampered to avoid marks and scratches

Shadow for the range. Limited Edition for looks.
I got both..

[bozwell]

I sort of split the difference.  My 75B LE is mostly for the looks, but I've removed the FPB, installed a new hammer, polished all internal surfaces and installed a (polished) SAO trigger.  Oh, and a set of Hakan's grips.   The result is a fantastic looking gun that has an amazing trigger (easily the most "glass rod" feeling trigger of all my CZ's.).  I don't play games with it, I don't care it... I just enjoy shooting it from time to time and otherwise pamper it. 

If you love the look of the Limited like I do, get it.  If you want to turn it into a shooter, do it.  If you need the Shadow to qualify for a shooting game you want to play, then that changes things, as you may be "limited" in how you can modify the Limited () and stay within the rules of whatever game you're playing.  I'd decide whether you want to err on the side of practicality (black polycoat) or glitz and glamour (Limited), and go from there.

[justaute]

This Aussie forum should have some information.

http://www.shooting.com.au/forum/index.php?/forum/8-handguns/

[Spirit 1]

I'll give a try at explaining:

SA/DA: in Single Action SA the slide is racked back cocking hammer and then forward so a shell is carried into chamber, then safety may be applied or trigger may be squeezed to fire.

In Double Action DA the slide is racked and a shell is inserted into chamber but hammer is then let down, either manually or with decocker. Then the action of squeezing trigger also cocks the hammer back before firing, of course putting more resistance on trigger pull.

A decocker is a mechanism that once slide is cycled and hammer is locked back in firing position, a lever is pushed which causes gun to go through the motions of firing, as dropping the hammer, but blocking the firing pin so the bullet doesn't fire. Some like myself don't trust a decocker because mechanical failures can and do occur. Others are quite comfortable with a decocker, but are still very careful to always have muzzle [forward end of barrel where bullet exits] pointed in a safe direction. A truly safe direction is not always available, say on a concrete or blacktop surface, something to be considered.

The lightest and easiest triggers are in Single Action. Somebody please correct me if I got stuff a little mixed up?

[firebladejr]

I'll give a try at explaining:

SA/DA: in Single Action SA the slide is racked back cocking hammer and then forward so a shell is carried into chamber, then safety may be applied or trigger may be squeezed to fire.

In Double Action DA the slide is racked and a shell is inserted into chamber but hammer is then let down, either manually or with decocker. Then the action of squeezing trigger also cocks the hammer back before firing, of course putting more resistance on trigger pull.

A decocker is a mechanism that once slide is cycled and hammer is locked back in firing position, a lever is pushed which causes gun to go through the motions of firing, as dropping the hammer, but blocking the firing pin so the bullet doesn't fire. Some like myself don't trust a decocker because mechanical failures can and do occur. Others are quite comfortable with a decocker, but are still very careful to always have muzzle [forward end of barrel where bullet exits] pointed in a safe direction. A truly safe direction is not always available, say on a concrete or blacktop surface, something to be considered.

The lightest and easiest triggers are in Single Action. Somebody please correct me if I got stuff a little mixed up?

Thanks so much for the post! That helps me understand things much better.

[Skookum]

How's this for a simplistic explation of the difference between SA and DA?

A single-action trigger pull performs one action -- it drops the hammer to fire the gun.

A double-action trigger pull performs two actions -- in a longer and heavier pull, it first cocks the hammer then drops it to fire the gun.

FWIW, I'd pick the SP-01 Shadow.