As anxious as I am to refinish my newly-acquired CZ 82, I just couldn't wait to put a few rounds through it. Cleaned it up with some RemOil and took it to the range today. One important point going in: I'm not a handgun fan. I was raised on rifles and shotguns. Revolvers, semi-autos, just never mattered. I've always turned up my nose at handguns in favor of a long gun. The CZ 82 was an impulse buy for me and, frankly, I was experiencing some buyer's remorse. I couldn't believe I spent my hard-earned money on a pistol.
This old dog learned a new trick today. This CZ 82 is one sweet shooter. Was shooting Silver Bear ammo, which worked out fine (a few flyers, but I suspect that was the shooter rather than the ammo). It took me a few rounds to get a feel for the pistol. Target acquisition was a real challenge, as the paint on all the sights has worn off. Once I began aiming along the top of the barrel rather than relying on the sights, things came together. I'm no great marksman with any handgun, but I found that it hit what I aimed at. Once things came together, I was in the 7 ring or better on a 25 yard slow-fire pistol target at 25 yards (no rest). I was actually a bit shocked...for me with a handgun, I can't remember doing better.
I've read quite a bit about recoil with the CZ 82. Now that I've fired mine, I'm thinking the recoil issue is one of fine tuning rather than a significant matter. I've already purchased the Wolff springs but will probably keep them as replacements now. The recoil, at least to my 57-year-old hands, was hardly noticeable.
I was also concerned about how the wide grip would feel when putting rounds through the CZ 82. Well, I worried for no good reason. The pistol felt great in my hands. No wear and tear, no soreness, no slide bite, no nothing. Feels great.
Great trigger. Smooth. Good break. I tried both double-action and single-action. Of course, single was better...but the double was pretty darn fine. Probably the best trigger I've felt on a milsurp gun. And, in all honesty, better than most new guns as well. No complaints here.
The CZ 82 also passed on the reliability front. I ran through 500 rounds. No misfeeds, no failures to eject, no nothing. Ran like a knife through butter. I varied my firing rate, loaded some mags and 12 rounds with others at 11 or less, seated some rounds to the back of the mag and others not. Tried most everything I could think of to get a malfunction. Nothing doing, even with that dirty Silver Bear ammo (seems it's a really filthy round - leaves behind lots of crud). I'm pretty confident that this pistol will go bang when I pull the trigger, so long as I take care of it.
One side note: learned before I went to the range that hand loading my magazines (I have 3 factory originals) was a no-go. My hands just couldn't deal with the stiffness of the springs. Picked up an UpLULA speed loader...loved it. I'll never be without one again.
What's next? Probably some refinish work, some paint for the sights...and stocking up on one heck of a lot of 9x18 ammo. Bottom line: I'm in love with this gun. First handgun I've ever fired that I really enjoyed shooting.
My main reason for writing this is for those considering the purchase of a CZ 82. My recommendation: stop thinking and do it. I'm amazed at the performance of this pistol. I don't think I could do this well with a new gun at twice the price. I'm sold.
