CZ 97B or the CZ 75B

[wanderlust005]

Guys,

i  hope you can all help me with this, in a weeks time il be getting my very 1st CZ, but is caught in a quandary as to whether to get a 97B or a 75B.  pro and cons please.

your output will be highly apprecaited. thank ya' al in advance.

[Walt-Sherrill]

What other guns have you owned and shot?  Which calibers?

If this is a first (or first of a relative few) handgun(s), the 75B is probably the best choice -- particularly if you haven't shot .45 a lot.
 
Ammo cost is a consideration, too.  If you reload, economics aren't a big deal, as .45 ammo is easliy and ecnomically reloaded.  But if you don't reload and are on a budget, 9mm is cheaper.  (.40 is cheaper than .45, too, but not much.)

If you have a smaller hand (or even a big hand, in some cases), you may find the 97B a stretch.  You need to hold one of each in your hand, work the triggers, etc.  (Happily, grips are now available which are thinner, which will over come some of the grip-size problems.  That was not the case when I had one.)

The 97B is a superb gun and one of the best shooting .45s, out of the box, available.  Its reliability has been very, very good, and it looks great.  But its a big gun, and its a challenge for some hands.  (I speak from experience, and I have a fairly large hand.)

[CZattorneyFL]

Just to add to Walt's comments:

What's the purpose of this gun?  Is it for carry?  Is it for fun at the range?   I've never used a 75b, but I'm assuming it's a bit smaller and lighter, and possibly thinner, than th 97b.  And although I've never really looked at accessories for the 75b, I'm assuming that holsters are a bit more readily available for the 75b than they are for the 97b.

[Thren68]

Complete agreement with both of the above replies.

Cz-75b  9 or 40cal.
Ergonomically wonderful for most hand sizes.
Inexpensive to shoot.
Accurate for most applications.
Accessories more common (grips, mags, holsters, ect).
CCW decently on average body sizes.
16rnd 9mm, 12rnd 40S&W.
Some issues with slide stops, magazine springs and recoil springs.  Check appropriate forums for more info.

Cz-97b
Large (albiet comfortable) grip.  Difficult for some.
One of the most accurate .45acp's out of the box.
Accessories less common (especially holsters and grips).
CCW possibly difficult depending on body size.
Some barrel bushing issues reported.  Check forums.
About $150 more than it's sibling.
10rnds of 45acp.

Either is a great choice.  Preference really depends with what you plan on doing with it.

[wanderlust005]

thank ya' all for the very quick reply, then again my apologies for not being very specific.

well, here goes: am a 1911 guy, as my past experiences with guns are mostly 1911's, i actually was in the market for one 'til i came upon the cz's. other than the .45 i had a .380 and a .38 special. however, as in the case of the 1911 i saw these guns as house tools, more for protection purposes than anything else.

lately however, my interest in competitive shooting was aroused when i went to the range and shot 200 rnds of 9mm's and .45 acp, and a mag full from an armalite rifle. from that i came to realize that i am more comfortable firing .45 acp rounds than the 9mm's, so the search begins.

i am choosing between the 75b .40 s&w and the 97b .45, as i have never fired a .40 before i am quite dependent with suggestions from aquiantances, and most of them suggest the .40 for competitive/practical shooting, reasoning mainly that it has less recoil than the .45. but my heart belongs to the .45

btw, the 97b is priced much lower here in my place than the 75b, a $25 difference to be exact. also, the 75b i saw comes only with a 10 round mag much the same as the 97b.

i think i belong to the meduim sized hand category, but i was able to physically handle both guns, and i think the grip issue with the 97b is manageable for me. and oh, the store where i saw the cz have no available audition pistols for both models, where i was hoping i could test fire for comparison both models.

and isnt it that a new 75b model have been released? the TS model? would it be more practical to get the 97b and later on get the 75b TS (this is not yet available here in my place)?

many thank again guys.

[BRASMAN]

I personaly would get the 97B or a 75 in 9mm. I like .45 and 10mm though.

[Walt-Sherrill]

The TS model is a bit more expensive, and a more serious competition (fast gun games) model.

The 97B sounds like the choice for you, if grip is not an issue.  And if you can get it for the 75B price (or nearly), they must have the 75B way-overpriced. <grin>.

The 97B is a fine gun.

[bammann45]

Anything worth shooting, is worth shooting with a .45....
and yes, I am 45ACP prejudiced

Then again, I want a P01 for the collection-- which says a lot, I have ~15 pistols and revolvers, and none of them are 9's.

Speaking for the 97B it has slicked up amazingly well with dry firing.   The addition of the ss flgr made the balance literally perfect.  It has slowly taking over range time from all my other pistols...

The great thing about CZs is that you really can just get both for about the cost of one high end 1911.

[wanderlust005]

hmmm....

it seems my minds made up, its the 97b for me  

thats what i was thinking too sir, it seems they are overpricing the 75b here, and the price difference isnt that negligeable, heck i could have great other accessories if not several hundred of rounds for the $25 price difference.

im off to the gunshop to get myself a 97b   ill update you guys about it from time to time here.

again thank you very much for all the advices.  

[wanderlust005]

Finally, the 97B i bought exactly 10 days ago was released to me, that is last night (together with my temporary permit and permit to transport).

Going through it I noticed that the quality control test was made late 2002, i supposed then that the gun I bought was manufactured 2002. The gun itself has a feature I didnt expect it to have out of the box/factory, a front seration. Cleaned the packing oil/grease and dry fired it a couple of times.

Btw, what is the main purpose of the included plastic bullet shell and the green thingy's? do i really have to use it everytime i dry fire?

Today, I have been to the range and tested about 70 rounds 20 factory filled all metals and 50 reloads. the gun ate it all up without a glitch, accuracy wise i could not have expected more, im so happy with this gun i think ill be going to the range daily

[BRASMAN]

Congrats. You have one accurate pistol.

[wanderlust005]

thank you Brasman...


Did a lot of dry firing last night, any tips with it? do i need to use the plastic bullet caps to protect the firing pin?