Why did the CZ 85 get discontinued?

[Metal Wonder Nine Guy]

Something that makes me curious about CZ's is why did the CZ-85 stop production in 2016? Was there not enough demand for that particular model... or maybe not enough lefties to buy it?

[Tok36]

   I assume the they were not selling enough of them. The only thing that the 85 really offers is a right side slide stop lever. The 85 also comes with a right side safety lever but this is available on a number of other CZ 75 variant models (SP-01, 75B Stainless, 75B 40).

   I am a lefty and i own a CZ 85B and a CZ 85 Combat (85B with no FPB) and i do not use the right side slide stop because all the rest of my 75's do not have them. It has just become habit to use the slide stop lever on the left side with my left hand index finger when i want to lock the slide back. To drop the slide i generally sling shot.

[afultz075]

I am a lefty and my sole reason for owning them is due to the ambi safety, as it’s one of the few ways to get the classic CZ 75 design (standard service gun with no rails, etc) with ambi controls.. I could care less about the ambi slide stop. The Ambi slide stop only serves to add an extra part, and is not a great design either IMO.

The 85 and 85 Combat are great guns, and a good way to get ambi controls on the classic CZ 75, but in this day and age the newer models mostly sport ambi controls (Shadows, SP01, stainless, etc) as it is. The only safety guns I can think of that still have single sided safeties are the regular 75B full size and Compact.

I am saddened by the loss of the 85 Combat though, for the longest time it was a great starting point for building your own Shadow-like gun due to the lack of FPB.

[Psyop96]

2015 - released new Omega P-01; won Czech military contract for Bren 1 and Phantoms to deliver the following year. 2016 - new Shadow 2. P-10C on the horizon for 2017 plus Bren 2, new 527, 457 just a little further out. The bread-and-butter future is polymer and striker.

I’d think among these factors, production capacity and no future big contracts for an older type service pistol, the CZ 85 didn’t have a sponsor at the directors’ table. The big military contract (5,500) for the Phantom was filled in 2016. Only four years later, that contract has been dwarfed by this year’s contract for 21,000 CZ P10s and the Phantom was discontinued in 2019. The D Compacts (aka P-01) have already been in service with the Czech national police since around 2002. There’s likely less urgency to replace it though.


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[M1A4ME]

I like'em.  Enough that I've "made" two of my CZ75's into 85 clones.

The Pre B CZ85 "put the bug in my head" and I just like they way the feel and operate.

The CZ75 Compact was the more difficult conversion.  The CZ75B in .40 came with the ambidextrous safeties so the hard work was already done.

Betty to have it, and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Some of the striker fired pistols have ambidextrous slide releases.  I guess, if you were a lefty, you'd just use the right side controls "naturally" as a right handed person automatically uses the left side controls.  My FNS pistols have ambidextrous safeties, side release levers and even magazine release buttons.  Just wish the darn things would shoot like a CZ.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

I believe there were some frame cracking issues on the 85's in the area of the ambi slide stop since the 85 frame is just a modded 75 unit to begin with. Not saying this is exactly why they went out of production but it was an issue. Maybe a call to CZ-USA could shed some light on it.
I'd bet more than likely they just didn't sell enough of them so they went away just like .40's don't move like they used to so at least with CZ they are going away.

[bang bang]

afaik, CZ is still open.

have you thought about emailing and asking them?

[afultz075]

I believe there were some frame cracking issues on the 85's in the area of the ambi slide stop since the 85 frame is just a modded 75 unit to begin with. Not saying this is exactly why they went out of production but it was an issue. Maybe a call to CZ-USA could shed some light on it.
I'd bet more than likely they just didn't sell enough of them so they went away just like .40's don't move like they used to so at least with CZ they are going away.

There are two reports of the frame crack over the years I recall (one on this forum and one elsewhere I believe), both were from 10+ years ago.

These two reports have snowballed into a lot of people thinking it's some prolific issue on the 85 series. In my opinion it is not, or we would hear about it a lot more often. I own 5 CZ 85 Combats at the moment, one being a pretty high round count gun, and have had probably half a dozen more beyond that pass through my hands over the last 5-6 years, none have developed any sort of crack.

Even if the frame does crack, the bridge of metal above the right slide stop lever is not in a structural area and will be as such that a crack would not worsen as it has nowhere to go. The area in those reports where it cracked is completely milled out on the aluminum frame guns.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

I believe there were some frame cracking issues on the 85's in the area of the ambi slide stop since the 85 frame is just a modded 75 unit to begin with. Not saying this is exactly why they went out of production but it was an issue. Maybe a call to CZ-USA could shed some light on it.
I'd bet more than likely they just didn't sell enough of them so they went away just like .40's don't move like they used to so at least with CZ they are going away.

There are two reports of the frame crack over the years I recall (one on this forum and one elsewhere I believe), both were from 10+ years ago.

These two reports have snowballed into a lot of people thinking it's some prolific issue on the 85 series. In my opinion it is not, or we would hear about it a lot more often. I own 5 CZ 85 Combats at the moment, one being a pretty high round count gun, and have had probably half a dozen more beyond that pass through my hands over the last 5-6 years, none have developed any sort of crack.

Even if the frame does crack, the bridge of metal above the right slide stop lever is not in a structural area and will be as such that a crack would not worsen as it has nowhere to go. The area in those reports where it cracked is completely milled out on the aluminum frame guns.

I read more than 2 accounts of it over the years and I don't think it's snowballed into anything other than something that can happen to some guns. Yeah you can read hyped up versions of the issue on other forums where they tend to favor other brand pistols but then what would you expect. I've been on forums where they totally disparage CZ's in general as combloc slop but that didn't stop me from buying quite a few. I never said they all do it and I didn't say it was the reason the guns are no longer produced. While most people don't post on forums so the real numbers of failures may not be known now or ever it was obviously not widespread or a safety concern or I'd think CZ would have had to recall them.
But whatever the case may be they are no longer produced yet the standard 75's still are. As I said above I'd be more inclined to accept that the demand just wasn't high enough for the model.

[Flip18]

Have had my 2005 made 85 Combat, glossy blue since new. Love that gun. All stock except for fresh springs, and the honest wear only a blued gun can get. Thousands of rnds, never an issue. Classic.

[schutz85C]

The 85 Combat probably was pushed aside by the sp-01 shadow target 2. Later the Shadow 2 etc.. No firing pin block is the key.

Mine now has all the shadow target 2 bells except for the checkered front and back strap and mag well.

Excellent gun with classic lines.

[Metal Wonder Nine Guy]

The 85 Combat probably was pushed aside by the sp-01 shadow target 2. Later the Shadow 2 etc.. No firing pin block is the key.

Mine now has all the shadow target 2 bells except for the checkered front and back strap and mag well.

Excellent gun with classic lines.

That would make sense. Why keep up an older model when a newer version is getting bought up and used by more people and competitors?

[timmy75]

time to time there are 85 Combats in stock at CZUB company stores in Prague and Uhersky Brod

[CCWLearner]

Well I'm a lefty and I wouldn't mind having a full-sized steel-framed CZ with all ambi controls but in the case of the CZ 85 I'm pretty sure none of them were available with an ambi decocker, only with an ambi safety, which I wouldn't be looking for.  The SP-01 Tactical has an ambi decocker so I would be more inclined to get one of those.  As far as an ambi slide stop, I don't really need one because I am accustomed to use my left index finger to operate the slide stop if I need it, which is basically never, because my first course of action is to rack the slide with my right hand.

[M1A4ME]

CZ 85's are ambidextrous safeties and usually ambidextrous slide release levers as well.  I've seen CZ85's for sale (surplus pistols) without the ambidextrous slide release levers though.

I fine pistol that requires more machine work and more parts and more labor to assemble vs. the single side control models.  Many companies pursue ways to cut manufacturing costs.

CZ makes several pistols with ambidextrous safeties.  The P07, P09, P01 Omega, CZ75 Omega and others I don't own/am not familiar with.

It's not that hard (sometimes) to find new CZ pistols that are discontinued models for sale on line or at gun shows.  Up to the time they started cancelling gun shows for virus fears I was still seeing an occasional P07 DUTY for sale here and there.  Those haven't been made in 7 or 8 years (I think).