Am curious of your comparison/ assessment of the two after you shoot them
Another new Shadow 2 Compact owner. Just picked it up yesterday but I can already tell it's going to be great.
Just for comparison.....a Dan Wesson DW Compact.
I finally had a chance to take the Shadow2 Compact to the range. I brought it and three other pistols for a comparison of the S2 compact, the DWX compact, a Shadow Line compact, and a Kimber KDS9C. All are very similar in size and I thought I would do a non scientific, nothing fancy, just my impressions of the four pistols. The DWX and Kimber have been to the range a couple of times, but it's been quite a while since I've shot the Shadow Line, and this was the first for the S2C.
All four really feel like high quality firearms. The DWX is probably the smoothest to handle with a silky smooth slide and fantastic trigger. The other three while all are great handling, they probably fall short just a bit of the overall smoothness.
In a ranking of triggers, again the DWX IMO has the best feeling trigger. It's hard to beat a 1911 style trigger for it's short take up, crisp break, and short reset. Both CZs have a great trigger and feel similar in feel, with a slight bit of creep, but still a crisp break and relatively short reset, but they just can't quite equal the DWX and you don't notice the creep when shooting. The older Shadow Line has a longer take up which I'm glad to see that the newer S2C has improved on. Kimber, which seems to get a lot of criticism really doesn't give up anything to the two CZs and feels very similar in trigger feel.
All four pistols feel great in the hand. Of the four I would have to say the S2C probably feel the best overall. It balances a great ergonomic fit with just enough grit in the texture to give it a good feel without being too aggressive. If I would change one thing on the S2C I would put an extended safety on the left side. The full size S2 offers an extended safety, but I'm not sure if it would fit the compact, but even if it doesn't eventually CZ will probably have one. The Shadow Line is very similar but the newer Shadow series wins by a hair. The DWX also feel wonderful in the hands, but in my impression it's a bit slippery, perhaps because its grip is slightly narrower. I've had a problem with the DWX shifting in my hands so that I apply the safety without realizing it only to have it prevent it from being fired. I've tried adjusting my grip with mixed success. Maybe it's just me, but it seems that its slimmer grip and slightly smoother grips just make it harder to control at recoil. The shape of the grip seems to lock the pistol in place, but evidently the recoil causes the pistol to shift a bit. I still need to work on my grip technique. The Kimber again doesn't give anything up. It is very comfortable to hold and the controls are exactly where they need to be, but the grip itself is a bit thicker than the others but still very comfortable.
Overall operation and shooting was flawless on all of the pistols. Honestly, you could probably pick any of the four and be happy with them. They are all 100% reliable and a joy to shoot, with acceptable recoil and muzzle rise. All four are very accurate although for this test I shot all rounds at 7 yards. Normally I would go out further, but trying to compare four pistols on one trip took more time than I expected, plus this was a get acquainted first trip for the S2C so I spent more time with it.
Again, you could choose any of the four and probably be happy with your choice. It would all boil down to which one felt the best in your hand and just your personal preference. If I had to choose just one, I would undoubtedly choose the S2C. It's just about perfect IMO. It just felt the best in my hand, had the best grip, handled the best, and for me was the most accurate. All of them were accurate, but the DW has always shot a bit to the left. I adjusted the rear sight, but it is still ever so slightly patterning to the left. The Shadow Line has it's factory setting for the sights as does the S2C. The Kimber had to have the elevation adjusted slightly but is fine now.
Again, IMO the Shadow 2 Compact would be my choice of the four, and I'm not saying that because this is a CZ forum. I honestly feel that the Shadow2 Compact is the best of the four, even though the DWX cost approximately $600 more. I got S2C for $1199 which is to me a screaming good deal, especially since the DWX cost $1800 and isn't cut for an optic. The Kimber was I think $1299 which is in line while the Shadow Line was cheaper than all of them, but we're talking about 2017 dollars, and we know everything has risen in price since then.
You just have to make a decision, and no matter which one you won't go wrong, but IMO CZ has a huge success on their hands with the Shadow 2 Compact.
