I view gun makers as a fluid entity.
When I began buying guns in 1968, Winchesters had been trash since 1964, Colt revolvers were poorly made and were a distant 2nd choice to S&W while their 1911s were the only game in town and still decent, Rugers were climbing in acceptance, Remington still made quality shotguns and rifles, Brownings and Weatherbys were top-tier firearms, FN BHPs were a quality firearm, and Marlin made lever-actions that were top-of-the-mark. Ithaca shotguns were well-made and I carried several for bird-hunting. S&W was still the top dog in revolvers.
Fifty-six years later the old-name brands have come and gone, changed in quality from good to bad and back to good (sometimes), and new brands have displaced the prestige of older brands.
Palmetto State has gone from being seen as a 3rd rate maker to an outstanding producer of firearms and parts. I know of no other gun maker who has turned their image around like Palmetto. Twenty years ago I wouldn't have bought anything connected to Palmetto. Now, I'd happily buy whatever they produce if it met my needs. Palmetto turned a sinking ship into an ocean liner and since they sell directly to consumers, have eliminated the distributor/dealer markups.
Does CZ have problems? Yes, but it is more than a "Colt" influence.
20 years ago CZ was the newcomer knocking off Colt, S&W, Beretta, and other semi-auto makers with serious inroads into the market share. Their long arms were extremely well-made and along with their pistols, great value for the money. I bought the 75B, the 97B, the P-01 Omega, and a Mannlicher-stock .22, All are excellent pistols and rifle and I do not regret my choices.
Now it's 2024 and there is more competition with many makers producing firearms equal to or surpassing CZ for less money. Modern machinery, CNC, new designs, and new thoughts about how to make firearms is better than ever.
As much as I would have liked to buy a new pistol from CZ this year, I went instead with a Masada Slim 9mm and I'm impressed with the quality and accuracy. Canik and other makers are producing good guns at good values, and new product lines are coming out all the time.
While many of us love guns for different reasons, we are in the minority as most people are buying pistols for self-defense and care not one whit about the internals, mag wells, fancy stocks, and every pistol competition where $2,000 plus barely gets you in the door in the pistol world.
Guns that might be considered pedestrian by some, are the bread and butter of gun sales. People want a gun they can easily use for SD and don't know or care about compensators, threaded barrels, and a $400 red dot. They want protection and could care less about CZ, Colt, or S&W.
CZ has competition from all directions and in many cases, CZ is getting its lunch eaten. I remember when Ford, Chevy, and Dodge were the big three. Now, if someone gave me one of their vehicles I'd sell it and buy a Toyota or Honda. Jeeps are now made by Fiat - if that doesn't make you laugh something's wrong.
CZ has rested on its laurels for some time. It's not that Colt created the problem, but that CZ hasn't done anything new or innovative in some time. Churning out another model based on an older model isn't working. That's a dangerous position to be in for 2024 going forward. Instead of being an innovator, CZ is playing catchup and they'll either respond or in a few years Fiat will be making their firearms.
While I'll buy new guns this year, I doubt any will be CZs.
