At only $250, it was certainly a deal but I had to wonder: how would it shoot? Short answer: it shoots far better than any $250 gun has a right to! Lately I have been buying up CZs & CZ clones including a heavy .40 cal Desert Eagle/Jericho 941. I liked the idea of a full sized, alloy-framed .40 and I expected a quality product from CZ. They did not disappoint me!
The first thing I did was to strip the new CZ40 & clean the barrel. Yes, I know they test-fire them at the factory but I wanted to make sure any machining debris was cleaned out. I am old fashioned about new gun break in I guese. Next I gave the whole gun an excessive coat of light oil; a friend who used to shoot on the German national Glock team suggested heavy lube for the 1st 500 rounds; the CZ40 is no Glock but I figured it could not hurt.
Ammo was my new IPSC load; a 180 Zero JHP loaded to 1.155" OAL (bit too long really) over .1grn less than the minimum charge of V V N340. With heavy bullets, it is easy to meet the new lower power factor of just 165; for a 180 grn bullet, you only need to exceed 916 fps. The CZ choked on the 1st round it tried to feed but a slight tap sent it into battery; after that it was a jam free night!
Trigger is, as expected, better than any other production .40 under $1200, though not as well broken in as the Jericho. Still, I would rate it far above the other common production .40s I have tried including Glocks, HKs, Steyrs, Walthers, S&W Sigmas, Rugers & Berretas (I work at a range so I get to shoot a lot of different guns). CZs have the best stock triggers on the US market for the money.
Shooting impression? Comfortable grip which fit my large hands quite well. Sights were excellent and reminiscent of the 1911 as was the grip angle; no complaints here as I shot an STI 1911 w/ Bomars during my first 1.5 years in IPSC/USPSA. I did not do group accuracy testing but instead shot USPSA targets at 5 to 15 yards; shots easily went into the A zone if I did my part. Speeding things up (way up) still kept all shots on the scoring surface.
I compared it to the heavier baby Desert Eagle .40 (which also had the lighter trigger) and no surprise, the heavier .40 was quicker, but I expected that. For a carry gun/ccw use, I would certainly opt for the lighter CZ40 with the confidence that I could fight & prevail with this fine weapon. I look forward to more shooting with this excellent CZ gun!
