The quest for the perfect IDPA gun.

[Canuck44]

The CZ SP01 Shadows are never in stock and the Shadow and CTS Slides appear once in a blue moon.  I was happy to get one of each. I am also ecstatic that they raised the weight limit in SSP to 43 ounces so that I would not have to run plastic grips, different safeties, and the plastic guiderod to just barely make the weight.

From this I assume you have a regular SP-01 Shadow which is indeed legal in SSP Division.  FTI so is the 75 Shadowline legal in SSP Division.  The CTS guns are not.

We have the advantage of getting all our guns imported from CZ UB and the SP-01 Shadow comes to us for around $850Cdn.  I just paid $1,099CDN for a 75 Shadowline.  There is a "Canadian Edition" SP-01 Shadow from CZ UB that goes for around $1,100CDN.

Take Care

Bob

[himurax13]

The CTS has a 75 SA frame to sit on for ESP. Too bad the magwell and nill grips won't fit in the box.

What does the Canadian Edition offer?

[Canuck44]

It is the same gun as the regular Shadow with a factory trigger job similar to the 75 Shadowline and thin grips with a Maple Leaf on one side.  It may have Canadian Edition inscribed on the slide as well.  It is about a $350 trigger job with thin aluminum grips and a tug at patriotism as a bonus.  Works because folks buy them.  They are good value.  I prefer the shorter dust cover so I went with the 75 Shadow with the thin grips.  You get "Shadowline" inscribed on the bottom of one of the grips instead of the Maple Leaf.  Ths Shadowline is lighter than the SP-01 Shadow which makes it nicer for IDPA and the short fast transitions.   

The FLDC on the SP-01 Shadow is nice for IPSC and Production Division.  The gun is the most popular pistol in IPSC Production world wide by quite a margin.  The gun benefits from IPSC rule requiring the first DA shot in Production Division to be 5#'s.  The striker fired guns trigger pull remains at 5#'s+ while the Shadow falls to around 2.5#'s wjen it goes SA.

Take Care

Bob

[Alpha Sierra]

To be brutally honest, all this obsession with Shadows is beyond me.  Get a standard SP-01, change the sights to your liking, clean up the trigger with some springs and some polishing, and spend the rest of your money on ammo.

You'll end up a better shooter.

The lack of a firing pin block is hardly an advantage when the standard action is smoothed and polished.

[Canuck44]

To be brutally honest, all this obsession with Shadows is beyond me.  Get a standard SP-01, change the sights to your liking, clean up the trigger with some springs and some polishing, and spend the rest of your money on ammo.

You'll end up a better shooter.

The lack of a firing pin block is hardly an advantage when the standard action is smoothed and polished.

What does a SP-01 sell for in the US?   Up here they are the same as the SP-01 Shadow.  They come with night sights vs the FO for the Shadow and the frames are different as they are in the US.  The SP-01 Shadow has a nicer factory trigger pull.  The one I had was as smooth as any of the SP-01Tacticals I have held after a trigger job.  In the factory Shadow you get the gun set up for IPSC Production.  The under cut at the Beavertail is deeper than the SP-01 Tactical as is the undercut at the trigger job.  Not sure what the attraction is for a heavy gun with night sights but they do sell them and I could be wrong.

Take Care

Bob

[Alpha Sierra]

What does a SP-01 sell for in the US?   

$600 - $650 either the -01 or the -01 Tactical brand new.  If you pay more than that it's by choice.

That may not be so much less than a Shadow, but finding a stock SP-01 Shadow in the US is ridiculous while a B style SP-01 is a dime a dozen.

Add your choice of sights, CGW or CZC internal parts, and maybe a little polishing inside and you are GTG for both USPSA and IDPA.  IPSC, maybe not, but hardly anyone shoots that in the US.

[Canuck44]

The guns sell for about $200 less than up here.  In your market it makes sense.  I think CZ USA doesn't bring them in so CZ Custom can sell their over priced Custom guns.  I am sure they are nice but I doubt most shooters would preform any better with a stock Shadow vs the full load custom gun.  I know the triggers are super smooth but really when the buzzer goes off who notices the trigger in the heat of a match?  For longer shots a light trigger might make a slight difference but in action shooting very little.

There is no reason why CZ USA can't bring in the regular Shadows and for that matter the Shadowline guns as well.

USPSA doesn't have a 5# trigger minimum pull like IPSC does so I am surprised the average guy shooting USPSA Production would not gravitate to the Glock 34 or M&P Pro for that division.  My Pro has a 3.5# trigger with a very crisp break.  Works in IDPA but not for our IPSC.  One ting I found is I can draw and drive the lighter polymer guns faster than I can all steel.  The offset is slightly more felt recoil and muzzle rise.

Take Care

Bob

[Alpha Sierra]

Once the DA pull is cleaned up in a CZ, they become like a super smooth S&W revolver trigger.  The most important thing is to not have any stacking.  Once you get past the first shot, a well tuned CZ SA trigger cannot be matched by any Glock.

[Canuck44]

Once the DA pull is cleaned up in a CZ, they become like a super smooth S&W revolver trigger.  The most important thing is to not have any stacking.  Once you get past the first shot, a well tuned CZ SA trigger cannot be matched by any Glock.

True enough but from a practical application it really doesn't matter much.  Shooting matches has more to do with ability than sweet triggers.  Like I said earlier once the buzzer goes off who notices the trigger?  FYI Bob Vogel won Production Division is Greece at the World Shoot up against the best shooters in the world with virtually a bone stock Glock 17.  He changed the sights and probably a different spring set allowed under IPSC rules.  The Glock 34 is not legal in IPSC Production.   You can be sure the Shadow shooters there had very smooth triggers.  From my experience most shooters would be better off buying a Shadow or in your case the SP-01 Tactical and just buy practice ammo and/or attend a decent shooting school that teaches shooting aimed at USPSA or IDPA skills.  There is more to winning than just shooting as you know.

Take Care

Bob

[himurax13]

Handguns cost a bit more in Cali, especially if they are not on the unconsitutional safe handgun roster. A used Custom SP01 Shadow will fetch $1600 here while a used SP01 is about $700. The 10 round magazine version of the SP01 is the only one allowed for sale and it is never in stock.

Once the action is cleaned up and an 8.5 lb hammer spring is installed,  the only difference I could tell between the shadow and the regular SP01 was the length of the reset. On the Shadow it is a wee bit shorter, especially with the CGW disco. The price difference is fairly large between the two models. If I can get my hands on  Canik P-120, I would like to see how close in performance I can make it.

[jc3257]

My SP-01 cost $600. Added ~$300 worth of parts from CGW and have a 5lb DA pull and 2.5lb SA pull. David at CGW said the reset is 1mm longer than Shadow but cost is much less! Hard to justify all the extra $ for minimal improvement. I took the savings and put it towards a CZ Tac Sport for USPSA Ltd.

[Canuck44]

My SP-01 cost $600. Added ~$300 worth of parts from CGW and have a 5lb DA pull and 2.5lb SA pull. David at CGW said the reset is 1mm longer than Shadow but cost is much less! Hard to justify all the extra $ for minimal improvement. I took the savings and put it towards a CZ Tac Sport for USPSA Ltd.

You have $900US into a SP-01 Tactical vs S-01 Shadow costing $850CDN  currently $748US .  The stock Shadow comes with a slightly heavier trigger pull. better sights and an improved frame and some would say a better style trigger.  The Shadow weighs slightly less.  The comparisons are moot though if you folks can't get the stock SP-01 Shadow. 

Take Care

Bob
ps I would be writing to CZ USA.  There is no reason for them not to bring in the stock Shadow from CZ UB.  The rest of the world gets them.

[Alpha Sierra]

Added ~$300 worth of parts from CGW

I have no idea what you did to your pistol, but it seems excessive.

A short reset kit, new CGW disconnector, and new CGW hammer will set you back $200 and that covers about 99% of the performance increase.  The other hundred, probably didn't make a whole lot of difference unless that was for polishing/tuning labor.

[Alpha Sierra]

The comparisons are moot though if you folks can't get the stock SP-01 Shadow.

That's correct Bob, it's way easier to find a 9 mm Tanfoglio Stock II in the US than it is to find an SP-01 Shadow or even a 75 Shadow.

[himurax13]

The comparisons are moot though if you folks can't get the stock SP-01 Shadow.

That's correct Bob, it's way easier to find a 9 mm Tanfoglio Stock II in the US than it is to find an SP-01 Shadow or even a 75 Shadow.

That is an understatement for the U.S. For California,  it is practically impossible ...