CZ SHADOW 2, cal. 9x19mm

Weight

The CZ Shadow 2 represents the next generation of the now legendary CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow. The pistol was developed in cooperation with the elite IPSC shooters of the Česká zbrojovka team to significantly contribute to the speed and accuracy of shooting during a match. Using the most modern production equipment, a pistol was born that pushes the boundaries of IPSC sport shooting even further.

Speed

The modernization of all the main parts of the pistol – the slide and frame – combined with a longer barrel allows individual shots to be repeated faster and more dynamically. The shape of the frame helps provide a more comfortable, higher grip closer to the bore axis, and the new checkering ensures absolutely reliable contact with the pistol under all circumstances. The added weight at the front of the frame and slide compensates and softens the recoil. The improved trigger mechanism has a smoother pull, lower weight and a shorter trigger reset. The magazine catch is easier to reach and adjustable in three positions, making reloading more secure and faster even while the shooter is moving.

Accuracy

The barrel extended to 125 mm, a longer sight radius and new elevation-adjustable sights increase the accuracy of the pistol as a whole. Highly precise and fully automated production of the other main parts on robotic machining centers without manual work contributes to the quality of workmanship. The Arcor finish, inspired by the service models, guarantees high resistance to corrosion, weather and mechanical damage.

Customization

Every shooter is unique. That is why a wide range of sport and custom accessories is available. During testing, hundreds of thousands of rounds were fired under real match conditions. Under the same conditions, CZ Shooting Team shooters achieved time savings measured in seconds on individual IPSC stages compared to the first Shadow model. The beginning was thus marked by suggestions and ideas from the best IPSC shooters on the planet. At the end of a research and development process lasting more than two years stands a new, unique pistol and a rightful successor to the original model. The CZ Shadow 2 is ready to compete.

CZ Shadow 2

For some time there had been whispers behind the scenes about a new sport pistol from Uherský Brod. It was said that Česká zbrojovka's product managers had considerable ambitions – to raise even further the bar set to dizzying heights by the extraordinarily successful CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow. For a long time, however, how they intended to achieve this in Uherský Brod remained a closely guarded secret. Until the new CZ Shadow 2 model was introduced in spring 2016.

Outdo the Shadow? Well, good luck with that, I thought when I first heard about it. The CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow was created ten years ago by carefully fine-tuning the excellent CZ 75 SP-01 pistol so that the result would best meet the needs of sport shooters. Refined ergonomics, an improved hammer and trigger mechanism with an exceptionally smooth pull, no automatic firing pin block, an extended magazine catch, wide levers on the ambidextrous manual safety, a second hammer spring with a different working characteristic as standard, a fiber optic front sight, a rear sight extended rearward, a beveled magazine well…

In short, the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow is an excellent SA/DA all-steel pistol in 9x19 (or 9x21) caliber, which soon began to be picked up by more and more elite shooters in the IPSC Production division, led by the CZ Shooting team, whose members dominated the top positions at the most important national and international matches with this pistol. On top of that, the Shadow also scores on the service market.

How to improve perfection

Why improve the Shadow is fairly clear. For a long time this model was the best pistol on the market in its category, but the competition never sleeps. How to do it is another matter.

When I started looking into the background of the CZ Shadow 2, I learned that the development team first spent an enormous amount of time collecting and evaluating experience from the use of the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow. An invaluable source of knowledge and recommendations was the CZ Shooting team, whose members have fired many hundreds of thousands of rounds from these pistols, represent the elite of the target customer group and approached this task with great enthusiasm. No wonder – the new CZ Shadow 2 is the pistol they will compete with (and hopefully win with) for at least the next several years.

In similar cases, the goal is usually to find weaknesses. With the Shadow it was more about identifying design areas and features that could meaningfully be taken to a higher level. At the same time, care was constantly taken to ensure that, despite all the changes and improvements, the Shadow 2 would remain an affordable "people's" IPSC pistol that even a beginning shooter can afford. And that was achieved as well.

What matters

When developing the CZ Shadow 2, Česká zbrojovka defined four areas that are decisive for sport shooters: speed, accuracy, durability and finally customization, i.e. the possibility of individual adaptation. In each of these areas, Uherský Brod then tried to achieve a significant improvement over the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow.

Speed means shooting speed with everything related to it. With the CZ Shadow 2, a major step forward was taken with the newly shaped frame. It is a variation on the proven design of the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow, but modified at the decisive points so that the shooter's hand gets as close as possible to the bore axis. Mainly thanks to the frame, the empty weight of the pistol has increased to approx. 1.3 kg. Also worth mentioning is the newly shaped, roomy trigger guard without sharp edges, with a long textured front face, and only one cross slot on the standardized accessory rail at the front of the frame. With this, the Shadow 2 clearly declares its sport status.

Česká zbrojovka states that with the new frame it has managed to partially reduce recoil compared to the original Shadow, or rather the shooter perceives it as easier to control, and muzzle rise after the shot has also been reduced. After an initial test, I will limit myself to saying that the CZ Shadow 2 was very pleasant to shoot. I am very curious to hear the assessment of active IPSC shooters after a larger number of rounds.

At first glance, the slide differs from that of the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow. Česká zbrojovka fine-tuned its shape for a long time with the aim of achieving the fastest possible draw, racking and target acquisition. The slide in its final form, with differently shaped front and rear cocking serrations, offers all of this (I saw how swiftly a top IPSC competitor can handle the CZ Shadow 2), and on top of that it looks really good. In addition, its design matches nicely with the triangular hammer with a large lightening hole.

New for this category of CZ pistols is sport checkering in the form of texturing of the front and back straps of the grip with small pyramids. Česká zbrojovka has experience with similar treatment of grip surfaces from its Tactical Sports line. For the Shadow 2, after careful selection, it chose a finer pattern with an aggressiveness at the edge of what is acceptable for prolonged shooting without gloves. To more delicate hands it may already feel sharp, but thanks to it the grip is truly reliable even when sweating. Credit for this also goes to the modern flat aluminum grip panels, on the CZ Shadow 2 anodized blue and marked with a characteristic "handwritten" number two at the bottom – the same one found on the left side of the slide behind the laser-engraved CZ SHADOW marking. However, rubber grip panels are also available for shooters who prefer a wider grip and like the grip to fill their palm more.

The standard accessories include three 19-round magazines. It is good to know, however, that the Shadow 2 also works perfectly with magazines from SP-01 series or CZ 75/85 pistols with a slightly lower capacity. On the side of the grip, the prominently protruding large magazine catch button stands out. A Torx screw indicates that the button can be adjusted in various ways according to the shooter's physiognomy or preferences. This is certainly essential for fast reloading.

The CZ Shadow 2 is a variation of the proven CZ 75 trigger mechanism, but with such modifications that the result is a smoother pull, lower weight (8 to 15 N in SA mode) and a shorter trigger reset. I can confirm that all of this has a positive effect on both speed and accuracy of shooting. Incidentally, the solution used is so distinctive that Česká zbrojovka is considering patenting it.

As with the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow, recoil and hammer springs of various weights are available for the Shadow 2. In fact, if you have springs tuned for the original Shadow, you can use them in the CZ Shadow 2 with a similar result. The manufacturer's goal, however, is to deliver the pistol already tuned so that it achieves the best possible performance straight out of the box without further modifications.

Robots, Arcor and the configurator

In the case of accuracy, Česká zbrojovka had two interconnected things in mind: the accuracy of the pistol and the precision of manufacturing. In the first case, the accuracy potential of the new Shadow was increased by a slightly longer 125mm barrel and a 180mm sight radius. Then there are the new sights with an adjustable rear sight with a slanted serrated face and a fiber optic front sight. As for production, it can be briefly said that the CZ Shadow 2 is made using a completely different technology than the original Shadow. For this program, the Uherský Brod company uses highly modern robotic machining centers, which means a completely different level of series production without the traditional machining marks.

It hardly needs emphasizing that more precise manufacturing has a positive effect on the accuracy of the pistol. At the same time, it has significantly increased the service life of the main parts. This is helped by the Arcor surface finish, which Česká zbrojovka started using on its CZ P-07 and CZ P-09 polymer pistols. It is salt bath carbonitriding followed by oxidation. The surface created in this way has excellent corrosion resistance and increases the resistance of the treated parts to mechanical damage. Arcor also reduces friction and stress on parts and contributes to smoother operation and function of the whole pistol.

Customization of the CZ Shadow 2 will be made possible by the so-called configurator. It is a web application in which customers will be able to define the dream version of their pistol in the comfort of their home. They will be able to choose different variants of safeties, grip panels, hammers, triggers and hammer or recoil springs. With the original Shadow it was even possible to order an SA version this way. We will see what will appear in the offer for its successor.

Competition Ready

The CZ Shadow 2 enters the market with the slogan Competition Ready. This means that each pistol is tuned at the factory so that you can head to a match and win right after taking it out of the box. At the same time, it is an inside joke meaning that with this pistol Česká zbrojovka is once again ready to take on the competition. So far the competition has focused on fighting the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow, and I have the impression that the CZ Shadow 2 will be a very unpleasant surprise for it.

This time Uherský Brod did not limit itself to improving key details, but did not hesitate to significantly redesign the main parts and made full use of the possibilities opened up by the company's recent modernization of production equipment. As I see it, the mission was accomplished and the phenomenal CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow has been surpassed. Quite significantly. The CZ Shadow 2 has already undergone extensive testing by top IPSC shooters, who found that on the same stage they can cut their time by up to three seconds with the new pistol compared to the original Shadow!

I will not try to persuade you. Try it and see – but I am happy to bet that you will agree with me. And if there is something you do not like after all, be sure to let Česká zbrojovka know. They are clearly listening closely to customers now, and it shows in the new CZ models.