CZ75 HISTORY

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Probably the most rarely seen
version of the 9mm CZ75 is the
CZ75 Automatic, a selective fire
version of the standard pistol,
which can fire either in semiautomatic or in full automatic
mode with a cyclic rate of fire
about fifteen rounds per
second. The CZ75 Automatic
first appeared in 1992 and was
intended for special police and
military forces.
T
o help control the gun, a
spare magazine can be fitted
upside down into a special
attachment under the front of
the slide, where it then assists the user
as a front pistol grip. The CZ75
Automatic has been fitted with a longer
ported or compensated barrel as well as
with the standard length barrel.
Ceská Zbrojovka (CZ) has been a leader
in firearms manufacturing since its
creation in 1936, in Uherský Brod in the
then Czechoslovakia. CZ’s use of stateof-the-art technology combined with
European craftsmanship has gained
them worldwide recognition for their
accurate, durable, and dependable
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line of pistols, centrefire rifles, rimfire
rifles, shotguns and airguns.
The company first began by
manufacturing military firearms that were
used by the Czech Army, such as the
early CZ 52 and CZ 70 pistols and the
Vz.58 assault rifle in 7.62x39mm Russian
calibre. Today CZ equips many military
units in the world, including some US
Special Forces who use the .32 ACP
calibre VZ 61 Scorpion sub-machinegun.
Many police officers in the US who are
able to choose their own sidearm for off
duty use have chosen a CZ.
Main Image:
The six ports in
the barrel direct
the muzzle gasses
upwards, which
keeps the muzzle
rise under control
CZ75 HISTORY
In 1975 Ceská Zbrojovka, a.s., Uherský
Brod introduced its model CZ 75 pistol,
designed by engineer Frantisek Koucky.
This pistol has since built up a
worldwide distribution and following.
The CZ 75 was originally designed for
military use but, surprisingly enough,
initially not with the Czechoslovakian
armed forces. It built up a huge
reputation in the USA in the late
seventies and early eighties as a full size
combat pistol due to its high magazine
capacity and double / single action
trigger system. The pistol was designed
around the 9mm Parabellum (or 9x19
Luger) cartridge with a 16-round
magazine, which is normal today for
pistols of the type, but during the
seventies this amount of ammunition
capacity was
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considered exceptional.
This mammoth following in the
USA was all very well, but most
prospective owners in the US
could not lay their hands on one.
This was due to the fact that
Czechoslovakia was at that time
a Communist country and the
US had trade restrictions
against Communist bloc
states. Before the
Berlin Wall came
tumbling down,
getting a CZ 75 in
the USA was
almost impossible.
Small quantities of
the CZ 75 did make
it to the US via
Canada or with
members of the US Armed
Forces stationed abroad
returning home with examples,
which was
The original CZ 75 is a full size 9mm
service pistol, weighting two pounds
three ounces and is just over eight
inches long. With a 16-round magazine
and one in the chamber you have 17
rounds to go in either 9x19mm (9mm
Parabellum) or 9x21mm. Some
countries, such as Italy, do not allow the
civilian possession of the 9mm
Parabellum. In the 9x19 designation
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1: The CZ75
Automatic has a
cyclic rate of
fifteen rounds
per second.
a perfectly legal practice.
The difficulty of obtaining
the Czech pistol in the West
lead to the CZ 75 being
manufactured in several other
countries. Examples have been
produced in England, Italy and
Switzerland. With the end of the
Cold War at the start of the nineties
and the removal of trade barriers,
the CZ range of pistols was now fully
available in the USA.
2: The CZ75
Automatic with the
backup magazine
used as a pistol
grip
3: With the
magazine attached
to the frame the
muzzle can further
be kept under
control during full
automatic fire
During the first year of production the
factory at Uherský Brod manufactured
some 2000 pistols. The tally rose in
subsequent years to over 20,000 pistols,
but even that did not keep up with
demand. To help fill the large demand in
the West for the CZ 75 licensing rights
were sold to ITM of Solothurn,
Switzerland. I have shot one of the ITM
produced copies of the CZ 75 and can
personally attest to its high level of
manufacture, accuracy and reliability.
The Indian armed forces adopted the
CZ, so local production in India was also
set up.
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9mm is the diameter of the bullet and
19mm is the length of the cartridge
case. For these countries the 9x21, i.e.
with a 21mm long cartridge case, is
provided. The pistol is available in a
military matt hard coating, a commercial
blued steel or a satin chrome finish.
AUTOMATIC PISTOL
The 9mm CZ75 Automatic was designed
as a fully automatic pistol for highly
specialised police and military units. It
allows the user to conduct fire with the
double action – single action trigger
system in either semi-automatic or full
automatic mode.
The development of the Automatic Pistol
was a logical progression from the semiautomatic CZ75. The first noticeable
feature of this model is usually the long
barrel, which at 146mm long extends
beyond the end of the slide. The barrel
has six ports or openings in the
extended portion; three at 2 o’clock and
three at 10 o’clock. These direct the
expanding muzzle gasses upwards,
which has the effect of reducing the
muzzle climb.
The select fire version CZ75 Automatic is
a law enforcement / military version of
the CZ75 with a black enamel finish,
standard sights and black plastic grips.
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The selector on the left hand side of the
frame has three settings: Up for safe,
centre for semi-automatic fire and down
for full automatic fire.
This model also incorporates a rail on
the dust cover of the frame. Magazines
can slide onto the dust cover rail to
provide a forward pistol grip to steady
the weapon when used in full automatic
mode. Both standard length barrels and
extended ported barrels are
found on these full automatic
CZ75 variants.
4: Here you can
clearly see the
ports in the barrel
- the safety catch
is in the Safe
position.
5: This CZ75B has
the ring hammer
fitted to it - the
SIGHTS
The sights on the
CZ75 are fixed.
The rear sight can
be adjusted for windage by
moving it left or right in its
dovetail. The foresight is
not integral with the
slide, but is held in
place with a roll pin.
Both front and
rear sights can
have luminous
tritium vials
inserted into
them; one on
the front and two
dots on the rear.
These glow bright green in conditions of
low light or darkness, giving the user a
viable sight picture with which to deliver
accurate shots. These types of sights
are a ‘must’ on a pistol for law
enforcement, military or defensive use.
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backup magazine
slides onto a rail
on the dust cover
portion of the
frame
Below:
When you are not
shooting keep your
finger off the
trigger and on the
side of the frame.
CZ has
developed a
set of fixed
plain black
sights. As the
front sight is held
in place by a roll
pin and the rear
sight by a dovetail,
this makes changing
sights an easy task.
SLIDE
The slide has grooves on either side at
the rear to allow it to be retracted
rearwards. The slide houses the firing
pin and extractor assemblies. CZ75 has
a passive firing pin safety block. This
blocks the forward movement of the
firing pin until the trigger is pulled all the
way to the rear.
The original version of the CZ 75 relies
on an inertia firing pin like 70 series Colt
and earlier samples of the M1911 and
Browning High Power. If the pistol is
dropped hard enough onto the muzzle
the firing pin can overcome the inertia of
the firing pin spring and strike the primer
with enough force to
discharge the pistol. The
passive firing pin safety in the
CZ75 means that the pistol
cannot be dropped hard enough for the
firing pin to overcome the force of the
firing pin spring.
This being said, the vast majority of
firearm accidents are caused not by
mechanical failure but due to the
shooter failing to observe safe gun
handling rules like keeping the muzzle
pointed in a safe direction and keeping
the finger off the trigger until the sights
are on the target.
BARREL
The barrel is 146 mm long and has a six
groove rifling twist of one in 250 mm. CZ
use both protrusion and hammer forging
in the manufacture of their barrels. The
barrel and slide use the Browning short
recoil locking system where the locking
lugs on the barrel mate up with those on
the slide. During firing the barrel and
slide move back together as one for a
short distance until they unlock.
Unlike the M1911 that uses a swinging
link to unlock the barrel and slide, the
CZ75 uses a kidney shaped enclosed
lug under the chamber of the barrel. This
enclosed lug reciprocates on the slide
lock lever to lock and unlock the barrel
and slide during the firing cycle. There is
also no separate barrel bushing.
This improved locking system was first
developed by John Browning for his last
pistol design, the Browning High Power,
and was modified into its present form in
the Sig P210 and has been used in a
number of pistol designs over the
years. The design is
capable of handling the
pressures generated by the
9mm Parabellum cartridge.
One of the features of the CZ75 is
the way that the slide rails fit inside
the frame, as with the Sig P210 as
opposed to the outside of the
frame as found on the M1911 or
Browning High Power. The frame,
and a number of other small parts, are
made from steel castings using the lost
wax casting process.
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The grips are black plastic with
chequering moulded into them and a
palm swell to help fill the hand.
Aftermarket rubber and wood grips are
also available. The curved back strap
extends into a tang which positions the
hand so the hammer will not come into
contact with (or bite) the hand.
I find the grip of the CZ to be among the
most comfortable of any pistol. The front
strap and rear strap of the frame are
smooth, though grip could be improved
if chequering was applied to these metal
surfaces. A quick fix can be achieved
6: Stripped down for
cleaning - from the
top are the slide,
barrel, recoil
spring, slide lock
lever, frame and two
magazines
7: A more
conventional CZ75
SP01 pistol used by
competition shooting
ace Angus Hobdell
and tested by C&S in
our May 2006 issue
When the trigger is pulled while the
pistol is in the single action mode the
hammer will move back slightly before
the sear allows it to fall forward. This
small amount of rearward movement
is to ensure that the hammer will not
fall when the slide is slammed shut or
the hammer is struck. The original
spur hammer found on the CZ75 can
be replaced with a ring hammer, as
was found on the sample under test.
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The CZ75 can be carried in two
modes, either cocked and locked with
a round in the chamber or with the
hammer cocked and the safety catch
applied. The first round will be fired in
the single action mode. The other
mode is with a round in the chamber
with the hammer lowered. The first
round will be fired in the double action
mode.
The safety lever, which is up for Safe
and is swept downwards to fire the
pistol, is positioned under the right
hand thumb. Sweeping the safety
lever down reveals a red dot, which
acts as a Fire/Safe indicator. After you
chamber a round the user can
carefully lower the hammer by pulling
the trigger and lowering the hammer
under thumb pressure. Make sure the
pistol is pointing in a safe position
when you do this. The first shot can
now be fired in the double action
mode, and all the subsequent shots
will be fired in the single action mode.
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with the aid of some skate board tape.
The pistol has a minimum of sharp
edges that could snag a draw or cut up
hands during rapid manipulations of the
pistol.
The double action trigger pull tipped the
scale at 4.5 kg. and the single action
worked out at 2.1 kg on the pistol under
test. On several examples I have tested
the trigger pulls were smooth and
constant. The safety catch can be
applied when the pistol is in the single
action mode, but cannot be applied in
the double action mode.
allow the index finger of the support
hand to be position here in a twohanded grip. The trigger has a smooth
surface and is curved to assist the
double action firing stroke. The smooth
trigger also helps in the transition from
double action to single action firing
sequence.
FIELD STRIP
To strip the CZ75 for cleaning first
remove the magazine and lock open the
slide, ensuring that the pistol is
unloaded. Let the slide forward. Move
the slide rearwards until the scribed line
on the rear left of the slide matches up
with a corresponding scribed line on the
frame.
While holding the slide and frame in this
position push on the right side of the
slide lock lever, which protrudes from the
right hand side of the frame with your
finger or thumb. On a new pistol you
may need to use the base of the
magazine to tap and move it.
The trigger guard is large enough to
After removing the slide lock lever the
slide and barrel assembly can be
removed from the frame. The recoil
spring can be removed by slightly
compressing it and the barrel can be
lifted out. This is as far as you need to
go to clean the pistol. Do not attempt to
strip down any further as there are a lot
of small parts and springs which
interlock with each other, so leave any
further dismantling to a qualified
gunsmith.
allow firing with a
gloved hand.
The forward
vertical face
of the trigger
guard is
curved to
The standard CZ75
magazine is made from
steel and holds sixteen
rounds. There are witness
holes on the magazine to
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8: Even during
one-handed
automatic
fire the
muzzle should stay
level for a skilled
user
9: The extended
barrel has six
ports cut into it
which help control
muzzle climb during
automatic fire
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indicate ten rounds either loaded or
remaining. The magazine is easy to
load, including the last few rounds.
The base plate of the magazine can
easily be removed, allowing for
occasional cleaning of the inside of the
magazine, spring and follower.
Extended 20-round magazines are
available and are a must for a pistol
capable of full automatic fire.
10
Above:
The additional
downward
pressure when
using both hands
will keep the shots
on the target
continue firing with the
minimum of delay.
RANGE TESTING
The magazine release catch is
conventionally located on the left of the
frame, just behind the trigger guard.
When pressed the magazines drop free,
which will enable the user to perform a
speed reload with the support hand
while the empty or depleted magazine
falls clear of the pistol.
Shooting of the pistol was
conducted in the full
automatic mode using both a
two-handed and a one-handed
grip. With the ported barrel the
pistol was easy to control with one of
both hands. A burst of shot can be
easily kept on the target out to 20
metres. The automatic CZ75 displayed
good combat accuracy and was reliable
throughout with no malfunctions across
10: When the last
shot is fired the
slide locks open
and the backup
magazine can
be used to
reload the
pistol
11: Fire short
bursts to ensure
all the rounds are
kept on the target
dividing line between machine pistols
and compact sub-machineguns is hard
to visualise, the term sub-machinegun
usually refers to larger automatic firearm
designed to fire pistol rounds; examples
of which would be the Sterling SMG and
the Heckler and Koch MP5. The term
machine pistol refers to a modified semiautomatic pistol.
In a law enforcement or military context,
machine pistols are used by tactical
units such as SWAT teams or hostage
rescue teams or by special forces units,
which have to operate inside buildings
and other cramped spaces and need a
small high rate of fire firearm that has
the capability of being used with one
hand. Bodyguards from military, police
or government agencies sometimes
carry concealed machine pistols when
they are protecting high risk VIPs.
With 75 years of experience in the
design and manufacture of small arms
and sales in over seventy countries
worldwide, CZUB (Ceská Zbrojovka,
a.s., Uherský Brod) is regarded as one
of the small arms leaders of the world.
The initial thrust of production was
military small arms, and later was
expanded to include a complete line of
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sport shooting and hunting arms as well.
The original CZ75 has a flat spring,
which acts as a magazine brake and is
positioned to the rear of the magazine
well inside the pistol. This feature is to
stop the soldier from losing or damaging
the magazine on the battlefield. This
spring can be removed from the CZ75 to
allow the magazines to drop free so you
can perform a speed reload and
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all the ammunition types used.
A machine pistol is a self-loading pistol
capable of both semi-automatic and / or
only fully automatic fire and is
chambered for a pistol cartridge. The
term is a translation of
Maschinenpistole, the German name for
a hand held automatic firearm. While the
12: With the aid of
a firm grip the
muzzle climb can
be kept under
control during full
automatic fire
All CZUB arms share one thing, an
uncompromising commitment to quality;
both through advanced design, state of the
art manufacturing and old world
craftsmanship. Over seventy military, law
enforcement and public safety organisations
use CZ pistols alone, not to mention the
military weapons used by several armies
and Special Ops units worldwide.