CZ-USA Shadow 2 91257 9MM Luger

Virtually everyone in the Houston test group is — or was — a competitor in the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Production Division. Match officials utilize different divisions to place shooters in the group where they would be most likely to compete against others using similar gear. Production Division was — or at least used to be — created to allow the masses to shoot their carry or home defense Glocks, Smith & Wessons, SIGs, etc. When our readers recently asked us to take a look at the latest “Top Guns” in Production, we decided to check it out. The guns have changed dramatically in concept, design, and execution since we began shooting USPSA, and it’s worthwhile to see how we got here.

Part of the goal of the USPSA is to allow people to test their skills in a safe environment while competing against others who are using firearms with similar characteristics and capabilities. USPSA wants to make sure that people are not having to race their 1965 Plymouth Valiant against a modern Porsche. Back in our early days, if the shooter had a good single-stack 1911 in 45 ACP with an eight-round magazine, they were cutting edge. All of that changed with smaller, faster cartridges, compensators, and red dots. The guns that could compete got faster, heavier, and much more expensive.

One of USPSA’s earliest attempts to ensure members did not necessarily have to buy a $5000 pistol was to recognize a new category of pistols as Production Division. Wrapped around the new polymer-framed pistols becoming so popular for citizens and law enforcement alike, USPSA specifically limited what could be used to compete in that division to pistols ordinary folks would be much more likely to carry. Restrictions included a minimum caliber of 9mm along with a maximum size and weight. Magazine capacity was limited to 10 rounds in deference to those in more restrictive states. Magwells weren’t (and still aren’t) allowed, and holsters were restricted to those “suitable for everyday use.”  The result was a field day for Glock pistols and the Smith & Wesson M&P variants that followed.

Just as the military requires and rewards innovation in martial equipment, so does competition. Pistols initially qualifying for Production Division were light, easy to carry, and relatively inexpensive to purchase. Then things started to morph. As highly driven people are wont to do, competitors started pushing designs just as far as the rules would let them go. First, we changed sights and smoothed out triggers. Then barrels got a little longer — perhaps just increasing from 4.5 inches to 5 inches — but that still got a little more velocity from a lighter powder charge and lighter recoil. The extra length on the barrel also put more weight on the nose of the pistol, which decreased muzzle flip. None of this changed weight much. Specifications from Glock, for example, show the Glock 17 (one of the first models popular in USPSA) to weigh in at 24.9 ounces. The Glock 34, with the slightly longer barrel, actually removed some of the weight in the slide to remain close to the G17 at 25.9 ounces. We also have a Smith & Wesson M&P in hand that weighs 24.5 ounces empty, while our M&P 9L competition version hit the scales at 25.4 ounces.

Current theory seems to have changed. Once upon a time, light pistols that could be easily transitioned from target to target were thought to be best. After all, it takes more muscle to start and stop a swinging object. Today, the emphasis seems to be on recoil control, and our test pistols are testament to that in spades. The SIG in this test weighs in at more than 38 ounces, and the CZ tips the scales at more than 43 ounces.

In more detail, our first gun is the SIG Sauer P320 X5. But not just any X5. This is the Legion model. With a full-length bull barrel and metal grip frame, SIG has infused the polymer grips with tungsten to heavy up the X5 in their efforts to lower muzzle flip. They’ve also upgraded the sights and the trigger to make a great Production Division pistol straight out of the box.

Our second selection is the CZ Shadow 2, which may well be the SIG X5’s closest competitor in Production Division. As with its CZ75 progenitor, the Shadow 2’s slide runs on rails inside the frame instead of outside, as with most other pistols. It also runs a full-length slide and heavy dust cover to add recoil dampening weight out front. The big difference is in the trigger. The CZ Shadow uses a true double-action-to-single-action trigger that changes the way the pistol is used for competition or self-defense. 

But which one is the current top dog in USPSA and why? Let’s get into the intricacies of each one to find out.

CZ Shadow 2 91257 9mm Luger

$1114

Gun Tests grade: A [OUR PICK]

Designed for a sport that requires dependability, controllability, accuracy, and speed, we think CZ did a wonderful job with the Shadow 2 as a competition pistol or a great full-size pistol for home defense. While we awarded both pistols A grades, we slightly prefer the CZ Shadow 2.

Developed by Ceská zbrojovka (CZ, translated as “Czech armory”) in 1975, the CZ75 languished in obscurity behind the Iron Curtain for more than a decade. No less a visionary than Jeff Cooper described it as “the world’s best 9mm service pistol.” High praise indeed. Action Arms starting importing the pistol into the U.S. in 1993, with CZ-USA taking over those duties in 1998. From obscure beginnings some 50 years ago, the CZ Shadow and its variants are now some of the most respected pistols in USPSA handgun competition.

Operationally, the CZ’s internal rail system (with the slide rails riding inside the frame) dates back to the SIG P210. The double action/single action (DA/SA) trigger pull, whereby the first fired shot cocks the hammer and the trigger) first showed up in the Walther P38. Much of the look owes to the Browning Hi-Power. CZ now also owns Colt Manufacturing, which also knows a thing or two about pistol competition.

The CZ Shadow 2 uses a steel slide with a steel barrel mounted on a steel frame with aluminum grips, so it’s heavy. We weighed our sample at 43.4 ounces. If there is a polymer part on this pistol, we missed it. The 4.89-inch barrel and a full-length dust cover put the weight out on the muzzle to help with flip, and the slide sits down inside the frame, bringing the bore down close to the hand and reducing recoil yet again. The angles and curves of the grip frame are very ergonomic, capturing the hand and molding it to the pistol. Both front and back of the frame are nicely checkered — prominent, but not too sharp,  and do a great job adhering to the hand without creating too much abrasion. The magazine well has been nicely beveled. The ejection port has been nicely tear-dropped, and the Shadow uses a large extractor that is firmly tensioned and worked well.

Controls and sights are also well designed. The rear sight uses a flat-black serrated blade that we prefer. Adjustment for elevation is simple via the use of a flat-blade screwdriver. Windage is drift adjustable only, meaning that two set screws have to be loosened and then the sight can be tapped to one side or the other. The front sight is a red-fiber-optic tube set in a frame and base in a dovetail, then locked in with a roll pin. The CZ Shadow 2 Blue that we tested was not cut for optics, though a variant of the same pistol is and costs about $200 more. The slide release is left side only. The magazine catch is oversized, checkered, and reversible. It even adjusts for height (something we’ve not seen before) and was very easy to locate and activate.

The trigger and safety system on the Shadow 2 is no less innovative. The manual safety is ambidextrous, though it is small. Serrated tabs stick out from the low flats on the safety but only protrude about 0.11 inch versus 0.210 inch for the slide release. The Shadow’s safety was located farther forward than we were used to. When we compared it to a 1911, the safety on the Shadow was more than 0.5-inch farther away from the tang of the pistol and, therefore, our hand. Can you tell we had a little trouble activating it? All of which may be a moot point. 

The CZ Shadow 2 is designed as a true DA/SA pistol. USPSA rules state that the first shot for every pistol entered must be double action or safe action. They don’t say what the rest of the trigger pulls have to be. CZ decided on a system that produced a long, almost 9-pound trigger pull for the first round, then switches to single action and a very short and smooth 2.6-pound pull. The trigger is tapped and drilled for an overtravel adjustment, allowing the shooter to customize movement (to a certain extent) to his or her tastes. The first shot fired takes an extra measure of concentration, while remaining rounds are lighter and smoother than even the X5 Legion. Some folks can handle two different trigger strokes, and some can’t. The choice is yours. The safety may play a role in the decision and might not. The CZ Shadow can be carried with the hammer back and the safety on, also known as cocked and locked. In that case, you really want to make sure you can reach and activate the safety. It can also be carried with the hammer down on an empty chamber. The Israelis may do that, but we don’t recommend it. While the CZ Shadow 2 may be the best pistol on the Production Division circuit (recent results seem to suggest that), we’d want to make the safety easier to activate if we were going to choose the Shadow to also be our self-defense pistol.

Disassembly is a snap. Remember, first unload the pistol and check it 17 times. Remove the magazine and ease the slide to the rear about a quarter-inch until the two vertical lines at the rear of the frame (left side) line up. Push out the slide stop from the right side to the left. With our brand-new pistol, the slide stop was pretty stiff, and we had to tap it with a plastic mallet — gently. The whole top end can then be moved forward and off the rails. 

Our Team Said: We were surprised at how little we were affected by the DA/SA trigger. Shot placement was consistently good. We didn’t find that we were dumping the longer first shot. In fact, we found the times we clocked on the speed drills were very similar with both pistols, with the CZ only coming in 0.004 to 0.010 seconds behind the SIG. That said, we thought muzzle control and recoil management were slightly better with the CZ when we were shooting at speed. Also, the CZ Shadow was the more accurate of the two tested, averaging 1.63-inch groups at 15 yards.

We compared our test guns at American Shooting Centers (AMShootCenters.com) in west Houston. We tested using three different types of ammunition. We started off with Hornady 115-grain Critical Defense loads, Armscore 124-grain full metal jackets, as well as Fiocchi 147-grain Range Dynamics FMJs. For accuracy, we fired five-shot groups at 15 yards from a well-sandbagged Caldwell Pistolero Shooting Rest (MidwayUSA.com 517357, $28) assisted by a Mini DRC Fortune Cookie from Wiebad.com (MINIFC, $75). Velocities were obtained via the new Garmin Xero C1 Pro (Amazon, $600).

Process: Fire one shot from low ready at 3-by-5-inch label placed at 7 yards. Times in seconds are averages for ten repetitions. 

Process: Fire three shots from low ready at a 3-by-5-inch label placed at 7 yards. Times in seconds are averages for three repetitions.

Process: Fire five shots from low ready at a 3-by-5-inch label placed at 7 yards. Times in seconds are averages for three repetitions.

We use speed tests not to show how fast a firearm can be fired, but to use the same drill on multiple guns tested by the same person to look for differences in the handguns’ capabilities. These two were incredibly close. We used 115-grain SIG Sauer FMJ ammo for these drills.

Written and photographed by Joe Woolley, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT