So on Thursday I picked up my new IPSC Canada CZ Shadow. This is a special version (Maple Leaf engraved grips) of the new 2012 Shadow that CZ has produced. This gun retails for nearly double that of the regular Shadow, but includes, aluminum grips, competition hammer, stainless guide rod, shock buffs, 3 different recoil springs, 3 different hammer springs, spare firing pin spring, original grips, 3 mags with aluminum bases over the plastic base, a fitted case, competition FO rear sight, and the big one for me, hand fitted slide, barrel and frame.
I will admit I was skeptical about the cost of the new gun, the Shadow is already a phenomenal gun, and I've got close to 200,000 through the 3 I have now. But upon inspection of the gun at the store (Reliable
Guns in Vancouver BC), I have to say I was shocked.
The grips,
nice,
rear sight,
gonna take some getting used to,
the trigger, yeah needed a 85 Combat trigger (which is what the guns will be shipping with in the future), plus it was a bit gritty, the hand fitted components?
wow, wow, wow. I've only ever seen this level of detail in custom 1911's. Now I know anyone out there with a custom 1911 is going to not believe this, but the fitting is as good as and better than most I've seen, and I worked for a custom 1911 builder years back. Sure for 3 times the price you will probably get a nice SV that's better done, but it won't be that much better, at least not to me.
Oh and did I mention the finish? not the typical paint job the Shadow gets, nor the bright polish blue the Tyc one got, this is a flawless matte blue (I think it's bluing, but to be honest I'm not sure), it's not paint, that I know. The interior is as nicely done as the exterior. They hand select the frames so they are all flawless, and the machining is just beautiful.
But the hand fitting, my god, when you take the slide off, it will not allow any twisting or misalignment, if you don't pull it straight and level, it won't budge. When assembled though, it's smooth, so smooth.
Was I shocked enough to think it was worth the $1500 price tag? Still not quite there. But then I took the gun to the range on Friday. 200 rounds in about 45 minutes, and wow, yeah, most accurate 9mm I own. I ended that session with 10 rounds rapid at 7yds on the 1 inch square of a Pistol-training.com target, .35 splits (so not rocking, but not taking my time either), even with the somewhat gritty trigger (yeah it's already smoother) and the biteyness of the trigger, I pulled off the following,
I am very happy with that. End result? yeah I do think this gun is worth it. I am now about 900 rounds into the 2000 round challenge and no issues at all. The initial 200 rounds won't be included in the challenge as I swapped out the trigger and lubed the gun in that area when I did the work. I prefer the older style 85 Combat trigger as it's not as curved and doesn't bite my finger like the Shadow one does. They are supposed to be switching to this trigger for all future Shadows (as told to me at the factory in June). I am totally in love with this gun.
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Originally Posted by tremiles
