CZ75B vs. BD vs. Omega

[JSGlock34]

So I've become interested in purchasing a classic-ish CZ75B pistol. This isn't going to replace my Glocks or Staccato for defense or competition purposes...I just have an interest in service pistols and the CZ series seems next on the list. The retro Cold War vibes speak to me; no need for an accessory rail to ruin the lines, so the Tactical or Shadow need not apply.

A local gun store has a NOS CZ75B - looks like 1996 manufacture - for about $700. That seems the going rate for a new manufacture CZ75B. I wasn't sure if there was something that makes a NOS gun from the 90s more or less desirable than something rolling off the production line today. The classic manual of arms has some appeal just in terms of learning the original gun and having the option to try it cocked and locked. The pistol itself looks terrific.

However, I noticed that Palmetto State Armory currently sells the CZ75B Omega for $549 (https://palmettostatearmory.com/cz-75b-omega-convertible-9mm-pistol-black-91136.html) - $150 less than the standard or decocker only BD model. I feel like I'm missing something here. The ability to convert between the classic safety and the decocker seems like a nice feature. Is there something negative about the Omega that merits the discount? I do understand there were some early issues with the design.

Welcome advice from the CZ75 cognoscenti here.

[Evil_Ed]

75B - standard DA/SA with safety and firing pin safety
75BD - standard DA/SA with decocker and firing pin safety
Omega - a total redesign of the lockwork; it's much, much, much easier for the end user to work on and adjust.

You can get a good trigger really fast with minimal fidgeting with an Omega system, but if you've got time/money/skill you can wring a better trigger out of the older sear cage setup.

It really depends on what you want to do with it, I guess...I'm not a gamer, so for me, the flexibility of an Omega system is really good. I've got a couple of DA/SA sear cage guns (CZ97s and a P01) and they're a royal pain to get into the guts of and reassemble...I've got a bunch of spare lifter springs around just in case.

[Clusterfrack]

Working on a CZ 75 isn’t that hard if you don’t disassemble the sear cage. I’d go for a SP01 or P01 non-Omega, and leave the new action to the excellent P-07.

[TicTacticalTimmy]

$550 was a good pre covid price, $700 for a used CZ75B seems nutty to me. I dont buy that a 25 year old gun is "new old stock". The CZ75 has typically been $75-100 below the price of the P01 or SP01 models. Also the Omega action was designed to be cheaper to produce than the traditional CZ75 action.

If your getting it because you like the platform or just want a fun though practical gun, I would say go for it. If you are interested in the CZ75 for historical reasons, a CZ75B will be closer to the actual service pistols than the Omega, and a pre-B will be even closer.

[JSGlock34]

Having widened my search, I'm now finding new CZ-75Bs for under $500. I'm really tempted.

https://dahlonegaarmory.com/product/cz-91102-cz-75-75-b-singledouble-9mm-luger-4.6-161-black-synthetic-grip-black

[JAD]

I always liked them in principle and wanted to add one for the same reasons. I managed to distract myself by deciding that it had to be an early Sphinx; it has saved me a lot of money so far.

eta: gosh darn it. I just -had- to check gunbroker.

[Screwball]

Standard SP01 for me… when I bought it, the Omegas were just rolling out. Forget what the original hesitation was with them, but could have just been “how they always were” mentality.

I’ve always preferred frame mounted safeties and slide mounted decockers (SIG, I sort of give a pass as it is so far forward on the frame). Think it just comes down to my hand size. Reason why my Berettas are always G models and I converted my 1006 to decock only. If I could get my Walther PP to decock only… I probably would.

CZs are one of those guns that people usually don’t recognize as good guns. I’ve loved mine, more so when I moved to Maine and didn’t have to worry about magazine limits. I do also think that the CZ Kadet kits are some of the better .22 conversions out… even though I just sold mine (rather have dedicated .22 hosts than a kit that I’d have to put a threaded barrel on).

But will agree… working on them can be a pain. I had the hammer swapped for a traditional spur hammer. I originally picked up an adjustable sear to make it easy, but it would allow the safety to go on with the hammer down. Had a gunsmith fit the original sear, and has been great.

https://i.imgur.com/NkwM5Q2.jpg

And of course… the Tac Block. [emoji41]

https://i.imgur.com/3WfEsIx.jpg

Picked that up more for the actual block, as I wanted to check it out. Blade is useless… but did get a holster made for the pistol with block.

[Clusterfrack]

Instructions for disassembly and reassembly of CZ-75 type guns
http://www.olegnikitin.com/news/complete-disassembly-assembly-of-cz-75-sp-01-shadow

[Oldherkpilot]

Cajun Gun Works has a number of tutorials on the CZs and offer a couple of tools to make the work easier.

[littlejerry]

Not sure how familiar you are, but there are two different beaver tails you'll see on 75 variants. The classic 75b usually has an older stubby one and newer frames have a longer swept one. To me the newer style always felt better and so I gravitated towards the SP01/P01. Ultimately I bought a 75b SAO as it had the newer frames but had nicer lines than the railed variants. I think the Omega guns use the newer frames style.

I eventually sold the SAO because it didn't serve any real purpose for me. Not a good carry gun, didn't fit into any competition division well. I'm occasionally tempted to get a P01 or 75B Omega though.

[awp_101]

Bump because either my google-fu or my comprehension is weak today. Or both.

I’m looking at a “used” 75B Omega a LGS has listed online. IIRC my P-07 came with a different lever (or levers?) to go from safety to decocker. The listing doesn’t say if it’s set up with a safety or decocker, nor does it say if the extra parts are in the case.

I haven’t found a parts breakdown saying if it converts like a P-07 and I haven’t found any vendors listing conversion kits for sale.

I’ll go look at the pistol soon™️ but if it should have conversion parts in the case and they aren’t there, are they available?

[Clusterfrack]

My strong preference would be for a BD.

Converting a CZ75 w/safety to a decocker… the short answer is no. Long answer is $$$ and a gunsmith.

The P-01 Omega has fans, but there are credible reports of issues, at least with early versions.

[JCN]

Bump because either my google-fu or my comprehension is weak today. Or both.

I’m looking at a “used” 75B Omega a LGS has listed online. IIRC my P-07 came with a different lever (or levers?) to go from safety to decocker. The listing doesn’t say if it’s set up with a safety or decocker, nor does it say if the extra parts are in the case.

I haven’t found a parts breakdown saying if it converts like a P-07 and I haven’t found any vendors listing conversion kits for sale.

I’ll go look at the pistol soon™️ but if it should have conversion parts in the case and they aren’t there, are they available?

I often buy CZ parts from Czech, shipping isn't more than $20 most of the time and the exchange rate is favorable right now.

https://www.cz-spare.parts/cz-75-b-omega?section=vs-AjaxFilterPart

Cajun and CZC have some limited parts available too.

[DrkBlue]

Recently tried several CZes at a rental range. Was thinking similar to the OP - classic 9mm that seems to shoot well. Worth having an example, especially as prices have dipped low.

I did not care for the DA Omega trigger whatsoever in comparison to P-01.

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[awp_101]

My strong preference would be for a BD.

Converting a CZ75 w/safety to a decocker… the short answer is no. Long answer is $$$ and a gunsmith.

The P-01 Omega has fans, but there are credible reports of issues, at least with early versions.

This is a factory 75B Omega so the fcg and conversion should be just like my P-07.

Thanks JCN, I’ll keep that option in mind. I didn’t see anything at Cajun and I didn’t think to check CZ Custom. I’ve been out of the CZ game for a bit so I didn’t even realize I wasn’t seeing them in my searches.

As much as I enjoy my B92s, it’s hard not to jump onto the CZ train full tilt. If I start messing with the P-01, etc I may be sunk.😁

[Clusterfrack]

This is a factory 75B Omega so the fcg and conversion should be just like my P-07.

Thanks JCN, I’ll keep that option in mind. I didn’t see anything at Cajun and I didn’t think to check CZ Custom. I’ve been out of the CZ game for a bit so I didn’t even realize I wasn’t seeing them in my searches.

As much as I enjoy my B92s, it’s hard not to jump onto the CZ train full tilt. If I start messing with the P-01, etc I may be sunk.[emoji16]

Here’s the 75 Omega equivalent to the CGW kit I use in my P-07s.
https://cajungunworks.com/product/75700-omega-kit/

[Clusterfrack]

Recently tried several CZes at a rental range. Was thinking similar to the OP - classic 9mm that seems to shoot well. Worth having an example, especially as prices have dipped low.

I did not care for the DA Omega trigger whatsoever in comparison to P-01.


The P-07 Omega trigger can be improved significantly by break-in and lubrication. A lighter hammer spring makes a huge difference, but that typically requires a CGW firing pin kit.


Good question. Short answer is if you're willing to spend an hour or two working the trigger, you probably don't need to send it to CGW. If you're in the market for a new P-07, buying it directly from them with the kit installed is a good way to go. If you want to carry a gun that you understand mechanically, then installing the kit yourself like I did is a good project.

NOTE: There are two potentially problematic issues with the P-07/09, but both are easily solvable.

1) The guns are not designed to be dryfired. "Unprotected" dryfire smashes the firing pin into the FP retaining roll pin, causing damage to the roll pin. Eventually, this can cause a malfunction where the FP does not move freely. I insert a half a foam earplug between the hammer and firing pin to protect the FP roll pin from peening. I also installed a CGW tempered steel roll pin (https:jjcajungunworks.com/product/61100-tempered-spring-steel-firing-pin-retaining-pin/) that resists damage.

2) As with other CZs there are reports of trigger return springs breaking. This appears to be much less of an issue in the P-07/09 than with the CZ-75 line, and my OEM trigger return spring has been fine so far (thousands of cycles). The obvious solution is to replace the trigger return spring with a CGW spring (https:/ /cajungunworks.com/product/rp-trsreduced-power-trigger-return-spring/), which I used in my Shadow 2's. These are very durable, and can last for over 50,000 cycles.

Now on to the break-in process:
I cleaned the gun, lubricated the action with Lucas grease and oil. Then I dryfired the gun in DA for a few hundred cycles. Think of this as a workout for your trigger fingers. I used compressed air to blow out the sear area, and re-lubricated with grease.

Next, focusing on rough spots in the single action pull, I worked the trigger repeatedly without dropping the hammer.

The result was dramatic. DA pull dropped from over 13# to 8#, the low end of the published spec for this gun. The SA pull smoothed out as well. Now if you aren't familiar with them, the OEM gun is hard to distinguish from the CGW ProGrade gun. The CGW P-07 has a crisper SA break, and a slightly shorter reset.

Am I glad I spent the time and money to install a ProGrade kit on one gun? Absolutely. The gun is amazing. And it was worth it to learn how the P-07 works and to gain confidence in the design. It's a remarkably simple and well-engineered system. I especially like the ability to tune the weight of the SA pull using the CGW increased weight sear springs ( "https :/ /cajungunworks.com/product/50020-p0709-increased-weight-sear-spring/"). Since I carry it, I chose the heaviest 0.020" spring to increase the SA pull to 4# in the ProGrade gun (stock weight is listed as 3.3 - 5.5lbs).

Happy to answer more questions.

[LotI]

I did not care for the DA Omega trigger whatsoever in comparison to P-01


I also dislike the feel of the omega vs. classic trigger. Omega has a non-linear trigger pull with significant weight at the end of the pull, stacking if you will. I only have one CZ Omega and many classics. The safety models really are easy to work on once you do it a couple times. Not 92/M9 easy but learnable.