Various recent threads have had me thinking about TDA pistols again; it's been perhaps six years since I've really spent much time on a DA/SA trigger. A little time on Glocks, then a lot of time on HK LEM. I did recently acquire a longslide USP 45 which is currently my most accurate pistol, a good reminder of what a long sight radius and a match DA/SA trigger is capable of. The ambidextrous HK decocker doesn't work for me though, it interferes with my hand. No big thing since that's strictly a target pistol at this time and it can be swapped out for a single lever if ever desired, but it rekindled the wish to have a more functional TDA setup in 9mm to practice with.
The P-07 thread helped make it happen. Those newer CZ models aren't an option here in California though, they aren't on the roster. In fact the only duty-sized CZ that's both on the roster and has a decocker is the CZ 75 bd. There's more choice in the compact models including the P-01 and the 75 D PCR but I wanted the longer barrel this time. So today I picked up a 75 bd, field stripped and wiped it down, and then took it straight to the range.
First impressions: It fits my hand nicely and balances well. At 35 oz it's five ounces lighter than the SP-01 (which isn't available here anyway) which is enough to dampen recoil without being excessively heavy. It's solidly built, the polycoat finish seems to be quite durable, and the factory plastic grips feel better than I expected, although eventually I'll replace them. The position of the decocker is ideal and it's easy to use without any shifting of the hand.
My only major complaint is the sights. Maybe these were considered fine in 1975, maybe they're still marginally OK for young eyes but they're not OK for me. The front sight is .125 wide and .125 high, it's tight in the rear notch, the white dots aren't very helpful, and I had trouble picking it up in the not exceptionally good light of the local pistol range. The sights will be the first thing to be replaced, and very soon; I really don't feel I can even get a true picture of accuracy with these things and certainly not at anything faster than a very deliberate pace.
It fed 100 rounds of 124 gr American Eagle and 115 gr Remington range fodder flawlessly. For the most part I did DA/SA pairs to get re-familiarized with the transition and to get solidly back in the decocking habit. Interestingly, often I was more accurate DA (knew there was a reason for all that recent revolver shooting). Most of the time 15 yard accuracy was acceptable, the 10-ring was quickly obliterated but there were scattered holes around it which I attribute at least sometimes to the sights; it took a conscious effort to tuck the stubby front sight all the way down in that little tiny notch and not shoot a little high. The trigger wasn't too bad for brand new and the DA pull was not especially heavy, there is still a little grittyness, a little softness in the SA pull, and a long takeup on both DA and SA. These triggers allegedly lighten and smooth out fairly quickly so I won't rush to judgement just yet. Once I've got a baseline then I'll decide about any further trigger tuning, a little pre-purchase research determined that anything from minor work to full race job is possible with parts from Cajun Gun Works and some bench time and patience.
The 10-round CA-legal magazines are a strange design, metal above with a polymer "foot" on the bottom not quite an inch, and stiff; I was barely able to get the tenth round in each of the two mags. Will load them tonight and let them sit for a day or two and see if they loosen up a bit.
So if California won't let us have the newest toys, then I'll just have to play with classics. Updates after I've got some more range time in, that's at least a week away.
Note that this is not intended to be a carry gun anytime soon and maybe not ever, it's just something to play with because it's interesting and fun.