The CZ-75 pistol is a 9-mm, semi-automatic handgun, which was designed by Josef and František Koucký and it became the standard service side-arm of police and army officers in the former Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. Introduced in 1975, it was produced by the State-run company Česká zbrojovka ('Czech Armory'), which is a private firm today. More than 1,100,000 CZ-75 pistols have been made ever since and it has been exported world-wide to many countries, with the models B, BD, and Compact being the main variants. The pistols produced in the late 1970s were 'short rail' models made of forged steel frame and lacked a half-cocked hammer position.
Technical Description/Characteristics
The CZ-75 has a short recoil operating mechanism, which fires with a locked breech. It is fitted with a linkless cam locking system, with the barrel and slide being locked together upon firing. Locking lugs are milled into the barrel; they mate with recesses in the roof of slide. The pistol trigger has a double-action and a single-action mode, with the manual safety switch being mounted on the frame. Thus, the CZ-75 can be carried with the hammer cocked, a chambered round, and the safety applied. The CZ 75 slide moves inside its frame rails rather than outside. This is similar to the SIG P210. The first models produced from 1975 to 1980 were fitted with a distinctively shorter, 115mm long slide rails. The frames on these first model or "short rail" pistols were forged steel.
The CZ-75 SP-01 Phantom model is made with a polymer frame. Therefore, it is 33% lighter than the earlier steel frame models. The Phantom version comes with accessory rail and a forged steel slide with a weight saving scalloped profile. Two Interchangeable grip rear strap inserts are included with the Phantom to accommodate users with different sized hands. The pistol is further outfitted with a decocking lever. Czech Army Paratroopers of the 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade are fully equipped with this pistol from January 2012.
Specifications
Type: semi-automatic, double-action/single action pistol
Weight: 1.12 kg
Caliber: 9-mm
Cartridge: 9x19-mm Parabellum (formerly 9x21-mm)
Mechanism: short-recoil, tilting barrel
Barrel Length: 120-mm
Effective Range: 50 m
Feeding System: detachable, staggered-column box magazine holding 14 rounds.
Sights: fore blade and rear square notch
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| Above, the CZ-75 original model made in the late 1970s. Its frame was made of steel. |
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| The CZ-75 B version. |