New from CZ-USA: Suppressor-ready Models, New Handguns and Carbines
Edward Osborne 01.23.16
CZ-USA has been no slouch when it comes to bringing guns out of the Czech Republic. In past years we’ve seen a full catalog of handguns, shotguns, and rifles suitable to the full range of shooting sports and professional duties.
This year’s new products appear to be no exception to the norm, with a few foreshadowed evolutionary items and a new line tailored to the passions of the American market.
The new Suppressor Ready line of handguns covers almost every major model in the CZ catalog and provides a factory solution for silencer aficionados. CZ has picked an urban gray color scheme for all the new NFA-ready guns, and applied it to both polymer- and metal-framed handguns. The new series is immediately recognizable thanks to their coloration, but the real difference is in their extended, 1/2×28 threaded barrels and raised suppressor sights. These new options are available on the P-07 and P-09 polymer handguns and three models of the CZ 75 family—the P-01, CZ 75B, and CZ 75 SP-01.
As a Canadian shooter, the P-07 was particularly exciting. Not because us regular Canucks get access to cans, but for a different reason. There are very few compact handguns in the Great White North, because any barrel under four inches is prohibited. And when the entire country’s shooting community is outnumbered by the shooters in a Texas county, we have a hard time convincing manufacturers to make one-offs with extended barrels. But the suppressor-ready threaded barrel on the P-07 brings that compact carry gun to a Canadian-sized package.
CZ has also created a suppressor ready premium 1911 for 2016. The DW Discretion appears to be a hybrid competition and tactical sidearm. While some features like the ported slide, skeletonized hammer, and serrated trigger take their cue from the world of speed shooting competitions, the raised tritium sights with their “belt rackable” profile and the extended, threaded barrel hint strongly at a more combat-oriented design.
There can be no doubt regarding which camp the new CZ 75 Tactical Sport Orange falls into, though. The new handgun is like a hybrid between the original Tactical Sport and the Czechmate high-speed race gun. The Sport Orange borrows the checkered frame from the Czechmate, adds in its own vibrant grips, and even sports a race-gun style “gas pedal” built into the frame. You’ve still got the adjustable target sights from the standard sport, but now with a red fiber-optic front sight.
Another flashy firearm that made the rounds before Shot Show was CZ’s new 10mm offering from Dan Wesson. The Bruin is a dedicated 10mm platform with a massive six-inch barrel, tritium night sights, and a hybrid fiber-tritium front sight. CZ is marketing this as a true hunting handgun, built from the ground up to pump out 10mm rounds at full pressure. A gorgeous two-tone finish and a long slide reminiscent of a Desert Eagle make the Bruin something of a looker.
The other significant crowd pleaser at the CZ booth were the new Bren and Skorpion carbines. Last year CZ USA launched the semiauto versions of the Czech military firearms, which were sold in pistol format for 9.22r compliance. This year CZ has the US parts issue solved, and will be selling carbine versions of both the 9x19mm Skorpion and the 5.56x45mm Bren. I personally never understood the appeal of a 5.56 pistol with a 13-inch barrel, especially with the ATF’s “no shouldering” ruling in place. So the 16.5-inch Cz 805 Bren S1 Carbine gets the shooter much closer to feel of the original Czech assault rifle.
In true tactical fashion, CZ is also offering FDE versions of the Bren carbine and Skorpion pistol. A simple addition to the line, but a much-requested one.
The Skorpion carbines are a different matter entirely—there’s no one in the Czech Army shooting a 16.5-inch-barreled 9x19mm submachine gun. A new fore-end was created for the US market, with a narrowed grip area and M-LOK accessory mounts. There are two versions of the Skorpion carbine, one with a 9x19mm muzzle brake and the other with a faux suppressor that extends back inside the handguard. The barrels are threaded 1/2×28, so real suppressors and alternate muzzle devices are a simple installation. Interestingly CZ has designed the new handguard to shroud the barrel with a little extra space, so that it could be used on SBR and pistols with suppressors.
It certainly seems to be the year of the silencer at CZ, and I’m going to place my bet right here right now: next year, I hope we see CZ expand similar to how Sig Sauer has and start offering their own in-house suppression options. If I had to make further guesses? Last year saw the Czech military buying thousands of the new 806 Bren guns with their lightened receivers and non-reciprocating charging handles. If I was a betting man (and I go the Vegas every year, so I should be) I would put money on CZ-USA taking note of the new military advancements.
As a Canadian firearms owner, my brushes with freedom have been sadly limited. I love the outdoors, black rifles, and trying to figure out how our laws work up here. I try to blog, photograph, and video as much of that as I can. I have a soft spot for Israeli and Czech firearms, especially the civilian versions of their issued rifles. I've been in the firearms industry for a long time: my first job in High school was picking up hulls on a trap range, but currently I work with night vision.
