I picked up a CZ Shadow 2 the other day. Brand new, looked good. However, overall I'm disappointed with this purchase.
My disappointment started during the initially cleaning, before the first range trip. Upon disassembly I found that the grip screws were partially stripped. Upon further examination I found that the holes for the fancy aluminum grips did not line up nicely with the frame screws threads (or the frame, actually). These aluminum grips use a flat head (tapered seat) screws, which are not too tolerant of misaligned screw holes. When tightened, the tapered edges contact the side of the grip countersink, forcing the screw to one side. The result, when seated completely with misaligned screw holes, is damaged screw threads. I had no more flat-head grip screws, so for the first range trip I had to use a pair of plastic 75B grips. It is interesting that these plastic grips use pan head screws (flat seat), and the hole in the grip is slightly elongated to allow for slight errors in grip screw hole alignment. Maybe this isn't a new issue... unfortunately, you can't do the same for flat head screws.
I've attached links to a couple of pictures demonstrating this problem. The first shows the misalignment of the grip screw mounting holes; this picture also shows a mark on one side of the countersunk mounting hole of the grips, which is where the screw contacts the grip (and is force away from this point as the screw is tightened). I know it doesn't look like much, but it's enough to prevent proper seating of the flat-head screws and to damage their threads. Pan head screws with a flat seat in the grip would have been no problem, but flat head screws tend to self-align - and when they can't, screws can be damaged.
I've also linked to a picture of the screws. Sorry for the poor picture, but it's hard to take a good picture of a small screw with a cell phone. In any event, they won't go back in without excessive force and I don't want to damage anything. I'll wait for more screws.
Note, too, that the grips don't seem to fit the frame well. The picture below shows this with the 75B grips, but I can't guarantee the frame is different in the grip area from a 75B. However, the aluminum grips fit the same way, with gaps at the back bottom where they meet the frame:
My second disappointment came at the range. I'm no world champion, but I was testing this pistol at seven yards, and >2" was the best group I could get. For me, that's simply unacceptable; at this distance with a 1911 I'd get one ragged hole all day long. I didn't bother trying other distances after the poor showing at 7 yards. I tried both 147gr (Speer) and 115 gr (Federal) ammunition. I even moved to an end stall so I could lean against the wall for the steadiest possible hold. The picture below is the BEST group I could get (20 rounds, 7yrd, 147gr Speer):
It should be interesting to note that I took an older 75BD with me on that trip, and it shot noticeably better.
I also now realize the frame is polycoated. CZ's website clearly states that the entire pistol is nitride finished, not polycoat. I have heard that only the ones with blue grips are nitride finished, but the web site fails to provide that little tidbit. On the CZ Shadow 2 page (
http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-shadow-2/) they say:
"A hardy nitride finish coats the entire pistol, leaving it nearly impervious to corrosion."
So, all in all I'm a bit disappointed in this CZ. The fit of the grips, stripped grip screws, polycoat vs. nitride, and a poor showing at the range leave me wondering if CZ is really serious about this market. For $1300 retail ($1150 street), I expect more.
Beuford
