CZ Yearbook 2019 /eng

38 | | 39 long last joined the regular portfolio and Česká zbrojovka certainly sings its praises – this gun is meant to “elevate your shooting experience and results to the very top.” So, let us see if these accolades are justified. The new model is based on the SHADOW 2, a gun that has been incredibly successful for CZ. Specif icially designed to appeal to IPSC shooters and others in the sport shooting world, it is quite hefty at 1.33 kg empty – all the better for recoil attenuation and rapid shooting. The biggest difference in the ORANGE model is the barrel bushing – a feature that drew the eyes of customers in 2016. To be frank, for lots of users it is quite insignificant as even the basic version of the CZ SHAD- OW 2 where the barrel bush- ing is a part of the slide shoots more accurately than they do themselves. However, master shooters hold the view that a good quality barrel bushing can help them achieve extra tenths of millimetres closer to their aim, which at certain competition levels can decide who wins. Moreover, there is the factor of a very slight but very welcome move of the gun’s centre of gravity forward. Gunsmithing adjustments, sophisticated controls Besides, t h e CZ S H A D - O W 2 ORANGE is also un- dergoing quite ex- t e n s i v e adjustments: the trigger and striking mechanism are tuned to achieve the smoothest trig- ger travel and the main parts are hand-f itted. Experienced shooters will appreciate the shortened reset – and that is saying something since CZ SHADOW 2 already features a short reset to begin with. Nat- urally, all tuned CZ pistols have a polished barrel. As standard, the CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE is equipped with an IPSC hammer with a large weight-reducing hole. The magazine release lever is fairly wide, adjustable and can be of course swapped to the other side of the frame, a feature ap- preciated by left-handed users. The lever, the flat grip panels whose design is slightly differ- ent to the basic CZ SHADOW 2, and the baseplate are made of a highly durable alumini- um alloy and are anodized to bright orange. This shade has given its name to the whole family of custom-grade CZ pis- tols and shall remain its distin- guishing mark. (Well done to CZ for sticking to their guns and resisting the efforts of some businesses to make or- ange grip panels a commonly available accessory.) The controls deserve a special mention: in the basic config- uration, the CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE is available with the left safety catch considerably larger. It makes controlling the gun easier and according to the experience of elite shoot- ers, it also helps provide a reli- able grip. The safety catch on the right side is a regular flat shape, nevertheless, the com- pany has also answered the customer demands and for the SHADOW 2 ORANGE, it offers a set of a flat left safety catch and a flat slide stop as an additional purchase. With the flat safety catches on both sides (which some users fa- vour), the height of the grip on the gun changes and the reg- ular wider slide stop may get in the way. Superb trigger travel We were able to test the CZ SHADOW 2 ORANGE pistols in both configurations in Sep- tember 2018 during another of the company’s internation- al meeting of journalists. We were shooting at a distance of 15 m at popper targets in vari- ous sizes and because many of us wished to have a go, there were relatively few rounds available for each shooter. Despite these limitations, the orange CZ SHADOW 2 mod- els were extremely well re- ceived. Those who knew what to home in on really enjoyed the trigger’s absolutely superb travel and minimal reset. In those circumstances, the ben- efits of the barrel bushing wer- en’t that evident; however, the slightly different balance of the gun is telling in itself. So which con- figuration to go for? Now that is a very good question which could possibly take several hundred pages to answer. To sum up: From what we have had the opportunity to see and test so far, it is appar- ent the CZ SHADOW 2 OR- ANGE pistols are an example of an insightful innovation of an already excellent gun. It is not a model for everybody, above all, it is ideally suited for highly experienced shooters who will be able to fully exploit its potential. The well-thought- out details are an additional bonus, although as has already been mentioned, at a certain level, these details can be a de- ciding factor. By the time you read these lines, the CZ S H A D OW 2 ORANGE wi l l have h a d i t s o f f i c i a l premiere w h i c h will have re- vea l ed i t s retail price. Regardless of the price though, it is a fore- gone con- c l u s i o n that these f i n e - l y - t uned s p e c i a l s will not stay on the shelves for long. For 2019, not more than 2000 models will be produced for the global market.