My CZ-75B Omega Review

Growing up, the CZ-75 has been one of my "fantasy" guns. I remember going to the gun shows, always trying out one and being constantly amazed by its ergonomics. The grip is not only "shaped", is it SCULPTED to fit one's hand with utmost comfort. It was as if each gun was made specifically just to fit my hand, which is of course preposterous, but speaks volumes of the guns ergonomics.

Its all-steel construction gives it a nice "feel" and heft also, it is a finely balanced or weighed gun. My brother got issued with the CZ-75B Omega version of the CZ-75, and I got to shoot about 50 rounds thru it at a shooting range.

'Trigger System'
The CZ-75B Omega is basically a typical CZ-75B, the only main difference meriting its "Omega" designation is the fact that the trigger system has been reworked by the factory to make smoother than the standard model. Externally it looks exactly the same as the standard model, and the only way to tell the difference is by the Omega symbol on the slide markings. The trigger is supposed to come as close as possible to a custom trigger job.

Note the Omega symbol on the slide

Like the standard CZ-75B, it has a Double Action / Single Action system where it is possible for you to manually lower the hammer for a Double Action (DA) first shot, with succeeding shots in Single Action. It has no decocker system, so you will need to hold the hammer while pressing the trigger to put the gun in DA mode.

I had serious misgivings about pulling the trigger on a loaded chamber, but to my surprise, the hammer did NOT offer a lot of resistance when you hold it back and pull the trigger. I think this is one of the main selling points of this gun and its revised trigger system, in that it makes it easier and safer to manually lower the hammer on a loaded chamber, to the point that I don't really think decockers are necessary if it is this easy to lower that hammer.

I feel this was obviously factored into the design of the trigger, and gives you a lot of confidence when lowering that hammer. 

'Trigger Pulls'
My brother was complaining about the heavy DA trigger pull, but to my surprise, I did not find it overly hard at all. I am no stranger to DA triggers, I have owned revolvers (Taurus 85CH) and DA semi-auto pistols (Taurus PT-111 and SIG-P250) in the past, and my impression is that the weight is just about right.

What I did notice, was the long trigger pull. In DA mode, the trigger is almost at the farthest reach of my trigger finger. The trigger pull is smooth and even throughout, definitely one of the better DA triggers I have handled so far, at least during dry firing.

In SA mode, the pull was again relatively light and smooth, but again the trigger travel was relatively long, which was a surprise to me as I expected a short travel for SA guns. There is a slack, which has a long travel, and the break also has a long travel, with a rubbery / spongy / bouncy feel to it.

'Single Action and Double Action First Shots'
I first shot a couple of rounds in SA mode at 10 meters, and the grouping was good. My biggest concern, though, was that the long slack, together with the bouncy trigger pull made it difficult for me to shoot the gun in quick succession. You have to patient to keep the gun steady as you are going to the long SA travel and wait for it to break. I did NOT like the SA very much. I shot relatively well with it, but only at a slow pace. I felt it was just too long to shoot quickly, especially the trigger break.

Shooting result in SA mode at 15 meters distance

I next shot the gun in DA mode about four times, manually lowering the hammer after every shot. The first DA shot went wide to the right. The next three shots went a couple of inches below the point of aim. In short, I was not shooting the gun very well in DA mode. It is smooth and even, but it was just too long for me to maintain and shoot accurately.

My overall impression about shooting the gun in DA or SA was not very positive, despite the smooth trigger pulls, I just found both them to have too long a travel. In comparison, I shot my brother's Glock 23 at about the same range, and I shot a lot better and faster, as shown below. Take note that the G23 had a FACTORY or Stock Trigger system, no modifications were done on it.

Glock 23 Shooting Result at 10 meters distance

'Other Shooting Notes'
Me and my brother shot 100 rounds of RELOADED Semi-Wad Cutter, Teflon-Coated 9mm rounds thru the gun, and the gun performed reliably through those rounds. No issues like misfires, stovepipes, double-feeding, failure of slide to open after the last round, etc. You could call it a reliably "boring" shoot in that no issues were found, which is a very good thing, showing that the gun is very reliable right out of the box.

In terms of accuracy, as long as the shooter does his job right, the gun shoots straight at the point of aim, at least at 10 meters. In all, the gun showed reliability and accuracy in our shooting session.

As for its grips' ergonomics, while it was great to hold, I did not really find any particular advantage with it when shooting the gun, which was a bit of a letdown. I was sort of hoping that it would somehow allow me better recoil or trigger control, but I did not notice anything to that effect when shooting it.

'Parting Shot'
I loved the way I am able to manually lower the hammer while pulling the trigger safely and easily due to the light resistance of the hammer in such situations, this is the best thing I will remember about using this gun. It is accurate and reliable even when using reloads, and the only issue I found with it is the long trigger travel and spongy trigger break both on DA and SA mode, of which I am able to shoot accurately, but not quickly.

To be fair, I have shot Glocks A LOT and almost exclusively during the last year or so, and have been used to its trigger. Compared to the CZ-75B Omega's trigger, Glocks have much shorter trigger travels, and have much crisper breaks, even when compared to the Omega's SA trigger pull.

Then again, I have read reports of people swearing by the Omega's trigger pull, so in the end, I guess it all boils down to one's personal preference. I guess I am now just a "Glock Guy", while I am sure there are others out there who would prefer the Omega's trigger over the Glocks'. To find out which one you are, it would be best if you could shoot both guns side-by-side and then decide for yourself.

At any rate, it is also possible for one to get used to the Omega's trigger by practicing and shooting with it for awhile, just as I have gotten used to my Glock's trigger. In my brother's case, since the gun was issued to him, he will have to try to adapt, and practice with the gun a lot.