REVIEWS
CZ SP-01
This all-steel, full-size 9mm proves itself plenty accurate and a delight to shoot as well.
|
|
| MAKER: | High Standard |
|---|---|
| ACTION: | Blowback Semiauto |
| CALIBER: | .22 LR |
| CAPACITY: | 10 + 1 |
| BARREL LENGTH: | 5.5 or 7.5 inches |
| OVERALL LENGTH: | 9.5 or 11.5 inches |
| WEIGHT: | 44 ounces |
| SIGHTS: | Adjustable target type |
| STOCKS: | Checkered Walnut |
| FINISH: | Stainless blue two -tone |
| PRICE: | $795-$845 |
CZ SP-01 SPECIFICATIONS
Back in April 2003 we reviewed the then-new CZ P-01, a compact take on the company's CZ 75. It featured an aluminum alloy frame, light rail and reconfigured (skinnier at the top) grip to address the problem of short-fingered shooters who may have problems reaching the 75's trigger in double-action mode.
Recently, CZ-USA has come out with an interesting variant on the P-01. The new SP-01 is an all-steel, full-size number with a 4.7-inch barrel. With an unloaded weight of 41 ounces (the weight with a fully loaded 10-round magazine and an Insight Tactical Illuminator attached is nearly 51 ounces), the SP-01 is obviously a service--not a concealed carry--auto. As the company literature says, "[T]he SP-01 was designed as a military and law-enforcement duty sidearm." In addition, the pistol has been used very successfully by CZ-sponsored shooters in IPSC matches.
One of the pleasures of shooting a 9mm as hefty as the SP-01 is controllability and a lack of recoil. True, it's a lot of gun for a 9mm--a fact that works for it if you're shooting and against it if you're carrying it concealed.
The SP-01 shares the attributes of the compact P-01--light rail, improved grip--with a feature of its own--namely, an extended beavertail.
The late Jeff Cooper had good things to say about the CZ 75 long before it became available in this country. One of the things he liked about it was that you could simply ignore the double-action feature and carry it cocked and locked. The SP-01 has ambidextrous "flip down" side safeties that are positive and accessible. And the magazine-release button is right where it ought to be--at the rear of the trigger guard, situated so that you can operate it without having to go through contortions.
