Once upon a time there was a Czech pistol everyone seemed to have on their wish list but no one could buy. How times change for the better.

by Chick Blood

The handgun had been forbidden for import by the usual suspects. At taxpayer expense, they ponder in heavily secured conference rooms day after day to compose regulations affecting things about which they know little or nothing. In this particular case it was the CZ-75.

For the present, the usual suspects have turned their collective attention to other matters and their import ban has evaporated. Since then, numerous variants on the design have flowed freely in from Czechoslovakia and widely distributed by CZ-USA (cz-usa.com, 913/321-1811).

The newest star of the family wears “CZ-75 SP. 01 PHANTOM” on the left side of its slide.

Read more in our August 2011 issue. Back issues are available.

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