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CZ 100

 

CZ100 Pistol - 1996

 

Technical Information

Manufacturer: Česká zbrojovka (CZ)
Model: 100	Total Weight with empty magazine: 649g
Country of Origin: Czech Republic	Barrel Length: 95,4mm (Muzzle end to Breech face)
Calibre: 9x19	Length of pistol: 177mm
Action: Semi-Auto (Double Action Only)	Width of pistol: 28mm
Magazine Capacity: 13	Height of pistol: 129.5mm

 

General Information

The CZ 100 was introduced in 1995 by Česká Zbrojovka (Uherský Brod, Czech Republic), 20 years after the original and most famous  CZ 75 pistol entered production in 1975. It was the first of CZs weapons to use synthetic materials in its frame and also has a sister model, the CZ 101, which has a smaller magazine capacity (7 rounds 9mm). The CZ 100 was reintroduced in 2000 under a new name as the CZ 100B. It is identical in most ways to the original CZ 100, except for adjustable sights, trigger and firing mechanism work, as wel as cleaner machining of the main slide and exterior steel.

The CZ 100 was the pistol with which CZ (Uhersky Brod) entered into the world of polymer handguns and is a recoil operated, locked breech firearm, that uses a modified Browning linkless barrel to slide lock, via the ejection port. This pistol is striker fired, with a DAO (double action only) trigger and automated firing pin block safety. This pistol has no manual safeties, and has a frame-mounted slide stop, adjustable 3-dot sights and is, like all other CZ guns, very reliable.

It has a double stack magazine capable of loading 13 rounds in the standard magazine. Standard CZ75 magazines fit perfectly into this pistol's frame, but does not feed reliably when shot from. The CZ 100 is a compact pistol with a polymer frame and comes with a gun-blued slide from the factory. My CZ 100 is one of the firearms in my collection that I purchased secondhand. This firearm is still in very good condition and has only minimal wear to the slide from being carried in a holster. The polymer frame has very minor marks to the grip portion, but does not have any other obvious flaws.

 

Ergonomics

The pistol is designed with a double stack magazine and is a nice compact size. The combination of the polymer frame and steel slide in the CZ 100, reduces weight significantly, enhancing the comfort of day-to-day carry either in a holster or inside a purse/pouch. I find the grip of the CZ 100 to be very comfortable, especially because of it's slim frame.

The CZ 100 has a number of important handgun features:

The grip angle is very similar to those used in the Browning high power and Beretta 92, but because of the small size and light frame of the CZ 100, I find that the recoil makes this an uncomfortable pistol to shoot. The protrusion on the slide, intended for easy one-handed cocking on this pistol, gets in the way of the sights when firing, distracting from the sight picture.

The magazine release button and slide release lever are both easy to reach on the CZ 100, but I find that the slide release lever is a very thin piece of metal and thus hurts my thumb when operated repeatedly on the shooring range. Since the pistol has a DAO (double action only) trigger, the trigger-pull is purposely designed to be very stiff. This makes the pistol very safe, but does not make this pistol a pleasure to shoot.

 

Reliability

CZ firearms are generally synonymous with extreme reliability and durability and the CZ 100 is no exception. When I first purchased this pistol from the dealer, it had some surface rust on the internals and it was difficult to disassemble as a result. After a thorough clean and liberal, repeated applications of Ballistol oil, the rust has been negated and the pistol has suffered no ill consequences as a result of prior neglect.

Because this pistol is in my collection, I have only done basic functionality tests with it and can thus not make any accurate observations regarding reliability. Thus far, with the limited amount of rounds that I have shot with this pistol, I have not had any double feeds or other reliability problems. The standard ammunition that I use in this pistol, is a 147gr CMJ (copper metal jacket) with 3,7gr of MS200 gunpowder, which my husband reloads for me.

 

Determining Year of Manufacture

As with all CZ pistols, the year of manufacture is stamped into the steel frame on the pistol. There is an indentation just to the side of the ejector, which is stamped with the last two numbers of the year in which the pistol was manufactured. In this case, it is "96", implying that my pistol was manufactured in 1996, making this pistol one of the first CZ 100's before the new version was released in 2000.

 

Accuracy

Targets coming soon...

 

Overall Impression

Overall I really like this pistol for the fact that it was CZ's first stab at a polymer framed pistol. The CZ 100 is very comfortable to carry even with a fully loaded magazine, but finding a suitable holster for it has been difficult and the options are limited. Although the CZ 100 is easy to carry if you find a good holster for it, shooting the pistol is not an overly pleasant experience. Because of the stiff DOA (double action only) trigger pull, the pistol is not overly accurate and I find that the pistol hurts my trigger finger with every shot - something that I have not yet been able to fully explain. The awkward slide release lever also detracts from my overall opinion of the pistol.

Spare parts for the CZ 100 are extremely difficult to obtain and if something breaks, I would most likely have to have it custom made by a gunsmith in order to repair my pistol. This is also one of the main reasons why I do not shoot this pistol very often. The fact that the pistol is fitted with a proprietry CZ rail is unfortunate, since any torches etc. that would normally fit a Weaver / Picatinny rail do not fit on it, thus any gear that I have for my other pistols are not compatible with my CZ 100.