CZ Shadow 2 Carry Review: Stealthy, Concealable Pistol

In an era when striker-fired polymer-frame pistols are exceedingly popular, the CZ Shadow 2 Carry might seem like something of a dinosaur. It features a metal frame and double-action/single-action operation. Its decocker mechanism might befuddle a new shooter who has owned only striker-fired pistols. But spend a bit of time behind the trigger of this gun and you’ll understand why the CZ 75 family of pistols never really went out of style.

The new Shadow 2 Carry is the distillation of 50 years of design evolution, building on the foundation established by the CZ 75. If you’re not familiar with that background, you can read about it in the accompanying sidebar. Otherwise, let’s dive right into this standout new pistol.

While its double-action/single-action design seems out of sorts with popular modern carry gun design, it’s important to remember that the Shadow 2 Carry is based on one of the world’s best competition pistols—the Shadow 2, which has won scads of major matches—but with features that make it more suitable for everyday carry.

Let’s begin with the four-inch barrel. CZ is known for building guns that are extremely accurate, and that’s thanks in part to the precise cold-hammer-forging method that the company has perfected over decades. CZ even backs its barrels with a lifetime warranty guaranteeing function and accuracy.

Design and Construction

The steel slide is precision machined and, since it rides inside the frame rails, the bore axis is very low. The front and rear portions of the slide are serrated, but because of the slide’s configuration the serrations are relatively short compared to slab-sided guns like the 1911 or many polymer-frame pistols.

The front portion of the slide is angled, and the top of the receiver features serrations to cut glare. The front and rear sights feature green photoluminescent dots, and the rear sight sports a U-shaped notch. Both the front and rear sights are set in dovetails.

Of course, as with almost every modern carry gun the slide is cut for optics. In this case it’s the Shield RMSc footprint, and sights with that footprint mount directly to the slide without the need for plates. This means they sit low enough that most will co-witness with the iron sights. I mounted a Burris FastFire C on the test pistol, and there was no interference with the iron sight picture. So unless you have an optic with an extraordinarily high deck height, the sights will co-witness without issue.

The frame is perhaps my favorite part of this gun. It’s machined from forged 7075-T6 aluminum, and the design offers exceptional control. Team CZ’s Eric Grauffel, whose résumé includes nine IPSC world championships and more than 250 IPSC president medals, says the Shadow 2 Carry “feels so good in hand that you’ll want to go straight to the shooting range.”

Great Feel

That’s not hyperbole. CZ didn’t become the manufacturer of world-beating competition pistols without learning a few things about ergonomics, and it shows. The lower portion of the backstrap is rather upright, but about an inch below the beavertail it angles sharply forward. That lower portion is checkered, while the slanted upper part is smooth and rounded. This naturally locks the hand in place and provides a straight line from the top of the hand to the trigger, promoting proper trigger engagement and a smooth pull.

There’s aggressive beveling from the undercut trigger guard up the frame and over the trigger, which makes the gun rest comfortably in the hand. The rather high frame rails offer plenty of space for a thumbs-forward grip. Couple that with a prominent beavertail and checkered frontstrap, and your hand feels locked in place.

You might not notice subtle touches at first glance—like the relief on the lower portion of the frame where the finger enters the trigger guard—but it’s clear that this gun was engineered with input from top shooters.

The Shadow 2 Carry also has exceptional balance. Polymer-frame guns can feel top-heavy and settle well under recoil. The CZ practically becomes an extension of your hand while you pull the trigger. The frame also features a three-slot rail on the dust cover, and this adds just the right amount of muzzle weight to help keep the gun planted.

Grip and Controls

The black grip panels are made from Duralumin, an aluminum-copper alloy, and they offer a stylish checkering pattern. The grips fit close to the frame and provide plenty of purchase but do not bite into the hand like more aggressive grips can.

Controls include an ambidextrous decocker and a slide stop. The decocker features ears that allow for better control. It requires a full downward press, which produces an audible click, and then must be released to drop the hammer to the hammer’s safety notch.

The Shadow 2 Carry’s firing pin block prevents the firing pin from moving until the trigger is pulled. The hammer itself features a flat-top profile and is skeletonized.

The slide stop is large enough that it is easy to control and operate. There’s an oval reversible magazine release as well.

Weighing in on Accuracy

The aluminum frame makes the Shadow 2 Carry heavier than most polymer-frame pistols, but not by much. Unloaded weight is listed at 30.7 ounces. For comparison, CZ’s polymer-frame P-09 Nocturne C, which also has a four-inch barrel, weighs 26.1 ounces unloaded, and Springfield’s Echelon 4.0C weighs 24 ounces. The few extra ounces of weight are put to good use. This gun is one of the most comfortable 9mm pistols I’ve shot.

Accuracy was outstanding, and the Shadow 2 Carry is certainly in the running for the most accurate production 9mm carry gun I’ve ever fired. The first group of the day measured 1.4 inches, and almost half the groups were under two inches when firing single action from a rest at 25 yards.

Equally impressive was the consistency with which the CZ churned out good groups. With most loads, all their five-shot groups measured right around two inches.

The gun performed even better in various live-fire exercises. I shot 15 rounds at the center portion of a torso target offhand from seven yards in double-action mode, and the entire 15-shot group measured 2.65 inches wide, with several shots stacked together. Next I fired five head shots, and except for one instance of self-sabotage (poor trigger press), all the shots were clustered under 1.5 inches.

Learning Curve

For shooters who’ve cut their teeth on striker-fired guns with triggers that break at five or six pounds, there will be a bit of a learning curve switching to the Shadow 2 Carry, but its trigger is excellent for a DA/SA.

The company lists trigger pull weight at 10 pounds, two ounces in double action and three pounds, two ounces in single action. On my sample, the double action was slightly lighter than that, and the single action slightly heavier—nine pounds, two ounces and four pounds, three ounces, respectively.

After I put a couple hundred rounds through the gun, I re-weighed the trigger, and while the double-action weight remained almost identical, the single-action pull was three pounds, 10 ounces. What that tells me is the trigger on this gun will break in over time and, with enough bullets down the pipe, it might reach the advertised single-action pull weight.

One of the practical benefits of the CZ’s design is second-strike capability. Should you encounter a hard primer, the CZ’s hammer-fired design allows you to simply pull the trigger again for another go at that same primer. That’s not an option with most striker-fired guns.

Lamenting Poetic

I have often lamented the poor controls on most carry guns. Yes, there’s some value in downsizing controls, and preventing hang-ups during your draw stroke is the primary reason listed for this. But the Shadow 2 Carry is built to be run hard, and that means the controls are large enough that you can operate them easily.

The wide top portion of the slide stop measures almost a half-inch wide and nearly a quarter-inch across, making it infinitely useful as a slide release without extending so far that hang-ups might be an issue. The small angular cut on the front top portion of the slide stop further reduces the odds of it catching on clothing, more proof that CZ has indeed thought of everything.

I found that the decocker does require some effort to operate, but with a bit of practice I think even those owners who have diminished thumb strength will be able to master its manipulation.

There’s no question the Shadow 2 Carry is a shooter. But how does it measure up in its intended role as a carry gun?

Drawbacks?

Its primary drawbacks are weight, size and price. The CZ measures 1.55 inches wide and 5.25 inches tall from the base plate of the 15-round magazine to the top of the iron sights. Overall length is 7.5 inches, so this is a relatively large pistol, especially if you compare it to the many micro-compact 9mms out there today.

And at just a hair over 30 ounces it’s somewhat heavier than many polymer-frame guns with the same length barrels, but as I outlined earlier, not by a whole lot. However, the CZ’s extra weight makes it balance extremely well. The mass, low bore axis and ergonomics make this gun simply outstanding.

There’s also the consideration of cost. The CZ’s suggested retail price is $1,449, or about three times what you’ll shell out for an entry-level striker-fired 9mm.

Okay, so it’s on the large side and rather expensive. But, it’s like having a world-class competition pistol on your hip each day, an everyday carry semiauto that feels like a race gun. It’s not for everyone, but for those who don’t mind the added weight and relatively high cost, this is indeed a world-class carry pistol.

CZ Shadow 2 Carry Specs

• Type: DA/SA semiauto
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: 15; two mags supplied
• Barrel: 5-inch compensated fluted bull, bronze PVD finish
• OAL/Height/Width: 7.5/5.25/1.55 in.
• Weight: 30.5 oz.
• Construction: black nitride steel slide, aluminum frame
• Grips: Duralumin black checkered
• Trigger: DA/SA; DA pull, 9 lb., 2 oz.; SA pull, 4 lb., 4 oz. (measured, as received)
• Sights: U-notch metal photoluminescent rear, metal photoluminescent front; slide cut for optics on RMSc footprint
• MSRP: $1,449
• Manufacturer: CZ, czfirearms.com

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