CZ-75 Kadet good choice?

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rbuck82

New member
Hello, all. This is my first post - hopefully the first of many.

While I am not new to guns, I have little experience with handguns, because I'm not yet 21. But that problem will soon be resolved, and that's why I'm starting to look at them.

I want to get started on the right foot, and I figure since everyone needs a good .22 for training/plinking and the ammo is so cheap (college student budget here), I'll start with that.

I like the look of the Walther P22. I held it and it is kind of small for my hand, but tolerable. It sure is a neat little gun, but I've read enough bad things about it to make me leery. What does everyone think? I would like to think Walther has been ironing out the problems with it, but when I asked the guys at the range, they said they didn't even know there were any.

Anyway, by some twist of fate, I stumbled on the CZ Kadet. I've found a handful of negative comments on it, and tons and tons of raves. The price is kind of high, but I'll spring for it if it's worth it. As far as size, weight and function, it's the same gun as the 9mm, which would be great for practice.

(Just a note, when I say CZ Kadet, I mean the dedicated one. If I had the money, I'd buy the 9mm and get the conversion kit. But, since I can't afford that, I want to stick to the .22 only version.)

I don't like the looks of the Rugers, Buckmarks or Neos. Although I'm sure they're great guns with great reputations, I think you have to like how your gun looks (even if it's a .22) if you're going to sink a good deal of money into it. I like the .22 models that look like regular autoloaders.

I'll definitely try out all the possibilities, but any guidance would be a big help in my decision. Am I on the right track? Is there another gun out there I should consider? Thanks for your input.
 
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Bandit

New member
I'll throw in my .02 worth on the subject. Although a bit more expensive than the Buckmarks and Ruger .22 pistols, the Kadet makes an excellent first choice for a first handgun. Not as accurate as the aforementioned 22's, but every bit as reliable if not more so. Add to the fact that the grip angle and feel of the Kadet will match the CZ75 9mm & .40 models, your progression to those will be painless both muscle memory wise and handling wise. I say go for it if you're dead set against a Ruger or Buckmark. I personally would go for the Ruger 22/45 or MkII for a .22 only pistol. Mainly for the accuracy benefit and cost.


Just my .02,

Rick
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Pilot

New member
If you have the money, get a CZ-75B in 9MM and the Kadet Kit. If not, the Kadet is and excellent choice in a .22 pistol. I just bought a Kadet Kit and love it.
 
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schild

New member
Get a CZ75 and then save for a Kadet conversion. It would probably be cheaper than buying a Kadet then trying to get a 9mm slide and barrel from CZUSA.
 
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Shmackey

New member
I agree--if you're not new to firearms, get the 75B and save for the Kadet adapter. Very flexible combination.

If you're sure you want a .22 to start (and there are lots of good reasons for this), the dedicated Kadet looks like a nice choice but you can spend less and still get a very accurate, reliable pistol (Ruger). Or you could spend about the same and get a target-grade machine (Baikal).

The Walther P22 is a neat little pistol but it's not as accurate as the ones above and reliability is definitely a question mark. Mine worked fine once I realized that it liked only hot ammo.
 
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rbuck82

New member
Now accepting donations.....

Hey, I appreciate the $0.02 everyone's put in, but if I'm going to buy the CZ75 and the Kadet conversion (which I would love to do), I'm going to need a lot more than that....say $200.

Anyone up for that? :D

Maybe I should get another job :confused:
 
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Alaskee

New member
Buy the CZ 75B (low to mid $300s) and then hint aroud to your relatives to pool their money and spring for the Kadet kit for you for Xmas (low $200s).
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
The Kadet .22 is simply a 9mm frame with a Kadet Adapter kit mounted on it. You can't tell a dedicated Kadet from a 9mm with the adapter kit mounted.

(A steel slide wouldn't work in a .22, if it functioned like a normal slide: not enough ooomph from the .22 round to blow the slide back. They have to use a different approach. With the Kadet, and small slide within the larger slide -- which doesn't move -- does the feeding and extracting.)

Somebody earlier mentioned that the Kadet isn't as accurate as the Buckmark and other .22s. I disagree. My Adapter Kit is so accurate that I traded away my Ruger Target Competition -- a long-barreled slabside for a nice .45... Its VERY accurate. A number of shooters on the CZ Forum note the same kind of performance from theirs, as well.
 
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railroader

New member
I would have to agree with schild. If you want to go the cz route I would get the 9mm then get the 22 conversion. If later you want to convert to 9mm I don't know if CZ would sell you just the 9mm slide and barrel conversion. By the the way I have a buckmark and a cz75b not the cadet. The cz has a good trigger but the buckmark has a really good trigger, super crisp. The buckmark should cost alot less than the cz cadet too. Mark
 
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caz223

New member
The dedicated Kadet (For $400) is not really a deal.
A CZ-75b+ Kadet kit (For less than $650) is a deal.
Basically, if you aren't getting a CZ-75 and a kit, get a ruger or buckmark.
 
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anand

New member
Hi,
glad that an another person is joining our ranks, both as a TFL member and as a soon to be handgunner. Welcome to TFL.

I understand that looks are just as important as function in a handgun. A CZ 75 is a beautiful piece of equipment. Personally I dont care for the regular .22s like the Ruger 22/45, the Browning Buckmark, or the Colt woodsman and such. I really like the conversion kits. I have owned a Kadet and a 1911 Caspian frame with a Ciener .22 conversion kit.

Both are very accurate. The logical thing to do would be to go the route that schild suggested.

If you can go ahead and get CZ 75 in 9mm and I guess you could
either save up enough money in a couple of months or ask your
parents for a christmas gift.
Anand
 
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rbuck82

New member
Kadet kit for compact 9mm?

Thanks for the responses. Lots of good advice.

Does anyone know if CZ makes a Kadet kit for the CZ-75 compact?

Just wondering.
 
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VictorLouis

New member
The Kadet upper is all steel, AFAIK. Perhaps, the outer, non-reciprocating mass around the barrel may be an alloy, but at least it matches the weight of the centerfire in all respects. The slide is skeletonized so that it is light enough for the blowback .22s to cycle it.

I agree with the poster who suggested buying the 9mm, then hinting for the kit as a Christmas gift.:)
 
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DougB

New member
My Kadet kit fits and works fine with both my 75B and my PCR Compact frames (of course, the magazines stick out a little from the bottom of the compact grip, but functioning is fine).

Doug
 
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4V50 Gary

Staff
Why a Kadet?

Training. Where else can you get a full sized pistol and shoot it in a DA/SA mode than in the CZ? All other pistols, with the exception of the Beretta M21 mouse gun is SA. Besides, it's accurate and darn fun too!
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
VictorLouis wrote:

The Kadet upper is all steel, AFAIK. Perhaps, the outer, non-reciprocating mass around the barrel may be an alloy, but at least it matches the weight of the centerfire in all respects. The slide is skeletonized so that it is light enough for the blowback .22s to cycle it.
Click to expand...
Not so.

The slide on the Kadet adapter doesn't move. A inset BOLT is all that moves (as it the case with most .22s). There's no skeletonizing done. The slide (which doesn't <grin>) is heavy -- which is why the weight/feel of the gun is the same.

I like mine. I can practice presentations / first shots from the holster all day long for a fraction of the cost of shooting 9mm or .40. Yet it has the same weight and the same trigger pull as my competition gun.
 
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VictorLouis

New member
Perhaps I didn't describe it as well as you did.:) The whole upper, which contains the barrel, remains fixed to the frame. The lower rear portion, which does resemble a small slide(rather than a bolt, as with a Ruger), is the moving part. Think about the Colt Ace, or Marvel 1911 conversion.
 
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