CZ-83... what do you think of it?

S

Sparks1957

New member
Hi all,

Thinking about getting another .380 for the collection, and the CZ-83 has caught my attention.

I know it's not the most compact one out there, but I like it's looks, 12+1 capacity, and all-metal construction.

I know it's held in fairly high regard, but I would love to hear from some of you that own it.
 
Last edited:
L

LarryFlew

New member
While I'm a CZ fanatic the 83 is a bit heavy for a carry pc in that small of a caliber (32 or 380 with 32 being hard to find) they are a fun range gun. Little recoil due to that weight. Little costly to shoot compared to 9mm. Nice looking, nice feel nice addition to collection. Mine was in 32 BTW until someone offered me $600 for it and suddenly it became a CZ SP01.
 
M

Micropterus

New member
I have one and I like it. It's exceptionally well made, reliable and accurate. I have maybe 500 rounds through mine, mostly FMJ, but also Gold Dot JHP and Golden Sabre JHP. I have had no malfunctions.

The downside is that it is heavy, being all steel. It is big for a .380. The grip is every bit as big as the grip on my CZ75 Compact. It also has very snappy recoil, being a straight blowback design. There is also a pin in the trigger guard (#39 in CZ's schematic) that can get loose after some use and can fall out once you remove a grip panel, so you have to be careful not to lose it.

If you don't mind a big .380, go for it. There are better .380s for concealed carry. Mine is pretty much a range gun at this point. I rarely carry mine. I believe the .380's place is in a small pistol. I don't see much use for a .380 that is as big as a 9mm. And the CZ83 is as big, and thicker, than many 9mms. If I want to carry a .380 concealed, I always go to my Sig P238HD. It's smaller, and softer shooting.

So: good gun, well made, reliable, accurate, but big and heavy for caliber.

Here's mine:
022.jpg
 
P

PSP

New member
I've had several of these small CZs. I admit I really enjoyed the .32acp chambering because it was so soft shooting and it was quite accurate. In .380 and 9mm mak the CZ gave me hammer bite. My factory wood grips cracked almost immediately, (the grip really needs another screw I think). The trigger is nice, take down is fashioned after the Walther PPK and easy. The sight could and should be better. IMHO the Beretta 84 is a superior gun. If price is a question, nowadays I'd also compare to a Bersa Thunder Plus.
 
A

Aguila Blanca

Staff
I don't have a CZ-83 but I do have a surplus CZ-82 in 9x18 Makarov. It's a very sweet pistol to shoot. I would love to have an 83 to go with it.
 
L

labhound

New member
My CZ-83 is an excellent gun. Great fit for my hand, very accurate and so far 100% reliable. I'm not a big fan of small .380 or 9mm pocket guns so the CZ83 is as small as I care to own. The only problem I have had with it is the grip screws tend to get loose and if you tighten them too much the thin plastic grips crack. I replaced my grips and used blue loctite to keep the screws from coming loose.
 
I

IMightBeWrong

New member
It's an awesome pistol. I agree with Micro that it's not the best carry pistol around, but it sure is a nice gun for a collection. I wouldn't mind grabbing one sometime myself.
 
F

FALshootist

New member
Great gun but for substantially less money you can get a cz 82 in a slightly more powerful 9X18 that uses the same mags.
 
Z

zombieslayer

New member
You can't go wrong. They are great guns. I personally hold CZ's in pretty high regard in general. But this really is one of the best shooting .380 pistols out there.
 
W

Walt Sherrill

New member
The CZ-83 isn't really BIG for a .380 or 9x18 -- it's just that there are a few, relatively new guns in those calibers, which are quite small. A number of other .380, for example, are quite big.

None of those smaller guns are particularly pleasant to shoot. (Been there, done that.)

CZ doesn't import the 9x18 version of the CZ-83 any more, but you might find one, if you look around. The other option is to get a CZ-82, which is almost the the same gun, and shoot 9x18, which is generally cheaper (and hotter.)
 
W

Willie Sutton

Moderator
So similar to the CZ-82 that they really ought to be discussed together. Not small, not light, not powerful, but very high quality, good ergonomics, and naturally it has the same firing modes as the CZ-75, cocked and locked conditon 1 or manually lower hammer for DA use. I carry one with a second magazine as the pistol tucked along the side of the seat of the car, cheap enough to not worry about, DA hammer with lowered = safe to store chamber loaded, and with a spare mag there are 25 shots available. It's just a nice little pistol.

CZ-82 at about $225 in 9x18 Makarov is likely a better choice than the CZ-83 in .380 for quite a bit more but that's just my opinion.

As an aside, our local gunstore has a factory cutaway CZ-83 for sale if anyone wants an interesting collectable. Location is in Milwaukee.


Willie

.
 
S

Sparks1957

New member
Thanks for the feedback, all. I think I'm going to place an order for one. Will keep you posted.

The CZ-82 were appealing, but I really don't want another caliber to keep track of. Besides, I'll be reloading .380 soon and that will hold the cost down a bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top