Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
When it was introduced some 8 years ago, the CZ Shadow 2 was immediately accepted. Those who compete, collect, carry for duty, and almost every other gun-lover in the marketplace loved it. And why not? The Shadow 2 is excellence incarnate in just about every measurable way. If there was one category in which this fine pistol was found wanting, it was that of the self-defense market – specifically concealed carry. Let’s face it, the Shadow 2 at just about 47 ounces is a heavy handgun. That is one of the specs that draws competitors to it. But it’s not so great for sliding into the waistband for a day out.
Enter the new CZ Shadow 2 Compact. For starters, it is way lighter than its full-sized sibling – tipping the scale at only 30 ounces. This is accomplished by whacking a full inch off the barrel and overall length of the gun – from a 4 ¾” barrel to 3 ¾”, and by making the frame from aluminum alloy instead of carbon steel.
In virtually every other way, the Shadow 2 Compact is identical to its big brother. Of course, that doesn’t mean much to you if you are not familiar with the original Shadow 2. Not to worry, that’s what this review is for! Let’s dive in.
Table of contents
The Legend Continues
For starters, the CZ Shadow 2 is built on the tried-and-true design and action of the legendary CZ-75. It was specifically built to be the successor to the CZ-75 SP-01 Shadow. The “inverted” slide-to-frame fit is one of the most recognized elements of a CZ handgun. Rather than the slide rails traveling over the frame rails, like most other semi-auto handguns – the CZ design has the slide rails traveling inside the frame rails. The result is a sleeker and generally lower slide-to-frame fit.
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Another CZ trademark element is the grip angle – or should I say angles, because in the case of the Shadow 2 family the angle of grip changes about 2/3 up from the bottom. This creates a visible “dog leg” shape to the backstrap that might look odd but feels great. The final touch there is the long upward curved beavertail.
The Shadow 2 is a hammer-fired, double-action/single-action handgun. The hammer has an exposed spur that is non-obtrusive and easy to manipulate by hand. This provides the user with some carry options. The pistol can be carried “cocked and locked” with the hammer back in full cock and the safety engaged, or it can be carried with the hammer down at full rest and safety off. The former mode gives the user a single-action trigger for every shot. The latter provides a double-action first shot with each subsequent shot being single-action. There is also a hammer ‘safety’ position, which is a partial (about ¼) cock position that allows the safety to be engaged and leaves the trigger in double-action mode. This is the ideal condition for carrying.
Shadow 2 Compact Specs and Numbers
The manual safety on the Shadow 2 Compact is ambidextrous, with the “fire” position downward in the most popular configuration (and therefore the most intuitive). A bright red dot on both sides is exposed when the safety is off. I try to just remember “red for ready”. The safety levers are frame-mounted and fairly flat to the frame. Swiping the safety on or off is not always easy, depending on your hand size and where your thumb hits it.
There is no tactile feedback or any audible click, so this is a motion where repetitive practice would be encouraged. The full-sized Shadow 2 came with an optional left-side safety lever with a nice-sized thumb shelf/rest, but of course, that would be a snagging consideration and likely a comfort issue on a carry gun. The safety gives you a dead trigger and blocks the hammer, but there is not a hammer-drop function.
And speaking of dropping the hammer, you’ll want to do that a lot with the Shadow 2 Compact! I was hoping to finish the specs before (spoiler alert) saying this – but this gun is not just a shooter… it’s a FUN shooter! Okay, sorry. Back to some tech talk.
A Smaller CZ Shadow
The Shadow 2 Compact stands 5.4 inches tall, which puts it near the upper limit of “concealable” for me and most folks, since this is the dimension that will cause printing inside your cover garment. Wearing it in a holster with some forward cant will greatly help. The gun is 7.5 inches long overall, with only about 2 ½ inches of that being “above the holster”. The width of the pistol is just under 1.4 inches at the widest point. It won’t disappear into your waist like a 1-inch wide micro nine does, but it is well within tolerances for most people. The gun comes with two 15-round magazines and is capable of accepting full-sized Shadow 2 magazines.
Oh, That Trigger!
I measured the trigger pull after my range work, allowing the moving parts on the new gun to wear in for a few hundred rounds. The double-action pull was 10 lbs. almost exactly and the single-action was 4 lbs., 3 oz. More important than the number on the scale is the feel of the trigger – which is buttery smooth in DA or SA with a crisp break and a nice short reset.
The aluminum alloy frame of the Compact is adorned with a beautiful set of aluminum grip panels with excellent texture. They have a soft blue hue and checkering that is both attractive and effective. The “Shadow 2” insignia is engraved into both panels, to make sure your range buddies know you’ve got the goods.
Atop the slide sits a set of top-quality sights. The rear sight is adjustable for elevation and windage. It’s a wedge design that would probably not offer a tactical slide-rack edge, but I love the fairly high rear plate with the blackout and serrated style. Out front, the sight is a red fiber optic tube sitting in a thin blade. It gathers light very effectively and provides a nice compromise between combat and target sight picture. Between those sights is a wide serrated track that helps prevent glare to the shooter’s eye.
Red Dot Ready?
The Shadow 2 Compact is optics-ready. Mostly. As comedian Jeff Foxworthy might say, it’s “fixin’ to be ready”. The slide is pre-cut, and the removal of two screws takes off the steel cover and exposes the mount. Adapter plates are not included with the gun, however. To obtain the adapter needed for your desired red-dot optic you can go to CZUSA.com and search by pistol (Shadow 2) and footprint (RMR or DPP). Supplies can be spotty as demand is high, but other good options are CZ-Parts and Cajun Gun Works. As of this writing, the plates for the Shadow 2 are priced at around $67 each.
The Internet search engine is your friend and you may find other good sources too. With the removal of the cover plate, the rear sight is also removed. This is not my favorite design, as it eliminates the ability to co-witness with iron sights or more importantly have them as a backup. However, some modern red dots do provide a rear notch or mark that can be used in conjunction with the front sight in a pinch. I can understand why it was done this way, as there isn’t much real estate to mount a fully adjustable sight behind the plate and keep things snag-free.
Shooting the CZ Shadow 2 Compact
A lot of my time is spent behind a camera or taking measurements with calipers or scales, but the real story unfolds when I get behind the trigger. As with any manually operated machine, when it comes to a handgun I want to know how reliably and efficiently it operates – does it do what is expected of it – and is the interface with the operator as good as it could be.
CZ Shadow 2 Ergonomics
Being very familiar with the full-sized Shadow 2, it was easy to realize that the Compact version feels the same and that all the controls are identical in location, size, and function. Great – no learning curve – at my age, every learning curve is a steep one! The one big difference of course to the full-sized pistol is the weight. Having about 1/3 less mass in the hands is quite noticeable.
The sight picture is identical to the larger pistol also, albeit shorter. Sight alignment needs to be a tad steadier with the shorter gun to produce the same size group. The ergonomics of the CZ Shadow 2 are among my favorites, and the Compact is once again identical except that it is a bit shorter of grip height. For me it is perfect, as my pinky finger falls just on top of the bottom flare of the front strap, giving me a nice comfortable locked grip.
More About the CZ Shadow 2 Trigger
The trigger is smooth as silk in both double or single action mode. This is greatly enhanced by the polished trigger shoe that offers very little friction. It could be my imagination, but I believe the smooth trigger shoe helps prevent gun movement during the pull by allowing the finger to slide slightly across its surface rather than pulling the muzzle down and to the left or right. The only complaint I can find is that in double-action it’s a millimeter or two further forward than I’d like. But folks with bigger paws won’t have that complaint, and the gun is fired in single action all the time anyway if you don’t manually lower the hammer.
What About Recoil?
Recoil with the Compact version of the Shadow 2 was not anything noteworthy – which means it is well managed. The low bore axis inherent in the CZ design along with the grip angle that cants the wrist forward, combined with excellent checkering on all grip surfaces keeps the gun well planted and the muzzle returns quickly to the target. After all, it’s the shorter and lighter version of one of the best competition pistols on the market.
But Is It Accurate?
One thing that made the Shadow 2 almost instantly famous… besides its weight and fantastic trigger… was its accuracy. Competitors may spend a lot of time talking about those previous aspects of handguns, and even wax poetic about grips and magwells, but if the bullets don’t go exactly where they are supposed to the gun is useless. The Shadow 2 Compact might have a short barrel, but that barrel is the same match-grade quality running in the same system. And it is indeed accurate.
I was convinced of this after spending a full morning banging small steel plates downrange, but to quantify the performance I set up paper targets at 20 yards and used a good quality pistol rest and four different loads of 9mm ammo. As always, I am the weak link in the chain, and each group had that one flyer that I’d like to take back – but aside from that the groups were tight and consistently placed on the target. It was encouraging to see that the Sig Sauer Elite Performance 124 gr. V-Crown ammo, which is a preferred carry load for me, did very well – in a close tie with the Fiocchi 124 gr. load. But the best overall group was delivered by Federal 115 gr. FMJ at 1.36”.
Final Thoughts On the CZ Shadow 2 Compact
Whether the CZ Shadow 2 Compact is the next best carry gun for you is a decision you’ll have to make based on your preferences and priorities for a concealed carry gun. The key factors that will challenge it are its size and weight against the plethora of micro-nines on the market that nearly defy physics. However, for those who don’t mind a wider, taller, and heavier pistol – or even prefer it, the Shadow 2 Compact is one of the best quality/best-performing handguns available.
Priced at $1,299 MSRP, it will also be up against the competition of the boutique and high-end products offered by other top makers. If you’re shopping in that market, the Shadow 2 Compact deserves to be on your shortlist.
If you want a competition pistol that can serve triple duty as home defense and concealed carry, this might be the top of the field. Accessories will certainly be available on the market, in fact, Blade-Tech already has an excellent OWB holster for it that is match-ready.
READ MORE: First Look: SIG Sauer P365 Fuse
Many people wanted a shorter, lighter version of the exceptional CZ Shadow 2 – and in every way, CZ has granted their wish.
Learn more about the CZ Shadow 2 Compact by visiting CZ.
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