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The CZ Shadow 2 Carry brings the heart of a match gun to an EDC-sized package. It retains the ergonomics and shootability that made the Shadow line a favorite, then trims the footprint to Glock-19 territory and adds a drop-safe, decocker-equipped SA/DA system that makes sense for concealed carry.
Table of contents
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What It Is and Who It’s For
Think Shadow feel in a lighter, shorter pistol built for real-world use. If you admired the original Shadow 2 for its trigger, grip contour, and return-to-target manners, this version gives you that same confidence in a carryable format. It is not a USPSA race gun. It is built for concealed carry, duty, and defensive practice by shooters who value metal frames and tuned ergonomics.
Size, Handling, and Ergonomics
Dimensionally, the Shadow 2 Carry sits in the compact sweet spot. Height, length, and grip circumference align closely with a Glock 19 profile, providing a full firing grip suitable for most hands. The forged aluminum frame keeps weight manageable while keeping that stable, planted feel on the shot. The undercut trigger guard and high beavertail let you ride high without slide bite.
CZ’s inside-the-frame slide rails remain. The slide rides lower within the frame, and although the top of the slide sits visually higher above the web of the hand than many striker pistols, it carries less reciprocating mass than a typical full-height slide. On the range that translated to fast, flat tracking and easy dot or front-sight recovery. Front and rear cocking serrations are sharp enough to matter without shredding hands.
The controls are well executed. The ambidextrous decocker is positive. The slide stop is shaped differently from earlier Shadows and is easy to use without nudging it by accident. The optics-ready cut keeps the rear sight in place so that you can mount any RMSc-compatible red dot directly to the slide. Depending on what dot you choose, you can still co-witness irons.
Sights, Ejection Port, and Optics Readiness
Steel luminescent front and rear sights ship on the gun. The rear has a ledge you can rack on. I also liked the ejection port geometry. With an optic mounted, the port shape threw far less oil and fouling onto the glass than some pistols that vent straight up. If you plan to run a dot, that small detail pays dividends during high-round-count practice.
Trigger System and Safety
This is a traditional double-action, single-action pistol with a decocker. The Carry adds a firing pin block, which brings true drop safety to the Shadow family. I misspoke in the video and stated that this is the first CZ that is drop safe when I meant that it was the first Shadow. In DA, you get a long, smooth pull for the first shot. After that, you run a concise SA with a short reset. The decocker drops the hammer to a safe intercept position for carry.
My sample measured heavier than 10 pounds in DA (Double Action) on a Lyman gauge (the gauge maxes out at 10lbs), yet felt smooth enough that I could keep the sights steady through the stroke. Single-action averaged just under five pounds across repeated pulls, commonly reading between 4.6 and 4.9 pounds. You can stage it if you want to, but it breaks cleanly enough that a straight press works best. It should be noted that the single-action trigger pull on my model is heavier than what CZ advertises in their specs.
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A quirk worth noting. On my pistol, the decocker would not actuate with the magazine removed. The gun still fired without a magazine in place, so this is not a mag disconnect. It simply means if you clear the pistol by removing the mag first, then racking the slide, you cannot decock with the mag out. That does not change safe clearing procedures. I just thought it was weird.
Accuracy and Reliability
This platform shoots. The inside-rail, hammer forged barrel, and tight slide-to-frame fit deliver accuracy that feels more like a tuned competition gun than a mass-market carry gun. With handloaded 147-grain ammo, I printed a ragged one-hole group from a rest with iron sights. Factory 115-grain ball from Herter’s ran fine. Federal Gold Dot and Nosler-branded HST defensive loads also grouped well. The pistol showed a clear preference for the 147s, but nothing shot poorly.
Across many mags, I experienced no feed or ejection failures. Early in testing, I had a single odd event from a rest where the hammer fell without a bang. I suspect the shooter input to the controls while on the rest, not a mechanical issue. Subsequent shooting has been clean. Ejection was strong and consistent, and the gun stayed flat through controlled pairs and five-shot strings.
Recoil and Shootability
At 30.7 ounces with an empty mag, the Shadow 2 Carry has real mass for a compact. That weight, the bore axis, and the lighter reciprocating slide combine to soak recoil, so you spend more time seeing sights and less time herding the gun back onto target. The SA reset is short, and I didn’t even notice it. Controlled cadence shooting at 7 to 15 yards felt natural. Pushing the pace to 20 to 25 yards on steel confirmed the practical accuracy you expect from a Shadow.
Build, Finish, and Kit
Fit and finish are excellent. The black anodized grips and black slide frame a clean, purposeful look. The forged aluminum frame shows no burrs or tool marks. It ships optics-ready, with luminescent steel sights, a full-length accessory rail, and two 15-round magazines with witness holes. The included nylon case is better than average. You also get a cleaning rod and manual.
Carry Use
This gun feels built for real carry. The DA first shot gives a margin of safety for appendix or duty-grade holsters when you train properly and is smooth enough not to be a guaranteed wasted shot. The decocker helps you get there without gymnastics. The frame rail lets you mount a compact WML, and there are lots of good options that would likely not extend past the muzzle. The grip texturing and contouring lock the gun in the hand, and the overall size of the Carry is going to let most people carry concealed without printing under a cover garment.
If you want a thin subcompact, this is not it. If you want a compact that carries like a service pistol and shoots like a match gun, this is the lane. I would carry it without hesitation.
Technical Specifications
- Caliber: 9×19
- Magazine capacity: 15
- Safety features: Safety notch on hammer, Decocker, Firing pin block
- Grips: Duralumin
- Frame material: Forged aluminum alloy
- Trigger reset: 0.2–0.3 in
- Trigger travel: SA 0.4 in, DA 0.6 in
- Trigger pull: SA 4.7 lb, DA 11.9 lb
- Trigger type: SA/DA
- Thread: No
- Sights: Luminescent
- Barrel length: 4 in
- Height: 5.4 in
- Width: 1.5 in
- Length: 7.5 in
- Weight (empty mag): 30.7 oz
Price and Value
Street prices look to settle near the thirteen-hundred mark. That pits the Shadow 2 Carry against high-end polymer compacts and many metal-frame DA/SA offerings, and even some of the newer 2011s. You pay more than an entry-level striker pistol, but you get a forged-frame gun with tuned ergonomics, OR capability, and true Shadow lineage. If you value how a gun shoots and handles more than chasing the lowest price, the price tracks the performance.
The Bottom Line
The Shadow 2 Carry takes proven CZ geometry and delivers it in a compact you can live with every day. It balances speed, control, and accuracy, then layers on the features that matter for defensive use: decocker, firing pin block, steel sights, and optics readiness. The trigger is heavier than the gamer Shadows in both feel and numbers, but it remains smooth, predictable, and effective. The pistol ran clean, shot flat, and made small groups with quality ammo. If your carry gun must shoot like your range gun, put this one on your shortlist.
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Having shot other CZ models, I believe this one is probably a great example of CZ’s manufacturing. Tight lock up of the slide and frame , your article states. Match grade construction, well, what happens when the pistol is carried for a while and some dust or dirt gets between the frame and slide. Possibly a malfunction occurs? If I have learned anything about semiautomatic pistols is you don’t carry a match grade pistol because of the tightness of construction and a possible malfunction! Why are Glocks so reliable and AK 47’s?They function right out of the dirt.Don’t get me wrong, I love the CZ’ pistols I have shot. Think about it.
I own a bunch of CZ’s including the Shadow 2 Carry. I like the pistol, but it is not in the same league as the Shadow 2 full size or the Shadow 2 Compact. Why? Well because of the de-cocker, which changes the trigger feel and pull weight dramatically. The Shadow 2 Carry is nothing more than a gussied up CZ P-01 pistol in a Shadow 2 frame. I also own a P-01 with the de-cocker. Same pistol, different frame style. Why did CZ make a pistol that kind of resembled a Shadow 2, but wasn’t one? Well because of all the keyboard commandos that claimed the Shadow 2 wasn’t drop safe without a firing pin lock. And we ALL know you simply MUST have a firing pin lock to be drop safe right? Wrong!! Truth is, CZ tested the Shadow 2’s and they ARE drop safe as long as you do not install an extended firing pin which CZ owners love to do when they change out to lighter main springs. Leave your firing pin alone and the pistol is drop safe…period!
Now I must admit that I am an older shooter, ex-military and 30+ year LEO. I have also served as a department firearms instructor training recruits and veteran officers. Weapon retention is ALL IMPORTANT! You never lose control of your sidearm….ever. If you can’t retain control of your firearm may be you shouldn’t be carrying one, or you should have it on a lanyard! For some reason this firing pin lock stuff has received a great deal of concern for no good reason. The only CZ’s I have seen that fired when dropped are those with extended firing pins. There is a reason why law enforcement agencies forbid officers from doing any modifications to their issued firearms. Now if a CZ or anyother pistol just randomly self-detonates that is another matter, but CZ’s and most other firearms do not do that. The simple solution here is DO NOT drop your firearm! If you do or are prone to dropping your sidearm consider carrying it with an empty chamber, or carry a big stick instead.
To the review itself, it was okay, but seemed very rushed to me. Things were hurried and sometimes said more than once, but the information got out. I must dis-agree with the reviewer when he said don’t clean the barrel. This is completely wrong and goes against all weapon maintenance procedures. Anytime a weapon is fired, it must be cleaned including the barrel. Does it need to be spotless? No, but it must be cleaned of all foreign matter from key areas including the barrel and of course re-lubricated so it is ready to go if needed. If you leave unburned powder in a barrel on a continuous basis it will eventually corrode the barrel. .22 rimfire firearms are notorious for this because it was long thought you could shoot them forever without cleaning them. A lot of .22 cal firearms ended up with badly corroded barrels for just that reason. Centerfire firearms will do the same thing if left uncleaned for long periods of time. If you care at all about your firearm that you no doubt spend hard earned money on buying, clean the darn thing or sell it to someone that will take care of it.
Rick H.
Nice review