CZ’s New Bren Guns, P-09 Kadet Kit and the Return of the SP-01 Phantom

The new Bren 2 and updated Bren 1 carbines and pistols. (Photo: CZ-USA)

CZ-USA is working on a face-meltingly great new catalog for 2017 and they’re kicking things off by announcing the U.S. arrival of the Bren 2 for law enforcement and military use. The Bren 2 is an updated, short-barreled rifle (SBR) version of the already-popular 805 Bren A1/S1.

Developed for military use from the ground up the original 805 Bren was delivered into the hands of soldiers serving in Afghanistan five years ago. Based on feedback from users in the field CZ has been quick to adapt the core design with a few modifications to make the Bren 2 lighter and more compact with improved features all around.

For now the Bren 2 is limited to law enforcement and military sales but the fact that CZ-USA is working to get these guns Stateside will warm the hearts of CZ fans across the country. Bren 2 improvements include a shorter, lightened receiver, updated ergonomics including a shortened side-folding stock and more vertical pistol grip. The Bren 2 also has a non-reciprocating charging handle, improved ambidextrous controls and an updated gas system.

And CZ isn’t quite done with the original 805 Bren yet either. They will have new 805 pistols and rifles hitting the American commercial market next year in 300 AAC Blackout in both black and flat dark earth configurations.

The .22-caliber P-09 Kadet Kit, top, updated 21+1 P-09 Suppressor Ready 9mm, middle, and featherweight 18+1 SP-01 Phantom 9mm, bottom. (Photo: CZ-USA)

All-new for 2017 is the CZ P-09 Kadet Kit. The Kadet Kit is a .22 Long Rifle conversion kit for the full-size duty pistol that lets users shoot their gun in their preferred configuration on the cheap and all day long.

The original Kadet Kit was developed for the classic CZ-75 and to this day stands out as one of the best .22 conversion kits for handguns in widespread use. The Kadet Kit was built to military and police standards to lower the cost of training large numbers of shooters without compromising reliability or durability.

The new Kadet Kit elevates the P-09 to a new level of service pistol making it one of the more flexible, fully-featured and multi-purpose handguns on the market today. The fact that the P-09 is part of CZ’s economically-minded family of handguns just makes the new Kadet Kit even more appealing.

The P-09 Kadet Kit comes with a .22-caliber slide and barrel assembly with a height adjustable rear sight. The kit comes with two 10-round magazines and has an incredibly low MSRP of just $249.

For next year CZ is also announcing the return of the full-sized SP-01 Phantom. The SP-01 Phantom is a lightened, almost skeletal polymer-framed CZ-75-pattern pistol that’s been updated with a fiber-reinforced polymer that extends flexibility into even lower temp ranges. Unlike the newer P-07 and P-09 the SP-01 Phantom uses the standard CZ-75 trigger system. Many shooters prefer the original CZ trigger to the newer Omega system especially after a long break-in or with a little trigger work.

The SP-01 Phantom was a victim of its own success. CZ had to pull commercial sales of the pistol in order to fill a home-grown contract. The SP-01 Phantom was selected as the official sidearm of the Czech Army in 2012. Unloaded it weighs just two-thirds what the steel-framed version weighs and still delivers with a standard capacity of 18+1 rounds of 9mm Luger.

See Also: Suppressor Ready CZs, New Dan Wessons and the CZ-805 BREN rifle

Whether it’s for everyday carry, home defense or competition, the lighter SP-01 Phantom is more than welcome back. It has a suggested retail price of $636 which works out to a street price in the mid-$500 range. While not quite as inexpensive as the P-series guns it’s still as affordable as ever.

This is just a taste of what’s to come from CZ-USA in the coming weeks and months. They are working on new long guns including a big new spread of CZ 527 micro-action carbines, several new shotguns for hunting and sport and even more from their 1911 specialists at Dan Wesson. And that’s just the beginning, we can’t wait to tell you more.