CZ Shadow2 vs SP01 – comparing modern CZechnology

Target is at 15 yards.
We recently got an SP01 to be the “beater” gun for my wife’s training. she shoots a shadow 2 for competition, but when we train, she’s very careful to not ding the shadow or to clean it meticulously… which has resulted in 2ish hours sunk every weekend in cleaning…. she wanted a gun that can help her keep training and prep for comps with S2… but without having to clean it and baby it, and of course to skip on paying the insane $1.5k for another Shadow2.
she decided on the sp01… what follows is our impressions after some range time. S2 has about 8,000 rounds through it over the past year. SP01 got about 500 rounds through it this weekend.
as you read this, please note : this is comparing the 2 guns ONLY. We are familiar with quite a few guns, and I can compare them to others…. but when you see me say something like “the sp01 is not as good in xyz category” – that is ONLY compared to the “double priced” shadow 2… NOT a glock or some other polymer or even hammer/steel pistol. almost any category, the sp01 will beat out a cheaper polymer gun, and go toe to toe with any hammer fired steel pistol. (obivously except weight. these are some heavy boyz).
this is intended to help if those that are considering between the two, and wondering what benefits does one get by upgrading to S2… vs what compromises does one have in going for the cheaper model (and how to adjust for that).
note 2 : most of SP01 differences will also apply to CZ 75B… if not slightly more compounded as it’s an even lighter gun. but trigger and accuracy and general feel will be similar. We went with SP01 because of the accessory rail & that as of this writing – we found we’d pay MORE for a 75B due to their rarity. SP01 was just cheaper and more readily available (even though its msrp is higher on sp01). just our local shop had a great sp01 in stock at a great price. if you can get a cz75b for msrp or cheaper…. and you don’t need the rail… get the cz75b…. but all things equal, sure get the sp01 .
note 3 : neither of these pistols are “best in class” for combat shooting in our view. I mean you CAN use them… and they’ll work great. but at their price point… they don’t give you any benefits in any firefight at 5-7yards. if anything, the weight will slow you down and they will be a pain to carry. they are EXCELLENT for quick target acquisition and driving nails in a tight group at 25yards (long range for a pistol). i’m sure some will disagree, but that’s our view… if you want something to hit a human sized target in vital organs at a quick pace @ 5-7 yards…. any decent polymer worth it’s price at $500 will shoot JUST AS GOOD… if not better due to less fatigue from carrying around a 3lb chunk of steel. that being said… the shadow 2, which we added weighted brass grips… is sitting at nearly 4.5lbs now with a fully loaded magazine. if you run out of ammo, and you bludgeon a bad guy with it… yeah. this thing could easily replace a baseball bat.
TLDR : if you just want a gun for training, or entering some casual competitions – get an SP01. it’s phenomenal, and to upgrade to a shadow2… while tangible benefits… you’ll pay 2x the price… for a 15-20% improvement. that being said, the sp01 is an excellent option to train on…. which DOES prep you for shooting a shadow 2. if you want to know more about the differences …. please keep reading –
  1. First Feel – handling
    1. They both feel VERY good. but when you take a closer look, both use a forged steel slide…. but the shadow 2 also uses a forged frame… and it shows. the SP01 has noticeably “spongier” and porous frame. the outside is great, but when you run your fingers on the inside of the frame, or dust cover… you can sense “this gun is a bit more dry and soaks up oil”. doesn’t change the behavior of the gun but, that forging…. results in tighter tolerances… less wobble… less “wiggle” when you shake it. neither rattles exactly…. and SP01 is still WAYYY tighter than something like a Glock 19… but it’s noticeably different than shadow2.
    2. when you look at the rails and the slide polish… the Shadow2 is ALMOST a mirror finish on the rails… glossy, polished… slip and slide rail that’s insanely tight… and when you rack the slide, it glides like it’s moving over marble or glass…. on the SP01, while still a SMOOTH rail… you have to forcefully rack it and as you rack it… your nerves in your hand can sense a slight grinding as the metal on metal moves across. also the slide metal noticeably has markings/paint.
      1. note on a benefit of the “slightly” looser tolerances of the sp01 – I sense it’ll be slightly more reliable to fire. you get any dirt or debris in the shadow, and it’s game over until you clear it. not so much with the sp01
    3. Weight – sp01 is lighter at 36oz ish…. where the shadow 2 is around 48oz (stock) that’s over half a pound. and when you hold them … just laying flat in your hand… the shadow is CLEARLY heavier. But….. when you present the gun to fire…. you immediately notice both FEEL identical. while the sp01 is lighter, it’s VERY heavy weighted in the front. that dust cover carries a lot of weight… and it keeps wanting to tip down. where the Shadow2 is perfectly balanced, with a lot of the weight sitting at the back top slide and grip frame. the end result is they actually feel identical in weight to shoot.
  2. Takedown and cleaning
    1. both take down and strip for the most part identical, however the sp01… having looser tolerances – out of the gate — tends to have more nooks and crannies that snag and you have to pry open harder. when we got our shadow2 brand new, the takedown was like butter… if you get the right ridges and angles lined up. the sp01… even you get the angles right… things snag and loose bits of metal have to be yanked, tugged, and banged to get them to loosen. this will fix itself with time as the metal becomes familiar…. but it’s something to note.
    2. also due to the sp01 having much more cast steel…. we found it dries quicker. you need to put more oil on it regularly.. where the shadow 2 can go quite a while without re-oiling it (though you’ll end up oiling that sucker like crazy out of sheer panic something might happen to your baby)
  3. Operation
    1. racking the slide – the SP01 is EASIER to rack the slide. At first, you’ll notice that the rails are not as smooth… the sp01 grips the rails harder and thus causes more tension and friction in the pull of the slide…HOWEVER… due to it being bigger (though still small compared to a glock).. there’s just WAY more surface area to grab. the s2, for my larger hands… is a NIGHTMARE to rack. I struggle a lot trying to get something to grab onto. that helps with recoil and operation… but just to grab that slide is always a chore for me where i’m forced to LOOK down at the slide and wiggle my fingers around to get a proper grip. Wifey finds It easier as her hands are smaller and she can get a better grip on that tiny pyramid angled slide…. but yeah, overall sp01 is easier to operate, even though the parts themselves move rougher.
    2. magazines – both have very similar mags. the sp01 uses a slightly larger mag capacity of 18+1.. s2 is 17+1…. with that the sp01 comes with a slightly larger base plate…. which is nice to grab and strip out if need. s2 on the other hand, comes with 3 mags … vs the 2 on an sp01. honestly the baseplate thing isn’t a big deal to us. we change out the baseplate anyway usually. but not everyone will.
    3. presenting the pistol – both have an insanely natural feel to them when you present and lock on target. the grip angle, and how you old it just feels great. there’s some pros and cons to the CZ platform angles… but between the two… they are very similar. the sp01 sits SLIGHTLY higher due to the slide being a bit more bulbous…. but it’s not something noticeable.
    4. sights – while both can let you change sights – and both come with great sights… the s2 sights are just extra nice and amazing. the sp01 uses a 3-dot trudot system, which cannot really be adjusted. they are decent, better than most firearms. but when you acquire targets with the s2 fiber optic front sights and blacked out back… it’s so much more clear and accurate. on the other hand, while the S2 sights are have another advantage of being adjustable for windage and elevation —- you’ll find that elevation can become loose. quite a few guns we’ve shot tend to loosen their elevation sight and need to be re-adjusted every 5k or so rounds. not a deal breaker, but it’s nice for a beater gun or any gun… to NOT have to adjust anything and just go bang when it needs to.
    5. Trigger
      1. Pull – this is generally identical. or very close. the s2 is a bit lighter, but both have very similar behavior in this
      2. wall break – this is significantly heavier on the sp01. both are VERY crisp against that wall. you FEEL the hard wall and there’s no give and it’s rock solid and tactile. your finger stops and you have to mount pressure up to break that wall. the s2 wall is INSANELY light at 3lbs… where the sp01 is around 5lbs in single action. both great. i’d say for competition targets… especially longer range, the lighter break on the s2 is superior. but that doesn’t change that the sp01 is amazing and gives you great training. plus the sp01 we’d recommend for any “safety” combat type situations… the stress of a super light trigger is just scary to me under a stressful situation.
      3. Reset – the sp01 has a MUCH more tactile reset “click”. the s2 has it… but it’s really so light you barely notice it. it’s tangible …. but you really need to feel it. the sp01, makes it’s presence known. that trigger makes it VERY clear … it’s ready to go bang again. you can even hear the click with range headgear on.
      4. note : the Shadow2 has an adjustable trigger (post travel only). if that matters.  personally, while this is nice… not important for us. but some may care.
      5. note2 : shadow2 also does not have the firing pin block, while the sp01 does.  this results in more complexity, and likely adding weight of the trigger… but also that excellent reset.  missing a firing pin block – can “theoretically” result in a failed drop misfire…. but that’s insanely unlikely.  for a race gun, that shouldn’t be a concern.  but if you wanted to use the shadow 2 for self defense … be aware of that. (again, unrealistic that it would happen, but be aware).
    6. slide action / recoil
      1. there’s no denying – both guns have almost no felt recoil . the design and angle and how the weight is distributed – both guns fire like you are shooting a 22LR round. That being said, the sp01 has SLIGHTLY more perceived recoil. there’s a bit more muzzle flip. there’s a few factors in this… but i’d say the main one is the design of the slide…. followed by the weight distributions. the design of all the 75 platforms allows for excellent skin to gun grip … so you control the recoil great, with a low bore axis. so none of that is different… the main different factors are that the s2 slide is WAY lower and tighter to the base of the frame, with the weight very evenly distributed… where the sp01 sits noticeably higher…. and has all the weight at the front… so when that bang comes… the weight flying back against the fulcrum of your hand, causes the muzzle to flip up more “wildly”. i’d say a whole 20% more recoil
        1. that being said – I want to remind that this is only vs each other. BOTH of these guns are lapping most guns in recoil control. and that when I say sp01 is more wild… that’s 20% more…. not a ton. maybe 10-15%…
        2. also i’d like to point out that the sp01 TEACHES you better grip and control. what you do with an sp01 can EASILY translate to s2 ….but shooting the s2 is like cheating and you learn nothing when going down to an sp01
    7. accuracy – both are accurate. you’ll likely get tighter groups with the s2… but that’s NOT cause of the barrel. it’s you. not the gun. the barrel on the sp01 is a bit rougher…. I am positive both are forged solid steel… but the sp01 barrel just feels more spongy…. porous… to the touch. on the outside. I imagine it’s gone through a more “factory” stamping process and less QA… where the s2 feels again… like glass smooth and solid. but none of this changes the bang and the targets getting holes where you point. honestly, either of these will outshoot any human being. the s2 is “supposedly” tighter grouped at 25 yards with like inch groups… where the sp01 is like 1.5inch… but serously… your hands will be the problem and shaking will cause bigger groups….
      1. if anything, the END result is the S2 is more accurate due to it being WAY easier to shoot with better trigger and recoil. but again, the s2 is the final product… you should be training and learning on something like a base 75b/sp01…. then using the s2 as a crutch or a “cheat code” in a competition. I found CONSISTENTLy that if I shoot the sp01… even one mag dump of 5-10 rounds… then pick up the s2… I shoot WAY better than had I shot the s2 first.
      2. you can see the groupings in the picture …. besides that my wife is WAYYYYY better a shot than me… you can see that the sp01 groupings end up slightly looser than the s2. again, this is not the gun’s fault. it’s got to do with my poor management … where the sp01 forces you to use good habits… where the s2 is just so much easier to be sloppy with and still land tight groups.
    8. mag release – just a note… the sp01 has a slightly deeper mag release. you have to reach in more to get to it. this is ideal as a duty pistol…. but the s2 is just easier to drop mags. I will say that this can be changed and switched out… it’ snot a huge difference, but it is something to note. the s2 uses an extended mag release out of the box.
  4. Reliability
    1. both are reliable. once you get to these level of firearms, and at these prices (ie, anything over $600 msrp) in an established brand…. you won’t have reliability issues. after 8k rounds, our s2 ejector is starting to get loose. but that’s pretty typical and things break down. guns wear down. these are reliable as any. they shoot anything we put through them. though I will say we have avoided steel case and aluminum case rounds. we tend to get “decent” ammo , and they all cycle great. I do think the sp01 should be able to shoot more cheap ammo… but with the s2… and how fancy it is… we couldn’t bring ourselves to feed it unhealthy ammo. I can’t see why not… jsut be aware that if you get an s2, even if it CAN feed any ammo… yoou likely will end up spoiling your baby and paying a premium for more expensive ammo. that goes for both reloading your own ammo with the quality of parts… or just buying off the shelf.
    2. but yeah TLDR – they both reliable. don’t worry about this with cz’s.
Final Thoughts :
We were thinking , a good comparison for these guns is a BMW 5 series vs an M5. why not 3 series? cause 3 series is an everyday car. you CAN compare a 3 series to a honda civic sedan. these guns are not everyday guns, in our view. many will disagree… but the weight of these guns…. their use-cases… they really are not well suited for every day carry. doesn’t mean people won’t or can’t. they are exceptional. but the priorities of a service member carrying something for an entire day…. is usually not whether they can shoot the dick off a fly at 50 yards. these guns are big, heavy, and very well suited for accuracy. If you have to pick one for EDC… then i’d say take the sp01. again, i’m sure many love these for edc. we just think something in polymer would be better suited for long haul carrying and daily use. but for competition/accuracy/training? yeah,… these are amazing.
Who is the SP01 for?
  1. those that are looking to train and not have to worry too much about the gun, and want something SIMILAR to the shadow 2…. without the price tag.
  2. those that want a solid competition gun, at a fair price and want to focus on accuracy.
  3. folks that like carrying a ton of weight around with them all day.
  4. if you want a defense gun that’s more accurate than it is light and easy to carry.
Who is the Shadow2 for?
  1. those that live in a giant mansion with open spaces, and need to shoot the wings off flies at 50 yards. (this gun is accurate AF)
  2. those that want the option to bludgeon bad guys when you run out of ammo. this gun easily can replace a baseball bat.
  3. those that want an EXCELLENT competition / race type gun.
We would NOT recommend the shadow2 as a defense gun. doesn’t mean it can’t do it. absolutely can. and great. just that you would be dumping a LOT of money into wasted features….that won’t help in defense/combat (like unnecessary weight management).
We wouldn’t recommend the sp01 either… but it’s def closer to a defense gun. I KNOW it’s used and advertised as one… we just feel this is still too heavy ideally. and for cheaper, you can get something that while not shooting AS great… is easier to handle and carry. we’d recommend the p10 or apx or even a glock over a steel gun for edc or even home defense.
while our use case is unique in that we could get both – we’d generally recommend to people – If you want to compete – you can’t go wrong with either of these… and we’d recommend the sp01 first…. and train on that. someday get yourself a shadow 2. but be aware the shadow 2 is like unlocking a cheat code. it’s not teaching you the best practices, and is like a crutch in it’s operation and ease of use. the 2x price… gets you 15-25% better “gun”…. it’s tangible and noticeable… but not “necessary”. then again… it sure is sweet. we plan on shooting the sp01 usually, and love it…. but we’ll be fantasizing about the shadow2 the whole time.
the shadow 2 is like that high maintenance crazy hot date you had that you can’t really see yourself dealing with on a daily basis… but is a solid 10/10 … but you know you’d end up bankrupt and going insane over. the sp01 is the 9/10 hot chick that also has a personality and you can see yourself spending the rest of your days with…….

CZ sp01

800
CZ sp01
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Pros

  • trigger
  • weight
  • accuracy
  • handling
  • price

Cons

  • weight
  • price
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