Machodoc
Old Guy
Back in the late '70s and early '80s, American shooters became aware that there was a handgun that was gaining unprecedented popularity among European military and police forces. The problem was, at that time, that the Czech-made CZ-75 couldn't be easily imported into the U.S. because Czechoslovakia was then under the sphere of the Soviet Union.
The model then being made was the original CZ-75 ... now usually referred to as a "pre-B" CZ-75.
Recognizing that there might be many potential markets for this handgun, Fratelli Tanfoglio of Italy sought, and received, a license to manufacture almost-exact copies of the Czech. handgun. The result was the TZ-75 ... the gun that I posted at the beginning of this thread. It was an all-steel pistol in 9mm (9x19), made to NATO specifications. The influence of the Browning Hi-Power on this design is unmistakable, but it's not a direct copy of the Hi-Power.
Unlike most previous semi-autos, the gun was designed with more than just the optimal angle of the grip in mind. It was designed to fit snugly into the average male's hand in a way that pointing the arm would bring the point of aim automatically very close to where the shooter would want it to be--even before a sight pattern could be acquired.
In addition to that, the gun provided the option of firing the first shot from either DA, or SA (in "cocked and locked" status). That was an unusual feature at the time.
The Italian copy differed from the Czech CZ in that it had a combo safety and decocker mounted on the slide, rather than on the frame. Other than that unusual feature, the guns were otherwise very close to being exact copies that almost all of the parts were interchangeable. Like its Czech cousin, the TZ-75 had a slide that mounted on rails inside the frame, rather than on the outside, believed to increase the accuracy of the firearm.
Tanfoglio's reputation for quality was such that they were sub-contracted by Israel to supply components for that nation's own CZ-75 pre-B copy, the Jericho, but Israeli law required the majority of the gun to be made and assembled in-country.
The initial U.S. importer for this handgun was “Firearms Import and Export” (F.I.E.). I'll have to refine my dates, here, but sometime around 1984 or 1985 F.I.E. began importing this pistol. Reports seem to indicate that there may have been some minor quality control issues with the metallurgy of the early models, but by late in 1986, those were sorted out and the guns were equal to the CZ-75s in all respects--including having excellent trigger pull. (The gun I have was made in 1987). By 1988, Tanfoglio modified the pistol to a Model 88, moving the safety back to the frame, changing the shape of the hammer spur, and some other small mods, but parts remained generally interchangeable with the pre-B CZ-75.
By 1990, F.I.E. was out of business. They were importers of many different pistols and shotguns--most of them cheap, and some cheaply made. Not many Americans gambled on the TZ-75 because it was an unknown, and even though it was reasonably priced, the rest of F.I.E.'s more conventional-looking pistols were cheaper. Based upon the other guns that F.I.E. sold, the early assumption was that the TZ-75 was probably of inferior quality. It absolutely was not!
For a time (perhaps 10 years?), a company called EXCAM continued to import different models of the guns that stemmed from the TZ-75, but they too eventually went out of business.
Enter a new company called European-American Arms (EAA) formed specifically to import the newer copies of the CZ-75 being produced at Tanfoglio. EAA continues to import a number of excellent handguns that are based upon the original CZ-75 design, and the EAA Witness has developed a strong following all its own. The company recently launched a series of pistols designed specifically for women--the Pavona. It, too, is based largely upon the original CZ-75.
It is because of it's interesting configuration, history relating to a Soviet-bloc design unavailable in the U.S. at the time (the CZ-75 was introduced to the U.S. by the TZ-75), and the role that it played in the ultimate development of the now very popular EAA Corp, that I think these guns deserve to be classified as curios.
[Throughout this account I incorrectly refer to the Czech gun as a "CZ" when it should be properly called a Vz. 75. Americans have simply adopted that designation, and CZ America doesn't try to fight about it anymore, so I won't either.]
The model then being made was the original CZ-75 ... now usually referred to as a "pre-B" CZ-75.
Recognizing that there might be many potential markets for this handgun, Fratelli Tanfoglio of Italy sought, and received, a license to manufacture almost-exact copies of the Czech. handgun. The result was the TZ-75 ... the gun that I posted at the beginning of this thread. It was an all-steel pistol in 9mm (9x19), made to NATO specifications. The influence of the Browning Hi-Power on this design is unmistakable, but it's not a direct copy of the Hi-Power.
Unlike most previous semi-autos, the gun was designed with more than just the optimal angle of the grip in mind. It was designed to fit snugly into the average male's hand in a way that pointing the arm would bring the point of aim automatically very close to where the shooter would want it to be--even before a sight pattern could be acquired.
In addition to that, the gun provided the option of firing the first shot from either DA, or SA (in "cocked and locked" status). That was an unusual feature at the time.
The Italian copy differed from the Czech CZ in that it had a combo safety and decocker mounted on the slide, rather than on the frame. Other than that unusual feature, the guns were otherwise very close to being exact copies that almost all of the parts were interchangeable. Like its Czech cousin, the TZ-75 had a slide that mounted on rails inside the frame, rather than on the outside, believed to increase the accuracy of the firearm.
Tanfoglio's reputation for quality was such that they were sub-contracted by Israel to supply components for that nation's own CZ-75 pre-B copy, the Jericho, but Israeli law required the majority of the gun to be made and assembled in-country.
The initial U.S. importer for this handgun was “Firearms Import and Export” (F.I.E.). I'll have to refine my dates, here, but sometime around 1984 or 1985 F.I.E. began importing this pistol. Reports seem to indicate that there may have been some minor quality control issues with the metallurgy of the early models, but by late in 1986, those were sorted out and the guns were equal to the CZ-75s in all respects--including having excellent trigger pull. (The gun I have was made in 1987). By 1988, Tanfoglio modified the pistol to a Model 88, moving the safety back to the frame, changing the shape of the hammer spur, and some other small mods, but parts remained generally interchangeable with the pre-B CZ-75.
By 1990, F.I.E. was out of business. They were importers of many different pistols and shotguns--most of them cheap, and some cheaply made. Not many Americans gambled on the TZ-75 because it was an unknown, and even though it was reasonably priced, the rest of F.I.E.'s more conventional-looking pistols were cheaper. Based upon the other guns that F.I.E. sold, the early assumption was that the TZ-75 was probably of inferior quality. It absolutely was not!
For a time (perhaps 10 years?), a company called EXCAM continued to import different models of the guns that stemmed from the TZ-75, but they too eventually went out of business.
Enter a new company called European-American Arms (EAA) formed specifically to import the newer copies of the CZ-75 being produced at Tanfoglio. EAA continues to import a number of excellent handguns that are based upon the original CZ-75 design, and the EAA Witness has developed a strong following all its own. The company recently launched a series of pistols designed specifically for women--the Pavona. It, too, is based largely upon the original CZ-75.
It is because of it's interesting configuration, history relating to a Soviet-bloc design unavailable in the U.S. at the time (the CZ-75 was introduced to the U.S. by the TZ-75), and the role that it played in the ultimate development of the now very popular EAA Corp, that I think these guns deserve to be classified as curios.
[Throughout this account I incorrectly refer to the Czech gun as a "CZ" when it should be properly called a Vz. 75. Americans have simply adopted that designation, and CZ America doesn't try to fight about it anymore, so I won't either.]
