Cost (Johnson's Sporting Goods, Adrian, Michigan): $507, tax incl., with a spare clip and a hard box, a couple of basic cleaning tools, manual.
Ammo: .22LR
Capacity: 10
Action: SA / DA
Sights: Adjustible
Safety: Manual safety, safety stop on the hammer
Frame: Steel
Weight: 16 oz. and change, empty
Length/barrel length: 8.1 / 4.7
Grips: Plastic (but not for long!)
Ammo used this report: CCI .22LR Standard Velocity, apprx. 985fps pistol, 1075fps rifle
Cost: $31.00 / box of 500 rounds
Now that we got that out of the way, here's the skinny:
Normally, I'd strip/clean/lube out of the box before logging in some range time, but I needed to move it before it started raining again (indoor range was being used for a tournament). The instruction manual is a little difficult to navigate, what with 4 languages and all. I've heard that take-down is not as complicated as the manual suggests, but we'll save that for another time. I crossed my fingers and went straight to the range, and ultimately fired this pistol right out of the box.
Loading the clips for a .22 is not as painful as, say, a .40-cal. or maybe even a 9 (unless your hands are as big a frying pan, and your fingers are like hot dogs). However, because the mag springs were new, it took a bit of concentration once I had about half of 'em in there. Unfortunately, I have as of this date been unable to find a universal mag loader to fit the .22 clip. I've got one for my Cougar 8040F, which is a must if you're all thumbs, but I digress......
Movin' right along....
I started out at 15 yards, and astonishingly enough, my first shot was on the lower edge of the 10-ring. The other 9 were well within the 9-ring, but my group averaged about an inch, inch-and-a half or so. So I took a smoke break, a few deep breaths, had a sip of water, and went back to the line. The next clip was a tighter group, just slightly lower and to the left, but well within the 8-ring. Smooth cycling, and the recoil was almost not there, good for those of you with weak or arthritic wrists.
I did not measure the amount of effort it took, but the trigger pull is extremely smooth on SA - I'd guesstimate not much more than 5lbs. Of course, this is only my second gun, and I've been into this for a couple months or so, so I may not know what the hell I'm talking about. DA of course took a little more work, but it wasn't too bad either.
Anyhow, I shot ten clips, 100 rounds total. Remarkable. There were absolutely no misfires, FTEs, or jams. Although my performance was pretty much what you'd expect for a newbie, there were no snowbirds at all, so I respectfully submit that the CZ 75 Kadet is without a doubt one of the most accurate, tightly-made, higher-quality target pistols on the market.
Being Mothers' Day today, I'm pretty much occupied with the ladies here, so when things quiet down later this evening, I'll take it apart and clean it it up. Both the wife and I have the day off tomorrow, and we'll pop back over there and I'll see what she can do with it. Although she has never fired a shot in her life, I honestly don't expect any problems, since I would highly recommend this pistol to any newcomer considering their first purchase. Indeed, because I didn't know any better when I first started out, I bought the Cougar, and the .40 S&W ammo is a bit hard to find, and expensive. The .22 is an excellent way to hone your skills, and you can burn through a box of 500 for about the same money it takes to fill up your gas tank.
