First Look: ASG’s new CZ-75 SP-01 Shadow Blowback Action Pistol
Stepping up the Česká zbrojovka game Part 3 Part 2 Part 1
By Dennis Adler

The new ASG CZ-75 SP-01 will be available with a fitted Level 1 Strike Systems injection molded paddle holster. This combination is a great training aid for learning holster safety, pistol retention, and proper drawing techniques with triggerguard locking holsters.
The CZ-75 SP-01 is a robust pistol with a redistributed weight and balance different from the original CZ-75 model. The SP-01 design offers faster handling with its large ambidextrous thumb safeties, larger slide release and easier to activate left-side magazine release. The integrated 1913 Picatinny accessory rail changes the balance of the gun in the hand (this is more beneficial with the 9mm model for recoil) but still offers the same overall advantage of the well established CZ-75 design; a heavily buttressed triggerguard and large, hand-filling grips, shallow slide, well styled sights (improved with the red fiber optic front on the Shadow) and a low bore axis. The SP-01 Shadow .177 caliber BB model is ideal for defensive pistol skill development and pistol training right down to its 9mm sized drop free self-contained CO2 BB magazine. In comparison, the air pistol vs. the 9mm SP-01 semi-auto, comes in with one less round capacity (18 in 9mm, 17 in .177 caliber), both have metal frames, rubberized grips, a DA/SA trigger system, similarly designed sights, barrel lengths (the 9mm barrel is 4.6 inches, the .177 smoothbore barrel 4.25 inches) and so close in overall weight and dimensions that the air pistol works with the same holsters as the centerfire model.