I have to admit that when I first heard about the CZ Shadow 2 Compact, I didn’t get it. At all. I wondered why anyone would want a smaller competition pistol. After all, it is the compact version of the Shadow 2, which dominates USPSA competition in the Carry Optics (CO) and Production divisions. The idea of willingly opting for a shorter sight radius, a lighter frame and lower capacity was asinine.
Of course, I hadn’t considered the new Shadow 2 Compact as the high-performance defensive carry tool CZ markets it as. When I did, my initial reaction wasn’t positive at all. However, the more I thought about and discussed the viability of the Shadow 2 Compact in a defensive carry role, the more my curiosity grew. In fact, it grew so much that I broke one of my rules: wait a good while after a new gun hits the market, so the design and manufacturing flaws get worked out first. And so here we are.
Let’s take a look at the Shadow 2 Compact itself before getting into how it handles and my current opinion of its potential applications.
What the CZ Shadow 2 Compact Costs
As I write this in October 2023, the CZ Shadow 2 Compact is almost unobtanium. It is flying off the shelves, and retailers can’t keep it in stock. In my hunt for one, I subscribed to at least half a dozen in-stock notifications, and I received plenty of them. However, most of the time the Shadow 2 Compact had already sold out between the moment the notification hit my inbox and the moment I opened it and clicked the link. As one might expect, high demand and short supply are driving up prices. I’ve seen them as low as $1,300 and as high as $2,050, with a current average of about $1,800. That’s for a pistol with a speculated MSRP of $1,200, since CZ hasn’t published one yet.
What does one get for roughly $1,800? The package includes:
- A CZ-branded, hard-sided, foam-padded case,
- the manual,
- one warranty registration card,
- a cable lock,
- one nylon-bristled cleaning brush,
- a cleaning patch rod,
- three Torx wrenches for adjusting the sights or removing the optic plate cover,
- two 15-round magazines,
- and the gun itself.
Walking the CZ Shadow 2 Compact
The 30 oz pistol has an overall length of 7.5 in, an overall height of 5.4 in, and it measures 1.38 in at its widest point. That puts the Shadow 2 Compact in the Glock 19 size category, which is compact enough to carry and conceal effectively. It’s certainly hefty compared to a Glock 19 or a similar polymer-framed pistol. However, it’s about what one would expect from a metal-framed gun. It carries comfortably enough given a quality holster and a sturdy belt.
On the business end of the pistol we find the muzzle of the 4 in cold hammer forged barrel, chambered for 9mm.
Slide and Sights
Above the barrel we find the slide, which looks identical to the slide on the Shadow 2, albeit a little shorter. It has the signature rails on the inside of the slide that mate with the rails on the outside of the frame. That gives it the stereotypical CZ low-bore-axis look. The slide has deep front and rear serrations that help with slide manipulations. The top of the slide carries a high-visibility red fiber optic front sight and a height-adjustable, black, serrated notch rear sight. That is by far my favorite traditional iron sight configuration. The rear sight is dovetail mounted into the optic cover plate.
Sights for Carry
However, for defensive applications I still prefer high-visibility front sights that don’t rely on fiber optics. The fibers aren’t very durable and have a tendency to break off. Even though I really dig the rear sight as well, I find it better suited for competition and suboptimal for defense. This is because the rear sight doesn’t have a front ledge for one-handed slide manipulations. While one-handed manipulation is still possible using friction, friction methods are more difficult to execute correctly, which can be a problem in a high-stress situation.
The other issue I have with the rear sight is that it mounts to the optic cover plate rather than to the slide. So an owner who considers backup iron sights essential on an optic-equipped pistol, like me, has to source proper-height sights and an optic plate that accepts a rear sight as well as an optic. A couple of aftermarket plates solve this problem. They are among the most expensive plates available for the Shadow 2 optic-ready slides, though, and rarely in stock.
Behind the slide we find a notched hammer common to the other Shadow 2 series pistols. The hammer is skeletonized and features top serrations. Those provide adequate grip for the hammer manipulations this pistol’s manual of arms requires, which I’ll touch on in a bit more detail later in this review.
Frame and Trigger
Below the slide we have the compact frame, forged from 7075 aluminum alloy. The frame begins with a full-length dust cover with an accessory rail underneath. It will accept any of the latest whiz-bang laser or light gadgets one might want to add. The front of the trigger guard is flat and serrated, which those who place their support-hand index finger there will appreciate. Its opening is large enough to manipulate the trigger even while wearing thick gloves.
The double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger is, for the most part, fantastic and what one would expect from a Shadow 2. The curved trigger is hinged, and the face is smooth. Both the double-action and the single-action pulls are smooth. The double-action pull begins with about 1/4 in of pre-engagement travel before it starts to cock the hammer. Once engaged, it breaks at about 9 3/8 lb according to my trigger pull gauge. The reset is pretty short, just a hair less than 1/4 in by my estimate. It is also very audible and tactile. The single-action pull begins with about 1/4 in of pre-engagement travel before reaching the wall, which breaks at about 3 1/2 lb on the same gauge. There is a tiny bit of creep before the single-action break, but the movement is so smooth that it’s difficult to notice.
Trigger Reach and the Safety
The one thing some folks, like me, might take issue with is the trigger reach in double action. That trigger is pretty far out there. Manually cocking the hammer and using the manual safety mitigates this, since every pull then becomes the shorter, lighter single-action pull. However, that brings another problem: the ambidextrous manual safety. Its profile is very thin, which makes manipulating it with a thumb challenging, to say the least. That also assumes those with double-action reach problems can reach the safety with their thumb at all, which is not the case for me.
An extended safety can remedy the manipulation problem. It may not solve the reach problem, though. The route I’m going to take is to get the Shadow 2 Compact “cajunized.” That means installing the Shadow 2 Pro-Package from Cajun Gun Works, which shortens the reach and the reset and lightens both pulls. This approach has its own risks. One is making the single-action pull too light for defensive applications, since it is already pretty light to begin with.
Grip and Controls
The stock of the pistol has checkering on the front and rear, aggressive enough to keep one’s grip in place. On the sides of the stock, we have removable, silverish aluminum grip panels. The panels are thin and have some texture to them. They are also very aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion. That texture isn’t aggressive enough for my taste, but it is present nevertheless. The stock also includes a high-cut beavertail.
The magazine release button has a small extension, colored to match the grips and textured. It is easy enough to find and manipulate. It’s also reversible, although not fully ambidextrous. The magazine well, while not flared, has a very nice bevel that should help guide magazines into it.
Fit and finish on the CZ Shadow 2 Compact are fantastic, as are the ergonomics. In my opinion, it is a well-built, finely tuned and good-looking performance pistol.
Shooting the Shadow 2 Compact
As frequent readers might have guessed, the CZ Shadow 2 Compact went from the FFL to my workbench, where I mounted a 6.5 MOA Trijicon RMR Type 2, and then to the range. There I put several hundred rounds through it. The experience was in many ways what I expected, but in a few ways not what I expected at all.
For the sake of brevity, I’ll avoid comparing the Shadow 2 Compact to the Shadow 2 and save that for another post. That said, I expected to experience a Shadow 2 at the range. The heritage and lineage of the Shadow 2 are undeniably present. Even so, the Shadow 2 Compact has a different feel to it, and that’s what I didn’t expect.
As I said, the Shadow 2 heritage and lineage are present. This was evident in both reliability and performance. The Shadow 2 Compact will let you shoot as fast as you can, and it will send projectiles precisely where you point them. I know it sounds cliché, but as long as you do your part, the pistol will do the rest. It is arguably the best-performing pistol in this form factor that I’ve handled. I’ve got to get it out to the range for a side-by-side against the Staccato P. I think it will at the very least give the Staccato a run for its money.
Potential Applications
The Shadow 2 Compact for Defensive Carry
Let’s address the elephant in the room: defensive carry, which is what the marketing for the CZ Shadow 2 Compact specifically targets. Even though my tone toward defensive carry for this pistol has been skeptical, it is possible. It comes with several caveats.
Manual of Arms
Let’s start with the manual of arms. This pistol doesn’t have a firing pin block (FPB), which is one of the reasons it has such an amazing trigger. Some folks have taken the lack of an FPB to mean the Shadow 2 isn’t drop safe. However, that’s not entirely true. Plenty of guns without an FPB, such as 1911s, are carried for defensive purposes. Like those guns, the Shadow 2 Compact should only be carried in specific conditions with a round in the chamber. The first option is condition 1, cocked and locked, like a 1911: a round in the chamber, the hammer cocked and the manual safety engaged. While this works, don’t forget the manipulation and reach issues mentioned earlier.
Another option is to carry the Shadow 2 Compact with a round in the chamber, the hammer at half-cock and the manual safety disengaged. That is effectively how DA/SA guns are commonly carried. Assuming the double-action reach isn’t an issue, the manual of arms can still be a problem, particularly for shooters who aren’t intimately familiar or comfortable with manually decocking a hammer on a loaded chamber. Even those who are can find the process problematic under stress, such as a self-defense incident, or when tired, as one might be after a long day of training. It’s an advanced manual of arms that demands full awareness, attention and care to avoid a negligent discharge.
The Other Caveats
The other caveats come from the factory iron sights and the optics system. It’s going to take some time and money to configure the pistol with sights better suited for defensive carry, or with a durable optic and suitable backup sights.
I expect some readers will disagree with the caveats. I also expect some to disagree with the idea of using the Shadow 2 Compact for defensive applications at all. That’s fine. It’s up to each individual to figure out what pistol they will carry and how to configure it. At this point, I think it’s a real possibility, and I’m eager to work through these caveats myself. Assuming I can, I just might end up carrying it.
The Shadow 2 Compact in IDPA Carry Optics
Another potential application for the CZ Shadow 2 Compact is IDPA competition in the Carry Optics (CO) division. I hadn’t considered it at first, because I associate the Shadow 2 pistols with USPSA. They are too heavy to meet IDPA’s equipment requirements. However, according to the 2023 Equipment Division Appendix of the IDPA Match Rules, the Shadow 2 Compact should make weight. I’m not suggesting it will be the new hotness in IDPA CO, especially since the latest rules changes allow 2011 pistols into the same division. Still, I’m optimistically hopeful it will be viable. If nothing else, it’s an option.
Closing Thoughts
So there you have it. Everything I currently know and think about the all-new CZ Shadow 2 Compact. It’s an aesthetically pleasing, high-performance compact pistol. The current street price is steep, and the speculated MSRP is more than the average person wants to spend on a pistol. Even so, it’s a great value from a bang-for-the-buck perspective. The performance rivals pistols with significantly higher price tags. While I’ve mentioned some caveats for defensive carry, I do believe it is viable for the right person. It may also be viable for IDPA CO, but I’ll withhold judgment until I’ve given it a go.
