1911 vs. CZ...Out of the box reliability?

[ckone]

Kind of apples and oranges here, but if pressed I'd say an out-of-the-box CZ-75 would be more more reliable than a similar priced out-of-the-box 1911 in most cases.
Many 1911's tend to need a break-in period, CZ-75's usually don't, and it's much more likely that a 1911 may be supplied with a bum mag that can cause problems.

That said, they are both a quite different in their design, and while external versus internal slide rails are both proven accurate, you're comparing a single-action trigger design thats designed to be tuned to be crisp and creep free to a DA/SA design that is known to have varying degrees of an unsavory "trigger-camming" characteristic and an amount of trigger take-up that cannot be removed...

These days, the single-action design is more often associated with precision accuracy than with "combat accuracy", so it kind of makes sense that those guns may come with tighter tolerances that need to settle in.

Now, a broken in, well tuned 1911, and a CZ-75 that are both properly maintained should both run trouble-free.

 

[EddieNFL]

25k-30k rounds a year and insuring that the action is properly timed and fitted

I have a 1K 1911; round count is approximately 40,000. Primary IDPA/IPSC gun for two years. The only failures were caused by faulty ammo/magazines. The only tuning is regular cleaning and spring replacement. While not as accurate, it's as reliable as my $2-3K 1911s.

 

[EddieNFL]

Many 1911's tend to need a break-in period, CZ-75's usually don't, and it's much more likely that a 1911 may be supplied with a bum mag that can cause problems.

Any firearm needs a break-in, but not to resolve problems. Kimber is famous for telling people to, "fire about 500 rounds and see if the problem goes away." A break-in allows parts to mate to each other for smooth operation...not fix problems that should have been addressed before shipping.

 

[.45&TKD]

I think that 1911's are reliable out of the box, for the most part, as long as you disassemble, lube and check the extractor tension before going to the range.

I think that poor extractor tuning is the #1 cause of new 1911 complaints and and checking extractor tension should be part of regular 1911 maintenance, just like cleaning and lubing.

There are always exceptions, of course.

 

[Philo_Beddoe]

That said, they are both a quite different in their design, and while external versus internal slide rails are both proven accurate, you're comparing a single-action trigger design thats designed to be tuned to be crisp and creep free to a DA/SA design that is known to have varying degrees of an unsavory "trigger-camming" characteristic and an amount of trigger take-up that cannot be removed...

Various CZ models come with SA triggers.

The CZ 75b SA and the tactical sports to name a couple.

I bought a CZ 75b SA from

http://czcustom.com/

With a competition hammer and trigger job installed for less then $700 that probably has a better trigger then any $700 or less 1911 out there. A 3lb pull with no camming and very little take up or overtravel. I could have had it down 2 pounds if the firing pin safety was disconnected.

The CZ's trigger with custom work comes very close to the quality of a 1911 with a custom trigger.

They can also convert any CZ to SAO.