Review: CZ Shadow 2 Compact

The newer 9mm CZ Shadow 2 Compact handgun made its initial debut in the summer of 2023, with the idea of providing a lighter and more compact handgun compared to the original Shadow 2. The Compact still maintains the design elements and unique attributes that gave the original, full-size competition pistol the reputation it earned nearly a decade ago. The newer CZ Shadow 2 Compact, the original Shadow 2 and its ancestors are all based on the original CZ-75 design that has enjoyed a great reputation for accuracy and performance. It’s one of the reasons they became an international sporting-pistol dynasty rivaled only by the 1911. There’s a reason I called the CZ-75 a “cult-classic” in my previous Shadow 2 review.   

CZ Shadow 2 Compact Overview 

The CZ Shadow 2 compact is a 9mm TDA (traditional double-action) pistol built on an aluminum frame with a four-inch barrel and an optics-ready slide. Its Browning-delayed blowback action is based on the CZ-75, one of the most classic and influential 20th-century, metal-framed, hammer-fired-handgun design that hails from the Czech Republic. The specific action found on the Shadow 2 Compact is identical in every way to the one found on its larger sibling. Externally, the CZ Shadow 2 has a similar overall size and profile to the archetypal Glock 19. (One of the very first things I did when unboxing the pistol was to lay a Glock 19 over it). Compared to the original Shadow 2, the Compact primarily differs with a grip that’s approximately ¼-inch shorter and a slide that is nearly 1-inch shorter. This is beside the latter’s aluminum frame versus the former’s heavier steel frame. I noticed that the Compact lacks the clear rubber “shock-buffer” found by default on the buffer springs in a standard Shadow 2. Unloaded with a DeltaPoint Pro optic mounted, the pistol weighs 28.9 ounces, nearly 16.2 ounces less than the original, even with a Leupold DeltaPoint Pro attached. As a TDA pistol, two extremely low-profile ambidextrous thumb-safeties come standard, but de-cocking the trigger for double action must be carefully done by hand.

Grip & Frame

Despite being shorter, the shape and profile of the CZ Shadow 2 Compact’s grip and frame are also identical to the Shadow 2, which I previously described as having one of the most ergonomic grip profiles for any metal-frame, hammer-fired pistol. The deeply radiused backstrap and generously undercut trigger guard provides plenty of space for the firing hand to build a firm grip play a role in this along with fairly aggressive checkering on both the front and backstrap. The Shadow 2 Compact includes attractive thin-aluminum silver-gray stocks that contrast nicely with the gun’s black finish and really catch the eye. Measured from the point where the trigger-guard and frame meet to the bottom edge of the magazine well, the Shadow 2 Compact’s grip is shorter than the full-size version (2.25-inches vs. just shy of 2.75-inches). The front strap length is one of the most critical dimensions for proper handgun fit and offers more context than merely comparing either gun’s overall height. Though the difference isn’t much, it’s the difference between the three other fingers of the firing hand fitting snugly vs. loosely on the front strap. Due to the slightly shorter grip, standard-capacity magazines are 15 rounds, like on the CZ P01.

Barrel, Slide & Trigger

Shadow 2 Compacts have 4-inch barrels and 6.5-inch slides which makes them nearly an inch shorter than the original Shadow 2. They have the same front-and-rear slide serration pattern along with the ribbed flat-top, and both share the same fiber-optic front sight and HAJO adjustable rear sights. However, all Shadow 2 Compact slides are optics-ready from the factory. Installing any plates and dot involves removing the rear HAJO sight, which sit on their own plate. When using a red-dot, there is no way to have any other rear iron-sight system on the slide.

One of the best-known features of any CZ-75 variant is how their triggers can be tuned for smoothness and a crisp break. This is especially true of variants like the Shadow series, whose guns omit firing-pin stops. That said, out of the box from the factory their trigger pulls are more “down-to-earth,” but not terrible either. The double-action pull on this CZ Shadow 2 compact tips the scales at over 9.5 pounds and feels like a very consistent double-action revolver trigger. On the other end, the single action is an extremely manageable 3 pound, 9.3 ounces, according to ten pulls on my digital scale. On single-action, the trigger pull will reset at slightly less than ¼ inch from its rearmost position. It’s hard to complain about this gun’s single-action trigger, even without tuning. 

Shooting The CZ Shadow 2 Compact 

To evaluate the CZ Shadow 2 Compact, I fired approximately 250 rounds of combined factory 9mm ammunition along with handloads. Factory cartridges included the Hornady 115-grain Critical Defense JHP, the Staccato 124-grain Range FMJ, and the Federal Premium Gold Medal Action Pistol 147-grain FP. My own loads consisted of 127-grain coated bullets pushed by 4.2-grains of TiteGroup. TiteGroup isn’t the cleanest propellant and despite this, the CZ Shadow 2 Compact didn’t balk at cycling these smokier loads, even when shooting during aggressively fired strings. Besides shooting groups, I also shot a round of 7-yard Dot Torture along with some “Doubles Drills” and some improvised 3-yard Bill Drills all with the aim of putting the pistol through its paces in both slow and rapid-fire scenarios. The combination of its mounted red-dot sight and single-action trigger made for a pleasurable experience on the range.  

The Takeaway 

The biggest Achilles-heels inherent to the CZ-75-pattern design is their slides. Because they sit inside rather than over the frame, there’s not much surface area externally to grab when racking them. It’s a family-wide problem, and in the case of the Shadow 2 Compact, I found myself using the DeltaPoint Pro as a “slide-racker” to make life easier on myself. Summer is fully underway at the time of this writing, which means hot-and-humid range sessions with sweaty palms. Though attractive, the factory aluminum grip panels can feel slick when shooting outdoors in heat and humidity. However, with CZ’s strong market prevalence, it’s not difficult to find aftermarket stocks for your pistol.

Even though the Shadow 2 Compact weighs a pound less and isn’t as “resistant” to recoil as its larger sibling, it still makes for a fine shooting gun that furnishes the shooter with some of best aspects of the Shadow 2 Series. With a red-dot and the single-action trigger, it’s hard to miss targets and the gun is capable of very good accuracy. However, don’t expect its slide to track identically to that of the larger Shadow 2, as the shorter length and weight are enough to change its dynamics; this is something I noticed when shooting Mini-Bill Drills and Doubles-Drills. I also found the ambidextrous low-profile safeties to be a little too low-profile and easy to miss, even with the thumb. Unfortunately, this pistol has no decocker and lowering the hammer must be done with extreme caution

CZ Shadow 2 Compact Specifications:

• Manufacturer: CZ, Czech Republic
• Importer: CZ USA
• Action Type: Double-/single-action, semi-automatic 
• Caliber: 9mm
• Capacity: 15+1 rounds
• Frame: Aluminum alloy
• Slide: Steel
• Barrel Length: 4 inches
• Grips: Silver-Gray duralumin  
• Sights: Red fiber-optic front, HAJO adjustable rear 
• Trigger Pull Weight: 9 pounds, 8 ounces (double-action); 3 pounds, 9 ounces (single-action)
• Length: 7.52 inches 
• Width: 1.38 inches
• Height: 5.43 inches
• Weight: 26.9 ounces
• Accessories: Two magazines, lock, manual
• MSRP: $1,299

15-yard Accuracy Report:

Velocity measured in fps at the muzzle with a LabRadar chronograph. Temperature: 93 degrees Fahrenheit. Accuracy measured in inches for five consecutive, five-shot groups at 15 yards from a sandbag rest.