EZ-40 after 6 months

[warhawke]

So I bought the EZ-40 about 6 months ago and I have been using it since and I have come to some conclusions that I thought I would share.

The EZ


The pistol is a modified copy of the Sig P226, most of the differences are cosmetic but the ambidextrous controls are the big stand out difference. I have fired about 600 rounds through the weapon (would have done more but ammo is to expensive right now) and no failures of any kind, which is no big deal frankly, any decently maintained modern pistol should be reliable. The accuracy is excellent but I don't measure groups, bench-rests being difficult to find in a gunfight. At 20 feet or less I leave groups smaller than my fist exactly where I want them, at 50 meters I keep them in a pie-plate with a braced shooting position, good enough.

The trigger is a bit like a Makarov with that kind of bouncy hammer-fall, but no issues making it go bang. The trigger is pretty smooth in SA or DA if a bit heavy in DA (I will note that I am not the least bit sensitive about triggers, I can't tell the difference between a custom 1911 and a production one). The sights are simple 3 dot dovetail units like the Sig and work fine. The pistol fits my hand just slightly better than the Sig, mostly due to the slight beaver-tail on the backstrap, a backstrap that has metal instead of the plastic grips covering it like the Sig (+1 IMO).

The Cons;

The mag release has buttons on either side and catch the mag in the front like the Springfield XD. The buttons are too short to operate with my thumbs, even though I have big mitts, but I can pop it out with my trigger finger easily, so no biggie there. The release was very hard and gritty when I got it but have smoothed out considerably with use.

The slide release/decocker is one unit in the Sig decocker spot and they work OK, but the slide tends to release when I slam a mag home. So far it has never failed to chamber a round when this happens but I worry about it. The problem is there it s floating lock that the buttons push up and the angled slot in the slide doesn't hold it well enough. ALso if you lock the slide and turn the take-down lever is tends to release the slide. I avoid this by holding the slide back and flipping the switch but it is irritating.

Reassembly is a bit of a pita because the trigger bar and firing pin safety bar get in the way when you move the slide back. They just need a bit of a push as you go back but it is irritating.

Magazine capacity is 10 rounds in .40 S&W and frankly that sucks. There is supposed to be a flush fit 13 rounds mag in made in  Yugoslavia but not available here. You can convert Sig P226 mags to fit, but need to modify the follower and mag body to use them. I plan to try this at some point but I cannot afford it right now.


The real beauty of this pistol is the price, $425 total including delivery, dealer fees and all (just found the receipt it was $351 for the pistol and $74 for 3 extra mags)  for a brand new service pistol, mags a pretty cheap too at 25 clams a pop. I priced most of the better known pistols at the time (CZ -75{Czech}, XD, Glock, ect.) and couldn't find anything that cheap in a hi-cap .40 shipped and delivered except the Bersa Thunder HC (full sized service pistol) which I also considered but there are supply problems with it. I had heard good things about it the CZ-99 series of pistols, in fact I almost bought a CZ-99 from TD arms back in 1990 but I was unable to get one before they stopped importing them.

I am by no means disappointed in this pistol and recommend it to anyone who wants a high-quality pistol on the cheap. I wouldn't exactly buy one over say a Sig, but compared to a Ruger P-series or Taurus 24/7 I think this pistol is a better buy.

[Hazcat]

Sounds like a good solid gun for a very reasonable price.

[warhawke]

Very much so Haz, not quite as good as a Sig but defiantly worth the money.

[shooter32]

Thanks for the report warhawke!