Short Rail CZ-75 Variants Catalog - WIP!

My personal factory two-tone CZ-75B with a handful of customizations.

Thanks to watching anime like Gunsmith Cats and its predecessor Riding Bean (and reading the accompanying manga), the CZ-75 has been at the forefront of my firearms interest in the same way that video games like Max Payne and movies like Die Hard got me to buy a Beretta 92FS. Out of all the CZ-75 variants, the classic "short rail" model is probably the holy grail for many a CZ collector, or so I thought. For the longest time I had largely assumed that the only form the original gun existed in was its most base model, and that the wide range of variants, ranging from multi-colored finishes to factory installed adjustable sights and competition triggers, didn't come around until the second generation of CZ-75 pistols. 

But, wouldn't you know, the original model, within its five years of commercial production between 1975 to 1980, did apparently have a splattering of factory variants, most of which can be randomly spotted on auction sites and in the occasional blog article. Although this may never be a complete or even accurate list, the purpose of this article is too compile the variety of variants that I have seen over the years while trying to buy one of these "short rails" myself. In truth, the base model is no longer my holy grail, and I'd argue that even for others, it's the variants that may command the most attention.

Read on after the break.

CZ-75 (Original "Short Rail")

I'd kick off a list of variants by of course mentioning the original, standard model. For those familiar with the CZ-75, this information is probably well known, and too simply sum it up: The CZ-75 was designed Czechoslovakian gun makers Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod (Now usually shortened to just CZUB or just CZ) during the 1970s as a possible new service pistol chambered in 9mm Luger. However, Czechoslovakia was under Soviet control at the time, which introduced a number of problems. Among these was the fact that it could not be adopted by the Czech military since the Soviets demanded that all countries under their rule use the same cartridge (at the time this would have been the 7.62 Tokarev, which was later replaced by the 9x18 Makarov). In addition, civilian owenrship of guns was exceedingly limited, which meant that the pistol could also not be marketed domestically, and with the Iron Curtain blocking off access to the west, it could not be exported to countries like the United States, which featured a civilian market. Worse yet, for the designers anyways. the patents for the CZ-75 could not be made internationally due to Soviet restrictions, which opened the floodgates for a large number of "clones" and copies to be made (a con more so for the designers, but in my opinion a pro for virtually everyone else, especially the consumer). 

What ended up happening with many of the produced pistols is that they were exported to more accessible militaries, and most notably served in the Rhodesian war. According to Wikipedia, domestic sales of the pistol didn't begin until 1985, when more open discourse about social changes began taking place in Soviet countries under Gorbachev. By this time, though, modifications had been made to the CZ-75, namely the lengthening of the slide/frame rails. Despite the lack of commercial availability, CZ still apparently made a number of "short rail" variants for sporting purposes, and its likely these hit domestic markets at around the same time, although by this point they were out of production. It should also be quickly noted that an American colonel named Jeff Cooper got his hands on a CZ-75 at some point and hailed it as an achievement in gun-making. Although it'd a be a little while before the CZs became more available in the US, the design nonetheless inspired the 80s pistol-icon the Bren Ten.

CZ-75 Compact "Short Rail"

Pictures belong to THEATTIC

I came across this pistol on GunBroker late in 2019 from the seller THEATTIC, who often imports rare and hard to find pistols from Europe. From what I can tell, it's a chromed compact version of the full sized "short rail" CZ-75, which up until this point I didn't know ever existed. Information on compact versions of the original CZ-75 is practically impossible to find. Although I initially thought it to be a custom, cut down full size pistol, the overall dimensions and proofs don't give off that look at all, suggesting a complete factory job. Most interesting are the serrations on the rounded trigger guard. CZ-75s wouldn't have serrated trigger guards until the transitional "Pre-B" CZ-75 introduced in the 1990s. I had attempted to buy this gun but after a bidding war with a single opponent I decided I wanted to wait until the last 15 minutes and hope the other guy wasn't paying attention if I had neglected to bid for a while. However, with the GunBroker clock set on the wrong timezone to my work clocks, I ended up being an hour late. Sold for $1700. I have no idea how many compact "short rails" were made, or how many were of this finish (or if this was even a factory finish to begin with). 

Competition Sights (?)

Photos owned by THEATTIC

This 1980 marked CZ-75 has rear adjustable sights and a large block front sight with a screw in the top of it, though I'm unsure if this means that is adjustable in some way too or if that's how it comes off. These rear sights are a bit different than the factory installed rear sights I've seen on other "Short Rails," and as such I'm not entirely sure if these are factory sights or custom. I've seen similar front sights on some other competition grade Smith & Wesson semi-autos. I haven't seen them on any kind of CZ-75 before. If these are factory, then I'm assuming this is some kind of competition model. Nearly all of the "Short Rail" CZ-75s just say Model 75 on the slide with no indication of it being officially labeled as some kind of variant. This pistol is also from the GunBroker seller THEATTIC. It has a numbers matching magazine.

Deluxe Model

Photos owned by Bobofthedesert

This one popped up on the GunBroker for seller BobOfTheDesert, and according to his description it's a Factory Custom model with a S&W styled rear sight and a tuned trigger. The dual-tone is factory, as are the grips, and he suggests that fewer than 10 of these exist. Although it did not sell during its tenure on GunBroker, this only partially has to do with the fact that the seller has mostly closed down their store due to out of country business. As such, it may return in the future. It also has a numbers matching magazine.

Hooked Trigger Guard

Photos owned by 1eininc

This one is very odd. Another GunBroker find, this appears to be a "short rail" CZ-75 frame (note the Made in Czechoslovakia as well) with a .22 LR CZ-Kadet conversion kit (which is more modern). What's notable is the hooked trigger guard without serrations like the modern CZs. With just the serial number, it's hard to tell when the frame was made, though it appears to be a low number. Still, I haven't seen a "short rail" frame with a hooked trigger guard before. As to what the top of this one originally looked like, I have no idea. Given that the auction does not provide the original slide, it can probably be considered to be lost. Also note that it has a trigger similar, though not the same, as the Deluxe Model above, possibly suggesting a competition model?

Factory Reverse Two Tone

I don't have a picture for this one, but years ago I came across a GunBroker auction for a reverse Two Tone model (Where the slide is stainless/silver and the frame is black). Aside from that, it was a regular Model 75 with no further additions. 

CZ-75 75th Anniversary 

This is a modern remake of the original "short rail" that existed for a very limited run as an anniversary edition released for the 75th birthday of the Model 75. Though almost identical, there's a couple of notes. For one, this gun has the firing pin block of the modern CZ-75B pistols (see the slide serrations. Two, despite having the design of the short rail, the actual rails on the slide still extend all the way to the front of the slide, which is really just kind of odd looking. Then, of course, there's the anniversary engravings. Given the length of the slide rails, I'm guessing it feels similar to the CZ-75B SA or something. Kind of an odd choice. 

CZ-75 Retro B

Photo from BudsGunShop

Another odd modern throwback pistol, the Retro B combines the styling of the original frame with the slide of the modern CZ-75B, which gives us an odd looking hybrid pistol of sorts. Internally it's a CZ-75B. Though rare, they're not very expensive ever, and they function as well as a 75B should. My guess is that they really don't like short rails on the slide anymore, or they had too much text to engrave on the slide (It is a long name).

CZ Custom Reproduction

Photo from CZ Custom

If you can afford the $2500 price tag, the talented folks at CZ Custom will just build a reproduction of the original CZ-75 for you. From what I can tell, it does not feature the firing pin block and externally matches the classic lines of the Model 75 to a T. The internals, however, are buffed up and tuned to what I'm guessing is one of their regular trigger job packages you can get on any CZ-75. Also of note are the reproduction grips, which are done in aluminum instead of plastic. Given how many CZ-75s exist with custom trigger jobs, this gun is in many ways a modern 75 on the inside while being a classic one on the outside, essentially being a better version of of the 75th Anniversary edition. 

That's about it for now, but as more variants are found this list will be updated.