Yep. Same thing with Glocks. Last month I was at a club match and this dude was talking about how he just replaced the striker and spring in his Glock to lighten the trigger… dude had probably 2-5 light primer strikes per stage. After the match he was like “I thought Glocks were reliable I can’t believe this thing doesn’t work. “ blah blah blah. If you don’t know what you’re doing don’t do anything to the gun.
Last night I had a skills and drills with a good group. Guy bought a heavily modified Glock for cheap. “I’ve been trying to detune this and get it back to factory where I can.” It’s been nothing but headaches for him.
The only thing special about Glocks is they are not special at all, they just work no matter what. I learned how to shoot with rental stock 17g3 and I was 'meh, that's it?'
If you can’t shoot a stock Shadow 2 well, no amount of monkeying around is going to solve your problem but it may give you some additional problems you can blame your performance on.
That said, the trigger quality ranges wildly between batches, I had 11 different Shadow 2's come in in one day and every single trigger felt different, had a different amount of creep and take up, once you shoot somebody else's that has a very quality done trigger from the factory, you want to duplicate it, that's one of the things people are chasing, not all these triggers feel passible from the factory, not even close. We get some stinkers.
I’m a constant tinkerer with all of my guns, motorcycles, and cars but occasionally I end up owning one that I immediately know it needs nothing from me and is perfect as is. My Shadow 2 Orange is one of those machines.
i love my ts2. had an edge for limited and had lots of problems and ditched it. wanted to get back into limited and got this ts2 and love it. did put in s 11lb spring snd thats all i've changed.
I have two Shadow 2’s. Both have Cajun Gun Works PRO packages. I replace the recoil spring at 5k, and the firing pin spring and hammer spring at 10k. Both have been flawless. Then, in December I had to send my primary back to Cajun because the sear and disco were out of time due to wear. 74,000 +\- rounds since I bought it in Aug 2022. I was getting light strikes and noticed the hammer didn’t come back as far as it did on my other gun. They checked the barrel and bushing and everything else and said it looked great. Barrel had little to no wear and bushing was the same. Put in a new disco and sear (lifetime warranty so I didn’t pay for that). Total bill was less than $20 for the fix. I had the barrel crowned so that was extra. So now I know about that piece of the maintenance pie. I’m getting a 3rd gun so I’ll have a practice/dry fire gun, a match gun, and a backup gun. I love them and enjoy shooting them. Cajun will tell you that they developed their PRO package around their firing pin that’s in the set. So if you swap firing pins you may have issues.
I use the CGW kit for my shadow 2, works like a dream! Fieldstriping/cleaning every 1000 rounds or so and do a deep clean, pull everything out the gun once a year.
All I’ve done with my Shadows is put in an 11lb recoil spring and a 13 lb mainspring . I run factory ammo - clean them regularly, change the trigger return spring @ 10000 rounds . Keep a spare take down/ slide stop in my bag but I haven’t broken one yet. All high speed gear needs maintenance. I’d say these are as reliable as any other quality handgun in basically stock condition. But I actually prefer my P320 Max’s .
The only thing I did with my SP01 is sent off to CGW for SAO Conversion and Optics Cut . Along with Lok Veloce Palm Swell Grips. My S2 was already Optics Ready . I did do CGW SAO Conversion. CZ , CGW and Lok Grips are the only parts I use my CZs . I went with SAO when L.O. became a division. It made sense to do SAO Comversions instead of buying 2011. IMO I've found the CZ 75 series to be more reliable than 2011s . I know 2011s have came a long way and some models are super reliable . I just prefer the SP01 or S2 . I have a buddy that has little over 40k thru his S2 and over 50k thru his SP01 . Some minor wear and tear parts issues but nothing crazy . He put about 35k thru X5 LEGION and had numerous issues with parts breakages. Turned that's normal with X5s on higher round counts . I highly doubt I'll be switching to any other pistols for Competition in the foreseeable future . CZ 75 are the pistols I shoot the best .
I pull mine apart about 2x annually. CGW pro package with 12 lb czc springs and 11 lb recoil springs. Only issues have been some dead mag spring I should have had already replaced.
In the last year I put thousands of rounds through mine, i've got some Emanntech springs in mine. I had some problems with extraction at one point but changed the spring and it hasn't missed a beat since. I do keep mine overly clean and like to blow the gunk out from the extractor with compressed air.
Yes, i see alot of them, only problems i see is ammo or tinkering related, you should change the slide stop every now and then, i have the redback thats a clone of the shadow 2, and i have a slide stop for practice and one for competitions
Ben, I’ve been around in my industry my whole life-long enough to have an opinion worth a shit. I’m a wholesaler in the automotive world. People rely on my opinions to make a living. It took me a long time to realize I’m not an asshole for knowing I’m right. And I’m thinking it’s a lot like you. You have all these bitches shitting on you but they’re not in the game. Ben Stoeger is my most trusted recourse for training and industry updates Yes, he’s a little arrogant, but he’s always right.
Parts do fail due to wear and tear. How often do you replace springs in your guns? Or is it as needed? Do you find keeping springs in a stock configuration is just part of keeping the gun reliable, as those parts were engineered for the gun?
There is a saying that you have not tuned your gun enough if it still works. Because often the people who make changes cannot foresee how it impacts their gun.. not even counting varying weather, ammo lots, etc
Its reliable if you keep a spare slide stop, trigger return spring, firing pin spring, tool kit. Have seen 3 instsnces broken off optics screws stuck in the slide at matches with the shadow 2 OR. I think just SROs come with low quality screws. One had good locktite and had to have the screws milled out.
Addendum: the very early shadow 2s had frame cracking problems at the slide stop hole they later fixed this by milling away at that area. No metal to crack no crack. Also the slides can crack at the front sight. The crack propagates at the front sight roll pin hole. Be careful when installing that roll pin. Use the proper tools like a roll pin starter and roll pin punch and do not use a mangled roll pin always use good condition roll pins.
I have had mine for two years, about 1600 rounds. I have had to send it back to CZ twice. Just too many stovepipes to ignore, about one for every magazine, verified by range personnel, Completely stock. Last weeks test at the range, only one failure in 150 rounds, I guess I can live with that. I put two drops of oil on the ejector just before I use it. Kind of silly on a 1400 dollar gun.
And those that choose to change a lot on the Shadow 2, when they add extended firing pins when the spring is too weak make it even less drop save. Cost 2 lives. One in Canada and one in the US of A. Both times the pistols fell on the hammer. Once it got the user, once an RO behind. Would be cool if you could make about falling in matches. Did the TRS hold through the 20k rounds? In what intervals do you change springs in general on the S2?
I have like 20k shoots on my Shadow 2, and only got 2 malfunctions, both of them caused by dirty magazines. Even though I changed all of the springs to Eeman Tech competition springs.
I am not even as serious as a shooter as a lot of people but one of the things that particularly annoyed me was that the TRS would break so inconsistently, tried factory, cz custom and CGW, all similar results. I contacted CGW because it happened within 500 rounds this time and all they said was to dry fire less in DA lol. I shoot a 92g ltt now and I can sit in front of the t.v. all night finger banging DA, still not a single issue. I know it's a small reason and not why I switched to the 92 but surprised it wasn't mentioned.
@@bradleypeterson2208 I use the eemann tech installation tool specially designed for CZ's TRS. This is from their e-mail back to me "Our TRS typically lasts much longer than stock. However, what we have learned through the years is if you dry fire the pistol a lot in DA, this stretches the spring it's max amount and can cause it to crystallize and break. Just a limitation of the CZ design regardless of how good the spring material is."
Ben, lets say you are to go to world shoot tomorrow. Will you use the shadow 2 or the stock 2? Be careful now, i bought the stock 2 because you used to shoot them 😅 seriously, my stock 3 xtreme has probably got 10k on them and its still awesome
I oftened dreamed of being able to afford one of these after getting to shoot one and also I wanted a compact version. Well, one of the two happened. Then I also learned that there was no safety block in them so no good for carry and I cannot afford to spend that kinda scratch on a range toy. But I can still dream.
It's good you were able to come to that conclusion yourself. Always see defenders of these non firing pin safety CZs say things like "if you're proficient, if you do it X way, if you practice enough, it's fine". It's not fine if you're not confident with a carry gun that by design, isn't drop safe and needs manual decocking to get back into DA. But the gun looks pretty and shoots well, so some are totally OK with this.
I'm still running SP-01's, but I'm assuming the S2 trigger reset spring is about the same. How often do you break them? I'm into the double digits for replacing them from dry fire... after it happened a 2nd time within a month, I opted for getting a matching gun that is only used for competition.
I have two CZ Shadow 2... one in California and one in Bulgaria... the one in California was much harder to acquire due to the local "roster". I find them extremely reliable, but after ~750rds they need cleaning (depending on the powder too). One time I had the lighter trigger from Cajun works installed, which blocked the safety lever... and I got disqualified from a match... but it was quickly fixed. I have excellent experience with both, CZ Custom in AZ and Cajun works. For my skill level, it is the perfect gun. I am the limitation, not the gun. As a long time firearms collector, I can tell you that this gun is more reliable than any military gun I have seen... even with the tighter tolerances.
Different for people who are chasing the highest possible score. You want the least recoil possible and have loads that barely cycle the gun, swap springs to tune to loads, etc.
Okay Ben ,Hypothetical question ,you can only have two full sized 9mm pistols one all metal DA/SA Hammer fired and one striker fired polymer or steel frame under $2000 each ,granted any answer you give is going to put a "Bee in someone's Bonnet "! I know you are not one to shy away from controversy , so I thought I would stir up the pot ! P.S. enjoy your tutorials and no nonsense approach ! Cheers !
The S2 is beefed up when you look at both side by side. The ergonomics are better for some. The trs breaks less, there are OR versions and they weigh more while the trigger is better. If you already have one and depending on what you do it makes sense to just keep what you have.
@@onpsxmember Thx for the rundown, all true. I didn't like the mushy trigger (at least on early deliveries), the high front sight and its weight makes it illegal for IDPA SSP. As you say, switching from 1 to 2 makes no sense. BTW a fix to breaking trigger springs on 1s are aftermarkets parts like Eemann-Tech +10% trigger springs.
👍👍👍 Great video. I will say this. If your life depends on a gun, and its the weapon thats going to get you out of a bad bad situation, it shouldn't be your hobby banger. Something you sit around and tinker with and have all kinds of random parts on it from God knows where. Outside of a few external additions, it should be left the hell alone. If it is your EDC, leave it the hell alone. These gun manufacturers are billion dollar companies that spend millions and millions of dollars making sure their guns run smoothly and their parts fit perfectly. When I see guys that have started screwing with everything and adding a bunch of Temu parts to their gun, I just shake my head
I might piss someone off, but from competition standpoint, and probably even in high stress, trigger matters less than most people like to make it out to be, sight alignment and fundamentals matter more. Saying that, the guns I always seen having the most issues are those someone has decided to fuck with because good idea fairy, and well, who knows what they did to the poor gun because it won't work, be it a glock, 1911, AR, or even an AK.
Yep. Same thing with Glocks. Last month I was at a club match and this dude was talking about how he just replaced the striker and spring in his Glock to lighten the trigger… dude had probably 2-5 light primer strikes per stage.
After the match he was like “I thought Glocks were reliable I can’t believe this thing doesn’t work. “ blah blah blah.
If you don’t know what you’re doing don’t do anything to the gun.
Last night I had a skills and drills with a good group. Guy bought a heavily modified Glock for cheap. “I’ve been trying to detune this and get it back to factory where I can.” It’s been nothing but headaches for him.
The only thing special about Glocks is they are not special at all, they just work no matter what. I learned how to shoot with rental stock 17g3 and I was 'meh, that's it?'
My experience; don’t start messing with a Glock trigger unless you have a stock of Federal primers on hand.
If you can’t shoot a stock Shadow 2 well, no amount of monkeying around is going to solve your problem but it may give you some additional problems you can blame your performance on.
First time I shot one it felt like cheating. Most of the issues I seen people are having with it is just some sketchy ass ammo related.
@@zare618
CZs in general like ammo of a certain oal. It doesn't have to be crappy to not work that well.
That said, the trigger quality ranges wildly between batches, I had 11 different Shadow 2's come in in one day and every single trigger felt different, had a different amount of creep and take up, once you shoot somebody else's that has a very quality done trigger from the factory, you want to duplicate it, that's one of the things people are chasing, not all these triggers feel passible from the factory, not even close. We get some stinkers.
I have a spring set 1 lbs down from stock with no issues so far, will not go any lower
cows are kind of cool. i know they're primarily walking food, but there's something about them that makes me smile. they're neat animals.
We owe the popularity of Gary Larson and the Far Side to them
would you keep one as a pet?
They bring a chill vibe to the countryside.
@@BeleducMartello nah, too big
@@abluecardigan I guess. I'd be worried about the flooring
Thanks Jeff Lebowski, that really clears things up.
Looks like Ben Franklin
Love mine, been shooting it for about 5 years. No issues
I’m a constant tinkerer with all of my guns, motorcycles, and cars but occasionally I end up owning one that I immediately know it needs nothing from me and is perfect as is. My Shadow 2 Orange is one of those machines.
i love my ts2. had an edge for limited and had lots of problems and ditched it. wanted to get back into limited and got this ts2 and love it. did put in s 11lb spring snd thats all i've changed.
I have two Shadow 2’s. Both have Cajun Gun Works PRO packages. I replace the recoil spring at 5k, and the firing pin spring and hammer spring at 10k. Both have been flawless. Then, in December I had to send my primary back to Cajun because the sear and disco were out of time due to wear. 74,000 +\- rounds since I bought it in Aug 2022. I was getting light strikes and noticed the hammer didn’t come back as far as it did on my other gun.
They checked the barrel and bushing and everything else and said it looked great. Barrel had little to no wear and bushing was the same. Put in a new disco and sear (lifetime warranty so I didn’t pay for that). Total bill was less than $20 for the fix. I had the barrel crowned so that was extra.
So now I know about that piece of the maintenance pie. I’m getting a 3rd gun so I’ll have a practice/dry fire gun, a match gun, and a backup gun.
I love them and enjoy shooting them. Cajun will tell you that they developed their PRO package around their firing pin that’s in the set. So if you swap firing pins you may have issues.
I use the CGW kit for my shadow 2, works like a dream! Fieldstriping/cleaning every 1000 rounds or so and do a deep clean, pull everything out the gun once a year.
All I’ve done with my Shadows is put in an 11lb recoil spring and a 13 lb mainspring . I run factory ammo - clean them regularly, change the trigger return spring @ 10000 rounds . Keep a spare take down/ slide stop in my bag but I haven’t broken one yet. All high speed gear needs maintenance. I’d say these are as reliable as any other quality handgun in basically stock condition. But I actually prefer my P320 Max’s .
Ridiculous
Love my shadow 2 ❤
I have seen slide stops break a couple time at matches over the years. They are sweet shooters.
The only thing I did with my SP01 is sent off to CGW for SAO Conversion and Optics Cut . Along with Lok Veloce Palm Swell Grips.
My S2 was already Optics Ready . I did do CGW SAO Conversion.
CZ , CGW and Lok Grips are the only parts I use my CZs .
I went with SAO when L.O. became a division. It made sense to do SAO Comversions instead of buying 2011.
IMO I've found the CZ 75 series to be more reliable than 2011s . I know 2011s have came a long way and some models are super reliable . I just prefer the SP01 or S2 .
I have a buddy that has little over 40k thru his S2 and over 50k thru his SP01 . Some minor wear and tear parts issues but nothing crazy . He put about 35k thru X5 LEGION and had numerous issues with parts breakages. Turned that's normal with X5s on higher round counts .
I highly doubt I'll be switching to any other pistols for Competition in the foreseeable future . CZ 75 are the pistols I shoot the best .
We love you Ben !🇺🇸
Self-inflicted - spot on!
I pull mine apart about 2x annually.
CGW pro package with 12 lb czc springs and 11 lb recoil springs.
Only issues have been some dead mag spring I should have had already replaced.
In the last year I put thousands of rounds through mine, i've got some Emanntech springs in mine. I had some problems with extraction at one point but changed the spring and it hasn't missed a beat since. I do keep mine overly clean and like to blow the gunk out from the extractor with compressed air.
Yes, i see alot of them, only problems i see is ammo or tinkering related, you should change the slide stop every now and then, i have the redback thats a clone of the shadow 2, and i have a slide stop for practice and one for competitions
Ben, I’ve been around in my industry my whole life-long enough to have an opinion worth a shit. I’m a wholesaler in the automotive world. People rely on my opinions to make a living. It took me a long time to realize I’m not an asshole for knowing I’m right. And I’m thinking it’s a lot like you. You have all these bitches shitting on you but they’re not in the game. Ben Stoeger is my most trusted recourse for training and industry updates Yes, he’s a little arrogant, but he’s always right.
I have an SP-01 and P-01. The goo behind the extractor thing is real. I clean it every 3-5000 rounds.
They are great when kept stock. Maybe someone has trouble with double action trigger position, then a reach reduction kit.
Parts do fail due to wear and tear. How often do you replace springs in your guns? Or is it as needed? Do you find keeping springs in a stock configuration is just part of keeping the gun reliable, as those parts were engineered for the gun?
The shadow 2 is straight up my favorite handgun. Not sure it can get much better (for me) tbh there is nothing i don't like about it
There is a saying that you have not tuned your gun enough if it still works. Because often the people who make changes cannot foresee how it impacts their gun.. not even counting varying weather, ammo lots, etc
very good gun
Its reliable if you keep a spare slide stop, trigger return spring, firing pin spring, tool kit. Have seen 3 instsnces broken off optics screws stuck in the slide at matches with the shadow 2 OR. I think just SROs come with low quality screws. One had good locktite and had to have the screws milled out.
Addendum: the very early shadow 2s had frame cracking problems at the slide stop hole they later fixed this by milling away at that area. No metal to crack no crack. Also the slides can crack at the front sight. The crack propagates at the front sight roll pin hole. Be careful when installing that roll pin. Use the proper tools like a roll pin starter and roll pin punch and do not use a mangled roll pin always use good condition roll pins.
I have had mine for two years, about 1600 rounds. I have had to send it back to CZ twice. Just too many stovepipes to ignore, about one for every magazine, verified by range personnel, Completely stock. Last weeks test at the range, only one failure in 150 rounds, I guess I can live with that. I put two drops of oil on the ejector just before I use it. Kind of silly on a 1400 dollar gun.
I still watch that video of you using a hi-point.. for science
And those that choose to change a lot on the Shadow 2, when they add extended firing pins when the spring is too weak make it even less drop save. Cost 2 lives. One in Canada and one in the US of A. Both times the pistols fell on the hammer. Once it got the user, once an RO behind. Would be cool if you could make about falling in matches. Did the TRS hold through the 20k rounds?
In what intervals do you change springs in general on the S2?
I have like 20k shoots on my Shadow 2, and only got 2 malfunctions, both of them caused by dirty magazines. Even though I changed all of the springs to Eeman Tech competition springs.
As someone who has monkeyed please heed Ben’s advice
Is the Tanfoglio Stock II reliable???
Reliable to about 20,000 rounds then the trigger return spring and the slide stop can take a dump
Hey dude I’d just like to say my whole garage is now filled with your targets lol. Can you make waterproof ones so I can train in back yard?
I am not even as serious as a shooter as a lot of people but one of the things that particularly annoyed me was that the TRS would break so inconsistently, tried factory, cz custom and CGW, all similar results. I contacted CGW because it happened within 500 rounds this time and all they said was to dry fire less in DA lol. I shoot a 92g ltt now and I can sit in front of the t.v. all night finger banging DA, still not a single issue. I know it's a small reason and not why I switched to the 92 but surprised it wasn't mentioned.
Did you install it with pliers or a tool that scratches/nicks or otherwise induces a stress riser in the spring? That’ll break it every time
@@bradleypeterson2208 I use the eemann tech installation tool specially designed for CZ's TRS. This is from their e-mail back to me "Our TRS typically lasts much longer than stock. However, what we have learned through the years is if you dry fire the pistol a lot in DA, this stretches the spring it's max amount and can cause it to crystallize and break. Just a limitation of the CZ design regardless of how good the spring material is."
What adjustments did you do ( trigger, springs… ) ??
Ben, lets say you are to go to world shoot tomorrow. Will you use the shadow 2 or the stock 2? Be careful now, i bought the stock 2 because you used to shoot them 😅 seriously, my stock 3 xtreme has probably got 10k on them and its still awesome
I have 2 of them and they always work if I clean out carbonized crap every 1500 rounds or so. Me gusta.
Love the Shadow, but the Walter PDP steel was better for me.
I oftened dreamed of being able to afford one of these after getting to shoot one and also I wanted a compact version. Well, one of the two happened. Then I also learned that there was no safety block in them so no good for carry and I cannot afford to spend that kinda scratch on a range toy. But I can still dream.
It's good you were able to come to that conclusion yourself. Always see defenders of these non firing pin safety CZs say things like "if you're proficient, if you do it X way, if you practice enough, it's fine". It's not fine if you're not confident with a carry gun that by design, isn't drop safe and needs manual decocking to get back into DA. But the gun looks pretty and shoots well, so some are totally OK with this.
I got kids and grandkids around me most of the time, Any thing I can do to take away bad possibilities is the road I am taking!
@@lon242
I'm still running SP-01's, but I'm assuming the S2 trigger reset spring is about the same. How often do you break them? I'm into the double digits for replacing them from dry fire... after it happened a 2nd time within a month, I opted for getting a matching gun that is only used for competition.
I haven’t broken a shadow 2 return spring ever. They are waayyyyyyyy better than the sp01
How was it compared to stock 2?
I have two CZ Shadow 2... one in California and one in Bulgaria... the one in California was much harder to acquire due to the local "roster". I find them extremely reliable, but after ~750rds they need cleaning (depending on the powder too). One time I had the lighter trigger from Cajun works installed, which blocked the safety lever... and I got disqualified from a match... but it was quickly fixed. I have excellent experience with both, CZ Custom in AZ and Cajun works. For my skill level, it is the perfect gun. I am the limitation, not the gun. As a long time firearms collector, I can tell you that this gun is more reliable than any military gun I have seen... even with the tighter tolerances.
mine never really worked - after 4 years a gunsmith worked out it had a munufacturing fault meh
I guess if it ain't broke, don't mess with it
Different for people who are chasing the highest possible score. You want the least recoil possible and have loads that barely cycle the gun, swap springs to tune to loads, etc.
Okay Ben ,Hypothetical question ,you can only have two full sized 9mm pistols one all metal DA/SA Hammer fired and one striker fired polymer or steel frame under $2000 each ,granted any answer you give is going to put a "Bee in someone's Bonnet "! I know you are not one to shy away from controversy , so I thought I would stir up the pot ! P.S. enjoy your tutorials and no nonsense approach ! Cheers !
I never understood what the improvement over the Shadow 1 is supposed to be and why I should spend the money to switch.
The S2 is beefed up when you look at both side by side. The ergonomics are better for some. The trs breaks less, there are OR versions and they weigh more while the trigger is better. If you already have one and depending on what you do it makes sense to just keep what you have.
@@onpsxmember Thx for the rundown, all true. I didn't like the mushy trigger (at least on early deliveries), the high front sight and its weight makes it illegal for IDPA SSP. As you say, switching from 1 to 2 makes no sense.
BTW a fix to breaking trigger springs on 1s are aftermarkets parts like Eemann-Tech +10% trigger springs.
👍👍👍 Great video. I will say this. If your life depends on a gun, and its the weapon thats going to get you out of a bad bad situation, it shouldn't be your hobby banger. Something you sit around and tinker with and have all kinds of random parts on it from God knows where. Outside of a few external additions, it should be left the hell alone. If it is your EDC, leave it the hell alone. These gun manufacturers are billion dollar companies that spend millions and millions of dollars making sure their guns run smoothly and their parts fit perfectly. When I see guys that have started screwing with everything and adding a bunch of Temu parts to their gun, I just shake my head
I might piss someone off, but from competition standpoint, and probably even in high stress, trigger matters less than most people like to make it out to be, sight alignment and fundamentals matter more.
Saying that, the guns I always seen having the most issues are those someone has decided to fuck with because good idea fairy, and well, who knows what they did to the poor gun because it won't work, be it a glock, 1911, AR, or even an AK.
Shadow 2 didnt fire once in 15000 rounds for me. At the range . And it was probably a bad primer.
Being drunk, taht initially looked like you were saying it failed 15000 times in a row. Me: "who tries to make a primer finally fire 15000 times??"
@@vtmegrad98 I just read how badly I worded my post. Have mercy...
People fuck themselves with aftermarket shit all the time, its hilarious
Jeremy jam can shoot
Wait wait - did he say 20k rounds through it before cleaning?
Hell yeah, brother
Why are you surprised? Striker guns can go double that. I would never do it, but people do.