Every full-size 9mm on this page uses a tilting barrel and polymer frame. The CZ 75 B does neither. The frame is steel. The slide rides inside the frame instead of on top of it. The result is a 34.3 oz handgun that sits low in the hand and barely moves when fired. Owners who switch from polymer striker guns consistently report less muzzle rise and tighter groups within the first range session.

The DA/SA trigger system asks you to learn two trigger pulls. The first shot runs through a long double-action stroke. Every shot after breaks at 4.5 lbs in single-action, lighter than what most striker-fired competitors deliver. The manual safety, firing pin block, and hammer safety notch give you three independent safety mechanisms. Fixed 3-dot sights and a 6.1-inch sight radius handle precision work at 25 yards. No rail. No optic cut. The 16-round capacity trails 17- and 18-round polymer guns by a small margin.

The original CZ 75 entered production in 1975 in Uhersky Brod, Czechoslovakia. More than 60 countries adopted it or its variants for military and police service. The design influenced an entire generation of handguns, and USPSA Production shooters still run the 75 B and its derivatives because the all-steel construction keeps the gun flat during rapid strings of fire.