The CZ Shadow 2 is an all-steel DA/SA 9mm built for IPSC Production, where you shoot iron sights and start double action. It weighs 46.5 oz empty, carries 17 rounds and lists at $1,399. The buyer is a competitor, or someone who wants a heavy, flat-shooting range gun, deciding whether to spend on a factory match pistol instead of tuning a service gun.

CZ released the Shadow 2 in 2016 as an improved SP-01 Shadow, with a longer barrel, a reshaped and lighter slide, more aggressive serrations and checkering, and a smaller fiber optic front sight. The CZ 75 SP-01 costs $400 less and holds two more rounds, but it lacks the Shadow 2's factory match features. The Beretta 92X Performance Defensive is Beretta's steel DA/SA match gun; it weighs 3.8 oz less, holds two fewer rounds and comes optic-ready. The Sig Sauer P320 X-Five Legion comes optic-ready, but it is striker-fired, so there is no hammer and no double-action first pull to learn.

Buy the Shadow 2 if you shoot Production and want a gun that is match-ready out of the box. Skip it if you want a red dot: CZ sells the Shadow 2 OR for Production Optics, and the X-Five Legion comes optic-ready.