If you simply want a rugged, dependable pistol and can’t spend a month’s rent to afford one, the Tristar T-120 won’t disappoint.The Viper line has three subsets. If you’re the kind of person who had to buy name-brand, the Tristar might not be the best gun for you. The Tristar is roughly $200 cheaper than the real deal, functions identically and allows the shooter to mount lights or lasers. Users who have limited upper body strength or arthritis may wish to avoid CZ designs in general, given the limited gripping surface area on the slide. The Tristar is a dependable choice for a bedside pistol especially for recoil-sensitive shooters and those on a limited budget. The T-120 retails for $469 compared to the CZ-75B’s $680. The Tristar T-120 Cerakote might not be as attractive as the old-world blued finish of genuine CZ-75 handguns and this is reflected in the price. Shooters in ban states will no doubt pay a premium for these magazines, but their existence is a nice addition to the T-120’s aftermarket selection. Magazines are even available in pre-ban high-capacity varieties thanks to the original CZ pistols prevalence and 20-year pre-assault weapon ban existence. So finding night sights or different grips isn’t a problem. (Photo by Jim Grant)Īlso, nearly every part of the Tristar is compatible with genuine CZ aftermarket parts, including magazines. The slide-inside-frame look is initially quite strange, but grows on you. The partridge style post and notch sights are usable, but would be perfect if they were just a little bigger. Shooting steel plates at normal handgun combat distances of 10 to 15 yards was enjoyable and effortless. The ergonomics are similar to that of a Browning Hi Power or slightly thicker 1911 and allow most shooters to comfortably grip and fire the weapon. Overall, recoil is easily manageable, due to the Tristar’s construction. On the bright side, the extra low slide is the lowered bore height that minimizes felt recoil by giving the barrel less mechanical advantage over the shooter’s wrist. Canik 55 addressed this by fish-scale serrating the slide, a more aggressive alternative to the standard linear serrations found on most handguns. The downside is the lack of exposed slide gives the shooter about half as much gripping area to rack the slide, making clearing a malfunction more difficult. This is due to the tighter fit achieved by having the slide ride between the frame, minimizing horizontal movement. The most notable feature of the CZ-75 and, thus of all its clones, is the slide-inside-frame design that locks up tighter than the traditional slide over frame method. The slide features longitudinal ribs to reduce sights glare. The Tristar seemed to prefer 124 grain ammo and the increased recoil of the round was unoticable thanks to the substantial weight of the all-steel frame and slide. Everything from Federal frangible ammo, Hornady Z-Max, 9mm NATO spec +P and SIG’s new 9mm defensive ammo ran without incident. For the review I utilized five varieties of ammo to check its versatility and reliability. Speaking of pulling the trigger, the T-120 was boringly reliable with every type of 9mm ammo I fed it.
#TRI STAR PISTOL PROFESSIONAL#
If you’re not willing to invest in a professional trigger-job, 500 dry fire pulls of the trigger in double-action will smooth the trigger pull substantially, but be sure your weapon is unloaded and pointed in a safe direction. The double-action trigger pull measured in at 8.2 pounds, while the single-action pull measured a pleasant 4 pounds. The T-120 functions similarly, but the bearing surfaces need additional polishing. Real CZ pistols tend to have heavy, long double-action triggers and light, short single-action ones. The pistol’s action is DA/SA and allows for second strike capability, dropping the hammer a second time on a round that failed to detonate. Unlike CZ-75 pistols, Tristar handguns can be fired without a magazine inserted, a tremendous advantage during a tactical reload. The Tristar, like the CZ, can be carried hammer back with the safety up, but it lacks any mechanical method of decocking the hammer. The Tristar T-120’s controls are all Czech, meaning, they function like a Hi Power pistol or a cross between a Beretta 92 and a 1911. The pistol featured in this review came in a matte tan Cerakote with contrasting polymer grip panels, trigger controls and hammer. The only external differences between the T-120 and a genuine CZ-75 is the rear slide serrations, Cerakote finish and a railed dust cover that allows the mounting of lasers and flashlights.
#TRI STAR PISTOL SERIES#
Shooters familiar with the CZ-75 series of pistols will find the Tristar T-120 very familiar as its layout and firing lock are identical. Despite being much less expensive, there’s nothing cheap about the T-120.