I had been looking for a competition SA 9mm and the old range sessions with the CZ reminded me how nice the pistols are and the need to take a serious look at them. When asked to test the CZ 75 SP-01 Phantom, I jumped at the chance and was looking forward to putting it through its paces. After having spent some time on the all-steel SP-01 when it first came out, I was anxious to see what it would shoot like in polymer.
Right before the summer of 2012, I decided to buy my first 9mm handgun. Though I had resisted the urge to do so, I had a change of heart due to the availability (at the time) of 9mm ammo. I wanted a gun that could shoot anything, was accurate and could take a beating (not that I intend on this). When I was on the hunt for this handgun, it just so happened that my local gun store had a gently used CZ-75 SP-01 Phantom for a little more than 500 bucks. Now, I have owned a CZ-83 before, the .380 model, and it was a great pistol, so I tried my hand at the Phantom for my first 9mm.
A new member of the SP-01 family, the 9 mm Luger-chambered Phantom, takes a different tack than its steel-frame sibling, featuring a polymer frame instead. The frame sports all the ergonomic upgrades of the SP-01 series, including an extended, sweeping beavertail to prevent hammer bite, a generous recess under the rear of the trigger guard to encourage the pistol to sit lower in the hand, and a full-length Picatinny accessory rail on its dustcover.