Back when I was in my prime, Tom Keifer and Cinderella instructed me that you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone. Now that your Gen X brain is playing that song, let’s get serious for a bit.
When the Soviet Union collapsed and broke apart, all of the now independent nations were broke. But they had plenty of guns and ammo and were willing to make deals. Innumerable US firearms importers flocked to countries that were once a part of the USSR and started playing let’s make a deal for guns and ammo.
Zastava Arms of Serbia was right there with them.
KBI/Charles Daly firearms was one of the many casualties of the great Obamapocalypse guns and ammo bubble-burst. However, before going out of business, Charles Daly was offering a unique pistol that they called the ZDA 9mm.
Let’s consider that one and the current incarnation.
ZDA/CZ99
Marketed by Charles Daly as the ZDA 9mm, this semi-automatic pistol bears a striking resemblance to the SIG P226. The parent pistol, the CZ99 was made by Zastava Arms and the modern incarnation is called the CZ999 Scorpion.
I was able to get my hands on the CD ZDA pistols when that company was first offering them back in the aughts, likely around ‘05 or ‘06. The pistol I picked up included only a single 15-round magazine, but more to that later.
As for specs, as mentioned, the ZDA/CZ99 shares not only a similar silhouette with the P226, but similar operation. The pistol has a DA/SA trigger with an exposed, spur-type hammer. The barrel length is 4.25 inches, with a slide length of 7.7 inches. Empty weight is right at two pounds. The finish is a black phosphate and the grips are black plastic.
What makes the ZDA unique and possibly the better version of the P226 is the fact that it’s completely ambidextrous. The magazine release button is located in the standard spot, right behind the trigger guard and is activated from either the left or the right. Just like the P226, there’s no manual safety lever, just a de-cocking lever to safely lower the hammer from single-action back down to double-action. However, on the ZDA, the de-cock lever is found on both sides of the frame and doubles as the slide lock. On the P226, the slide lock and de-cock lever are on the left side and are separate controls.
Unfortunately, due to the ambi magazine button release setup, the ZDA magazines and the P226 magazines are NOT interchangeable. ZDA or CZ99 mags are a bit more difficult to come by than the more popular SIG versions. However, Optics Planet came through and I grabbed a couple extra 15-rounders.
The double-action trigger press is just shy of 12 pounds at 11.5, but it’s smooth. The single-action press is 4.75 pounds according to my trigger-pull gauge. By comparison, the DA trigger on the P226 is rated from the factory at 10 to 12 pounds. On my personal SIG P226, the DA trigger pulls at 11 pounds and the SA pull is 5.5 pounds. The single-action trigger on the ZDA pistol has a definitive, tactile reset. You aren’t going to miss it.
Range Time
For my range time, I had the usual suspects along in 9x19mm; Black Hills, Double Tap, Federal, and Winchester. Black Hills ammo was represented by their 124 grain JHP and 100 grain Honeybadger FTM load. The DT ammo was FMJ as was the Winchester. From Federal I used the 147 HST load.
You won’t be surprised that the ZDA fed all manner of bullet types and brands of ammunition with 100 percent reliability. The factory mag and the two CZ99 mags from Optics Planet fed the pistol without issue. Accuracy was easily described as excellent. The stainless steel barrel and factory sights were right on at ten yards.
I grew up in a world where double-action triggers were standard and found that the first shot DA press was not at all an issue. However, I took a younger friend along with me to the range who had no experience with any trigger other than the modern striker-fired version. When he first pressed the DA trigger he reported that he felt like something was wrong. “I was pulling the trigger and thinking, why hasn’t this thing fired yet.”
Yes, all of the seasoned shooters in the audience will get a chuckle from that. However, once he figured that he just needed to be more patient with the first DA shot, he was right on target and ringing steel with both the DA and SA trigger presses.
From my perspective, the DA trigger press was naturally long, but it was very smooth. The SA trigger was easier. Nonetheless, there was a respectable trigger reset with the SA press. I found that my trigger finger, so accustomed to the short reset of a striker-fired gun, needed a moment to reprogram for the SA press of the ZDA.
The pistol isn’t what I would call heavy at 2.1 pounds, but it has enough weight to be more than easily controllable with mild 9x19mm ammunition. I don’t think I’ll be adding any ports or comps to it. The gun has always been 100 percent reliable for as long as I have had it and it is as accurate as any factory gun you could ask for.
Though I’m right handed, I can see left-handed shooters very much appreciating the truly ambidextrous design of the gun. While the younger shooters might have a built in aversion to handguns with a DA/SA trigger, the ZDA or CZ99 is certainly a worthy pistol.
Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran. He is also the founder of Student of the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.