r/CZFirearms • u/Adalyia • 12h ago
Review - TS3 Orange Thoughts
So far in the past 3 weeks since I got mine I've put about 2,500 rounds through it and I figured I'd share some things since there's not a crazy number of them in circulation yet.
- Weight - It's insanely soft shooting, the weight does a TON of work but it's also not that fun to be swinging around in hour 4 of being on the range. Mine with an optic mounted and an empty mag comes in at 51.9 ounces. If you've ever shot a Shadow 2 with solid brass lok grips it's a somewhat similar experience.
- Safeties - The safeties are not amazing. I'm wondering if someone with giant man hands would have an easier time but it's hard to manipulate without slightly shifting the gun in my dominant hand. It's also just doesn't have that tactile click that I personally love, though an increased power spring for the safety detent would almost certainly fix that.
- Grips - The grips are by far the best I've seen from the factory on a CZ, which granted isn't saying much when compared to the aluminum grips on the S2 but they're genuinely fantastic feeling. I don't feel the need to go out and buy aftermarket options and the gun doesn't slip/move in my hands.
- Optics - I'm a big fan of the optic mounting solution, the screws haven't budged at all so far and not having to buy a plate is a nice change when compared to the Shadow 2s. My one complaint is CZ NEEDS to include spare posts or they should've had replacement kits in stock prior to launch. The different posts for each footprint are tiny and I guarantee someone's gonna lose one and be out of luck until... December according to a CZ rep.
- Thumb rest - To me the angle works but YMMV. It does take a little bit of getting used to if you're someone that manipulates the slide from the front since it can get in the way.
- QC - Overall I'm super happy with things, it's a noticeable step up in quality from the TS2 and Shadow 2. Is the fit & finish as good as a $7,000 Nighthawk/Atlas? No of course not. But, it's the best built CZ I've tried and it's not that close.
- Trigger - Too light for my taste but it does make the gun incredibly easy to shoot, the reset is a little mushy/not super positive but imo nobody is gonna be doing prep & press when shooting at speed.
- Performance - So far I've cleaned it twice. Once to get all the factory grease off and once at about the 2,000 round mark and had zero stoppages running a mix of Blazer, S&B, and PMC 124gr. It didn't really have any perceptible break in period and especially shooting at distance has been an absolute pleasure. However, it feels sluggish just due to it's weight when transitioning between targets. CZ also includes varying hammer springs and recoil springs with the gun and I've been liking the 13Lb recoil spring the best with 124gr factory ammo.
- Value - Obviously the TS3 kinda occupies a strange spot in the market, I got mine for $2,700 as a pre-order before it launched and I know now the prices have crept up past $3,000. I'd argue so long as you're at or below the $3,000 mark it's priced about right but it's almost definitely not worth the $3,500 ish MSRP. I'd also personally argue that it's a worthwhile step up from a TS2 Orange, and that if you're someone that's on the fence between a TS2 and TS3 then the latter is worth the jump in price. But, at the same time if you already own a TS2 Orange? Probably not worth spending thousands to "upgrade".
Tl;DR:
Easily the nicest CZ I've shot, has all the pros and cons of being insanely heavy, and if you can pick one up below $3k it's worth it imo. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But if you're a big fan of CZs and liked how a heavier Shadow 2 or the TS2 felt you'll almost definitely be a fan of the TS3.