!!!!!

 

Awesome addition Brian, looking forward to the range report!

 

I recognize you can't judge ergonomics by photographs, but the Alien LOOKS far more comfortable. The straight lines on the grip, coupled with the serrations on the sides of the backstrap, have me wondering how many ungloved rounds I'd want to consider. Again, purely by photos, it looks like the Alien would be hands down more ergonomic.

As always, thanks for sharing these rare firearms with us! It is fun to live vicariously through your posts! Looking forward to the range report.

 

The Alien is definitely very ergonomic, no doubt.

As for the AZ, it’s fairly aggressive in texture, but not even close to the grip texture on a couple of my 2011’s. Those are downright sharp. The AZ is not.

 

bac, you keep coming up with beautiful guns that I had never even heard of. You did it again. Nice!

 

Very nice Brain!
Hopefully it will make a cameo at the match tonight.
Nothing better than box to match to test out a new toy.

 

True Gino

I have it ready to go in the bag. 😎

 

If that's not a CZ Shadow frame clone in appearance, I'm Ryan Reynolds.

The writing is too much though. I have no doubt that your assessment does mean it's good to go though

 

Writing on guns like this doesn’t bother me much. I don’t like stamping on an otherwise clean design, but this is anything but that, obviously

 

That is beautiful , I now want one I am intrigued by the barrel pin and the location of what I presume is the slide stop, release , it looks very functionally designed to be very economy of motion friendly.
Thanks for sharing greta pics.

 

Yes, the gun is very easy to field strip. The slide stop pushes from the right side in typical fashion, but does get removed. It’s captured, much like a Strike One or Archon pistol.

Pulling the slide off the frame is as smooth as a Sig P210.

 

Yorps! A bit punk rock for my taste, but then neither have I been asked to dine with the Queen. I think tne current correct comment would be “What? No RMR cut?” <ducking>

It is an amazing piece of fabrication, I admire that! Amazing addition!

 

Thanks Don

Its optics ready, but I don’t use them

 

The craftsmanship looks excellent for sure. I love the simplicity of the square checkering. Not too aggressive but not smooth either from the photo was my first thought.

I’m not a fan of the look, however. To me, it’s just too busy and doesn’t seem to flow together. Just too much going on there. But guessing its an awesome shooter and that’s what really matters.

Thanks as always for sharing. 👍🏼

 

Hey Brian,

Thank you for letting me shoot it in one of the matches tonight.

My initial impressions.

1. Its a big gun, but balances perfectly.
2. Almost zero recoil, it begs to go very fast.
3. The Trigger is amazing, one of the best I have handled, I prefer it over the superb Alien.
4. Fit ,Finish and attention to detail are spot on for the price point.
5. Although you could have bought 10 Glocks for the price of that one AZ, it was money well spent!

 

No problem Gino!

I also love the balance of the gun. It’s 44.2oz, but it never feels the least bit heavy.

Yes it’s about as fast as they come. I look forward to comparing it to my Pit Viper when it ships.

 

I bet it shoots as good as it looks ,you sure can find some sweet pistols congrats!

 

I think you and I have actually had a conversation about these awhile back. You know by now, I am a sucker for most Czech pistols. I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these. Looking forward to your range report. Thanks for the great write up Brian.

 

Yes we did

After shooting this pistol last night, I will say it’s one of the best shooting guns in my collection. I have a few equals, but none better.

While I can’t attest to something like its mechanical accuracy from a random rest at 50 yards, I can say that no 9mm I own shoots flatter, softer, or more precisely than this Arma Zeka.

The trigger is among the absolute best in the world, as good as top 2011 pistols. The long sight radius is another bonus.

 

Whenever a new company comes onto the market, I'm skeptical until I handle one in person. However, after reviewing the Arma Zeka’s website after the past year or so, I was convinced they were pretty special pistols. This company has actually been in Europe for a couple years, so they are not brand new. They are, however, brand new to the US market and have also introduced some brand new models to coincide with the US release.

Arma Zeka pistols are not CZ clones, despite their appearance and their country of origin. While they use a Browning style locking system (as most pistols do), the Arma Zeka guns march to their own drummer. The frames are aluminum, but they have a steel insert, so there is no aluminum frame rails. Unlike other guns with a steel insert, the Arma Zeka rails are very adequate with much more than just small points of contact. They are very well executed and it appears that their entire lineup is geared towards competition in some fashion.

ARMA ZEKA | Sport Pistol

My favorite LGS has had great luck working with the importer down in Florida and they were able to get me one of the first into the country. Its serial number 3. This model is one of their top of the line guns, called the Super Optics Special, which is a SAO optics ready pistol with a threaded barrel that comes with a compensator. The barrel is about 5.25”. I linked the model below, though some of the text is lost in translation.

ARMA ZEKA | AZ-P1 Super Optics Special

This gun is likely the finest Czech pistol I’ve ever handled. From a quality standpoint, its at least as nice as the Laugo Alien. The FK BRNO Field Pistol would probably be its equal, but isn’t anywhere near as practical and the trigger doesn’t come close to this Arma Zeka. The trigger in this breaks at a clean and consistent 1.75 lbs, with a short and very positive reset. Its by far the best trigger I’ve ever felt on any Czech gun and approaches the best triggers in my entire collection. Considering the 2011’s I own, that is quite a ringing endorsement. The interesting thing is that the CZ Tactical Sport pistols have a trigger just as light, but the comparison pretty much stops there. That goes to show that the actual weight of the trigger isn’t everything. Everything about the Arma Zeka feels like a highly precision instrument. The slide action may be the smoothest I own. Its at least as smooth as my Atlas 2011’s and probably a match for my Pardinis, which I always considered my smoothest pistols before now.

The machining on the gun is very impressive. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, I love it. The ergonomics are perfect, in my opinion. It fits my hands like a glove. The black aluminum grip panels have a hexagon pattern and coupled with the grip tape, provide amazing traction. The front strap and backstrap checkering also works extremely well. The beavertail seems to be in a perfect position. While the pistol is not exactly a low bore axis design, the ergonomics allow your hands to get as high as possible. The ambi thumb safety is also very positive, albeit a little light for my tastes (not that its really needed on a competition gun anyway). The magwell is blended seamlessly. The devil is in the details with this pistol. Even the front and bottom of the trigger guard are very finely serrated. The frame is indented on either side for the thumb of your off hand, along with more grip tape for traction. It feels very comfortable. The weight of the gun is also perfect for me. Despite the aluminum frame, it weighs in at a hefty 44.2oz with an unloaded magazine. The balance of the weight feels outstanding in hand and I find the upright grip angle very comfortable.

Aesthetically, the gun is busy, but I don’t mind. The two tone color is ok, with the steel slide a semi glossy black and the aluminum frame a matte gray color. While I’m not a huge two tone fan, I do like the contrast here. They also come in a few different color combinations, as shown on the website. The wording on the slide and frame is plentiful and I’m sure it will turn some folks off. I’m used to it by now on some of these Euro handguns. It doesn’t bother me any longer.

I plan to shoot this pistol very soon, but if its not one of the best shooters in my collection, I’ll be surprised. I know that’s a tall order, but this gun has some of the best ergonomics and one the best triggers in the high end pistol world. Coupling that with the balance and weight of the gun and it sure feels like a winning combination. Price wasn’t cheap at $5300, but my first impressions are that its worth the money. There is a more watered down version on Gunbroker at the moment. I don’t see this pistol being my last from Arma Zeka.

So that’s all I have to report at the moment. Right now, I’m thrilled with this pistol. I honestly can’t imagine anything at the range changing that, but I’ll certainly report back. This company really could be the new high water mark for Czech pistols.

As always, please enjoy the pics and share your thoughts.

Thanks!























Here it is with a couple other noteable Czech pistols, the Laugo Alien and FK BRNO.

Super cool pistol! I've never really been a fan of slide cuts, but these are very tastefully done! Shoot it in good health and please let us know how she shoots for you.

 

PM’d not to clutter your thread.

 

Right back at ya!

 

I would love to shoot that thing with a suppressor.

 

Lol, reminds me of a fancy KIA. Damn, that's lost a bet ugly.

 

The funniest part is that a guy who has a Ruger P89 as a handle calls other guns ugly.


It’s all good though. I’m sure it’s ugly to some, but you won’t find any 9mm semi auto pistol easier to shoot well on the planet.

 

Another great write up on a hand gun I didn't know exists!
Can't wait to hear how it shoots. No doubt it will be amazing!

 

I shot it last night. It actually exceeded my expectations, believe it or not

 

Tops out at $5900 ...

 

Yeah not cheap. That’s for the Giant, which is this gun with a frame mounted optic for Open.

 

Whenever a new company comes onto the market, I'm skeptical until I handle one in person. However, after reviewing the Arma Zeka’s website after the past year or so, I was convinced they were pretty special pistols. This company has actually been in Europe for a couple years, so they are not brand new. They are, however, brand new to the US market and have also introduced some brand new models to coincide with the US release.

Arma Zeka pistols are not CZ clones, despite their appearance and their country of origin. While they use a Browning style locking system (as most pistols do), the Arma Zeka guns march to their own drummer. The frames are aluminum, but they have a steel insert, so there is no aluminum frame rails. Unlike other guns with a steel insert, the Arma Zeka rails are very adequate with much more than just small points of contact. They are very well executed and it appears that their entire lineup is geared towards competition in some fashion.

ARMA ZEKA | Sport Pistol

My favorite LGS has had great luck working with the importer down in Florida and they were able to get me one of the first into the country. Its serial number 3. This model is one of their top of the line guns, called the Super Optics Special, which is a SAO optics ready pistol with a threaded barrel that comes with a compensator. The barrel is about 5.25”. I linked the model below, though some of the text is lost in translation.

ARMA ZEKA | AZ-P1 Super Optics Special

This gun is likely the finest Czech pistol I’ve ever handled. From a quality standpoint, its at least as nice as the Laugo Alien. The FK BRNO Field Pistol would probably be its equal, but isn’t anywhere near as practical and the trigger doesn’t come close to this Arma Zeka. The trigger in this breaks at a clean and consistent 1.75 lbs, with a short and very positive reset. Its by far the best trigger I’ve ever felt on any Czech gun and approaches the best triggers in my entire collection. Considering the 2011’s I own, that is quite a ringing endorsement. The interesting thing is that the CZ Tactical Sport pistols have a trigger just as light, but the comparison pretty much stops there. That goes to show that the actual weight of the trigger isn’t everything. Everything about the Arma Zeka feels like a highly precision instrument. The slide action may be the smoothest I own. Its at least as smooth as my Atlas 2011’s and probably a match for my Pardinis, which I always considered my smoothest pistols before now.

The machining on the gun is very impressive. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, I love it. The ergonomics are perfect, in my opinion. It fits my hands like a glove. The black aluminum grip panels have a hexagon pattern and coupled with the grip tape, provide amazing traction. The front strap and backstrap checkering also works extremely well. The beavertail seems to be in a perfect position. While the pistol is not exactly a low bore axis design, the ergonomics allow your hands to get as high as possible. The ambi thumb safety is also very positive, albeit a little light for my tastes (not that its really needed on a competition gun anyway). The magwell is blended seamlessly. The devil is in the details with this pistol. Even the front and bottom of the trigger guard are very finely serrated. The frame is indented on either side for the thumb of your off hand, along with more grip tape for traction. It feels very comfortable. The weight of the gun is also perfect for me. Despite the aluminum frame, it weighs in at a hefty 44.2oz with an unloaded magazine. The balance of the weight feels outstanding in hand and I find the upright grip angle very comfortable.

Aesthetically, the gun is busy, but I don’t mind. The two tone color is ok, with the steel slide a semi glossy black and the aluminum frame a matte gray color. While I’m not a huge two tone fan, I do like the contrast here. They also come in a few different color combinations, as shown on the website. The wording on the slide and frame is plentiful and I’m sure it will turn some folks off. I’m used to it by now on some of these Euro handguns. It doesn’t bother me any longer.

I plan to shoot this pistol very soon, but if its not one of the best shooters in my collection, I’ll be surprised. I know that’s a tall order, but this gun has some of the best ergonomics and one the best triggers in the high end pistol world. Coupling that with the balance and weight of the gun and it sure feels like a winning combination. Price wasn’t cheap at $5300, but my first impressions are that its worth the money. There is a more watered down version on Gunbroker at the moment. I don’t see this pistol being my last from Arma Zeka.

So that’s all I have to report at the moment. Right now, I’m thrilled with this pistol. I honestly can’t imagine anything at the range changing that, but I’ll certainly report back. This company really could be the new high water mark for Czech pistols.

As always, please enjoy the pics and share your thoughts.

Thanks!























Here it is with a couple other noteable Czech pistols, the Laugo Alien and FK BRNO.

As said by Poet Keats
A thing of beauty is a joy forever

 

Nice addition to already impressive collection, congrats.

 

The FK of that lineup is my favorite

 

Revisiting this thread because I shot this gun again yesterday and I’m amazed all over again.

It’s literally one of my top 5 best shooting pistols, maybe even top 3. Incredibly smooth, high quality, no recoil, and an absolutely fantastic trigger. The ergonomics are superb

 

GREAT GUN AND GREAT LOOKING ON THE WILD SIDE. PRICE! as we know all good things cost.
AND VERY FEW WILL GET HANDS ON THAT CZ.

so that unique is already keyed in, good report and pictures.

 

Thanks

Yeah and besides the price, there aren’t many in the country. Small batch pistols

 

Still wondering if the also czech KMR pistols will ever end up in your collection (though to my knowledge they aren't being imported into the US yet) so you can compare it to your arma zeka's

personally i've been very interested in the 6" longslide CUDA model with it's 4-position adjustable PPC sight, i love internal slide rail pistols with the slide sticking out beyond the frame

 

If they come here, I’ll definitely take a look.

They are CZ clones, albeit seemingly nice ones. The AZ pistols don’t use that design.

 

Very nice, Brian! That might just give the new Armscor RIA 5.0E a run for the money!

 

You know, I wanted one of those when I first heard of it. Not sure I can get myself to buy an RIA though.