Colt Z40 Pistol #1
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- / forgottenweapons
The Colt Z40 was a collaboration between Colt and the then-relatively-unknown CZ firm. Colt was coming off two remarkably unsuccessful pistol launches in the early 1990s (the Double Eagle and the All American 2000), and needed something to offer in the duty pistol market. They arranged to sell a pistol made by CZ with a 1911-style grip combined with the excellent CZ-75 upper assembly and lockwork. The guns were chambered for .40 S&W because the recent 1994 Assault Weapons Ban had limited new production magazines to 10 rounds.
However, after only 800 had been sold, Colt backed out of the deal and dropped the Z40 from its catalog. Why? Because they had happened to use a Z40 as the base gun for a model "smart gun", and the public reaction was overwhelmingly negative. In the aftermath, Colt management threw out the Z40 as the proverbial baby in the bathwater, simply because it had been tarnished by the PR of the smart gun debacle.
CZ, for its part, made a few tweaks to the design (primarily replacing the DA-only lockwork with the DA/SA system for the CZ-75) and released it on their own as the CZ-40.
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I'm always impressed at how you can tell these stories by memory in a single continuous shot. Thanks for the continued information!
He is Gun Jesus
Now CZ wants to buy Colt.. that interesting twist of history and kind of a pay back;)
Oh how the turn tables
No, they DID buy Colt.
@@Locutus494 Yes, eventually. The original comment is nine months old. They meanwhile finished the deal. Doesn´t mean that Kibicz is wrong.
@@Locutus494 Good, maybe something new will come from that antiquated company
@@LIONTAMER3D
Good. Maybe they’ll get an investment in new tooling and make some new guns. Maybe they can make some guns in new calibers and with higher capacity.
I tell the colt Z-40 and CZ 40B story every time I bring my 40B out and people love it. Thanks Ian for being 100% inline with my interests.
Wow, I'm loving this. You are a good story-teller! I bet even a non-gun person would find this video interesting.
+Lovenought I do, Never owned or shot a gun in my life
+Lovenought I watch most his videos just for history of the guns, never owned a gun never will.
+Lovenought I'm no gun person and doubt more than 50% of the people here are. Ian is a fascinating storyteller, the guns are aesthetic and interesting. Never shot or even seen a real firearm in my life. Still watching every video he uploads.
+Lovenought I come here to learn about guns and listen to Ian. Even if it's a gun I already know about.
Ian just seems like the kind of person you listen to even if he's talking about the most boring subject. The fact that he's talking about rare guns is a giant bonus.
+Kåre Jensen Du burde prøve det!
New Jersey does in fact have that smart gun law in effect. A few years ago some shop in another state was going to sell the Armatix, but was hounded by NJ gun owners who were freaking out at the guy because he'd trigger our law to go into effect.
Supposedly, Loretta Weinburg, who drafted the law in the 90s claims to regret it, because it's hampered all potential progress on smartguns. Fortunately, she's was correct on this, as smart guns are a terrible idea in my opinion.
It might be nifty in the future where tech is more reliable then mechanical means, but good ole common sense will likely be the better option.
+John Harvey Because nobody outside of NJ would EVER buy a single thing from you ever again.
The law makes it mandatory for all gun owners to convert their guns to smart guns when the tech comes out or surrender them. Its waa challenged and heard nothing else on it.
Kind of nice of her to do gun people a favor
Crap like this is why people are fleeing NJ and NY and headed south.
For reference, CZ does more or less still make their version, but only the sub-compact variant.
The CZ Rami's description on the website doesn't mention it, but only a blind man wouldn't see the connection.
But, it did work out in the end. The metal framed Rami is pretty popular as the sub-compact CZ 75 platform for CZ.
Not since it’s discontinuation in 2018 or 2019
@@calebnation6155You just had to rub that in there, hu bud? Me wants one bad!!
I’m back because of current events
Same
REVENGE
New Jersey does have that law on the books, Ian. A dealer in Maryland wanted to import from Europe and found out he was affecting the NJ gun-purchasing public, so he dropped it.
Ian, The Colt Z40 may not be an"old" weapon, but sure is a "forgotten" one. Please keep the good work. Yours is one of the most educational firearms channels on RUclips.
I'm a fan from Czech Republic and THIS gun I'm seeing first time in my life :-))
How are your gun rights in the Czech republic? Are they fairly loose? Just curious.
+ Jared Blount >>> It's easy to get a licence and gun, but it's a trouble to use it. For example, in 1998 I shot the attacker with a pitchfork (he dead) and investigations and trials ran year and a half ... (Fortunately I was discharged.) In the Czech Republic are not uncommon cases where a defender shoots armed and dangerous attacker - and defender goes to jail for it. In our law there is the phrase "excessive self-defense", which means that first you have to wait until the attacker will kill you, and only then can you defend ... That is why we rule: "If you defend, the attacker must not survive and talk." Some Czech owners of gun carry a knife, that if necessary inserted into the dead man's hand. Then the "excessive defense" becomes "reasonable". It's cynical, but it's better than prison.
Sorry for my English...
+David Odler Your English is very good. Thanks for sharing that with us. I'm glad everything worked out for you in the end. That must have been a terrible experience.
+Don F >>> Yeah, it's terrible. About 5 years later, I ended up on disability pension with depression... I can not imagine the situation of professional soldiers with such events are confronted all the time, perhaps years...
+David Odler Some parts of the US are similar, granted most places would assume any provable act of aggression, ei pitchfork in your property would be enough legally, but maybe not civily.
Imagine, its 2 AM, you wake up because there is a noise in your house, glass shattering, men talking, you grab your pistol from the shelf, sneak downstairs, 2 thief's with guns and masks, one dude sees you, gets his gun out, fires. You wanna return fire, pull the trigger, "click" oh sheit, forgot the chip ring upstairs. And that was the brave end of a not-so-smart smart gun user.
Probably the best Colt ever and never available for sale.
Colt kind of sounds like the Gibson of the gun industry
Nice, glad to see a modern "forgotten weapon" on this video. Also looking forward to the Colt Walker video.
Crazy to think that cz would eventually buy colt lol. Kind of a foreshadowing 🤔
Funny, the folks who actually love freedom and guns, seem to be able to make good guns.
I remember when CDNN cleared those out for under $300. Kicking myself for not getting one as a collector.
And the Z40 design lives on in the superb sub compact CZ 2075 Rami.
That is exactly what I thought. Was the RAMI in fact a compact version? It looks just like it.
@@nathanb1084 they took the design and cut it down to make the RAMI
@@insertjjs Thanks for the info!
That pistol would sell VERY well in Canada I believe. Being a CZ, it's likely very affordable, and in having a 10 round mag limit, that's perfect! Legally in Canada, sadly, we can only have 10 round pistol mags, which is why owning a double stack 9mm is basically just a waste of space. Really might as well go with .40 so it's not as MUCH wasted space, or even .45 ACP. I own a 1982 CZ-75 Pre-B, and yes, they are absolutely fantastic designs. Can't say I much like how tiny the grip surface is on the back of the slide.
The serrations are VERY aggressive, but there's so very little to grab, it's actually one of the main reasons why I prefer my Hi Power over my CZ, but that's just due to me. Big clumsy hands. They really are fantastic designs, and I'm certain the CZ combined with M1911 ergonomics would be an absolute pleasure to shoot, especially with the slightly smaller .40 S&W cartridge instead of the big meaty .45 ACP. I love .45 of course, but I don't yet own a .40. I plan to get a Glock 22, or better yet, a Glock 23 with an extended 4.14" barrel for legal purposes (once again, don't need that excess grip length that would just be wasted space), which would kill two stones with one bird, as it were. Actually 3. I don't own a Glock, a .40, or even a polymer firearm, so it'd be a lot of interesting firsts for me.
I once handled a Glock, disassembled it, and held that polymer frame in my hand. Now as said, I own ALL steel/wooden firearms except for some pistols that have wooden grips. I'm used to frames having a bit of heft to them. To hold that feather light polymer Glock frame, lifting it up and down in my hand, I couldn't help but laugh. Not mockingly, but just out of sheer amusement. It was so weird to know that it was the frame of a pistol, basically HALF a pistol, yet it barely weighed anything. Seemed to unreal. Simple minds amused by simple things, I suppose.
I do not like glocks or polymer framed weapons at all as well. The glock looks like a Lego brick gun to me.
Interesting. I guess I thought Colt being their own worst enemy was a relatively new thing.
I really don't want to see them go away, but I'm kind of hoping for somebody else to acquire them (somebody who isn't Freedom Group). They'd probably have to fall a ways for this to work, but in a way, I'd like to see CZ buy Colt. CZ has experience with having to innovate, because their "Classic Coke" is cloned so often (just like Colt), and CZ actually had the stones to start producing the Dan Wesson 715 revolver, again. It would be sweet if SOMEBODY did that with Colt. I would love to have a Python, a Detective Special, a Magnum Carry, and an Anaconda.
wow, your wish came true 5 years later
Great comment from the past;)
So... do you by chance own a time machine? 🤣
Oh great seer of the future, what other prophecies do you bestow upon us?
I have the CZ40B which is essentially the CZ version of this. Even in a .40 the recoil is very manageable and smooth. With the 4 inch barrel it is still very accurate as well.
I ordered a Z40 and never got it. Always wondered why. Thanks for the back story.
Good looking gun in opinion.
I bought a CZ in 97 for my duty weapon in a small PD. It was a copy of a Browning Highpower. I became fascinated with the fact that this was a design that was so amazing for being decades old.
Who's here after the acquisition of Colt by CZ?
Yup... this was one of the first things I thought...
Ayyyyy
CZ75 with a 1911 grip angle? Add G10 grips, a bunch of serrations and checkering, and some Novak or Trijicon sights and you've got one hell of a boutique pistol 😂
ive owned a cz40b for years with thousands of rounds through without ever having an issue, old reliable, its a keeper
So Colt got rid of them because people thought all Colt z40s were smartguns.
Colt apparently had (and probably still has) a very low opinion of the average American's intelligence. Lots of people in high places do. That is why so many politicians don't believe you are smart enough to make decisions for yourself..
I remember seeing an episode of 60 Minutes (or the like) in the late 90's where they went to Colt for a live shooting demonstration of their Smart Gun. While the reporter was all enamored with the "smart" technology, my eyes were fixated on the pistol itself, thinking, "Hey now! Colt should forget all this 'smart' crap and just put those on the market! I'd buy one!" All this time I didn't know they actually did... even if it was for only a few hundred units. Thanks for the story!
You have a knack for storytelling. Thank you for this channel and all this information.
I own a cz40b, it is the exact same pistol. It was my first pistol purchace and I will not ever be sold. the ergonomocs, trigger, capacity, weight, and size are all very nice and i love the pistol. parts can me hard to source but i guess thats why it is a forgotten weapon.
The CZ40b was the first pistol I bought when I was 21 (30 now) for $350 it's still running strong and I love the lil redheaded step child bastard. Definitely a "What you got there?" Gun when I take it out shooting.
I just started reading a very neat article about the CZ 2075 RAMI sub-compact, and apparently this pistol is what it was based on. Very interesting story and a neat pistol. I might have to look for a CZ 40 B for novelty purposes.
As I recall, prior to this colossally bad business decision, Colt also was involved or at least complicit in the passage of the '94 Omnibus Crime Bill. Gun owners are not. terribly forgiving bunch when they feel they've been betrayed, particularly from within. Add the QC issues on all their products and the profit margins (or lack thereof), particularly on their Anaconda line, and it's a wonder they still exist at all. They're no doubt the Dallas Cowboys of the gun world.
I love them for their revolvers, that's it. I couldn't care less to have a authentic Colt AR, or 1911, anymore.
However this Z40 might end up on my wishlist, because it does look like a good gun. I almost want someone to tell Colt to make this gun again, along with a Python MKII, and be successful again.
Closer to the gun Harley Davidson
@@jasonhill8696Orange County Choppers 🤣
Colt...Colt never changes.
Hahaha long time cz fan here but funny story I bought a cz 40 in the late 2000's it kept stove piping so I sent it back to cz..... few month later I was on my fishing boat completely forgot about sending it in. My cell rings and it's a guy from cz and he flat out tells me "hey bud, we've been having a lot of issues with our 40s just go on our website and pick out any 9mm you want and we'll over night it to you"
I picked out a super awesome 9 for basically twice the cost of my 40 haha.
Damn. Has CZ ever disappointed? Beautiful gun, obviously excellent. Colt should take some notes
another home run Ian ! like previously mentioned in comments you have a way of storytelling that keeps things interesting.
Great background information you provide in your series..... you are doing a fantastic job bringing these items to light..
@Forgotten Weapons, thank you so much for covering political events in your videos from a historical perspective and without any of the hyperbole or partisanship that so often accompanies such things. it makes your channel a pleasure to watch even when you touch on controversial topics.
Very interesting video thanks, best thing about these is getting the history on these gun.
That's falls exactly into the category of really cool affordable collectible gun you were talking about in you Q&A video.
who dis likes these videos? he explains them in depth how can you dislike that if your a gun guy? do you dislike thr gun itself? if so that doesn't deserve a dislike he works very hard on these videos
One of the best FW episodes, Ian! Really did your homework on this one! Lots of great info! Thanks!...of course now I want one...Darn you, Ian!
That barrel has a CZ 75 link but doesn't have a CZ 75 lock up. It actually looks very much like what is todays CZ P-09, P-07, P-10 barrel.
A very articulate and knowledgeable guy. Well done. Interesting and informative.
I had the CZ version of this, the CZ40B. It remains the only CZ I ever sold because it just would not function properly. I could rarely get through one mag without a failure to feed or premature slide lock.
That was interesting. I appreciate the story as much as the pistol. Thank you for all of the great content.
Colt should have made an updated version of the pocket hammerless. Love the look of those little pistols.
I love CZ and I owned one of these, but I hated the trigger. It had excessively long travel and even heavier weight, which hurts my heart because it was very well made otherwise and had a nice overall weight that tamed the .40S&W to feel like a pussycat. I imagine having the SA/DA option would have changed my entire perspective.
I sold it for peanuts to get a SA/DA CZ, I had always thought the CZ and Colt models were exactly the same gun only roll marked differently and the Colts were more rare.
Side note, rare does not always mean valuable. I found that out the hard way after thinking this was the most valuable gun in the safe for a decade and it was close to the least.
Thank you Ian.
Well, "Forgotten" doesn't always equals "old" .
Interesting story!
Reed Knight...one very respected gentleman, and a very very nice guy.
That is a Pretty cool Pistol. The Design is really great, you can't denie the Footprint of CZ lol that what i love, i really like the 1911 its actually one on my favs but this one actually takes the cake
I remember CDNN selling a bunch of Colt 2000's, I am so glad I passed that one up.
Always love your videos, I learn new stuff everytime! Happy patreon supporter!!!
Looks strikingly like a larger version of the CZ Rami. Another very nice gun from CZ.
That's no coincidence. The designers of the Z40 also went on to design the RAMI.
I kind of like it i would love to see these come back with maybe like a 15-17 round 9mm Magazine as well as keeping the .40 and even making a .45 option
I'm not familiar enough with the line to quote an actual model, but you could get something very similar in those calibers straight from CZ themselves.
Won't get the 1911 grip, but Cz offers very nice firearms in those calibers.
I have a CZ40B, basically the same thing. Now that no mag restrictions exist at a federal level it would be a good gun for re-release in 9 or .40 with normal magazine capacity.
I remember those All American 2000 reviews:
"Trigger is DAO, long, but incredibly smooth. The rollers really make it feel shorter than blah blah blah blah blah..."
Good story...You make it a great story. Thanks & keep it up. Really look forward to these vids.
I need one of these ☹️ its exactly like my RAMI but big and in .40
I really enjoy your videos ian, thanks for the work you do!!
Can't wait for the Walker!
+kristin may absolutely, me too. Just got one some months ago :-)
Very interesting, thank you for bringing all this cool content out.
Good story on this. I tune in for content like this.
That braided looking spring is interesting
I'm really surprised to hear that CZ isn't well known in the States. The Skorpion is easily distinguishable, for example. I assumed people would be generally aware of the company.
+Rauta Vaara (Rautaa) It is well known today, but that wasn't the case 20 years ago.
+Rauta Vaara (Rautaa) I live in Alabama and I went to a gun show yesterday, and just about every vendor had a CZ, but nobody knows what they are!
+Forgotten Weapons I remember back in 88-89 CZ-75 imports were coming in to the US under the name Tanfogilo and people would see them and go "damn that looks cool, but at that low price THEY CANT BE ANY GOOD" I never bought one and I didnt know anyone who did.. they were probably great.
+Forgotten Weapons Ah, I probably slightly misunderstood what you were saying. Thanks for the clarification!
+RandyLeftHandy That sounds curious. I wonder, would some kind of collaboration with a well known American company help them gain recognition?
I love these videos but you need to buy a Hi Power and spend some time with it. It's a common and great design, but your references to it are often off. The CZ has similar ergonomics to the GP35 and also uses a Browning tilting barrel action, but that's about the extent of the similarities.
The CZ uses a trigger bow around the magazine, while the GP35's trigger linkage passes through the slide. The Hi Power's barrel cams against a fixed pin in the frame while the CZ hits the slide stop pin.
I cringed when he said the Colt Double Eagle was a double stack magazine and then when he said the CZ-75 was basically a reworked Hi-Power my jaw dropped open in disbelief. I trust Ian and his gun knowledge is great, but the CZ 75/P-35 relationship comparison in design is flawed.
Is Colt still in business today?
+phileas007 Yes, remarkably.
+phileas007 They're still selling weapons to the US military, as well as the Brits, the Canadians, the Netherlands, and some police forces.
+Tara FitzGerald ok, are these weapons any good?
+phileas007 the ar 15 craze probably saved them.....
+kain hall Lol! No doubt.
Wow I knew about the Double Eagle & Colt 2000 but I'd never heard of this & consider myself a Colt fan!!!!
The only smart gun I want is the M56 Smartgun
I love how colt asked cz to make a pistol and they did, but literally stuck CZ in big, stylized letters on the side
Had a coworker who had the CZ branded version of this gun (CZ40B). Was pretty neat.
A double/single action Hi-Power in .40 S&W sounds very interesting. I trust that more mundane serial numbers of the CZ40 wouldn't be quite so pricey.
@@DriveCarToBar - So now you tell me.
Great video Ian
10:15 - in CZs office it was probably like "Co to kurva doprdele dělaj? Se asi posrali, ne?"
13:26 “You can czech the link”
Comt definitely had peoblems in the 90's. I worked in a large gunshop from 93-95. One day i was putting some new handguns in tbe display wall (rubber coated barrel pegs in columns behind safety glass). One was an Ultimate Stainless Gold Cup, right before the GC became a Custom Shop only item. As was my habit, i locked it open to see how much test firing residue was in the bore and make sure there was no obstruction, excessive oil, etc. My subconscious told me something was wrong, and it took abt 2 sec for my conscious brain to process what my eyes were seeing. The gun was a smoothbore! The bore had never been touched by the rifling machine. So, it went through post machining inspection, final assembly, final inspection, and test firing like that. 2 or 3 different inspectors missed it, apparently the test firer does not print groups, and it got shipped. Holy cow. Of course it was imnediately sent back. So there was a QC problem. Unless it was deliberate sabotage by a disgruntled employee(s), it should never have happened. I think Colt went into bankruptcy reorganization within a year of that.
I really like the concept of this pistol.
nice change of pace.
Would really like to have that gun. Too bad I can't afford it. A great fan of the CZ line and it's interesting to see their collaboration projects when they have them.
Beautiful Piece!
And ironically fast forward to 2021, CZ owns Colt!
Man I'd have loved something like that probably. CZ handguns are the best mix of durability, control style, ergonomics etc. for me.
Funny I just picked up number 6. Just thought it was different and kind of cool. Didn't no anything more. Thanks for the video.
Cz75 in 9mm and the glock 20something with the .22 tcm conversion kit the fn feild pistol in 7.5 and the colt python are my favorite pistols the pythons gotta be in .357 mag tho so u can use 38 special to train with then when ypur in the woods you can load some hot 357 mags in there i really like the .22tcm tho fantastic round
Man I love Cz, always said they would out last their competition, never knew they teamed up with Colt. It might piece some people off but Colt is a dying breed. Don't get me wrong I love their old wheel guns and their history, but they haven't came out with anything of interest in years.
You are correct in stating NJ in having this law for a good number of years, I escaped Jersey in 02'. I remember that law well.
The Z40 shoots great. I would own two if I can find another not overly priced.
Could you make a video going through all sorts of different caliber rounds (9mm .45 ACP, .50 AE etc etc) on a shooting range? Going through specialized ammo and how it works (Birdshot, Slug, Dragons Breath, Hollow Point etc etc) would also be pretty cool.
I remember the RFID ring guns, I don't think people would have shunned the Z40 because of it. Huge mistake.
cool piece
Know cz is buying colt hopefully they turn them around
One of the reasons people were against "smart guns" (aside from adding needless electronics to a simple mechanical mechanism) is that there were some laws which would have forced all guns to come with such technology once it was an option -- Oh, you mentioned that as soon as I hit "comment". Doh!
Thankfully CZ didn't just let the pistol die when Colt abandoned their end of things. The Czech had a perfectly good and serviceable pistol design, and just made a couple minor tweaks to it now that Colt doesn't care, and boom. A Czech gun for those who want an American-looking and feeling gun, but functions like a CZ-75. Because they're left hung to dry with a legitimately decent pistol design that may be a bit quirky for the Czech market, but it's there, so they might as well market it.
Wonderful information,thanks!
so wish colt would have sold more of these...I would have loved one...
I just added a CZ 40B to my collection. Just thought it was an interesting piece.
Boy am i glad CZ didnt end up making guns for Colt like the Croatian HS2000/Springfield Armory story.
"We forgot how to make good firearms, let's outsource to a small European country and just slap our name and branding all over it so the average American can't tell unless they read the small text that says where it was actually produced!"
Came back and watched it again. Great Vid ! *BGM.41
Hey Ian, just wondering, how much do you have to research about a particular gun before you make a video on it? Like, how much do you already know about the gun and it's development/history and how much do have to look up?