ILannoyed
03-18-2011, 09:31
*** Updated 3/23/11. I was finally able to take the two out together to do a comparison. After shooting, I think it's accurate to say that the Guardian is a considerable improvement over the CBOB.
What I was really concerned about, especially for my wife's sake, was the felt recoil. Although the frame of the Guardian is much lighter, the recoil with a variety of ammunition was entirely manageable. In fact, I had a hard time telling if the recoil was any worse than that experienced with the CBOB even when hotter ammo was used. I really couldn't tell. Shooting a 200 Gr. LSWC with 5.6 grains of Unique or 4.8 grains of Bullseye was a pleasure. I'm pleased to say that even these mild loads cycled the slide well.
My second concern was reliability. After seeing how tight the fit on this gun was, I really had doubts about how well it would cycle. For the first couple mags, the slide did run slowly despite being well lubed. I had a couple instances where the slide did not go totally back into battery, but I'd chalk that up to tightness. It went away after about 40 rounds. It seemed to loosten up a bit, as can be expected. The ramped barrel was a non issue and with its nice polish did not impede reliability in the slightest.
Lastly, the accuracy was something I was curious to see. There have been reports of 9mm Guardians shooting high and off center. My own CBOB needs a 6 o'clock sight picture. With the Guardian, I did need to aim a little below the target, but it was still somewhat close to POA. Below is my first eight shots from the pistol, two handed from about 10 yards.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/c00e662b.jpg
Later in the session, I had several targets with tighter groups, especially when shooting the 200 gr LSWC.
In conclusion, I am very impressed with the Guardian. It may very well be my favorite gun, not by virtue of being new, but rather by delivering on my high expectations. It does everything my CBOB does but is lighter, has a more durable finish on the slide, has a slightly better trigger that I expect will get even better with time, and is easier for those with small hands to use well while being equally comfortable for guys with larger hands like myself.
Then again, there should be an improvement in quality for the what these guns are going for now. I'm happy to say that indeed there is.
OLD Post below.
Hey fellow 1911 enthusiasts. I recently decided to purchase a Guardian in .45 to compliment my beloved 2009 CBOB. During my search for information, the CZ website was little help and it was somewhat difficult to find all the information I was after, especially detailed measurements. The pictures below are recent pics I took for the sake of comparison. Please excuse my amateur photography skills.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/Headtohead.jpg
The first thing I noticed was just how much lighter the new Guardian is. Since I have not shot it yet, I'm interested to see what kind of difference it makes in the recoil. At any rate, I have a bunch of mousefart 200 GR LSWC's loaded up for the wife.
The fit and finish is superb, and the polish on the ramped barrel is first rate. I feel better having the duty treat on this gun, because the polished stainless flats on the CBOB show every single nick and mark.
Measurements were taken with an RCBS caliper and in the case of the circumference, a piece of string. Circumference and trigger reach were measured from the narrowest points on the trigger and grip safety. Thickness was measured from the thickest point on the line drawn between the two like so:
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/linemark.jpg
CBOB:
Thickness: 1.285", Trigger Reach: 2.81", Circumference: 7.1875"
Guardian:
Thickness: 1.14", Trigger Reach 2.71", Circumference: 6.375"
***My measurements aren't perfect, but should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.*******
These measurements were of particular importance to me because my wife loves to shoot the CBOB, but would prefer something a little easier to grasp with her small hands.
The Guardian's grips are certainly slim!
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/DSC_0105.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/Guardthick.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/ThickCBOB.jpg
The Guardian appears to keep just about all the best features from the CBOB and improves upon a few things that I would have liked on my 09 CBOB.
What I was really concerned about, especially for my wife's sake, was the felt recoil. Although the frame of the Guardian is much lighter, the recoil with a variety of ammunition was entirely manageable. In fact, I had a hard time telling if the recoil was any worse than that experienced with the CBOB even when hotter ammo was used. I really couldn't tell. Shooting a 200 Gr. LSWC with 5.6 grains of Unique or 4.8 grains of Bullseye was a pleasure. I'm pleased to say that even these mild loads cycled the slide well.
My second concern was reliability. After seeing how tight the fit on this gun was, I really had doubts about how well it would cycle. For the first couple mags, the slide did run slowly despite being well lubed. I had a couple instances where the slide did not go totally back into battery, but I'd chalk that up to tightness. It went away after about 40 rounds. It seemed to loosten up a bit, as can be expected. The ramped barrel was a non issue and with its nice polish did not impede reliability in the slightest.
Lastly, the accuracy was something I was curious to see. There have been reports of 9mm Guardians shooting high and off center. My own CBOB needs a 6 o'clock sight picture. With the Guardian, I did need to aim a little below the target, but it was still somewhat close to POA. Below is my first eight shots from the pistol, two handed from about 10 yards.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/c00e662b.jpg
Later in the session, I had several targets with tighter groups, especially when shooting the 200 gr LSWC.
In conclusion, I am very impressed with the Guardian. It may very well be my favorite gun, not by virtue of being new, but rather by delivering on my high expectations. It does everything my CBOB does but is lighter, has a more durable finish on the slide, has a slightly better trigger that I expect will get even better with time, and is easier for those with small hands to use well while being equally comfortable for guys with larger hands like myself.
Then again, there should be an improvement in quality for the what these guns are going for now. I'm happy to say that indeed there is.
OLD Post below.
Hey fellow 1911 enthusiasts. I recently decided to purchase a Guardian in .45 to compliment my beloved 2009 CBOB. During my search for information, the CZ website was little help and it was somewhat difficult to find all the information I was after, especially detailed measurements. The pictures below are recent pics I took for the sake of comparison. Please excuse my amateur photography skills.
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/Headtohead.jpg
The first thing I noticed was just how much lighter the new Guardian is. Since I have not shot it yet, I'm interested to see what kind of difference it makes in the recoil. At any rate, I have a bunch of mousefart 200 GR LSWC's loaded up for the wife.
The fit and finish is superb, and the polish on the ramped barrel is first rate. I feel better having the duty treat on this gun, because the polished stainless flats on the CBOB show every single nick and mark.
Measurements were taken with an RCBS caliper and in the case of the circumference, a piece of string. Circumference and trigger reach were measured from the narrowest points on the trigger and grip safety. Thickness was measured from the thickest point on the line drawn between the two like so:
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/linemark.jpg
CBOB:
Thickness: 1.285", Trigger Reach: 2.81", Circumference: 7.1875"
Guardian:
Thickness: 1.14", Trigger Reach 2.71", Circumference: 6.375"
***My measurements aren't perfect, but should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.*******
These measurements were of particular importance to me because my wife loves to shoot the CBOB, but would prefer something a little easier to grasp with her small hands.
The Guardian's grips are certainly slim!
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/DSC_0105.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/Guardthick.jpg
http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo267/jonrem/ThickCBOB.jpg
The Guardian appears to keep just about all the best features from the CBOB and improves upon a few things that I would have liked on my 09 CBOB.